The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1845-02-14
FOR THE OTTAWA FREE TRADER.

And thou artgone! gone, never to return:
Gone, as the day-spring of our carly prime;
Gone as the bubble broken on the billaw rter
Gone, as the flowers, pluckcd by the hand of v in.
Or rs the sunbeam Of some yesterday.
But where art thou our searching thought.
would know.
could we part the veil that darky hangs
And separates US from future world,
And gaze upon the great reality,
And know how, where, and what we then shall be
What joys and sorrows are in store for us;
Or how connected with our present state;
Our duties thence infer, our prospects learn.
Fhese things the worldly wise have never known
though searching oft and long; for, since the bril-,
of man-high, noble, heaven aspiring MAN
His thoughts have turned within to learn himself
His being, nature, powers and destiny:
But all in vain. The ,cise man is a foi
When he would trace the winding, endless Past
Or cast the vei'of dark Futuri,y.
Or, if he turns within himself alone,
He's lost amid the labyrinth of wonders.
Yes, he may part the dark, blue scroll of heaven
And gaze upon the boundcss infinite
Upon its myriads Of shining worlds,
And mark the laws and seasons Of their round;
But let him turn his telescope glass
Upon that shoreless world Tuiurily--
lis cloud, and night, ard darkness visible,
Save where, anon, reflection Of the past
Dim shadows forth probability.
Some have affirmed that man is only mortal
A bubble cast upon the food of timc
Floating awhile, then, bursting, sinks forever.
Others, that God is universal soul,
And man is part of this celestial fire,
Which kindles, warns, and auimates the whole
And, when the living oil of man is spent,
Il n.
And shews man, or beast, or bird, or flower.
Others, more learned still in sophistry,
Pretend living world of dead below,
where fire is made To purge the soul Of dross,
From sins corruption, aud the faint of matter;
Then, having drunk the deep Lcthean stream,
Return to life again in nobcr forms
Thus circins round through many lives, they rise,
Vieing with god. in purity and virtue,
Till Jove transfers them to the OIympiln dome.
While others, scaling risgah's lofty brow,
With eye of faith, and hope and heavenly vision,
Spy, far in view, mans Immortality. view
Yes, where art thou Dosi thou look down 10
This world and us, as we still struggle onward
And dost thou love us still Do spirits hold
Sweet converse with each other Are they free
From all the faint Of SIM the alloy of matter!
Do they revisit the bright scenes Of earth bers
Dothey watch DER us through nights heavy SUM
DO they mount upward to those worlds on high,
That stud with golden gems the brow Of night,
And gaze with eyes sparkling with love upon Us
Are they not seen amid the mountain mist,
Or, sylphhkc, sitting on the slvcry cloud
Can we not hear their voice nj evcntide,
Mournful and signing thro' ihe dark pine grove;
Or, cheerful, in the distant waterfall,
Palnlng our souls with deep, immortal longings
y, could one burst the tomh's firm cercmcnts,
And with n more than angels voice, reveal
70 mans dark soul his future destiny Ilhroned
How God, the "Grcat First Cause" and high en-
rr all the universe, leads on tho train
81 active agencies, perfect and endless;
And how intelligenccs, pure and holy,
Are bound IN firm allegiance to his throne:
How sinful man, bursting the chains of love,
Raising his parrcidal hand to heaven,
Again to God and glory can aspire.
But hush Alas dare not, too vcnturous tho'ts
TO rend the veil of Gods high sanctuary,
Which spirits and angels may not dare to enter
For He doth bound our knowledge with our
powers;
Gives US to know but his great rcquislion,
Strictly to tread the paths of truth aud love,
Which teach the service due to hcaven>and man
And wait his virlue-measurcd relribu,ion.
Great God since thou hast formcdthcse earth.
ly mOuds,
And framed these spirits purcr, nohler, far;
Since thou hast placed us in this dark abode,
Where sin inlamcs our passions deep and strong
Let not its cup of NORWOOD and of gall
BE poured into the cup Of happiness.
And, while the stream of lie shall flow along,
And we float on its rapid, rolling current,
Do thou initiate the sails with prosperous breath,
Nor let our bark be foundcrcI on the shoals
or dread misfortune and, when Death, at last,
Sudden or slow, with pail, and knell, shall come
May we not tremle at his startling call,
But, ready, joyful, make our final exit
And when the thundcrs of the voice Of God rbcr
Shall wake the dead from their long, silent Stun
And when devouring flames, as with shroud,
Shall wrap the EARTH when sun, aud moon, an(
stars, ness
Shall fade away, and ciohe themselves in dark
Then may our souls survive the wreck of matter
And mount, on seraph wing, to thee aud glory,
To full fruition of Eternal Love. IS. -.