The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-09-14

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alsA by FANNIE DOWNING.
How feel you, toppled from your height,
And black and ruined with the blight
Which fire leaves, his signal stamp,
Where'er his crimson cohorts tramp?
How felt you when the warning knoll
Upon your frighted city fell, ...
And women's shrieks and children's cries
Went pealing up the ensanguined skies?
How felt YOU when the fiery stream . .
Leapt madly roaring, while its CLEAN
Lit up pale faces, sick with care, ..',e
Or rigid in their wild despair?
Ours Is the right to question SO
For all that fire can do we know
By fierce experienoe-fre whose birth
Sprang up from demons loosed on earth!
We looked upon fearful sight 5s
When on that bitter winters night,
A brutal general gave command:
ssBurn down Columbia" and sword in hand, ~
His ratiian soldiers forward sprang,
And soon the defenseless city rang
With cries and curses, prayers and groans,
And crashing roofs, and falling s,oLes,
And soldiers yells of wild desire,
Commingled in sea of fire,
Which Kissed and blazed, and ragged and roared,
Az fast its molten torrent poured,
On church and convent, store and street,
In pillows OF deyouring heat.
Far from the doom, they could not stay,
The afaictedsAngels fed away,
While powers Of darkness burst their chain,
And sin and Satan reigned again.
Meanwhile they pilfered-warriors bold
All that vas precious, gems and gold,
And priceless pictures, books rare
Wrenched jewels out of woman's ear trr
Snatched diamond rings from fingers slight
Took silken robes and ribbons bright,
Nay, stole--as many a mother knows
Even new born babies tiny clothesl
Brave Knights how high their pride must mount,
As they these doughty deeds recount III
Tn tppir mn hon a,1
The trophies which they bore away,
And find their soup-those valiant looms,
Is better slipped from stolen spoons.
SoMe sights We saw to thrill one through,
And prove what woman's pride can do
Composed amid such frightful scenes
Our women stood so many queens, 81 rs 3 3
And though the cheeks were wan and ale
Their flashing eyes made towards quail,
And showed them, in their strength sublime
The daughters of our Southern cline
We saw the proudest of our land,
Beside their blazing mansions stand,
And with scorn no words can show, Is
Hurl back defiance to the foe.
60 on vile wretches, steal and slay;
Our brave C0nfederates are away;
SO you, who fly their sabre's fash,
Like bowling hounds before the LASH st -
May war on women at your will
And wreak your fiendish malice-still
The day of reckoning dawns on high;
ade Hampton and his chivalry,
Win pay our debtl' They paid it we'll, sa
A. many Northern home can tell -.
We heard the " hite-veiled novice shrek
Within her convent cell, then seek
TIE Virgins aid with stifed breath.
w. s sa 1T ron 1s insult worse than DEATH
Their snowy locks besmesred with blood,
Striving to form shelter frail SE
For some death-stricken infant pale, q
Beat down and trampled by the throng
Wit. hooking curse and obscene song .'re
And one we saw, who late had been Ha
A pure as deW-d .Ops, when cir a cen 81
bedecka the rosebud's pearly brow
With crystalline perfection, now
A gibbering idiot, mouthed and smiled
And chartered like q little ehildl 1850
Her brave boy brother near her lay,
Gasping his murdered life away. atF I'D
We saw the priest struck to the ground
Beside the altar, while around
The ribaid soldiery pressing up, F57.
Filled high the Eueharistic cup 81
with sacramental wine, then drained
From hands with human blood all stained.
Would that the Sayiour'aplea might win
Forgiv eness of such heinous sin.
And for the accursed wretches plead
Their Ignorance of each impious deedl
In vain tia wish-in vain the plea
Though drunken with demoniac glee, a.
dol Ts the %orn they
Such sights we saw that awful night,
And yet from our exalted height
OF desolationwe can throw
A pity for your puny woe :
ContemptuOus pityl All the fame
That Portland knows, from money came,
And all she lost by wreck or pain
Mere money canbuy back again! .J
Our loss-Ohi God, what earthly ore @a''a -iAl
Our priceless treasurer can restored
Ruins of Portland, Keen the smart,
Yet ours is far the better part.
No grand, historic past is yours
No future glowing with the stores
VI glorious msmorieslAin decay,
You and your city pass array.
While, as the coming ages CLEAN, ...-
CoLUhBIA's woes shall be the theme
Ofsong and story; bards shall tell
How the fair Southern City fell;
Fell but to rise and blaze sublime
A atar upon the brow Of Timel
July IA, 1866. a