The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1853-05-18

has he IN death on tile honor and adora-
ton of mankind Premature his birth,
premature his death. unfinished bis song,
and incomplete his fame is it not in
harmony with his life and his death.
that he slumbcrs thus neglected. His
incohcrent murmurings, musical as the
morning song of Memnon, will not these
embalm his memory and tranmit it from
heart to heart down the generations of
men, transmitting the cold realities of
life into "things of beauty" and forming
them into "joys forever ?"
The part of the cemetery in which
Keats is buried has never been fully oc-
cupicd. and is no longer used as place
of intcrment. The graves in it number
perhaps fifty, and are scattered about
without the least regularity, as are also
the few Expresses it contains Two tombs,
near those of the poets, have hedges of
huge cactuses around them, and present
most unique and striking appearance.
/ Near the centre, and beneath cluster
of trees, is the tomb of an American from
Massachusetts, which is the most beau
tiful and, with two or three exceptions,
is the OILY work of art deserving the
name of monument which the inclosuro
contains At the extreme margin of the
ground, and at considerable distance
from the grave of Keats, is that of
child of Shelley. 1t is covered by
plain brown stone, lying fiat upon the
earth. and contains a simple inscription
to the effect, that here lies buried
a child of Percy Bysshe and Mary VOL
stonccraft Shelley This grave is just
beneath the pyramid of Caus Cestius,
which towers high over the spot
Like flame transformed to marble"
The part of the cemetery in which
Shelley is buried lies at n considerable
distance from that which contains the
dust of Keats, and is both naturally and
arlificially Of exceeding beauty. 1t ri
ses gradually from the entrance up to the
ancient wall OF Rome, aud is filed with
lofty musical expresses, beneath which
are clustered, to the number Of several
hundreds. the graves Of foreign Protes
lants, mostly adorned with magnificent
marble monuments. The greater pro.
portion Of those who here
"llave pitched in Heavens smile their camp
of death,
are til, countrymcn of him whose tomb
furnishes the principal attraction of the
spot
The grave of Shelley lies at the ex-
tremc margin of the lnclosurc. and is
oversbadowod by one of the halfruined
towers of the ancient city wall. 1t is
covered by a stone of dark slate, lying
upon the ground, little inclined in the
direction of the slope of the hill, and
contains the following brief and beauti-
full epitaph.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Cor cordium.
Natus Aug, 1892.
Oblit 8 July, 1922.
Nothing cf him that doth fade,
But doth suffer n sea-change
Into something rich and strange"
Around the grave is rim Of box plants
and within this stands row Of rose
bushes, which have suffered to a consid-
cradle degree from the numberless souve.
Mrs" they have been forced to furnish.
Several tall Expresses cncirc,e it, and a
gainst one Of which rests corner Of the
tombstone 1t is cared for with the
greatest attention, and seems to be very
much visited indeed, quite path is
troddcn from the gateway hither, among
the thickly clustered monuments.
Standing on the top of this sunny slope
by the grave of Shelley. scene of beau
ty presents ITSELF which the world can
not rival Before you lies the External
City" high above whose convent crown
ed hills towers the mighty dome of St
Peters. At short distance rises Mount
Avcntinc green with luxuriant vineyards
and gray with the fragments Of crumt.
, ling arches. At your right hand is
, spread out the silent, earnest "canipdg
/, na,' clothed with an atmosphere which
is ever turning from one to another Of
all the brilliant tints of the rainbow and
all the various depths and faintnesses Of
shade and tingc, waving and changing in
exhaustless, ever-varying combinations
till with gazing the senses become intox'
catcd with delight, curavished with
strange dream shadows of uncertain, un.
defined splendors No artist has ever
f. initiated, nor can human language de-
scribe the harmonious confusion of hues
1 and shades in this magic aurora-boreal-
: ian panorama of light which is shifting
: and deepening, aud fading before you.
Now defining the minutest lines of the
Apennines against the white lucid sky
beyond now pouring out an inundation
:, of liquid glow over the level waste Of the
} desert campagna. till it lies before you
like gorgeous mirage, radiant and
sparkling, out Of which rise cities villa
, ges, villas, ruins, and temples, that in q
moment vanish, and melt into million.
, hued chaos of colors. out of which ID
formed the next instant still more en-
, chanting scene of wonder and beauty
1t was on silent sunny April after
noon that visited, for the last time, the
Protestant cemetery. l found myself
entirely alone not human being was
in sight, and not sound broke the dead
silence. save the tinkling of bells from o
herd of goats. which were feeding on the
piles of ruins around me, and an occa
sional strain Of music from the shep
herds pipe, behind volcanic hill Eve
ming at length drew near, and the cy
presses waking at the voice of the ri
sing breeze from their day.long sleep
began to sing dirgo over the dead be
meath their shade. An cminence, sur
mounted by solitary cross, rose at NJ
! great distance from me | climbed up tt