The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register., 1824-12-09
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A COMET.

From Poem called Midsummer Days Dream
ny EDWIN ATiIEnsTOSE.
"Then suddenly there came frey star,
Wandering from out its orbit, masterlcss.
The dwcers of the carth,-thcy were race
Mghtier than youis,-look'd nightly on the sky,
And their thoughts were troubled. Night by
night the star
Grew brighter, larger;-waving flames shot out
That made the sky appear to shake and quiycr.
Night after night it grew; the stars were qucnch-
cd
Before its burning presence; the moon took
4 palcr-anda pa!cr hue; men cmed
Upon the mountains every eve to watch
How it arose and sat upon the ground
All night to gaze upon it. The day then
Became the time for sleeping; and they woke
From fcvcrish rest at evening to look ont
For the terrific visitor. Night by night
It swclled and brightcned-a the armament
Was kinded when it c'unc The waning moon
Had died away; and when she would have come
Again into the sky, men found her not.
still, still the heaven fire grew!--thcrc was no
night
But the day succeeded new day
of strange and terrible splcndor. Darkness
Became u luxury, and men would SO
TO caves ard subterrancous depths to cool
Their hot and dazzlcd eyes. The beasts Of the
field
We're restless and uneasy, knowing not
Their hou, for sltlmbcr; they went up and down
Dist-actcdly; and as they fed, would stop
And trcmble, and look around as if they feared
A lurking enemy. The things of prey
Monsters that earth now knows not,-caInc a
broad
When the red night sun had gone down; for day
with its mild light less glared upon their eyes
Than that fire flashing frnament: Yet,-yet
With every coming night the terrible star
Expanded; men had now no thought but that;
All occupations were laid blythe earth
Was left untitled, the voyagers on the dceps
Forsook their ships, and got upon the land
TO wait the unknown event. Der all the wofi'
Unatcred terror reigned. Men now
BY thousands and by tens of thousands, met
Wondering and prophesying. Day and night
All habtable regions sent to heaven
Wailings, and lamentations and loud prayers.
The ETHEREAL shapes that peopled earth, as now
Saw with astonishmcnt, but not with fear,
This strange disorder: for the wreck Of worlds
Injuries not them. The spirit of the sun
I.ook'd wondering down, expecting what migl
come;
For right towards Earth the blazing Terror hcl
Its awful course; and all the abyss ofspace
Resounded to the roarings of its fires
syct once more
-
It rose on earthly eyes One fourth the hcayel
Was covered by its bulk. Ere it had reached
Its middle course, the huge ball almost filled
The sky's circumpherencc;-and anon there W
No sky!-nought but that terrible world Of ii
Glaring, androaring, and advancing still!
tMcn saw not this the insuiierablc heat
Had slain all things that lived. The grass Al
herbs
First dicd!-the ntcrminable forest next
Burst into fames;--down to thciruttermost dee
The oceans boiled, d,-spurting their bubblii
waves
Rocking and wallowing higher than the hills
The hills at last grew burning red
And the whole earth seemed as it would mi
away.
'Intenscst expectation now held all
The ethereal natures silent From the height
of space they looked, and waited for the shoe
For in two right opposite courses the two orbs
Nush'd toward each other, - two enemies has
To meat i'll deadly conflict. Twas sight
Sublime, yet sad, to see this beautiful earth
Stript'of all verdure, empty Of all life
Glowing beneath the CONNECTS terrible breath
Like huge coal of fire!
They now draw nigh
Rapidly rolling on they come!-They struck
The universe felt the shock. we looked to lla
seen
The Garth scattered to dust, or born away
BY that tremendous iirc-star; but they touche
Obliquely, and glanced off. The comet soor
Shot swiftly on again; the weaker earth,-
Jared from her orbit, stood awhlc,-turnin
Backward upon her axis, vibrating
Down to her very centre; then went on
Faltcring, swinging heavily to and fro
t1pOp b,.r nl+ miles