Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-12-18
LEGENDS OF THE SOUTH. NO. XVII.
The Origin of the water-LiIy.
BT l.. vIss1x1A ERzxcH.

ana passed outward Win ths l"ilShb.
Downward through the forest arches
Flashicg like the sheen of opal,
Ruby, golden, amethystine,
etreamei the gories Of the sunset,
Where proud tho PROSTATE chieftain
Ga the messy turf lay dying.
Far away his royal wigwam
Rose beside the shaded water,
But the lone ami stricken age
Eeveimore shall reach his eyre,
For his soul wss heading deathwsrd
Ga a sea Of gloom and silence.
Like the hour, his mortal being
slopeth down upoa its twi ght,
And the night u the hereaf er
Slauteth shadows OF his pirit.
Yet amid his keenest anguish
Fast he grasped precious arrow,
Best, and last Of all his treasures.
twas a strong, white shafted arrow,
Tucted Ger with crimson piumage,
Full of mystery and magic,
Never swerving, never failing.
Much he feared some foe might find il
Mid the shadows Of the forest,
And direct it 'gaiast his people,
When the War-wo rs long, fierce gallop
And the va ture's eager pinion,
Should have borne them there, to banquet
On his cold insensate body.
Prayed he then with earnest fevvor
That the Mauitou would send it
To the star he loved while living,
Diamond-crested Cynosura.
Then his frame grew weak and weary,
On his brow the fatal palor
Met and mingled with the death-dew;
Darkness stole from out the zenith,
Till tue stars were charred and blackened;
All bis heart was full Of murmurs,-
Musc-tones from out his wigwam,
Murmurs from the shaded water;
But he saw no mOre,-his spirit
Like the moo 81 the horizon
Bearing hope Of the hereafter,
Pure, clear-shining as her crescent,
Kissed the hem Of Earth's dusk garment,
And passed outward with the Twilight.
Underneath the woodlands arches
Deep the rushing river shuddered,
Fluttered then the silvery aspen
Like the wringing Of white fingers;
Fearfully the wild-witch- hazel
Dropped its fairy tassels downward;
While the oak stately Druid,
Stood above the proud, dead chief ain,
And the rhythmic wind came roling
Through his long gray messy branches,
Like a wild and stormy saga
Through tie hoary beard Of Odin,
When he welcomes ghostly heroes
To the palace Of yalhalla.
Loud the Winds came rushing onward,
Narshaliing their mighty forces,
Strong to bear the magic arrow
To the favored Cynosura.
As they bore it high in heaven
Like meteor camel the fint-head,
Like FURNISHED cloud at sunset
streamed aiar the crimson plumage.
Al the stars looked on ia wonder,
All desired the comet arrow;
Borealis' phlntom fingers
Dripoing gore, clu ched st it wildly
Where it shole upon the darkness
And the Evening star who watched it
Peepiug DER his clouds of purple,
Left his orbit in the heavens,
Spread his wings Of burnist ed amber,
And sped forward like a meteor
For the capture of the treasure.
Then the Pole star gan to tremble
And for once he Ael his station
He, the Universe's warder
On the battlements Of Heaven.
As the tai, terrific glacier
From the far, aud frozen Ocean,
Male in ice and crowned with sunbeams,
Sweeping by the Arctic islands,
Spurns the blue disso,ying pillows,
On its passage to the Southwark;
Ice-star, fair and fierce, and palid,-
So he sailed in sheen and sfendor
Ger the azure deeps Of ether.
Like the Kamseen Of the desert
Driving DER the paImy islands,
RObed in ligh. and fery-crested,
Shod with flame, and winged with lightning,
From his gorgeous-tinted covert
Drilti1g idly in tie sundown,
Swiftly up the purple cloudland
Sped the arm'd star Of Evening.
Dread their meeting in mid-heaven,
Dire as when beneath the Tropics
Angry clouds drink up the sunshine,
When the mountain crag re-echos
To the sounding pillows challenge,
Aud on thousand hills the earthquake
With the surge and swell Of battle
R7ars and RACES through the gorges.
Swarming hordes Of lurid spectres,
Shapes that drive the mad tornado,
In a stormy, savage squadron,
Yelled around the daunt ess champions;
AID the thunder in the distance
Stalke1 along his cloudy ramparts,
While his voice Of hOarse approval
Shook them to their deep foundations.
Clouds of smoke enclosed the combat,
Yet anon as swayed its fodiDgs,
Fiery Guid lie to lava,
Blood-red as the wine Of Shiraz,
Fell in gouts aud streams from out them;
While from of the starry bodies
Sparks Of cleaning light were stricken,
Flying leaping OF in showers;
And their wings o. snow aud amber,
Rose and fell Ike mighty banners,
Gorgeous gonflons of brightness
Ga the sulphurous breeze OF battle.
But the Winds aghast, and frlghted,
Howlei, and fed, and dropped the arrow,
Lost the precious, magic, treasure!
And the angry stars, disheartened,
That the prize was lost forever,
Ceased the combat, each despairing,
Each vindictiye, each uncouquered.
Like troubadour the lavrock
Sang at mornings golden portals,
And the glad, upspringing sunshine
Leapiug bounded from the Orieat,
As a rosy, gleesome infant
Probes on its mothers bosom.
You could hear the early zephyr
Calling softly to the dew-falI,
And the little stream ct singing
As 1t rippled DER its pebbles,
All so soft, so pure, so gent e,
Dreamed the earth, aud air, aud heaven,
That it seemed 20 throb Of conflict
Ever stirred their PLACID pulses.
As the cloud which leaves its shadow
On the bosom OF the hillside
For z brief aud passing moment,
And then Goats away forever
so had pass that starry combat
From the bosom q the heaven.
Blu, the sparks Of Ugh; that shoEered
From those shining planets DO les,
Like great fakes Of liquid diamonds,
Fell abroad upon the waters
OF the quiet Lake., ue b,somed,
And became, 10 runs the Legead)
Snowy, scented Water-lilies
We have mary an Old tradition,
Many story Oriental,
Telling how the Water-liy
Loves the kngly S.ar Of Evening",
And those legends call it folly
In the simple little lily
Thus to pant with pride aud passion