The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-08-26
For tue National III a
MUSINGS.

The earth hath bubbles, the water has n-Macbeth
January "A calm day. Long lines Of
bills may be seen in the distance. The sky,
though not Stainless has smile as sweet to
me now as the unbounded arch of summer. I
will go forth.
Pass within stonecas! of the eloquent mar.
bles on that little silent knoll, and enter the
silent woodland. Vainly on its gray branches
does the wooing sunlight play, and On the
brown leaves beneath them, rustIing as l walk.
No other noise-save an occasional chirp, or
the hestating chatter of some squirrel going
to visit his neghbor, or sone dogs distant bay.
ing-until find myself in valley, down which
goes brook, brawling, laughing, murmurinr.
That is said to be like our mortal life /; will
follow it, and mark its fortunes. Through light
and through shadow, receiving no soil from its
frosty banks and gravelly bed, on it goes, past
its ancient logs, round its green peninsulas,
under those wide spreading pendant roots gilt.
tering with hundred icy danglers; now hur.
rying down ripple, then pausing TO re feet the
sky; starting onward again, bubbliEg, eurglinp,
whispering, signing. On this broad stone let
me stand, hearing the music of these waters,
as they run, by that same love impelled that
moves the sun in heaven and all the stars. y
Thus gazing on the stream, beneath my eve
pass gay voyagers, ever arriving, ever vanish.
ing. And tomorrow, bubbles beautiful az
these. bubbles undistipguishable from these,
will come and 60 in successive fleets. Well
said-man is bubble; the current of this
world is passing at my feet.
At the bottoms of the ripples 1 first see
them. In the first part of their course they 90
swiftly and gaily. Frequently it happens that
several bubbles start in company, but they
are quickly scattered over the stream. Some
linger in quiet coves or in eddes, whilst others
hasten on. Some are small, while oilers at.
tract the eye by their size and brilliancy. It
does not, however, appear that this difference
of size makes much difference in the length of
the eras through which they flourish. A large
bubble is often seen attended by others, small
and great, like ships boats these, where the
stream grows rough, are apt to be detached and
scattered. But the majority have burst while
have been noting these different kinds. At
every glance, some one vsnishes, snd see it 70
more. The few survivors now draw near q
ripple, glide down, and are wrecked. Yet at
the foot of that ripple as many bubbles are to
be seen as at the foot of the last.
And the little stream murmurs on, through
the same lights and shadows, round messy
capes as pleasant, mirroring sky as blue.
Those bubbles. what were they and with
or are they gone? Ye beaute6us cotemp ors-
riss of my glance are ye indeed extinct and
ended Their crystal palaces have returned
to the stream-the airy tenants return to the
skies. 0 man! though thou art but bubble,
doubt not thy Immortality.
And even like to one of these is all on which
man may rest his eye-all that his hand has
fashioned. What better, on times far.wander-
ing stream, is Rome's sky mocking vault" or
the dome which looks down upon London {?
What better than one of these, this glorious
Cosmos, the midnight vault, gloomily grand
with its millions of farof golden 6res-whst
but bubble on the unbottomed, shoreless
deepl
I'D "These our actors,
As foretold you were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into Thin air
And, like the baseless fabric Of this vision,
The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itselG
Yea, all which il heriis, shell dissolve;
And, like this unsubs antial pageant faded
Leave not a rack behind such stuff
As dreams are made Of and little life s.,
Is rounded with sleep.n
o Harp of Avonl hast thou no higher string
Earth's Cspital-her azure mountains, far
sloping to the glittering seas : these and
music's sweetest tone, are the lowly inhabitants
of Time. But the Harp of Mount Zion yields
Q triumphant strain "Of old, hast Thou laid
the foundation Of the earth and the heavens
are the work of thy hands. They shall perish,
but Thou shalt endure; yea, all Of them shall