The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-03
WASHINGTON, ID. G..
For the National Era.

RoMK, December is, 1882.


aaxEH WOOD LEAVES FROM OVER THE SEA.
No. rs.
ROME. December is, 1852.
My DEAR Mas. P: One sunny Sab
bath afternoon, lately, we visited the pleasant
Protestant cemetery, where Keats sleeps, and
-sho.o the heart and the ashas of Shelley are
turied was pniDed 10 find the grave OF
Keats in a bare and shsdowiess place. He
vybose heart was no full of music, who loved
baauty 30 passionetciy, has not tree to shelter
a bird over his lonely rest-not flower TO
Sraathe perfumed sigh over his lowly pillow
Surely. from the dust once instinct with his
delicate spirit, sweet breathed violets should
have sprung and his rich young blood should
have nourished deep-hearted roses. And yet,
yolets planted on this sad grave might have
been paled by receiving too many tears for
dew and here whence even wild flowers and
weeds are stripped away, few rose-buds would
eyer have become roses, but all have disap-
reared by the pious theft of countless pilgrims,
and gone to sweeten cabinets and drawers and
precious volumes with the memory of that rich
post-life. plucked, like them, with half it's
wondrous beauty unfolded---with half its d.
vine sweetness untasted by the world.
Saddened as was at the grave of Keats
was yet unprepared for the flood of emotion
which swept over me beside that of Shelley.
He had ever been one of the goods of my idol
airy" not alone for his sublime, yet most ex-
quisite poetic genius but for his passionate love
and fervid spostleship of Freedom-for the burn
ing rebukes, the stern warnings, for even the
awful auathemas which he Rhrieked out against
tyranny and tyrants--but l looked not to feel
the real pang of grief which changed the deep
low breathing with which l approached into
quick sobs and dissolved in tears the admire
ton aud reverence of life "The spirit of
the spot" bowed me over the stone which COW
cred his ashes till my brow, my lips, touched
it, and my heart throbbed against it all its
gratitude, and sorrow, and regret. Oh. then,
| thought of all the loves, and griefs, and
wrongs, the sweet hopes and bitter disappoint-
ments of his rch brief and troubled life of
the grand aspirations and imaginations which
stormed heaven, and took hold on divinity it
self, and of the hard judgment the relentless
hate, claiming him, and eating into his great
heart here. | thought more mournfully of the
lost possibilities of his unfulflled destiny, Of his
unprotected genius, of the grander strains of
heavenly poese" with which he might have
filed the world; of the yet more potent words
he might have spoken for freedom, and hurled
against oppression of his own redemption
from all error of his final recognition of that
matchless ideal Of the divine and the true,
which the crime and hypocrisy of men had for
a while hidden from his sight. | thought OF
the peace, beauty, and love-rest of those last
days by the sea- till the hour of sudden tenn
post and whelming food---of the brief, wild
struggle in the deep till the freed soul cleft it's
swift way through the waves, up above storm
and cloud, "the massy earth and sphered
skies" to the abode where the Eternal are"
Then looked up comforted-feeling that all
must be we'll with him-that spirit 30 pure,
80 lovely, and so true, so like beautiful frag-
ment, stray splendor struck off from the d.
vine life, could not lose itself long in the dim,
unanswering void which lies without the pres
enoe of God
This grave is in lovely spot-trees aud
runs are about it. and near it towers the SOL
emn pyramidal tomb of Caius Cestius Near,
Also to this grave, is that of the beloved eldest
child of the poet and Mary Goodwin It is
sweet to think of the fair young spirit, as run
ming little way on before, to open for him
the immortal gates-as looking lovingly and
sm'lingly back-as passing slowly in, shading
his eyes from the white radiance 4" streaming
about him. and as lingering by the portals till
he, the tired one, came
-. tear | am succeeding but lily in descrip-
IONS OF the scenes of my life in Rome. The
pictures In my own mind are strongly drawn
ana Wudly colored; but the copies make are
feeble and pale, | fear Even of the thought
they inspire, find can give you only the
dull, empty chrysalis-the delicate, ethereal,
poetic spirit escapes me, hutters above me- and
mocks me with it's inexpressible beauty, But,
my dear friend, il find it difficult to describe
what see, TO utter my full thought yet inf
n'tely more difficult will it DO to give you true
conceptions of what feel in this life actu-
ally seem in sort of prolonged poetic ecstasy
Every morning, when | awake, cay 10 my
Heart" Throb away, as strongly, as exultng-
iy, as passionately as you will another day
yon are to revel in the rich sun and delicious
ar which nourished the heroes and poets OF
'ne grand old time--her0es who stamped their
CONG 'eflng footsteps on all lands-pOets, who
u"1eu .her highest thought with the chisel
anu oihoodied their divinest dreams in immor.
a' "'ohe' seem TO be saturated by that air
whose every wave flows to me with some proud
VI mourhiui memory, and that sun seems 10
ulss It's softness and richness into nv blood
anu stream along my veins. By day live
s @uu rover 10 that heroic and poetic past, as
''o o,er the ancient roads, or out ON tho lone
"nu ioVeiy canpagBa, or stroll anoDg the
.u'"s' AND at night, oh at night! the beau
Y ana pomp, and triumph of my dreams, In
mem | seldom 20 back less than seventeen or
e'ghteen centuries SEQ Rome in her golden
PRIME. | see her eagle-led armies fling
through her massive gates. see her impe-
alal palaces and the grand temples of her gods,
sesmlng white and perfect in their pillared
aud senlptured splendor see the affairs and
,ne sacred groves, and the white robed vestals.
'ce toga-ed mobiles in the Forums and on the
Daptoine Hill. | see games and chariot
. .aoeS IN the Circus Of Romulus, and gladato-
,'a' SHOWS in the Coliseum and seem TO hear
iuupu me that old, terse, majestic tongue, from
Cn'n comes the sweet, degenerate Italian.
IA 'ne honey from the carcass Of the dead
e" orators thunder il from the Senate, act
!, :, 'ant IN 1t at the theatres, vestals hymn
inc lair divinities, PEASANTS shout II in
I'M uans TO Bacchus and Pan, "greasy citizens"
s's bloody treason and stiff rebellion in it
anuer The arch Of Septmius Seyerus. or loun.
lug on the steps Of the Temple Of Concord.
T''le children running hand ia hand down the
n,.. iuuIIUuT ~ ID
nioon'li gardens poets ltcits odes in it in tho
PorHco of the Pantheon, ladies "of certain
aso lior, alas! such there are in all times) COS
's,p IN It beside the fountains and talk scandal
~ u between the bloody acts at the Coliseum
s @na housekcepcrs bargain in il for beef at the
Ivralnbles in the Forum--the same whence
msIn'us took the knife--or in buying patent
r,Hoers, lotions, and elixis9 from DR. Galen,
n' drug shop near the Temple Of Peace.
P, Deeenoer 2oh.--The proclamation of the
Sr " isn here at Rome happened, unfortunately
n. 'ps loyal French soldiers, on isstsl day Of
aIraa blessed Virgin; M, a. il was considered
wso oaay appropriated by aOur Lady, there
ao,;' no grand military procession, a. had been
iIlPa.ed In the evening there were few
Of tI', a the principal Of which tho house
Wen. .. ',ehon Minister was very fine. We
tia On that afternoon to the Capitol, TO ses
so Yin 'ranc,sOan PROCESSION in honor Of the Viz
ea,a 10 the sight for which went was lily
wi my long wslk-ths procession being