Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1860-10-27
THE SPIRIT OF MY DREAM,

With the mute grief of solitude -
| thought wandered there alone,
Till wrecks of years were round me strown
There WAS no voice to answer mine,
There was lao hand to grasp my own.
There Loneliness reared her shrine
Mid Cypress trees and weeping Vine.
] saw no grandeur in the sky;
found no perfume in the breeze, #
Tho lreigbted with rich argosies
Of trankincense il hoated by;
Aud beau:eous birds that filed the trees
With life and song, but made me sign.
The hills sublime, which threw their grand
And solemn shadows DER the land,
Ny soul could not admire | felt
1t was the cheerless land where dwelt
None other but myself; stood
A conscious slave to Solitude.
| listened to the chanting deep,
Aud heard its anthems but to weep;
heard Its music on the shore,
And heard 1t but to weep the more:
IL seemed to utter my Distress
1t seemed to mock my loneliness.
| walked the forest, where the chill
And voiceless midnight fingered still;
| seemed to seek treasure gone,
But there ! roamed from dawn to dawn
Without hope-with grim Despair,
Who Was my so.e compuuiUu there.
At length lay me down to die
| wrapped my mantle round my breast,
| closed my eyes against the sky
closed my ear TO every sound
And there, upon the welcome ground,
| prayed for Deaths eternal rest.
Then all was lost A darkness fell
Upon my soul. All things grew drear.
| thought heard one dismal knell.-
, Then all was void. knew no fear
tor was not felt no pain
heeded neither sun nor rain.
And there lag as if the sign
NJ death was stamped upon my frame:
No hope, ns dread, no thought was nine
! MI was uAconsciousness. The flame
Ohmetnlng did not pierce my eyes,
~" evening wake me with surprise.
AT list hailed returning sight,
! saw Mthe gIimmer Of light
DescAding from the heavenly dome.
Lac sane winged star at depth of night
lett aNihings grow warm and bright
Ay resutection day had come.
sprang > my feet. Ny eyes
! W ere ouAIn9 a,l I g,,, h.,
We're lit viii glory, and heard
ne melody VI waters stirred.
! heard unnupberei symphonies
heard the Whisper Of a word.
Love was the bsden of the sound
| started, aud | urned around;
l turned and saws form of light,
A being clad in priest white.
ana round her bros glowing wreath
Made 10 der her ors beneath. Z.
Celestial blesbes on her face
spoke Of that pure inernal grace
Nmcn virtue only knows Her hands
Were sthtehed to mine and cd 'rous band
v ere round aat waist. | could not no
l could MT uttar aught bit Love.
we Wove sweet sentences If speech:
We put out hearts in form Of words
And as we listened to the BIRDS
And heard Ae waves sing on the beach
Our souls grw happy, and telt
Deep bliss asat her feet | kndt.
And then we ,alked that Land of Dream,
And heard thesea, the wind, the stream!
Send forth theiS music, and the .ky
Was brighter VIII its starry light l-
> Than eer before twas such night
As famous made ia Araby.
l ! was not lonely. l. tear
= Came to my eyes, ,,and was near
10 wipe them dry Hin my heart
The angushes Of gnt should start
\ soul was neaf 10 mse them less
A calm for all hearts 0 loneliness.
And happy as two souls.ould be,
That shining land we twin did rove,
E Beside she ever surging u;
! Beneath the tree where csinp dove
a Sang to lis mate most lovely,
We lispnd the poetry Of LIE.
! SIouA CITY, October, lst *x