Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-11-30


BIZ AMANDA. ~
Long shall we remember the dreaming rap
tnre that swept DER our harp of feeling, and
the beautiful love-song that foated out from
tween the folded leaves, and read the wild,
witching beauties of WIND WHISPERS
Alone we wandered out meath the moons
soft light, the priceless volume pressed close
ly between our fingers, and having found q
| low seat away in a sheltered nook in the
| garden, we hid onrself IN the twilight's dusky
shadows, and opening the leaves of our trea-
| sure. every passionate feeling Of our nature
soon become absorbed in the sentiments Of
the sweet-singing spring-bird. Luna's silvery
beams and the dazzling starlight were our
candle, and the spirit Of very sweet emotion
brooded between the lids of our heart-book as
we read. Many joyful tidings have been
winged to us on the balmy breeZes of the
South. but none / ween, which could have
caused the great heart of Tennessee and her
sister States to thrill with deeper happiness.
than when Mrs French's "Wind Whispers"
-ere waited like blessing to our homes.
When child, we recollect well with what
eagerness we would hunt out her pieces among
the old dusty magazines, and then with what
deep intensity Of feeling we would read them.
Our imagination invested her with every at
tribute belonging to superiority, and clothed
her with the habiliments of an Eden-spirit.
Almost the first song that ever gave out its
broken music ON the discordant strings of
harp was breathed for her, while a quivering
ecstacy flooded our soul at the thought that
perchance her smile might rest upon it. She
has, no doubt, forgotten the slittle trife' now
If, indeed, it ever met her eye, but she can
never know the admiration that her genius
inspired in the heart of the passion thoughted
xrxa4h hot arrtF. a
she longed to gaze upon the casket that held
such glowing and beautiful dreams. But fate
smiled upon US only with faint and languid
smile. We never gaZed in the liquid depths
of her soft eye-never marked the crimson
tint of her fair cheek-never heard the rip
ping laughter of her sunny soul. Once, and
only once. we caught a glimpse OF her airy
figure, and as full of melody as a music-box
was our heart as we gaZed upon her. Twas
a smiling summer evening, and a bevy OF
happy schoolgirls, ourself among the num-
Der, were tripping home with light hearts,
heavy satchels and sunlit faces, when the
sweet vision passed before us and that bright
spot on Main street, in dear old Memphis, for
long months afterwards, seemed hallowed
ground to us, because her foOtstep had rested
upon it, All, how we wished then that the softly
signing breeze would steal away the snowy
monchoir from those jewelled fingers, that we
a
mouth as we handed it to her; but the breezes
listened not to our sighings-the Zephyr-like
figure moved on, and we never gazed on her
face. These feelings, we think, could hardly
be called infatuation, for even now we find
ourself as ardent an admirer of Mrs. Frenchs
genius us we were in those May-time hours.
Among the many rare and beautiful poems
that appear in wind Whispers we scarcely
know which to select as the most exquisite.
i l. r. ,.,... Ill
grand, gorgeous and thrilling, just as the sub
ject would demand. In the Wasted Heart
there is a sweet and mournful beauty of
thought, delicate conception, and a kind of
irresistible dreaminess of expression. that sets
the heart assigning that listens to its melody.
And there, too, are those acknowledgements,
together with an unparalleled imagination,
in the Spirit Lorers and the SPIRIT Bridal Each
sentence in those rare gems steals upon the
soul in it's dreamy moments, like the music
chime of falling waters, and fills it full of
beauty. And who that has read the Lost
Lorasiana' can ever forget the sweeping elo-
quence and graphic delineations of her pic
lures, in that thrilling story, when the fam
ing ship wrestled with the waves? The 'Lyre
of Time is as sublime as her soul was when
she wrote it; and then that sweet piece to
Amelia - how / love her for singing the
praises of that beautiful heart-minstrel !
Our Utmost spirits tell us how deeply we love
her, but Mrs. French, in her own sweet way,
tells the world how exquisite was the music
of our lost bird.
We read the Iron Horse many years ago.
but there is such wild, daring beauty in the
language Of the song that we rarely ever
turn the leaves of this beautiful volume but
orr eye rests upon that page. Any one who
reads the -Ghouls' will never forget the quaint
and weird-like character Of the story. 1t
haunted us long after we read it, and shows,
we think, more lofty and excited imagina-
ton than any other poem that appears IN the
whole work. The 'BediaifH South flashes
with the patriotic feelings of her soul, and its
laughter-laden music 'glides along like JOY
going wave DER the fountain of our hearts.
as we read it. The South bright. glorious,
fower-bursting South ! is the beautiful home
of our Star We are proud of her dazzling
light, aud glory in her achievements. But
we had almost forgotten to mention our pet
poem, those exquisite stanzas, My Ltde.' How
sweet was the music of her love-toned Tyre,
when she sung of that love of Lider An
angel must have written with the point of
diamond pencil on the purest leaf of her
heartbOok, when those witching strains swept
out from the bosom of her harp. She must
have strung it while sitting on the moscow
cred bank of the river of the past, with the
sunlight OF beautiful affection cleaning
amid its waters; for its breathings are redo
lent with the fragrance of thousand spring
budding emotions. All, how we would love
to be that sweet sister Lide,' that we might
fold her to our bosom, and murmur, with a
proud deep worship, mine p
Mrs. French's fancy is unrivaled in its
splendor, and her conception OF subject al
ways of that fascinating kind that wilders the
listener with it's wildness. Her spirit is at
once bold and independent, and yet often
gentle and dreamy as that of loving gypsy
girl All lovers of good poetry, who wculd
fain have their thoughts stepped in delicious
transport of inspiration, and enjoy a rich,
intellectual feast, will never regret purchas-
ing a COPY of WIND WHISPERS"