Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1828-05-28
POETRY.

ny-Tbe pocm which we shall proceed To copy and whc
|. entitled tho Last Day, Is from pen that unknown 10 ~
W. canv n becae OF the numerous beauties II contains
and regret thai not acquainted win the name Oh
autlpor -
merits-and il certainly Inns elected admlroii-we caI
not refrain fron saying, that the Idcs contains are n
,uwed from Lord Byrons Poem, entitled Darkness: ~
same vivid de~ptiol-tlie same chilling subimy, that du
tincnses that inesimabe effort OF the r, and last VI Enl
iand's nolesl bards, pervadcs the poem snied ue La
Day. and which we copy. IL the author III ule Isei
should chance notice remarks he VIII excuse to e'
dom we have taken, and rs we hope e encouraged " M
tie his great exampar ON oher, ana sli'i more lMeIe
occasions We commend the poem To the attentive perus
of all who are fond Of the LOFTY and sublime. and assh
he thai pelsai of il, viii afford them rich banquet
THE LAST DAY.
No SIGN of change appeared to every man
That day seemed as the past. From noon''fc path
Tie sun looked gloiousiy on earth, and all
Her scenes of giddy folly smiled secure.
When suddenly, alas, fair EARTH the sun
Was wrap, in darkness, and his beains returned
Up To the Throne Of God and over all
Tie earth night, moonless and sarless night.
Nature stood still the and rivers stood,
And all the winds and every living thing.
The cataract, that like giant wroih,
Rushed down impetuously, rs seized, at once,
Nv sudden frost with all his huary locks,
st,od still and beasts of every kind stood still
A deep and dreadful silence nigncd alone!
IIoIe died in every breast and on all men
Care fear and trembling none to his neighbor spoke
Husband thought not Of wife nor Of her child
The mother nor friend Of friend nor foe Of foe.
In horrible suspense all n,crals stood;
And as they stood, and listened charots were hoard
Rolling in heaven revealed in flaming hre,
The Angel Of God appeared in stature vast,
Blazing and lifting up his hand on high'
By Him that lives forever, swore, that Time
.t,houkl he no more. Throughout, creation heard,
And sighcd-all rivers, lakes, and seas and woodS'
Dospondng waste and cultivated vale
Wild cave, and ancient hill, and every rock,
eigho.i I; earth, arrested in her vonted path,
As OK struck by the lifted axe, when nousht
Was feared, in all her enralls deeply gioaned.
A universal crash was heard, as If
'.'he ribs of nature broke, and all her dark
Foundations failed ia deadly pllencss sat
On every flce Of man, and every heart
Grew chill, and every knee his fellow smo,e.
None spoke stirred none weH for hofrw he'u
All moliolless, and feitered every tongue.
Again o'cr all the nations silence fell
And in the heavens, robed IN excessive light,
'GTtr drove the thick oil darkness far aside,
And walked with penctraon kcenly through all
The abodes Ofmen, another angel stood,
he changed, ye living and put on the gNb
OF Innn.rtaliy! Awake arse
The God ofjuds,scnt comes. This said the voice =
And silence, froni eternity that slept
Beyond the sp',cIe olue creating word,
And all the noise of Time, awakened, heari
Heaven heard, aud eah aud iahcst hell through all
.,Ier regions OF despair the ear of Dcal,
Heard, and the sleep that for ~ long night
Ion l. ,dcpa t,.d and all
The dead awOke, a.d all the living ciI,nged
Old men, tina, on their staff, bending had leaned,
Crazy aud trail or sat- benunbed with age,
In weary listlessncs rpe for the grave,
Felt through teir sluggish veins and wthercd limbs
New vigor flow ) the wrnkied face grew smooth
Upon,tLc head that time had razred bare,
Rose busly locks aud as his son in prime
OF stieagih and youth, the aged father stood
Changing herself, the mother saw her son
Grow up, and suddenly put OH the form
Of man.Ood and tic wretch that begging sat
Lmbess, deiouned, at cnrncr Ui the way,
Unmindiul of his cri;ch, in joint and limb
Arose complete and lie that on the bed
Of mortal Sickness, with sore distress,
Lay brcathing forth his soul TO death, felt now
The tide Of life and vigor rushing back;
And looking up, leheld his weeping wife,
And daughter fond that DER him bending stopped
To close his eyes tile frantic madman too,
In whose confused biain reason had list
Her away, long driven at r,ndun Ia andfr
Grew sober and his manacIcs fell of.
The newly sheeted corpse arose, and stared
On those who dressed IL and the cofincd dead,
That n,en Were bearing 10 the tonb-awokc,
AndmingIed with their friends and armies, which
The trump surprzed, met in the furious shock
tof Battle, saw the bleeding ranks, new fallen,
Rise up ut once, and to their CHASTITY checks
Return the stream of life in healthy flow.
Aud rs the anatomist, with all his band
or rude disciples, oer the subject hung,
Aud inpolitely hewed his way through bones
And muscles Of the sacred human form,
Exposing blrbaronsiy to wanton gaze
The mysterics ofn,ture-joint embraced
His kindred joint, the wound d flesh grew ap,
And suddenly the injured man awoke,
Among their hands, and stood arayed compoto
In Immortality ty--forgiving scasce
The Ia. Ii offered to his clay in death.
That wns the hour, loug wished for by the good,
or universal Jubilee to all
The sous Of bondage from the oppressor's hand,
The scourgc Of violence fell and from his back,
Healed Of lis stripes, the burden Of the slave.
r1rThe annexed beautiful lines from the pen Of a
dy fnnery resident Of Rhode Island and who has W