Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-04-13
For the Spirit Ofthe Age.
BETTARAnI BEONI.-A Sketch.
Up from the woodland shadows,
Up from thy flowers away,
Up to this life's great drama;
Haste, maiden, thy part to play.

On in thine Implying light, OH scintillant =
mysteries of the skies. Howl on with thy m
hoarse voice, oh hooking wind Speed on
in thy course, OIL prophetic cloud, and wrap >
a mantle of darkness Luna's too placid r.
Come On, come on, ye leaden clouds "
from the far home ofthe four winds, and shut t
with the curtain of gloom these scenes =
from my vision, for the eye would fam not Y
look upon light without, when not a ray can Q
pierce the thick shade within. Rage and I
howl, OH Tempest God; raise thy weapons 9
on high; let lightnings fash from thy lntu- /
rate eye, and terrible denunciations fall from
thy burning tongue. Come 1ame-clad in thy
chariot of wrath. Come, showing thyself as
thou art, with thine awful name written up
On thy brow, and thy purpose known to all
men. Not as demons sometimes come, cloth
ed in angels garb, but come in thy terrific
majesty, with thy garments of fame trailing
around thee, striking terror into the qualling
hearts of the children ofmen. Sending forth
the martial music of the warning spheres on
the plains of the fierce wind.
On, on, with naughty strides, as becometh
a king of unbounaed power. On, on, over
the earth which thou deignest not to visit
save in wrath. Oh, on, with thy clanking
armor. Thereia kleast one vassal who well
comes thee 6.tHyS~ofinions one who pales
not, shrirlks not at thy coming: but who re-
cognizes and receives thee gladly, as spirit
meets congenial spirit. Yea, yea, oh! fire
cloud warrior, there is one who feels no fear
at thy approach, who reaches forth her hands
to thee with ecstacy one whose spirit is
aroused, and whose heart is delighted with
| 4ha co1n1 of tbu tronaonAano ortiIinru. and
whose answering shout rings out eXultingly,
as thy hoarse voice comes rolling upon the
gale; and with rapture murmurs Thus it
should be" when earth trembles beneath thy
sceptre; when the gigantic hosts of the forest
throw up their robereft arms b~eseechingly,
pleadingly, with many voices for permission
to remain in the homes of their first years.
When the lofty Mountain is agitated and his
rugged brow is dark with the shadow OF thy
greatness when the great heart of nature is
quaking within her tumultuous bosom, and
her tears in mighty streams flow over her
rivers bosoms ;-then, oh, terrible Tempest
God, there is one who gazes delightedly upon
the magnificent scene Of thy sports, and be-
holds with a stern joy the effects of thy de-
~structive powers. One who fain in fire and
smoke and thunder's roar and lightning flash,
would follow in thy kingly footsteps and ride
WllIllIl oiy Cd1 VI 11llLlpi.
He is passing on The sound of his char
lot wheels falls family on my ear; the war
shout Of his heralder, the winds, dies out il
the dead ears ofthe distance h~isthunderings
have ceased their mutterings, the lash of his
whips, the l~ightnings, is no longer discernlble
darting through the cloud-covering of his
omniform steeds. He has passed on. Th'
moon, as if proud of the opportunity of again
assuming the reins of government, come
forth with renewed lustre; and the stars al
: so, like faithful courtiers, have added jewel
to their attire in dutiful imitation of the rega
: lady and the world is again blessed with tn
2 fair ones smiles, and those other noble train
, Why should speak of light or smiles ?
They bring no gladness-diffuse no joy owe
e my dark spirit. What though the world b
full of light? the heart within is filled wit
V gloom. What though the world is hushe
), and calm? The heart is without rest, t.
multuous and wild.
c ua-1rouuuuTTr scenes. tive me IL
8 storm, the fierce wild storm, when my frel
zied shout rolls out, from a bursting hear
: unheard when the storm within shrinks il
: to silence abashed-at the more magnificel
, one without-oh! [ love it, love, madly 10,
{ it, the grand, terrible storm.
e Thu spoke the dark-browed Bettarani,
) she leaned against the easement Of her chan
II Der window, watching the changing scenes
, the night without: first the tranquil aspe
! of moonlit stream, plain and mountain, ger
! ly greeted her eyes, strove to coax her prof.
spirit to dwell with and appreciate their ma
IL fold charms. Yet stroye in vain. Then,
the firmamenta sea, the ship o fleaden clou
. with sails of sable, hove in view, and fro
Is the lips of the maiden fell the welcome viii
e the blandest smiles Of nature had failed
IL oJici+ Uho, 4ho xr;pJc o,ora o~l oo-oo e.
, with a p~laintive wall, them fierce bowling
e and finally shriekings, over the mountain
70 brow, over the plain, ruffled the bosom of t
= usually smooth river and went on wailin
'o bowling, shrieking. Then came the storl
god with his faithful followers, the thund
y md lightnings. He came sweeping doy
q in the might of his ire" He reigned fer,
20 y for a season, stamped his iron-shod feet
lis fury, and passed out of sight. PEI
. ,tole from her covert, shook back her tresS
- IN which glittered the rain-drops, look
milingly around, and called upon earth to
II dice.
"a Bettarani Beoni was one of the restless OF
- IF the earth. Her fiery nature could bear
burdens, no thraldom, brook no control ey
~ he silken cords Of affection sometimes gal
W ner impatient spirit when the hand that b
:, them would fain have led her in a direct
GOutl Ill W U0I WISHES. Usually Sdu ait
o ..jected, oftentimes gloomy and morose, sol
90 times verging to misanthropy, she led wi
- SOM would have denominated a misefa
90 life. Yet | do not believe that she was
tirely miserable. | believe that in her 0
"a way she even experienced a quaint sort
satisfaction. She was unlike most other +
pie, and that was one cause of s~elfcongra
lation ; then [ believe that it was with a k
,ro of savage joy that. she shut herself out fr
~ the world, determined to remain a myste
~ Her thoughts ran thus ''The world, wha
y it to me | want not its sympathies, for [
,ot above it motifs patronage, for [ am indeI
dent; would not condescend to court adm
ton, for [ know that lam fair; and | h
of no ambition to shine as a beauty. will
seek to be loved, for my own heart is care
and cold. | like not the false glitter, the
lowness of the fashionable world, and [
In not Iningle in its scenes" She stood a
from the world looked proudly. disdainf
Use, on, or shut what she deemed the vain tt
OF out entirely from her eyes and her thong
the Yet Notwithstanding all this seeming C
ing heartedness, the germ of many noble q
ms ties lay concealed under the fallen and {
ulo leaves of error in the plant beds of the "
den of the heart" Many a tender fowe
good feeling raised its white-capped |
above the blossoms of the rank and poison
b;s weeds therein many an ivy vine of rem
- hronoa tu.no1 SIC {a,J-,fc oro,r,I tho f