Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-07-02
MISCELLAN EOUS.
From the Philadelphia Album.
MY COUSIN ISABEL.


MY COUSIN ISABEL.
Isabel was a Poetess-one of those
strange sweet beings, that sometimes meet
US here, and seem like stars wandered a.
way to Earth from their own beautiful
spheres knew her not till she was ff-
teen, and she was then all knew or could
fancy of loneliness. She was ever glad
creature, and the young blossoms that
shone like stars on the midnight of her
tresses, were not more bright and shadow
less, than the sweet brow that arched be-
meath them. Hers was indeed a spiritual
existence. She loved the glorious things
ofearth as an Angel loves his own Para
disc, and her soul would often blend with
them till the fulness of her ecstacy could
find utterance but with tears. Poetry was
to her, familiar dream-a vision of float
ing loveliness-and she moved abroad IN
the light of its inspired Divinity. have
strayed by her side on a summer evening,
and listened with hel to the mysterious
pine-lutes of the forest, or the deep MUIR
muir of the mountain streams, and gazed
upon the moonlight as it was timing the
Nmists, the waves, and the wooded hills.
with the bright coiourirg Of dreams. and
looked abroad uponthe great Ocean heav-
ing perpetuallv as if 1t were the throbbing
heart cf the Universe, and then her
thoughts aoould have utterance, and her
language came like the low. music of a
twilight wave-the breathing forth of the
soul of poetry, that had fosted into her
spirit from the sky, the flowers, the wa.
tiers, and all the thousand objects, among
which she was wandering-and | Yielded
to the enchantment, till [ could have
knelt to her in worship as to glori-
Gus vision sent down from a perfect
sphere.
Isabel knew little society Her home
was where she could gaze at will on the
lovely and the sublime, the first opening
OF the blossoms offspring beneath the bud
ding tree, and the stately steppings of the
Almighty amid the thunder. crags and
roaring forests Of the mountain. When
her thoughts strayed beyond these, t was
to hold communion, not with the allure
ments of society, but with the shining
stars, the bright and spiritual worlds above
her. Her thoughts went upward, like in
canse gushing from broken urn The
following hymn, which found in her ia
vourite arbour after night of peculiar
a
habits of contemplation.
Those burning stars -Wha: are they ?-I have
dreamed,
That they were blossoms on the tree of life
Or glory flung back from the mighty wings
Of Gods archangels-or that yoD blue sky,
with all its gorgeous blazonry of stars,
Was but banner waving on the winds
From the far wall of Heaven And have sat
And drank their gush of glory, till felt
Their flash electric trembling with deep
And strong vibration down the living wire
OF chainess passion-and my very pulse
Was beating high, as if a spring were there
To lift me up where might ever roam
Mid the unfathomed vastness of the sky,
And dwell with those high stars, and see their
light
Poured down upon the blessed Earth, like dew
Prom the bright urns of Maids!
Beautfu stars!
What are We There is in my heart of hearts
fount, that heaves beneath you like the deep
Beneath the glorics of the midnight moon
And list your music-tones are floating now
Around me like an eement--so low,
so wildly beautiful almost deem,
Thai ye are as the living harp of God
Der (which the incense winds of Eden stray.
Ana wake such tones of mystic minstrelsy,
AS well might wander down to this dim world
To fashion dreams of Heaven Peal on-pea!
Natures high anthem for my life has caught
portion of your purity and power,
And seems but as sweet and holy tone
OF wild star-musc
Blessed-Blesscd things -
Ye are in Heaven, and on Earth my sonl.
Even with whirlwiDds rush, may wander off
To your immortal realms, -but it must fall,
Like yonr own ancient Plead, from its height.
To dim its new.caught glories in the dust!
This earth is very beautiful love
Its wilderness of spiing-6owers---its bright
clouds
The majesty of mountains--and the wild