The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1848-04-19

u.
his poet bis saps were the
first who Ills yznntolded
.tliough BITS, full ofs con nfidsnts in 6 the early
slispings ofhis gen nluss
q Was .inthe winter Of I1 90 .8 Famine
ragged tut sStrnsbourg. Dietrech,sS house
; was poor, and his tablp frugal but hospi.
stably OPEN Rouiet de Lisle. The
young officer e1ted himself there night
and mo orningS ike q son or brother Of the
family One Mig there was only garri
son bread and a fesy slices Of smoked ham
on the table; Dietrect skiing OF Do Lis
levitt, melnncholy serenity. said:--
st here is d lackSo abundance at our
meals; but what matt fthcre be no luck
ofenthusiasnl at ourcivio festivals, or Of
courage i'm the heaTts Of our soldiers!-I
have sill last sbottl q sofywine in my eel.
lar. Lett be brought, said he to one Of
his dug gbterss aud lei us drink it TO libcr-
+. ty and our country. Strasbourg will
soon have 10 celebrate 9. patriotic cercmo.
ny, and De Lisle must find in its drops
one of those hymns which carry into the
soul ofthcpcople that intoxica,ion from
which it hns sprung!"
8. The young girls applauded his words,
brought the wine, and filled the glasses Of
their old father and the young officer
until the liquor was exhausted. 1t was
midnight; the night was cold. De Lislc
was q dreamer; lis heart wasaf}ec,cd; bis
head was heated. The cold seized upon
him; with unsteady steps he entered his
solitary chamber. FIe slowly sought in
bspiration, now in the bcating Of his ci,i-
zen heart, now on the key of his piano;
now composing the air before the words,
now the words before the air; and in such
manner assopiating them in his Thoughts,
that helcould moi himself say which was
created first, music or verse, until it was
impossible to separate The poetry from the
expression. fIe sang all, wrote nothing.
Overpowered BY ibis sublime inspira-
tion, he fell asleep with his head on the
pinno, and did not awake ill day. The
song ofthe night returned 10 his memory
with difficulty, like the impression OF
some dream. ITewro.e down words and
music, and hastcned to Dic,rcch. He
found him in his garden digging up win
ter lett lces.-Ihe old patriots wife and
daughters had not yei rison. Dietrich
{awoke them, and sent for some friends,
like himself passionately fond Of music,
and capable Of performing it. Rouici
sung, Rietrcch's eldcs. daughter accom-.
panied him AT the first stanza, oil their
countcnanccs grew pale; at the second,
tears flowed; at the last stnnza, the Wild
ness Of enthusiasm burst forth. Dictrcch's
wife and daughters, the old man himself,
his friends, the young officer, threw them
selves weeping into each others arms.
The hymn Of the couR,ry was found!-
But, alas! il was also destined 10 be the
hymn Of terror. Unfortunate Dictrcch,
few months later, walked TO the scaflold
TO The sound Of those very notes which had
sprung forth at his hearth from the heart
Of his friend and the voices Of his daugh.
icrS.,
The new song, performed several days
afterwards at Strasbcurg, flew from town
TO town, 10 all The popular orchcstras. The
Marscillais spread il through France by
singing i, on their way to Paris. From
this came the name Of fMarScilIaisc.
The old mother of De Lislc, royalist
terrified at the echo Of her sons voice
wrote to him, "What is this revolution
ary hymn which is sung by horde of
brigands travelling France, and with
which thy name is associated" De
Lisle himself, prescribed as n roynlist.
shuddcrcd as he heard it rcsound in his
ears as q menace Of death, when flying
along the path. ways of the high Alps
What do they call this hymn?' de-
mandc,! he OF his guide.
The MarsciIluiSc,' replied the peasant
1t WAS thus that he learned the name of
his own work He wns pursued by the
enthusiasm WHICH he had sown behind
him. lie escaped death with difficulty.
The weapon turns against the hand which
has forged it. The Revolution IN its
madness no longer recognized her own
voicc!''
The other day, on amablc lady not far
of, was reading an account Of trial in
case Of horrid murder. AT the conclu.
sion, she found the following:
'P- S. We stop the press to say that
the jury was hung, and the prisoner re-
manned for another trial"
"Good gracious" said the nmiablc old
lady, "what were the jury hung for?
Why didn't they hing that bloody minded
prisoncr2" "Why, madam" observed a
waggish person standing by, you must
observe that the court didn't hang the in.
ry; they hung themselves "La, me!
replied the old lady, show shocking, /
have heard that there were men who
would hang themselves if you give them
rope enough; but | didn't suppose you
could find twelve men who would do il at
once, no how.
arkansas IntclHgcncer.