Wheeling times and advertiser. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1839-1849, 1843-12-29
AN iMPROvIsarRlcr

AN ftlPROvISATRlCE.
Abreign correspondent af The New
ferk l'ribnne- writing frosn Rome. do
series an i'np-ovisatrice and her impro |
visalions as follows:
have Just returned from hear;ny an
lmprovisaiiice Bah! what a world of
disappointment. 1 had read Cor;nua t;,I
expected To behold in an ltaI,au i,nnro.
sisitrtce an embodied inspiration. She
snng Tor a small audience i'm one Of The
rooms OF tie rheatre Argentine An
Urn was LETT at the door, in which ey-
cry one. who wish dropped on b,t of
paper the subject he wished her TO i'm
provisatrice. The Urn was to be hand
cd To the lmpiovisatrice, from which
she must draw, by chance, the number
OF top cs she was TO render into verso
during the evening. l sat all on the
'qn vfre,' waiting her appearances, ex-
pecting to see enter a tall, -queenly beau
~, with the speaking lip and flashing
eye uttering poetry even in their re
pose. l expected more, from the fact
that these. INSPIRED birds are getting
rare even in Italy, and this was the Sc
cond opportunity there had been Of hear
ing one during the entire year. Well,
woman, somewhere between thirty FIVE
aud 6lty wears Of age, aud as plain as q
pike-s'aE She assembled the platform
somewhat embarrassed, and sat do wn-
the Urn was handed her, from which
she drew seven or eight papers, and
read the subjects written upon them
they were motley mess enough TO
turn into poetry in the full tide Of song.
looked at her somewhat staggered,
and wished very much to ask her, If, (as
we say al honey she did not want to back
ont OF the undertaking. However, she
started of boldly and threw Of verse af
ter verse with astonishing rapidly. AZ
ter she had finished, she sat down viii ed
the perspl' alton from her forehead while
man. looking more like Bacchus than
Cupid, brought her "A cup OF nectar in
the shs'pe of coffee which she coolly sip
ped before the audience, and then read
the next topic and commenced again
Between each effort came the coffee
Some OF the subjects were unpoetical e.
nough, aad staggered her prodigiously.
The spawned dactyls' would not bulge
an inch and she would siop-smite her
forehead-go bsck-take a new start, &
try TO spur over the chasm with bold
ness that half redeemed her failures
sometimes i required three or four dis.
tinct efforts before she could clear it
The large drops Of moisture that oozed
from her forehead, in the excitement
formed miniature rivulets down her check
till exclaimed 10 myself, well there is
psrspiration whether there be iuspi-
ration or not--and after all who can
tell the difference,
! will do her justice. however, to say
what her powers OF versilication, in
some instances, were almost miraculous
she would glide on without pause min
ding the difficulties Of rhythm, rhyme
and dgures no more than Apollo himself.
Columbus was one OF her sub, lets, a nd
she burst forth, q give tho sentiment
only,) who is that, with pallid countc.
nance 81 neglected heard, enters, sad and
thoughtful, through the ciiy's gates. The
crowd gaze on him as. travel-worn, he
walks along, and ask. ~ no IL her Chris
topher Colombo, is lie answer. They
turn away, for il is an unknown name
then, with sudden ding. she changed
the measure, and standing on the bow
OF his, boat flag IN hand, Tho bold adven
turer strikes the beach Of New World
The change from the slow. mournfuI
strain, she first pursued, to the trium-
plant bounding measure on which the
boat OF the bold Italian met the shore,
was like an electric shock, and the house
rung with 'brava, brava.' But, alas
there was no Cerinna there had rath.
er heard The fair proud looking pianist,
that accompanied her.