Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1859-04-11
For the Patriot
IVY LEAVES -. By RANDALL.
NO vI1.-TRUE LOVE.

How sweet to every heart must be,
The tender bIushing ihrobs OF love-
How mild, how soft. the air that watts
Their happy souls 10 realms above.
How sweet the tiny dew drops bright.
That glisten in the wreath that 'twines,
The cup of life whose crystal depths,
Reflects the thoughts of loving minds.
How pure each soft responsive sigh
That from their hidden homes arise
How pure the trembling rays that fall
From out some bright and loving eyes.
How gently DER the soul will steal,
In hoary age or bouyant youth;
The perfum'd breeze that blooms alone
in hearts that love- the love of truth.
o, love, thou harbinger of hopes unborn,
thou messenger to the weary soul, thou nee
tar to the wounded heart, thou SAVIOR to the
feast of life. how oft art thou shorn of
thy plumes and turned away in tears Tears,
aye, tears of deepest sorrow, that flow from
out orbs whose brightness when uncloUded
by passing vaporS, shames the brightest stals
that send their rays from out the azure field
of heaven. Yes, stripped of the robes that ma
ture decked thee in, you wonder over the
earth casting thy darts OF Angels purity upon
hearts whose surface only, bears the soil of
there spring forth and tremblingly peeps
from out their bed of nature but alas they
bloom not, the tainted breeze OF vice which
blasts them ere they spread their living foil
age DER the heart Thus fdrSaken and unloved,
they drOOp. and mOulder away, leaving where
should be the ever living wreaths of love. a
bare and blackened heath of disappointment
The passion of love has such power upon
life, that the one who takes 1T not into con-
sderation is guilty ola great omission. True
and virtuOus love is not merely attended
with the purest pleasures that this life affords,
but it is also an improvement to human
nature, as the mild and genial warmth of the
spring-time's sun, lend 10 the sleepers benz ath
the earth new life, So love spreads over the
soul her star gemed buds of purity; but how
little of true love now in these times of in
terested motives exist. True we hear of peO-
pie loving, and marrying, but why do they
love, why do they marry, shall We ask that
question of them? by 10 means, it would be
too EMBARRASSING besides they could not give
us a direct answer, because forsOOth they
know not why they love. hence they know
not why they marry. did they link their lives
together. because their hearts gently and ten
derby beat as one, did they make their VOWS
before God, to love and honor each other as
long as the vital spark of life should flick T
in their souls because their hopes, thoughts and
prayers. like flowing waters blended INTO one!
were these the motives that prompted the
once lovers but now husbands of the present
age; were these she motives that prompted
thee; my lover, or my husband friend. 1t they
were not the love that's blooming in thy
hearts false-aye false as the VOWS of Satan
Alas; how degenerated is love, how far
below its natural state has it fallen. can 1t
not be regained; yes, man is the dcgrader of
this passion, he it is who should toll to restore
it, but he cannot without the assistance Of
woman. Man claims from woman pure. unal-
Logged, and virtuous love, let her dcmaud from
him the same that he asks of her, ii is her
right. and let her not shrink from it, it is a
duty too, and let her perform it, fall women
would claim this right, nay, and be not con-
tent without it. man in his frenzied state OF
love, would dive into the bottom of the deep,
and pluck up drowned virtue by the locks
and then from its genial depths again would
stream, RAYS of undying love, whose lights
and shadows would Irvine around our hearts.
and fill our souls with love of purity and
truth.
NASHVILLE, April 9th, 1859.