Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1826-06-09
&9GgfTD>
From he Lomdoa ,New .MonMy Maya. uie for .1prii.
THE CITY OF THE DEAD.

From The London ,Ntc .Monfily Maya. inc for .1pru
THE CITY OF THE DEAD.
No sound comes on the watching
There is Il universal hush,
Broke but by marble fountS that gush
Umouchd, uuquand, in waste away,
w 18th idll mOuotunuuS aud dIear,
Save when its Jaw some beast OF plCy
Dips III their crystal, or the beak
o. wild bird may their cool wave bieak.
Oh hattiement, ON tower and town,
chill hue hovcrs; OH the ground
Objects show strangely, while around
pale aud hazy light CLEANS down,
ii IL be light, like that the
Filings i'll eclipse when made obscure
by intervening moons and dun
And sad appears the poItIaiture
Ct earthly things, as If this hour
Some agency of He'll has power.
In every street is solitude
in every dwelling is decay
From painted halls the raven rude
Flaps his black wing aud covers away.
Long grass grows tall and tangled where
The streets with feet were lately bare;
And the wolf pruwls in chambers bright,
Where time yet trcads with traces light,
Aud bones lie there he long hath clean'i,
Manowless, scattered wild about
In revcl of his htagry rout,
Ga inl0id floors ana carpets wove
Or purple grain with gold invcincd;
While aside shines the glib acOvc.
CntarniShH yet, where late moved,
Rovelld in luxury, danced, or loved;
Aud even on the damask'd beds,
hhcre youth aud beauty laid their heads.
pom the tables holding still
Goblet and bowl, lies many Scuil
In mimic antic, griuuug i'll
Near cups its eyes had joy'd at full
When those black hollows glanced all rife
With the rich revclry nf life!
In the closed chambers ceuches lie,
W here stretches many an atomy.
And garments clohe its whitening bone.
Tn down that cXNircd
And there embroidcl'i coverings hide
Tall fesuiess skeletons below,
That thiuly through mans last form show
And upon brOws of fcsterd pride
Shrunkcn and dry, in mosGcry Irvine
lleadtirc and flower that heauty's arm
Had placed to captivate or charm,
III locks that were its soft ewes shrine.
Those locks that shrimsi the cheek and lin
Where once monarch loved 10 sip.
Ani shrned the glance OF passions mower
On the crowud idol nj the hour
lis place of Joy and pleasure proud
rs graceful bed, its grave ami shroud.
Here dcso!a,jon holds her reign
Der ail-ffom lord to mental train,--
Wasted, aud dumb, aud ,eai;
Bone would be sinluar OF bone,
The slave from his prond lore! unknown,
But for the trappiugs livercd
Hanging upon him, marking well
His state even IN deaths carnival
And inlancy's young limbs stiN Law
CradIcd while blanchius in decay,
Amid the ruin dead.
There DEATH had ranged all, and greedy fed
HIS Jaws with food, his palaces .vI,h dead.
Plague his minister, and every door
The ied-cross* mark of visitation bore,
Till they who watch tho dying all had died,
Aud were left to buIy--in the tomb
Tie buried draggd the buricrs-ou man came
And gorged IT, iii no more the work was piled
lie died at feasting, iii the hall, door,
In house of state, or hovcl OF poor,
Where chance had placed him. thus life shruuk ,,r,
And DER its wrecks rownd gaunt Mortality,
Trampimg the scatterd bones, Il cfownd king
Trampcs the battlefield when triumphirg
When plague ragged in cities formerly the infected
uses marked on the doors with large red cross