Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1864-01-27
iFrom tic Peopls'a PreA] ;
THE GARDEN OF DREAMLAND.
By yoHs 4. BoNiR.

By JOHN f. BoN1R "A
Last night dreamed dream +
Be full Of poetry and beauty .that
In. waking visions I still dream It Der;
It h.unts me like my first sweet dream Of love:
Lost in wilderness of strange, rare beauty, !
I pensive strolled beside moonlt stream
Till suddenly stood, mid thousand flowers,
Between two pearly pillars; lavish folds -.
Of sunset purple, garlanded with roses,
Hung lightly pendant from beauteous arch
OF melted rainbow ,hues and high above,
Where the mistarch dissolved into the stars,
In rosy letters of enameled gold,
These words, Just feintly visible, traced:
TAis = Bsulah,- Fair Land Of Dreams!
80, for a magic wand r" spoke aloud,
."That might enter this delightful landl" ~.
SCARCE had he words died on my painting lips,
When gently the soft purple folds were parted
By two young seraphs ro5ed in glittering gems,
AndL enchanted with one little glimpse,
Entered the Fairy World.
A score of moons
Rolled silvery pillows from summer sky,
The Bid of Paradise with colored plumes,
Flew like sailing cloud from flower to flower, :.
Drinking the honey of the almond buds
And then in globules of sweet melting music
Of all the million blooms that dangled there
Gave tiny silver notes to the soft breeze n.
Whieh swung itself to sleep in their l5yfnne. :
There were no little bees Z
To rob the blossoms OF their honey dew,
And every petal glistened with its sweetness,
Zen some dropped honey on the waving grass,
But none was lost for little fairies came
With tiny cups of golden tulip buds
And caught the sweet drops as they glided of
Andsuddenly there burst upon my ear
The sound of many voices, small but sweet
Most ravisbingly, exquisitely sweet
"Surely," I thought, /" this ia no common day
Among the fairy spirits of Dreamland!'
And pressing onward thro' the entangled blooms,
I came to where silver fountain played
Beneath messy knoll; and all around, -
In. flowers of every hue, light pymphs reclined
And touched with dainty hands their golden harps,
Chimed in wee tones the most exquisite notes.
While two sweet fays upon the moss knoll danced,
This was o wedding day -. -,E-.. p
Among the little fairies Of Dreamland
I wandered on for hours and thought if heaven
Were half so sweet as Dreamland 'twere enough
To spend eternity in prayer to gain.
spied vale beyond billowy slope
Thick with the snow of fragrant orange buds,
Wooed the soft moonlight to more calm repose
"Thither," / thought 1.-THE beauties all retreat
When weary with their playful wandering"
A moment more, and in the magic bower
1 laid me down upon the green, soft grass,
And listning to the songs ofstrange, bright birds,
closed my eyes aud sighed.a dreamy wish
That might die, just then voice
Among the leaves above called me by namer
oped my eyes, and these strange tender words
Came floating down in flutelike melody:
Weary, weary, weary mortal,
I have heard your sigh!
Do you wish to pass the portal
Of Eternity-to die? r-
Weary, weary, weary mortal,
Do you wish to go =.
To the spirit Of your Agnes, - -
To the Agnes that you loved
Long ago?
Still she loves you'll
Will you be -..
Her lover still,
In purityp
Weary, weary, weary portal,
See, behold! you pass the portal
You are with your loving Agnes,
With the Agnes that you loved
Long agol
The green leaves parted and an angel face
Smiled sweetly on melt was my lost love!
And in a moment more her starry wings
Were folded by my side, and bending down
She pressed kiss upon my lips. I cried:
"oh! Agnes Agnes! darling angel Agnes"
Alas! abs all this was but dreaml
I woke to find that but one moon was shining,
And that half hidden by murky cloud!
: o, earth earth earthl r.