The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-01-03
THE DAILY DISPATCH
THE NEW YEARS NIGHT
IFRoM THE GERMAN OF RIcHTEz i

An old man stood at his window at twelve
o'clock of the night which ushered in the New
Year, and gazed with look of long despair
up into the fixed; starlit heavens, and down
upon the still, clean, white earth, whereon
now there was no one so joyless and sleepless
as he. For his grave st . close by him. only
concealed by the snow of age, not by the green
of youth; ard he brought with him out of
whole rich life nothing bat errors, sins, and
weakness, body in ruins, desolate soul,
breast full Of poison, and an old age full of
remorse.
His beautiful youthful days returned to
him now as spec;res, and brought hin back
again to that fair morning on which his father
placed him at the diverging point in life's road,
which 10 the right leads upon the sun-path of
virtue into wide and quiet land full of light,
full of harvests, full of angels; and which to
the left leads down into the mole-tracks of vice,
INTO dark cavern full of dripping poison, full
OF serpents readv to dart on their prey, and
iuii OF dismal, close exhalatons.
Alas. the serpents hung around his breast,
ana crops OF poison were upon his tongue, and
ne knew now where he was.
madiy and with unspeakable grief he called
out to Heaven,i G We me my youth again.
fiace me again at the diverging point, that
may make different choicei''
But his father and his youth were past
iohS oso' h6 saw Will o. o-the-wlsps dance
upon the marshes and become extinct over the
burying ground, and he said, "They are INV
foolish days" He saw a star shooting from
heaven, glimmering in its fall, and vanishing
as it reached the earth. That am L." said
his bleeding heart, and remorse sunk its ser.
pent fangs deeper into his bosom.
His disordered Imagination pointed out TO
him spectres walking upon the roofs, and the
windmill rnised its threatening arms to crush
him. and a mask which had been left in. the
empty charnelhouse gradually assumed his
own features.
gln the midst fthe conflict, the music for the
New Year suddenly flowed down from the
tower as a church hymn heard in the distance.
His mind became calmer. he looked around
the horizon, and over the wide earth, and he
thought of the friends of his youth, who now
happier and better than he, were the teachers
of the earth, flthers of happy children, men
whom the world called blessed, and he said,
80 could also have slept this first night of
the year with dry eyes, as you do, if | had only
wilIed it. Alas, l could have been happy,
dear parents, had 1 fulfilled your New Years
wish and teachings"
youth, it appeared to him as it the mask
which had assumed his features in the char
nel-house stood up, and throug that supersti-
ton which on New Years eve sees ghosts
and future events, it was at last changed into a
living youth.
He could see no more; he covered his eyes;
a thousand hot tears streamed forth, disap-
pearing in the snow; all comfortless and des-
pairing, he sighed gently, "Come again, o my
youth, come again.
And it came again! For that fearful expe-
rience was only dream of the New Years
night. He was still youth, his errors had
been only dream. Blu; he thanked God that
he, still young, could turn aside from the filthy
courses of vice, and enter upon the sunny path
which leads into the bright land of harvest.
Turn with him, young reader, if thou stand
est upon the error road. This frightfuI dream
will one day become thy judge; but il thou
again, beautiful YOUTH" remember it will not
come again.