Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-02-10
Fbr the Patriot
a SIroII AInonp The Tom hs


SOME days ago, was walking along the
avenues of a suburban town, near the city of
Holly Springs, with solemn tramp amidst the
pomp of woe, where column after column
met my view in DOric smoothncss and Grecian
completeness, and felt that was crossing the
Stygian river in this sublime existence of
death. 1t is useless to say was fearful, for
my frst-born was tenant of the dead-lield,
but those tears were chrystal-his soul had
gone to Him who cannot die. Who has not
got an I'm Meno77dni?" The highest virtue
of the great is to be lachrymal over the graves
of the dear departed. The basest of creation
have some melancholy moments; though they
may not think they show external symptoms
Of grief and sorrow. Mr.. TENNNYsoN's In
Kenoriam is an universal elegiac, and defies cri-
ticism. 1t is monument of Egyptian strength
and Grecian polish, and invites one to the
delightful shades of death to battle in the bap-
tismal font ofregenerating tears. As poem,
it is perhaps inferior to the Princess, but in
brevity, perspcuity and felicity of diction, it
is absolutely Incompatible. l extract
81 hold it truth with him who sings
To one clear harp in divers tones,
That men may rise on stepping stones
OF their dead selves 10 higher things.
But who shall so forecast the years
And lind in loss gain 10 matchg
Or reach a hand through time 10 catch
The far-On interest of tears
But with Old Mortality, writing a lamenta-
ton, cannot stop to discriminate the differ
ence between emerald and rubies; to do so
would be an anti-christan mockery of the
swelling Of Jordan.
Among the great obituary notices, are
AnthOny's Grafton over Caesars corpse; Mil
toms Lycidas; Gray's Elegy; Blair's Grave;
Moore and Byron on the death of Sheridan;
Swift's Elegy on the death of Demar, the
Usurer. Most of these are too well known to
admit of any notice, but l must copy few
verses frcm Swift; they may have a good
effect. On the death of the Usurcr:
"Know all men by these presents, Death the tanner
BY mortgage has secured the corpse Of DeInar;
Nor four hundred thousand sterling pound
Redeem him from his prison under ground"
Anything but dead soul entombed in a
living body will be moved at this verse But
again, and full well enough to immortalise
him:
DEATH FAMOUS GENERAL, 1922.
Ills Grace Impossible what, dead
OF old age too, and in his bed
And could that mighty warrior fall,
And so ingloriOls, after all
We'll, since he's gone, no matter how,
The last loud trump must wake him now;
And trust me, a. the noise grows stronger,
He'd wish Ia sleep a little longer.
And could he be indeed SO old
As by the newspapers we're told ?
Threescore think, is pretty high;
Twas time IN conscience he should die
This world he eumber'd long enough;
He burnt his candle TO the snun;
And that's the reason some folks think,
He left behind great stink.
BEHOLD his funeral appears,
Nor widows signs, nor orphan S tears,
Wont at such times each heart to pierce
Attend the progress Of his hearsp
But what Of thats his friends may say,
lie had these honOrs IN his day;
True to his profit and his pride
He made them weep before he died.
Come hitler, all ye empty things
We bubbles raised by breath Of knEsl
Who float upon the tile of state:
Come hither and behold your fate
Let Pride he taught by tins rebukc,
How very mean "A things duke,
From all hiS III got hon0Ts flung,
Turn d To that dirt from whence lac sprung.
But. my object was not towrite an essay on
death verses, that would be exchanging solid
happiness for ephemeral glory hut to let my
heart-strings pulsate in unison with the friends
of my early youth. Here, is found inscribed
on cold marble, sacred to the memory, &C. -
of ROGER BARTON and JOSEPH ". CHALMERS.
These mausoleums have around them relic
evidence that their tenants once enjoyed the
happiness and friendship of family scenes.
The box and ctdar.a and arbor-vit.e. show signs
of memory with the living. There, is doric
pile recording the death of Miss WATSON, once
the Madame de .Sori of Holly Springs. Over
yondeF is a monumental marble telling US OF
the lamented Cox. | knew him and from
"A hoy, he was my friend just and true, never
faltorcd. Down the hill is my early friend,
DorGHERTY, an accomplished scholar and
model gentlemen. ! am restricted to too
narrow space to go on, tho hardly begun.
To think | am here yet, and nay friends
gone and dearer than friends gone What does
all this teach: The whole world is either an
act of the viii or it is a fatal delusion; if the
former. and it must be, | have no education
but must serve out my apprenticeship in pro-
stationary time. HALIFAX.
HOLLY SPRINGS. MISS, Feb. 4th 1858