The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-08-12
Gems from Alexander Smiths Poetry
BOOKS.

BOOKS.
Books written when the soul is nt spring tide,
When it is eaden like groaning sky
Before thunderstorm, are power and giadness,
And majesty and beauty. They seize the reader
AS tempests seize ship, and bear him on
With wild Joy. Some books are drenched sands,
On which great souls wealth lies all in heaps,
Like wrecked argosy. What power in books!
They mingle gloom and splendor, as I've oft,
In thundrous sunsets, seen the thunder-plles
Scanned with dull fire and fercest gor y-rents
They awe me 70 my knees, as II stood
In presence of king They give me tears;
Such glorious tears as Ewes fair daughters shed,
When first they clasped Son OF God, all bright
With burning plumos and splendors Of the sky,
In zoning heaven of their milky arms.
FAME AND THE POET.
Lord! how Poets geek
At Fame their idol Callt worthless thing,
Colder than lunar rainbows, changefuller
Than sleeker purples on pigeons neck,
More transitory than woman's loves,
The bubbles of her heart--and yeteach mockor
Would gladly sell his soul for one sweet crumb
To roll beneath his tongue.
THE POETS MISSION.
A Poet must ere long arise,
And with a regal song sun-crown this age
AS A stint's head is with a halo crownd;-
One, who shall hallow Poetry TO God
Aud to its own high use, for Poetry Is
The grandest chariot wherein king-thoughts nde;-
One, who shall fervent grasp the sword OF song
AS stern swordsman grasps his keenest blade,
TO find the auickhst passage to the heart.
A mighty Poet whom this age seall choose
To he its spokesman to all coming times
In the ripe full blown season OF his soul,
He shall go forward in his spirits strength,
And grapple with the questions OF oil time.
And wiring from them their meanings. As King Saul
Called up the buried prophet from his grave
To speak his doom, so shall this Poet-king
Call up the dead Past from i,s awful grave
To tell him of our future. As the air
Doth sphere the world, so shall his heart of love-
Loving mankind, notpeoples. AS the lake
Reflects the flower, tree, rock, and bending heaven
Shall he reflect our great humanity;
And as the young Spring breathes with living breath
Green leaves and sunny flowers, shall he breathe lie
Through every theme he touch, making all Beauty
And Poetry for ever like the stars.
We must reverse
The plans Of ages Let the body sweat,
So that the soul be calm, why should IT worki
Say, had spent the pith OF hall my lie,
And made me master OF our English law,
What gain had on resurrection morn,
But such as hath the body OF clown,
That it could turn asummerset on earthi .
single soul is richer than all worlds,
Its acts are only shadows OF ITSELF
And oft its wondrous wealth is all unknown;
Ills like mountain-range, whose rugged sides
Feedstarvelns ocks OF sheep; pierce the hare
And they oozs plenteous gold. We must go down
And work our souls like mines, make books our lamps
Not shrines to worship at, nor heed the world
Lett 90 roaring past. You sgh for Fame;
Would serve as long as Jacob for his love,
So you might win her. Spirits calm and still
Are high above your order, as the stars
Sit large and tranquil DER the restless clouds
That weep and tighten, pelt the earth with hail.
And fret themselves away. The truly great
Rest in the knowledge Of their own deserts,
Nor seek the confirmation Of the world
\ Wouldst thou be calm and still lss a .ip.