Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-01-09
Written for the Spirit of the Age.
The Closing Year.
A6ectiOnately inscSi6ed to Minnie, LOra, lone
and ESteUe. |

anu ESLSGe. r.
ny CARRIE CLINTON.
Sweet spirit of the closing year! thy dawn
Was DER the funeral pyre of thy twin sister
Fifty-four! Thou sprang'st into life from
Her dissolving links a full grown maiden
At thy birth and earth, tho bound in icy
letters,
Smiled s~erenely ; and abundant tokens gave
Of satisfaction at thy won'drous beauty,
Graceful form and fairy-like proportions.
Thou did'st rise upon thy new-fedged wings
And spread thy glittering pinions Ger the
earth,
That with her myriad tongues sent up one
Loud, long shout of jubilant rejoicing.
Fen chill Winter relaxed his icy chains
At thy command and his bowling blasts
Grew sadly low and mournful as they sighed
Their farewell requium, and sullenly
Rolled back to give to rosy Spring, old win
ter's
Petted child, the throne on which she had sat
And reigned in frigid pomp.
And now, sweetSpring, the rosy child, presses
Her dimpled feet upon the earth, and 10
~Upspringing from the sod a thousand beau
ties
Roll in glory forth. Der the earth she throws
Her smiling mantle, light and fair and with
The soft touch of her magic wand brings life
And beauty throughout animated nature.
The modest bud unbinds its crimson foldings
And 10 a beauteous flower gently bows
10 the waving zephyr. Soft showers descend,
And earth beneath her genial breath awakes
To life and animation, and with her
Thousand tongues sends up her grateful prai-
To the Giver of all good.
But short iced is thy reign, sweet Spring
for Time,
Whose restless wheel is never still, rolls round
The hour for thy departure. And as we watcl
thee
Vanish in a cloud of flowers, we sigh
To think that thou canst not forever bless
The earth. But a gentle hand is laid upo1
Our brow-and we turn to greet thy smiling
sister,
Summer! blending in her mild features tn,
Rosy smiles;; and Autumn's thoughtful cares
Coming with gentle land to finish thy task
And lay the cornerstone of usefulness fo
Autumn.
Following her earnest gaze we see the seen
Assume a different hue and where flowers
Once bloomed, the r%ipening grain is waving
Promising harvest abundant to the laborer
Who rears an altar and on it kindles
The fires of sacred love and gratitude to Goo
r The smoke of which ascending circles arour
e His burning Throne, as grateful incense al
his
Al-seeiRg eye approving their humble ofe
It ing, He
Renew'd his promise that seed-time and ha
d vest
~ Shall ever remain as heretofore.
But like thy sister, Spring, thy reign is swe
Tho transient-for Autumn comes with lavi
m Hand and thoughtful brow to scatter /
lr bountics
Ger the smiling land" Around the gra
full form
u Ofnature fair, she throws her gorgeous rob
lie And where'er her touch is felt there pes
nc And plenty bless the earth. Around the
cial Hearth
She gathers a %happyband, and with her sta
= Ewes and soft transcendant skies fills the he
&C With awe and alteration of Him from
IN Whom all blessings flow.
TO- But Autumn too must pass away, and Win
= Comes to whiten the locks that bloomed at
~ Departure a few brief months ago.
J." And now, sweet spirit Of the closing year
". Thou'rt growing old! Thy locks are no
Nd with
The frosts Of premature old age thy linn
ne Are bending meath the weight of many ca
the Thy brow is furrow'd with the traces of
Ter Deep thought, and soon thou'lt be engulf
his In the dark unbounded ocean of Eternit,
IA And amid its angry surges be lost foreve
IN Peace to thy crumbling ruins!
en- Oak Hill, Dec. 81, 1855.