Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1849-02-07
The New Years Night Of an Cn-
happy One.


FROM The GERMAN OF JEAN PAUL RICHTER,
In New Years night an old nan stood
at the window, bnt cast look of deep
despair up to the unchanging, ever-blorn-
ing sky, and down upon the still, pure,
snony earth, on which now no one was
SO bereft ofjoy and sleep, as he. For his
grave stood close before him. 1t was
covered only by the snow of age, not by
the verdure Of youth, and he took nothing
with him from this whole, rich life MOTH
ing bat errers, sins and disease, ~ en-
aciated body, desolate soul-his bosom,
full Of poison and an age full of repent
ance. The beautiful days of his youth
were changed to-day into ghosts, and
transported him back to that bright morn
ing, where his father had first placed him
on the crossroads Of life, which to the
right, upon the sunny road Of virtue, leads
into a. wide, peaceful land, full of light
and harvest Of angels, AMI which on the
left drags down into the mole-hills Of vice,
into black cave. full Of dropping poison,
full Of kissing snakes, and black, hot va
pors. Alas, the serpents chung around his
breast, and the drops of poison were upon
his tongue; and he knew not where he
was.
Unconscious, and with inexpressible
griel, he lifted up his hands towards heav-
en-, and exclaimed: ooh, give me back
my yonth! Oh father, place, place me
once more upon the crossroads, that 1
may choose otherwise But his father
and bis youth had long passed away. lie
saw ignns fatul dancing upon swaa,ps and
extinguishsd in church yards, and he said:
They are my days Of folly" He saw a
star fly from heaven, it glittered in its fall
and vanished on the earth. "That is IT,
said his bleeding heart, and the serpent
teeth buried themselves deeper into his
wounds.
His glowing Imagination showed him
stealthy sleep walkers on the roof; and the
windmill lifted up its arms, ready to crush
him, and skull in the empty cllarnel
house by degrees assumed his features
In the midst Of this convulsion the New
Years music suddenly iloated down from
the steeple, like distant church songs
His emotions became more tender; he
looked around the horizon and over the
wide earth and he thought on the friends
q has youth, who now, happier and better
than he, were fathers OF happy children
and blessed men, and he said, .Alas, /
too might like yon have been sleeping with
fearless eyes through this New Years
night, il had chosen. Alas, / might have
been happy, dear parents, il had fulfilled
your New Years wishes & aamonitions.''
In the feverisf recollection of his
youth, j appearsd to him as IL the skull
with his features was arising in the char
nel-house; finally, through the supersti-
ton, which in the New Years night be-
holds spirits and futurity, it was convert
ed into i living youth, like The beautiful
youth on the capitol, extracting thorn
from his foot, an bitterly his fancy show
ed him his blooming figure.
He could view il no more; he covered
his eyes; thousand hot tears vanished in
the SNOW: disconsolate and despairinp be
sighed lowly--. Return, q! youth, re,nrn!''
And It did return; for he had only
dreamed 50 horribly in the New Years
night. he was still youth. His sins
alone, had not been dream; but he thanked