The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-12-24
THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR.

GEORGE D. PRENTICE.
Gone gone for ever Like rushing wave sd. 81
Another year has burst upon the shore
OF earthly being-and its last low tones,
Wandering in broken accents on the air,
Arc diving to an echo.
With its young charms has gone,-gone with it
leaves
Its atmosphere of roses--lts white clouds
Slumberng like seraphs in the ART birds
Telling their loves in music--and Its streams
Leapng and shouting from the up-ped rocks
To make earth echo with the JOY of waves.
And Summer with lis dews and showers, has gone; ;
Its rainbows glowing on the distant cloud,
Like spirits Of the storm-its peaceful lakes
Smiling in their sweep sleep as if their dreams
Were Of the opening flowers, and budding trees,
And overhangng sky-and its bright mlsts
Resting upon the mountainous, as crowns
Upon the heads of giants Autumn, too,
Has gone with all its deeper gores-gone
With its green hills like affairs of the world
Lifting their fruit offerings to their God
Its cold winds straying mid the forest asles
To wake their thousand wind harps-its serene
And holy sunsets handing DER the West,
Like banners from the battlenents of heaven -'
A md its still evenings, when the moonlight sea
Was ever throbhing, like the living heart
OF the great Universe Ay-these are now
But sounds and visions of the past-ther deep
Wild beauty has departed from the earth,
And they are gathered to the embrace Of Death
Their solemn herald to eternity. t@o
Nor have they gone alone High human hearts
OF Passion have gone with them The fresh dust
Is chill on many breast that burned erewhile
With fires that seemed immortal, Joys, that leaped
Like angels from the heart, and wandered free,
In fe's young morn, to look upon the hawers,
The poetry OF nature, and to list
The woven sounds of breeze, and bird, and stream
Upon the night air, have been stricken down
In silence to the dust Exultant Hope,
That rovcd for ever on the buoyant winds,
Like the bright, starry bird OF Paradise,
And chanted to the ever listening heart
In the wild music of thousand tongues,
OR scared into the open sky, until
Nights burning gems seemed jewelled on her brow,
Has shut her dropping wing, and made her home
Within the voiceless sepulchre And Love,
That knet at Passions hottest shrine, and gazed
On his hearts idol on some sweet star,
Whose purity and distance make il dear,
And dreamed of ecstacies, until his soul
Seemed but a Tyre that wakened in the glance
OF the beloved one he too has gone -
To his eternal resting place. And where
Is stern Ambton-he who madly grasped
AT Gorys fleeing phantom-hc who sought
His fame upon the battlefield, and longed
II make his throne pyramid OF bones
Amid sea Of blood He too has gone
His stormy voice is mute-hs mighty arm
Is neryeless on its cod-his very name
l. but meteor of the night of years .."
w hose 81 ,ams flashed out a moment Ger the Earth
And faded into noihlngne The dream
OF hiuh devotion-beauty' bright array
And fe's deep idol memories all have passed
Like the cloud shadows on star light stream,
Or a stream of soft music when the winds
Are slumhering on the blow.
Yet why muse
Upon the past with sorrow 7 Though the year
Has gone To blend with the mysterious tide
Ofold Eternity and borne along
Upon its heavng breast a thousand wrecks
OF glory and of beauty-yct, why mourn
That such is destiny Another year
Succeeded To the past-in their bright round
The seasons come and go--thc same blue arch
That hath hung ser rs, will hang DER us vet
The sa ne pure stars that we have loved to watch
VIII blossom still at twilights gentle hour,
Like lilies on the tomb of Day--and still
Man will remain, to dream as he hath dreamed
And mark the earth with passion. Love will spring
From the ne tomb Of old Aflcctons-Hope,
And JOY, and great Ambition, will rise up
As they have rivena and their deeds will be
Brighter than those cngravcn on the scroll
OF parted centuries Even now the sea
OF coming years beneath whose mighty waves
Lilies great events are hca,ing into birth,
l. tossing 10 and fro, as if the winds
Ofheayen were 'prlsoncd in its soundcss depths,
And struggling to be free.
Weep not that time
Is passing on ii will ere long reveal
A brighter era to the nations ark
Along the wales and mountains OF the earth
There is deep portcntous murnurng,
Like the swift rush Of suhtcrrancan streams,
Or like the mingled sounds OF earth and AIR
When the fierce tcmpests, with sonorous wing,
Heavcs his deep folds upon the rushing winds,
And hurrics onward with his night OF clouds
Auains the eternal mountains IT'S the voice
Ofinfint FREEpoM-and her stirring call
Is heard and answered in thousand tones
From every hill top OF he western home
And 10 1t breaks across old Oceans Hood
And FRsEpoMl" FREEDOM" is the answerin
shout
Ofnalions starting from the spell OF years.
The day spring l-sce-ti s Frightening m me he'
vcns
The ,uaichmnn Of tho ninhl have canghl the sign-