Tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1856, 1855-07-19
B Able BELL.
The poem Of a lille life that pas but three Aprls long
BY d. ALDRICH.

Have you not heard the Poet tell
How came the dainty Babe Bell
Into this world of ours?
The gates of heaven were left aiar;
With folded hands anil dreamy eyes
She wandered out of Paradise!
She saw this planet, like a star,
Hung in the depths of purple even
lis bridges running to and fro,
Der which the whie-winged seraphs 60,
Bearing the holy dead TO heaven!
She toucl'd bridge of fowers-those feet
So light they did not bend the bells
Of the celest ais asphodels!
They fell like dew upon the flowers!
And all the air grew strangely sweet!
And thus came dainty Babic Bell
Into this world of ours
She came and brought delicious May!
The swallows built beneath the caves;
Like sunbeams III and out the leaves;
The robins went, the livclong day., ,--as e..,
The lily swung its noiseless bell,
And DER the porch the trembling vino
Seemed bursting with Its veins Of wine!-
o, earth was full of pleasant smell,
When came the dainty I3abic Bell
Into this world'of ours
O, Babe, dainty Babe Bell
How fair she grew from day to day.
What woman nature filed her eyes,
What poetry within them lay! s-
Those deep and tender twilight eyes,
So full of meaning pure and bright,
As if she yet stood in the light
Of those open gates of Paradise.
And we loved Babe more and morot
o never in our hearts before
Such holy love was born;
We felt we had Il link between
This real world and that unseen--
The land of deathless morn
And for the love of those dear eyes,
For love of her whom God led forth
The Mothers being ceased on earth
When Babc came from Paradise!
For love of him who snlote our lives,
And woke the chords of joy and pain,
We said "Sweet Christr-our hearts bent down
Like vioets after rain
And now the orchdfds which were once
All white and rosy in their bloom
Filling the crystal hcarfof air
With gentle pulses Of perfume
Were thick with yellow juicy fruit:
The plunls were globes OF honey rare,
And soft checked peaches blush'd and fell
The grapes were purpling in the grange;
And Time wrought just rich change
In little Babe Bell
Her petit form more perfect grew,
And in her features We could trace
In softcned curves her mothers facet
Her angel nature ripcned too.
We thought her lovely when she came,
But 4lc was holy, sanity now F""'
Around her pale and lofty brow
We thought we ring ot flame!
Sometimes she said n few strange words,
Whose meanings lay beyond our reach;
God \ hand had token away the seal
Which held the portals of her speech
She never child To us;
We never held her beings key!
We could not teach her holy things.
She was Clrists self in purity!
It came upon us by degrees;
We saw its shadow ere il fell,
The knowledge that orr God had sent
His messenger for Babe Bell
We shuddered with unlanguaged pain,
~-A And all our thoughts ran into tears
And all our hopes were changed to foars--
The sunshine into disnlal rain !
Aloud VIC cried in our belief:
.a0h an,itc ue r.,,ily. rcntiy. God
Tcach us to bend and kiss the rod,
And perfect grow through grief
All how we loved her, God can tell
Her little heart was cascd in ours
they're broken caskcts-Babc Bell.
At last he came the messenger,
The messenger from unseen lands;
And what did dainty Babic Bell!
She only crossed her little hands
She only looked more meek and fair
We parted back her silkcn hnIr;
We laid some buds upon her brow
Deaths bride arruycd i'll flowers
And thus went dainty l5ahic Bell
Out of this world of ours