Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-08-21
THE LADYS DREAM.
by TON HOOD.

The lady lay in her bed,
Her couch 80 warm and sOtt,
But her sleep was restless and broken stllI;
For, turning often and oft
FrOlR side to side, she muttered and moGned,
And tossed her arms al0f
At last she started M,
And gaZed on the vacant air,
With look of awe, as il she saw
Some dreadful phantom there
And then in the pillow she buried her face
From visions i'll to bear.
The very curtain shook,
Her terror wuS'sO extreme;
And the light that fell an the brOidcrcd quilt
Kept trcmulOus CLEAN;
And her voice was hollow. and shook Us she cried
30, me. that awful dream!
"That weary. weary walk,
In the church-ynrd's dismal ground
And those horrible things, with shady wings,
That came and lifted rOund,-
Death, death, and nothing but death,
In every sight and sound!
"And, o! those maidens Young.
Who wrought in that drcHry room,
With figures drOoping and spectres thin,
And cheeks without u bOOm;-
And the voice that CRIED For the pomp OF pride,
We haste to an carly tomb!
"'For the ponlp and pleasure of pride,
We toll like Atric slaves,
And only To earn q home, ut last,
Where Nt'lldeF cypress waves;'-
Aud then they pointed never saw
A ground 50 full Of graves!
'"And still the collins came,
Withthcir SOrruwiul trains and slow;
Coffin after coffin still,
4 sad and sickening show;
From grief exempt, never had drcamt
OF such n world Of woe!
-''0f the hearts that daily break,
OF the tears that hourly fall,
Of the many, many troubles Of life,
That gricvc this earthly ball
Disease. and Hunger. and Pain, and Want,
But now drCant Of them all!
"FOr the blind and the cripple were there,
-A And the babe that pinned for bread, -.
And the honSclcss man, and the widow poor
Who beyged-tO bury the dead;
The naked, alas! that might have clad,
The furnished might have fed!
"Thc sorrow might have soothed,
And the unrrgardcd tears;
For many thrnnging shape was there,
From long forgotten years.
Ay, even the poor rejected Moor,
Who raised my childish fears!
each pleading look TINT long ago
| scanned with IL needless eye,
Each face was gazing as plainly there
As when l passed it by:
Woe. woe for me if the past should be
1uuS present Wncu ulc.
"No need Of sulphurcous lake,
M need of fiery cnul,
But only that crowd Of hum IN kind
Who wanted pity and dole
In everlasting RETROSPECT
Will wiring my sinful soul!
"Alas! I have walked through life
Too Needless where tr0d
Nay, helping to tramplc my fellow-worm,
And fill the burial sod
Forgetting that even the sparrow falls
Not unmarked Of God
al drank the richest drnughts;
And atc whatever is good
Fish, and flesh. ind fowl, and fruit,
Supplied my hungry mood
But never remembered the wretched ones
That starVc for want Of food!
al dressed rs the noble dress,
In cloth of silver and gold
With silk, and satin. and costly furs,
In many an ample fold;
But never remembered the naked limbs
That trozc with winters cold.
"Thc wounds ght have healed!
The human sorrow and smart!
And vet il never was in my soul
Toplay So i'll part:
But evil is wrought by want Of thought,
AS well as want Of hearth
She claspcd her frrvcnt hands,
And the tears began To stream;
Large, and bitter, and fast they fell,
RcmorSc was 81 extreme;
And vet, q, vet, that many dame
Would dream the Lady's Dream!