Litchfield enquirer., 1860-11-08
1poetrp.
From Harper's Monthly Magazine.] A FALLEN STAR.
 BY FITz-JAMEs o'BR1EN.

l sauntered home across the Park, And slowly smoked my last cigar; The Summer-night was still and dark
 With not single star. And, conjured by know not what, A memory floated through my brain, The vision of a friend forgot
 And thought of now with pain! A brilliant boy that once I knew, In former happier days of old, With sweet frank face, and eyes of blue,
 And hair that shone like gold. Fresh crowned with college victory, The boast and idol of his class, With heart as pure and warm and free
 As sunshine on the grass. A figure sinewy, 1.-the, and strong A laugh infectious in its glee- A voice as beautiful as song,
 When heard along the sea. On me, the man of sombre thought, The radiance of his friendship won, As round an Autumn tree is wrought
 The entertainment of the sun. He loved me with tender truth, He clung to me as clings the vine, And, like brimming fount of youth,
 His nature freshened mine. Together hand in hand we walked We threaded pleasant country ways Or, couched beneath the Hines, we talked
 On sultry Summer days. For me he drew aside the vail Pofnro bic ha sh f1,I hoo rt th of hupr And told sweet ingenious tale
 That trembled on his tongue. He read me songs and amorous lays, Where through each slender line fire Of love flashed lambently, as plays
 The lightning through the wire. A nobler maid he never knew Than she he yearned to call his wife, A fresher nature never grew
 Along the shores of life. Thus rearing diamond arches up Whereon his future life to build He quatfed all day the golden cup
 That youthful fancy filled. Like fruit upon Southern slope, He ripened on all natural food, The winds that thrill the skyey cope,
 The sunlight's golden blood. And in his talk 1 oft discerned A tmid music vaguely heard The fragments of song scarce learned,
 The essays of a bird The first faint notes the poets breast, Ere yet his plnlons warrant flight, Will on the margin of the nest
 Utter with strange delight. Thus rich with promise was the boy, When, swept abroad by circumstance, We Earted-he to live, enjoy,
 And to war with Chance. The air was rich with fumes of wine When next we met Twas at feast, And he, the boy thought divine,
 Was the unhallowed Priest. There was the once familiar grace, The old enchanting smile was there Still shone around his handsome face
 The glory of his hair. But the pure beauty that Iknew Had lowered through some ignoble task Hdo pCCIiHS
 A drunken bacchant's mask. The smile, once honest as the day, Now walked to words of fgrossest wit; The eyes so simply frank and gay,
 With lawless fires were lit. He was the idol of the board He led the careless, wantOn throng- The soul that once to heaven had scared
 Now groveled in song. He wildly flung his wit away In small retort, in verbal brawls, And played with words as jugglers play
 With hollow brazen balls. But often when the laugh was loud. And highest gleamed the circling bowl, l saw what unseen passed the crowd
 The shadow on his soul. And soon the enigma was unlocked; The narrowing history l heard- The sacred duties that he mocked,
 The forfeiture of word. And how he did his love wrong His wild remorse-his mad career-~ And now-Ah! hearken to that song,
 And hark the answering cheer! Thus musing sadly on the law That lets such brilliant meteors quench, Down the dark path form 1 saw
 Uprising from bench. Ragged and pale, in strident tones 1t asked for alms-I knew for what; The tremor shivering through its bones
 Was eloquent of the sot. It>begged, it prayed, it whined, it cried, It followed with shuffling tramp It would not, could not be denied,
 I turned beneath lamp. It clutched the coins gave and fled With muttered words of horrid giee, When, like the white returning dead,
 A vision rose to me.