Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-12-20


Blessed man, his crown is won
The death-candle, il is lighted
In the cot on Nazareth bill
Never burned death-taper, never bright as therej
Lo, angel stands unseen. but standing,
Feeding slow the flame, murmuring as he feeds
: Jo.eph Just Joseph Joseph the Just
Asleep on the bier,
Hands folded gravey, eyes closed deeply,
Long snow-beard drifting Silly over the breast,
Over the wndngsheet;
Mary and Jesus kneeing there:
The light from the death-cande, ,lambent and soft
Falling over the bier and its watchers,
Praying here till the dawn.
The angel still feeding the flame,
Murmurng the silent prayers between,
Joseph Just Joseph Joseph the Just
The women Of walling come,
Dismal and slow
Tho funeral women come with the dawn
Locks dishevelled and torn, covered with ashes,
Garments Of sackcloth and Sorrow, trailing and
rtnt-
Come, forgetting to weep,
A strange calm over faces distorted and weird.
The swallow twitters sweet from his nest meath
the caves,
The brown bees hum mid the flowers at the door
And honey-bird hovers over vase of lilies at
the head of the bier
Nature may sing when saint journeys home.
The following is the meditation of the
mother of Mary, a, she spies from her cottage
window her lovely daughter dreamily walk
ing in the garden: -
How will this heart grow lone
When shall miss
Thy step so light,
And pure love-kiss
At morn and night
Aye, feel itself alone
All, thy betro,hed TOO soon will come,
To claim my love, my pride,
And must yield my treasure up,
And give with smile his bride.
o, ever thus the mother-lot,
Her smiles how rimmed with tears,
To see snother's hand ingrasp
The flower she fondcst rears.
Nor would wish II otherwise,
To be beloved is womans dowsrj
And sacred are the social ties
That DER her heart have power
And thou wilt make thy home
A precious spot, know.
Where grasses grecn,wl grow,
And love-Howers bud and blow,
And sweet the hope-birds sing,
And weave the fruitful nest
Amid the clustering leaves,
Aneath thy cottage caves.
And thy betrothed, look on him
With honest Hebrew PRIDE
lie was thy fathers friend and kin,
'Tis meet thou be his bride.
A carpenter in humble guise,
In line Of David's throne,
A bridsgroom.prnce, were Judah not
A slave to heathen Rome.
And thou, my Mary, modest maid
Sprung Of the royal race,
In thy rich veins the blood Of kings
Too, flows with charmed grace.
The scene and circumstances Of the An
nuuciation are thus introduced -
Down 10 little garden grotto where
Gray jutting rock and tree aud aoweret hir,
The quantest slcove form,
Where deftly Ger the velvet MOSES strewn,
The rich pomegranates scarlet blossoms sown
The fragrant turf adorn.
Where gradual slopes the bankls, drspery brigh.
Down to rill that glidss from sound and sight,
Beneath the cyprsss-shads,
Unwisttul Of the silent flow Of time,
Lost in the vista Of revery sublime,
Rsclines a soul-rapt maid,
Whose ssadhst eye doth DER parchment run
An heirloom treasured down from heir to son
A blurred and ancient scroll:
Her rosy fingers its worn columns trace,
A heayen-dropped truth umes her modest face,
She bends anear the roll
Her rich eve msl,s, her heart respon,ivs thrills,
The bright ning meditation Of her spirit fills,
And fans each ardent breath
o Father, When, Al-Glorious Father, will
The swift deliyere. come this to ful6,
And save from sin and death
o Iuaeis God Thy Zon waits her King,
When will thi, Peace Prince her salvation bring'
A harvest scene is thus sketchsd -
The harvest time had come,
There was a sound Of sekles in the 6edi
The earth gave back her bearded gifts with toll
And hardest reaper 10 the sweltsring plain,
Cheered by the brighteyed CLEANER in his wake,
Bent bllher to his task, forgetting not
10 let some goody ear his shesf escape.
And all went merry for the h,tvea feast
Joseph dreaming heard augel-whispers, and
and this was tho burden Of their communica.
tions:
Aud through all the watches nightly
Came the angel whispers sofiy,
Take her, take her, abe is hol,
Take bat touch not, take not whslyi
Let no breath Of passion family,
Soil the lips so rapt aud sslntlyi
Wifi in name, but pure eyangel,
She can love but AZ thy angeli
She 10 woman, sealed. but tender,
Let no wanton wish offend her
High and pure her trust as Heaven,
Let such care in turn be given.
Take her, take her, abe is holy,
Take but touch not, take not wholly.
Thus through oil the, watches, nightly,
Came the angel whispers softly.
The publishers have done their work In excel
lent taste. The paper Is heavy, tinted, and the
exterior is unusually inviting. The book VIII
-. n rl..a,.t and appronriats gilt Tor Christ.