The Nevada Democrat., 1860-09-12
THE FIRE F1END-A NlAHrmARE.
FROM AN UNPUBLISHED MSS. OF EDGAR 4. POE.

FROM AN UNPUBLISHED EDGAR A. POE.
In the deepest drth of midnight while the sad and SOL
sti was floating family echoed from the forest chapel
Family faiteringy floating, Ger the sable waves Of
air
That thro the midnight rolling, ehaicd and blOwy
In my cbamDer lay dreaming, by the nreights ntful
And my dreams were dreams foreshadowed on heart
foredoomed 10 care
As the last long, lingering echo of the mdnght mystic
Lifting through the sable pillows of the thither shore OF
Leaving on the starless silence not token or trace
In quvering sigh departed from my couch in fear
started -
Started to my feet in terror for my dreams phantasma
Painted in the tfu FIRE frightful hendIsh, flaming cel
On the red hearths reddest center from blazing knot
OF oak,
Seemed gibe and grin this phantom when in terror
awoke,
And my slumberous eyelids straning staggered to
the floor,
Still that vision seeming turned my gaze toward
Hearth and thore-oh GOdi saw III and from It's fam
ing jaw 1t
spat ceaselesa soethiug, kissing, bubbns, gurgIns
Speeches. struck with stony silence, frozen to the floor
Till me thought my brain kissing with that kissing
bubling blood;
Till felt my life stream OOzing, oOzng from those lam
Til the demon seemed to name me, when wondrous
And my brow grew cold and dewy with death damp
stif and guey,
And fell back my pillow, in apparent soul eclipse
Then, deaths seeming shadow, in the icy fall Of
fear,
lay stricken, camo hoarse and hdeous 10 my
Came murmur like the murmur of assassius in their
sleep
Mutterng higher higher higher am Demon Of the
am ArchFiend of the Fire and each blazing roofs my
And my sweetest incense Is the blood and tears my vic
tim weepsl
"How revel on the prairiel how roar amongst the
How laugh when from the village, DER the snow the
And hear the shrieks Of terror, with life in every
breath
How scream with AMBIENT laughter, as hurl each
Down the fell abyss Of Gre r--untii higher higher
higher
Leap the high priests Of my altar in their merry dance
ofdeath
am Monarch Of the Firei-I am vassal King Of
World enriching with the shadow of its doom upon my
with the svnbo Of Hereafter flaming ro INV f,a,
command the Eternal Fire higher higher higher
nignefl
Leap my minstering demons, like phantasmagorc
emanB
Hugging Universal Nature in their hideous embrace
Then sombre silence shut me in solemn, shrouding
sleep,
And slumbered like infant, in the "cradle Of the
Deep"
Till the beliy in the forest quivered with the matin
stroke,
And the mathis, from the edges of It's nchen -ldded
lodges,
shmmered through the russell arches where the light
torn files marches,
Like routed army struggling through the serisd ranks
Of oak.
Thro' my ivyfretted easement, filtered In tremulous
note
From the tall and stately linden, whore the robin sweed
his throat
ouerulous robin calling quantity for his
mate
Then started up unbdden, from my slumbsr nightmare
ridden,
With the memory Of that dire demon my central fire.
On my oyes interior mirror like the shadow of fate
All the nendsh fire had smoudered to white and form
less heap
And no knot of oak was flaming as It famed upon my
But around very CENTER the demon faoo had
shone
Forked shadows seemed to linger pointing with spec
trail finger,
To Bible, massive, golden, table carved and
olden;
And bowed and said, Gan power is Of God--Of God
alone