Smyrna times., 1857-04-22
Original /. 9rtielts,
Written for the Smyrna Times.
Stray Thoughts from Poets Port Folio
BY CHARLIE.


In the old familiar seat;
And shade and sunshine chase each other
Over the carpet at my feet"
80 T.. --Beyard Taylor.
AIN the old familiar seat!" What world
of fancies have crowded upon me as sat there,
weak and weary" What glorious visions of
beauty and romance fitted through my brain,
aud thrilled my verJ frame with their wild en-
chantment, their beauty and their power!
Dear.reader Of mine, did you ever feel upon
your soul the impress OF power-the conscious
uess of a superior intellectuality-with the
conviction that heavenly spirit was ever at
your side, crying, as 1t did, to John OF Patmos,
"WRnE"!
and have you gone out into the busy world
with these hallowlng impressions upon your
sotl, and in the strife and competitions of busi-
hess, and the gay, ephemereal excitements OF
society, s;riven to 'orget the whisperings OF In
ward power,-to dim and tarnish the bright in
tel,eciualiy Of your nature,-to hush and for
ever silence the angel voice at your side, that
III mived you 10 write out the stories Of the worlds
wrong, and its consequent suffering! If you
have. you know what those peculiar reflections
are VIII ch crowd upon the mind when disease
has forced you from those engrOssing pursuits
of life, and rendered you weak and helpless
az lttle'child. When darkness threw her
sable pail DER the futures vista and clothed it
with the drapery of despair
u,hor 49,, ho hoor Dronoupcad cOnva.
le.ceni, aud could again resume your "easy
chair" by the happy hreside; and gentle tones
have made you feel how uery dear you were to
the glad hearts that beat in unison with yours;
and bright eyes have welcomed you back to
life and health and happiness; didn't you feel
sorry that, tor the acquisition of wealth, you
had dimlned aud tarnished the finer and holier
feelings of your nature? know you did,
AID as ysu sat and re-read the cherished vol
umes which first kindled, and afterwards fed
the fame of genius within your soul,-while
yOs comInuned again with those great minds,
the genius of which has irradiated the world OF
Thought,-and al intimacy with which had
given you a power and an influence over the
hearts and minds Of your associates that was
truly enviable,-I say, didn'tyou say then that
your active, reasoning, gifted soul, was worth
more than all the fame, the greatness, the glory
or the gold that you had ever won, or etmlght
wiR!- ..- .....t ..... .........
And didn't y0p feel glad in that hour, when
you had time for thought and reflection, that
you did give the bright and happy hours of your
youth to mental and to moral culture, that
you had stored your mind with the ideas, and
your memory with the thoughts, whose power
can allay fever and sadness" and in your ne
cessity minister unto you. know you did.
And know, too, that the oblation of youl
heart went up to the throne Of the Highest fol
the glorious gift of intellect. And, in those
days of conValescence, you resolved to live I
better life in the future,-resolved that you
disposition should be more forgiving, and you
banners more cautious. . .-....f ...r-..a
And, as you felt the current of life coCrsing
your veins with q delicious coolness, anC
R'us9n refuming her rightful supremacy owe
The faculties of the mind, aud old memOrie
game ihrongiug upon you, and you gave your
sslfu for the time to their influences and wan
dered far back on life's path to the scenes an
tsorite huunts Of your boyhood, aud again too
affair, white hand in yours aud rOamsd o'er tn
meadows and the lawns, in quest of fragran
asd beautiful wild-fowers; and, when you ha
f,lnd them, entwined them amid the aubur
rlngleis of the beautiful being who first stirre
the deep affections of your heart !. and who's
words. of love, in after life, as you mingled wit
the. iarring t" sons of trade restrained yor
feet from unhallowed paths, and made your iii
holier and better. -j<'a ae.as4g-S
You remember how her bright eyes gre
brighter as you crossed her fathers threshO
snd-ssat within the mansion, in the old famili
seat" and talked interestingly of the maj
pleasant scenes and hopes Of life. And "
wildly remember. too, when ocircumstanc
.Eseed you to defer those cherished hopes of Il
heart. And you went out upon the cold wor
10 toll and strive alone, and single.handed
.gHl41GVElJH 10 IYEda al