The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1864-12-23
O ri9inal l9oetrp
CHRISTMAS NIGHT.

| j
| IT'S Christmas night, and the winds blow cold
! From the mountain tops and the clouds are gray
The shIvering moss the tombstones old,
| Hangs dank O'er graves of mouldering clay
Loud blows the hollow, bois;erous wind,
| And the treetops shake their lealess boughs,
| While sombre gloom comes o'er my mind,
Then slumber deep sound can rouse.
Away to the north, see in my dream,
Th' Aurora break through the op'ning louis;
And up through the sky with lurid gIeam,
Red torches rise to iIlune their shrouds
While, far in the west the crescent moon,
Like an ignfs fS tzsu, seems to fly,
O'er frozen river and dark lagoon,
Or hangs, like lamp, in the motted sky -~
turn to the south, and all is glo ON
The folds of darkness deeper fall
Dark as the vault of a nations tomb,
Or black as the shadow of its pail -
'Iis Christmas night, and the graveyards swarm
With moving forms l see them rIsei
The moons gone down-but the dead are upi
They wierdy dance before my eyes
They dance they dance with sword and lancel
And they wildly chant ghostly tune,
As they circle round each new made mound
Or tread where the autumn leaves are strown.
Round, round they go! and see their teeth
Grin CHASTITY from each spectral skull
The ground seems flying their feet beneath,
la fiery circles, glimmering dull.
Now, they change the chant to hollow song,
And shrek wild shrieks of awful sound
(Still rise the dead till the shrouded thTopg
Falls all the space of the burial ground.)
They sing of the blessings the year hath brought
They tell of dark deeds in battle done,
How brother with brother hath madly fought
Of the bloody victories Death has won.
While voices wild as demons shoqta
The ghosty sounds the night ring out,
As though the hosts of hell were near
Ali the widest joy is theirs TO night,
For another battles been lost and won't
They shout! they Shrek with fend's delight
But dawn is breaking-their dance is done.
Away in the east, the rising beam
Foreteils the coming of the suni
And the northern lights no longer gIeam,
Foi the gloomy shades Of night are gone
The dream has passed, the vision aed--
But still, each night, cp nil and plain,
Where the grass and groaad with blood are red,
Are held tie o,gies OF the slain,
------
MY Old Kentucky Home, Good Night.
The sun shines bright in my old Kentucky home,
'Ts summer the darkies are gay
The tops ripe, and the meadows in the bloom.
While ,av olr1s make music all the day;
The young folks roll the little CABIN noory
All merry, all happy and bFighti
By'n ty Hard Times comes knocking at the door,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night
CHoaUs--We,p no more my lady,
Oh! weep more TO day [home,
Veil sing Que song for ny old Kentucky
For my old Kentucky home far away.
They hunt no more yos the possum and the coon,
On the meadow, the hin and the shore
They sing no more BY the gimmer of the moon,
On the bench by the old cabin door,
The day goes by like shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight,
The time has when The darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night.
Weep no more, my lady, &c.
The head must bow and the back will have TO bend,
Wherever the darEey may gs
A few more days and the trouble all will end
in the field where the sugar canes grow;
A few more days FOR 10 tote the weary oai;
No matter, twill never be light;
A Eew more days we will totter en- the road,
Then my old Kentucky home, goot night
Weep no more, my lady, &c.