The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-07-21
THE DREAM OF PETkAREA.

When | was younger, | was fond of wander.
ing in solitary places, and never was afraid OF
slumbering in woods and grottoes. Among the
chief pleasures of my life, and among the com
monest Of my occupations, was the bringing be.
fore me such heroes and heroines of antiquity,
such poets and sages, such of the prosperous
and of the unfortunate, as most interested me
by their courage, their wisdom, their elOquence,
or their adventures. Engaging them in the
conversation best suited to their characters.
knew perfectly their manners, their steps, their
voices and often did | moisten with my tears
the models had been forming of the less hap
py. Great is the privilege of entering into the
studies of the intellectual; great is that of con-
versing with the guides of nations, the movers
of the mass, the regulators of the unruly will,
stiff in its impurity, and rash against the finger
of the Almighty Power that formed it but give
me rather the creature to sympathize with ap-
portion me the sufferings to assuage. Allegory
had few attractions for me believing it to be
the delight, in general, of idle, frivolous, mex
cursive minds, in whose mansions there is
neither hall nor portal to receive the lofter of
the passions. A stranger to the affections, she
holds low station among the handmaidens of
poetry, but fit for little but an apparation in a
mask | had reflected for some time or this
subject when, wearied with the length of nv
walk over the mountains, and finding a soft old
mOlehill covered with gray grass BY the way.
side, laid my head upon it and alept. ] can
not tell how long It was before . species of
dream or vision came over me.
Two beautiful youths appeared beside me ;
each was winged, hut the wiuas were hanging
down, and seemed illadapted TO fight. One Of
them, whase voice was the softest ever heard,
looking at me frequently, said to the other:
Gle is under my guardianship for the pres.
eat do not awaken him with that feather"
Methought, on hearing the whisper, saw
something like the feather of an arrow, and
then the arrow itself, the whole of it, even to
the point although he carried it in such man.
ner that it was difficult at first to discover more
than palms length of it; the rest Of the shaft
land the whole of the ha7Aj was behind his an
kles.
This feather never awakens any one," re-
piled he, rather petulantly hut it brings more
of confident security and more of cherished
dreams Than you, without me, are capable of
imparting."
:" Be it so," answered the gentler; "none is
lesa inclined to quarrel or dispute than am
Many whom you have wounded grievously,
call upon me for succor; but so little am dis
posed to thwart you, it is seldom / venture to
do more for them than to whisper few words
of comfort in passing. How many repEoaches,
on these occasions, have been cast upon me for
Indifference and inhdehty Nearly as many, and
nssfly in the same forms, as upon you.'
! "Odd enough, that we, o Sleepl should be
thought so alike !" said Love, contemporary.
/" Yopder is he who bears nearer resemblance
to you the dnllest have observed it,
1 fancied turned my eyes to where he was
pointing, and saw at distance the figure he
designated. Meanwhile, the contention went
on uniHterruptedly. Sleep was slow in assert
ing his power or his benefits. Love recapitu-
lated them !; but only that he might assert his
own above them. Suddenly he called on me
to decide, and to choose my patron. Under the
influence aFst Of the ane and then of the other,
spHaAg from repose to rapture, / alighted from
rapture on repose, and knew not which was the
sweetest. Love was very angry with me, and
declared he would cross me throughout the
whole of my existencei Whatever / might on
other occasions have thought of his veracity,
now felt too surely the conviction that he would
keep his word. At last, before the close of the
alteration, the third genius had advanced, and
stood near US. l cannot tell how knew him,
but | knew him to be the Genius of Death
Breathless as l was at beholding, soon became
familiar with his features. First, they seemed
only calm; presently, they grew contempla-
tive; and, lastly, beautiful those of the Graces
themselves are less regular, less harmonious,