Tribune and telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1855-1856, 1856-05-08
THE DARK RIVER.
BY nRs. ELIZABETH H. }. cLEvELAsD.

Written on the recent and sudden deaths of three
ght, saint of eighty, and physician thirty two
ears of age.
Wherever we be,
On the land or sea, .....
river is rolling restlcssly
1t burrows the plain,
Aud it sweeps the MAN. A
Then flows to the mountain, back again.
And dark as night sZ
Is the whitening blight
That follows its track on the left and right,
For thousands down TO its borders stray,
And thousands taking their weary way,
Whose feet will slide
BY the river side, A4
And carry them down for aye.
And if on it's bosom once they sail,
None ever return TO tell the tale
Of the opening grave,
Far under the wave.
Full oft we hear
Of this river drear,
1t is rolling far, and it's rolling near;
In the distant land by the Crmean sea, ---
II hath swaycd its waters heavily;
Nor Gains its tide as it westward comes
To take its course through our quiet homes.
We see it not in its onward way,
And yet on its banks we careless stray;
We look on the landscape bright and fair,
NOT tOlnk Oh the river IHcTe-
BY its goomy shore we rise and rest,
For mist hangs over the rivers breast;
We love and hope and we fondly dream,
Close, ever close, to the swelling streant
And not till we miss from hearth and homo
One who has just i'll its wave gone down
No till we call, but call in vain, . .
Wishing the wandercr back again,
- Does the shadowy mist from the stream arise,
And show us where the dark river lies.
Aud flus - boc I'd 10
just where it has ever been gliding thro';
We can hear il now as it gurgles by,
We can see who are going down to die,
For the stream is sounding it's sullen roar,
As it runneth swift by our cottage door
And far ON its waters, cold and DIM
A child ID sinking-we mourn for him.
We can see by the light on his wavy hair,
And his pale young brow as he's floating there
Floating alone,
And now he's gone .....--.
But yet in the wave where the boy went down
Another one stands,
With her aged hands,
Cnliuking Herself the circling bands
That would hinder her way DER the heavins
track,
And still to the shore would hold her back,
They are now loosened and she fearless goes
Far out where the little one sank and rose,
But her limbs are faint and growing chill,
She cannot battle the food at will,
FoI four score years upon the brow
Of her who is crossing the river now.
"The tide is swift, md it rurneth high - 81
She says, she marks it with her eye, sss
And the way is dark, but see the CLEAN
OF the fields that lie beyond the stream
And fear it mott come come;
The river is deep, but twill carry me homo"
And see ms the waters rise and sink
a strong man comes to the rivers brink
Nor heedeth the loving arms on Shore
That are clinging fas--they can cling 10 more
For the stream is washing his wavr'ng feet,
Aud it's cold embrace he must yielding meet
For it lifts him up in its arms so wide,
And hurrics him DER the darksome tide
Nor back to shore will they come again,
We shall watch the waters oil in vain
For the child that left us young and fair,
For the aged saint with her silver hair,
Or the salwart man in his power and pride,
Who helpless sank by the riverside.
And the mist will gather around the stream,
Again OH its banks we will sit and dream,
And needless be, as we were before,
Though close Us then to the dangerous shore;
For wherever we be,
On tho land or sea,
A river ia rolling restlessly,
That draws to its bosom the great and ANAL,
1t has gathered somc-t will gather ALL
Then bury itself in the unknown sea,
in the mcasurless depths of eternity
- JudTDeu1put