Smyrna times., 1857-02-11
Written for the Smyrna Times.
A Life Scene.
Smyrna, Feb. 8, 1857.
BY CHARLIE.

Written for the Smyrna Times.
A Life Scene.
by CHARLIE.
20, weep for those whose silver chain
| Has long been loosed, aud yet live on
The doom'd to drink of life's dark wave,
Whose golden bowl has long been gone!
Ay, weep for those, the weared, worn,
Dragg'd downward by some earthly tie,
By some vain hope, some vainer love,
! Who lOathe 10 live, yet fear to die"
-LANDoN.
| THERE is a pale, sweet face ever imaged on
my brain. Turn which way will, can yet
see that one sad picture. | have tried by
turns, all the various and exciting pastimes and
amusements of society. | have given my at
tention to lilerature-the trashy and evanes-
cent, the wild, profound and witty, the pathetic,
the absorbing and sublime; and still that coun-
tenance, radiant as an angels, yet shaded with
the sombre hues of melancholy, remains unef
| faced from my minds tablet.
have DOTTED the authors habilments-hung
my harp on the willow-exchanged by seden-
tary life for one of activity and labor; and, by
one effort, struck from my life the ideal, the
romantic and the beautiful, and equipped myself
to enter the strongholds-the very fortress of
| adversity-and compel her to sign treaty Of
amlty, or crown me the victor. But even then,
when my mind was absorbed with business and
my o'er.taskcd spirit longed only for rest and
peace, and my nerves qGivered in my hours OF
repose, that heavenly face glided before me in
dreams, and communed with me when the world
and its cares were excluded from my mind.
What is that spectre-like phantom which
thus haunts the chambers fmy brain, and which
ever "looks rebuke" upon all the various
manifestations Of enjoyment, whether they are
of social or intellectual character! Is it tn
spirit of departed innocence, or of wicked and
ruined hopes!
But see! it wears a semblance to the face
and form of one whom, in early days, we made
our hearts sainted idol, but from whom long
years ago, (lOng, Though not very many,) re-
verse circumstances forced US to part. And,
again, in fancy | wander through that forest
grove which love has hallowed. For, as Camp
bell beautifully says:
"a kiss can consecrate the ground
Where mated hearts are mutual bound
The spot where loves first links were wound
d. That ne'er are rven,
Is hallOwed down to earth's profound,
Aud up lO Heaven!'
And, again, that snowy hand is in mine own !;
and that warm, pure heart is nestled close to
mine; and that graceful. willowy form is beside
me; and as we calmly converse of the neces-
sessty OF long separation-so long that we
shall not meet again this side of IIeaven-I ca u
hear her tones as they fell upon my ear and en-
tered my heart then: " You are all to me-dear.
er then aught in the wide, wide universe
Never was human being loved better, or with
a higher affection than you have been. But
we must part Leave me, and go forth upon
the world and win for yourself great name.
My heart shall ever be yours, whether you
dwell in the hu.abe vala of obscurity, or as.
cend to the lofty summit of Fame's dread
mountain"
still warm upon my lips, went out to do bat
tie in the world, aud to give adversely % strong
fight" And when pleasures syren voice has
whispered, "come away-shut up those musly
volumes at your sde-leave your unfinished
task and come and purtake Of the amusements
of the world, and rest your weary spirit" Ihave
been forced to reply: There is a human heart
that loves me better-yes, a hundred fold bet.
ter-than the world ever can 4; but over whose
pure spirit the shades Of melancholy have beer
cast, and on whose trusty soul the darkness o.
dependency has settled. Wait until shal
have irradiated that heart with the sunshine o.
hope and happiness, aud then III come and ioir
you in your social gatherings. and talk with yot
about the victories of Life. ~rs---..---
RosepiIIe, Del, 1857. ,.f 1ug 1ftt