Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-05-04
Day without a Sun-A Dream of Egypt
In LapIand.
We make the following quotation from q
letter from BAYARD TAYLOR, dated:


KAUToKEIEo Norwegian Lapland,
January 90. 1857.
We awoke at o'clock to find clear twilight,
and cold 10 deg below zero. Our stay at Muo-
uiovara had given the time TO increase his alt-
tude somewhat, and bad some doubts whether we
should succeed in beholding a day of the Polar
Winter. The Landsman, however encouraged as
by the assurance that the sun had not vet risen
upon bis residence, though nearly six weeks had
elapsed since bis disappearance, but that his re-
turn was now looked for every day, since he had
already begun to shine upon the northern hills
By 10 o'clock Il was broad sea of golden orange
dotted with a few crimson cloud-Islands and we
set ourselves to watch with some anxiety the grad
ual approach OF our exed god. But for this cir
cumstaBce, and two other drawbacks 7 sbopld
have gone to church TO witness the Lapps at their
religious exercises. Pastor Hvosef was i'll and
the service consisted only of the reading of some
prayers by the Lapp schoolmsster; added to which,
the church is never warmed even in the coolest
days Of winter. One cause OF this NAV perbaps be
the dread OF an accide tai coufagratiOn; but the
main reason Is the Inconvenience which would
arise from the thawing out of so many antiuuated
reindeer garments, and the efHuvia given out by
the warmed bodies within them. Consequently
the temperature inside the church is about the
same as outside, and the frozen moisture of the
worshipper's breath forms frosty cloud so dense
Of his congregation. Pastor Hvoslef informed me
that he bad frequently preached in temperature of
3D. deg. below zero. AT such times said be- 1.-The
very words seem to freeze as they issue from my
lips, and fall upon the heads of my hearers like
shower of snow" "But" I veDtured 10 remark.
tour souls are controlled TO such degree by the
condition OF our bodies, that should doubt wheth-
er any true devotional spirit could exist at such
time. Might not even religion itself be frozenfn
Yes he IL ,,;ta Il,
ter feelings either disappear or become very faint
when tie mercury begins to freeze" The pastor
himself Is at present suffering the penalty of in
duging spirit of reverence which for long time
led him to oficiate with uncovered head.
The sky increased in brightness as we watched
The orange flushed into rose, and the pale white
hills looked even more ghasty against the bar of
glowing carmine which fringed the horizon. few
long purple streaks Of cloud hung over thu suns
place, and higher up in the vault hoated some loose
masses, tnged with fiery crimson on their lower
edges. About half past eleven, pencil of bright
RED light shot up-a signal which the sun upifted
to herald bis coming. As il slowly moved west
ward along 'he hills Increasing 10 light and brillan-
cy until 1t became long tongue of fame, PLAYING
against the streaks of cloud, we we're apprehensive
that the near disc would rise to view When the
Landsmann's clock pointed to twelve, its base had
become so bright to shine almost like the sun it.
SELL but after few breathess moments the an vel
come glow began to fade. We took its bearing
with a compass, and sitter making allowance for the
variation (which is here very slight were conviuc-
ed that il was really past meridian, and the radi-
anoe, which was that OF morning few minutes be-
lore, belonged to the splendors of evening now.
The coors OF the armament began to change 10 re-
verse order, and the dawn, which had almost rpcn-
ed to sunrise, now withered away to night without
a sunset We had at least seen day without a
sun.
The snowy bills 10 the north, it is true we're
tnged with food of rosy flame, and the very next
day would probably bring down the the tide-msrk
OF sunshine to the tops of the houses One day,
however, Was enough to satisfy me- You, my he
roic friend, may paint with true pencil, and still
truer pen, the dreary sOlemnity of the long Arctic
night; but, greatly as l enjoy your incompatible
pictures, much as honor your courage and your
endurance, you shall never tempt me 10 share in
the experience. The South is a cup which one may
dnuk to inebristion; but one taste from the icy
gOoiet OF the North is enough TO sllay curiosity and
quench all further desire. Yet the contrast be-
tween these two extremes has come home to me
Vvldly but once during this journey. A travellers
mlnd must never stray too far from the things
about him, and long habit has enabled me to throw
myself entirely into the conditions and circumstan
ces OF each separate phase of my wandering lite
thereby preserving distinct the sensations aud ex-
perence OF each, and preventing all later confusion
In the memory. But the other day, at Muoniova-
ra, as sat before the fire in the early afternoon
darkness, there flashed across my mind vision of
cioudess Egypt-palm trees rusilng in the hot
WIND, yellow mountain-walls rising beyond the en-
erald plain OF the Nile, the white pencils of mine
rats IN the distance, the creamy odor Of bean bios
SONS in the air-a world OF glorious vitality, here
Death seemed an unaccountable accident Here,
Life existed only on suferance, and all Nature
frowned with a robbers demand to give it up.
dung my pipe across the room, and very soon, be-
hind fast reindeer, drove away from the disturb
aug "Reminiscences