Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1867-12-21
THE CLOSING SCENE.
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Ameficau poem ever writtenGgisae3s aa5 s4Gjzs
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Within the sober FL ea rsam tJsG
Like some tanned resper, in his hour Of ease, =
When all the felds:are lyingtbrown5and bare.
The gray barns, looking from their. hazys hills.
O'er the dun waters Widening in the wales,
Sent down The air 9, greetingto the mills :. -!
On thu. a lthunder ofsalternate fails. 81
All sights were mellowed, all sounds subdued,
The hilis seemed further the stream N sung
AS ina dream the distant woodm n hewed q .
His winter log, with many aamufaed blow <
The en- attled forests. erewhile armed with god;
Their banners bright with every marsai IN nue.
Now stood like some SAD, beaten host of old,
Withdrawn afar in Times femotest blue
On sombre,wings ihsYyultuLetried his IL :ght;. 2
TheIdoNsl acarce heard! his signing mates
ntlikess stsr slow drowning; in the light, y,
Theyillage church, vane seemed to pale and
aofalntssas .s.GOut5 ( = u 10 .8aug& BOO
Tie sentinel cock upon thehll- side crew 80?
rev thrice land all wis stiller than before;
Silent till some replying warder blew ~~.s ~ :
His alien horn and hen was; heard no more "
Where erst the jay within the em!!s tall crest,
Made gsrulous trouble round her unhedgea
young; es@pa zas11;
And where the oriolel hung; her sWaying nest
BY every light wind like a censer swung.
Where sung the noisy martins on the caves,
The busy swallows crcling ever near
Foreboding rs the rustic m ind believes
An carly harvest and plenteous year
Where every bird that walked the yernal feast,
Shook the SWEET slumber from. its wings ut
,s5.morn;i!oG i,,zs E5a94as+1 u ,>Taiz
To warn the re .pe: of the rosy east. f
All now was sunless, empty and TO. lorn.
Alone from the stubble piped the quail -
And croaked the crow through all the dresry
gloom; -
Alone the pheasant, DR. ming in the vale,
Made echo in the distant cottage boom,
There was no bud, no bloom upon the bowers;
The spiders woye their thin shroud, night by
night - ~ s
The thistle down, the only ghost of flowers.
Sailed slowly by-passed noiseless out OF slight.
Amid all this in this most dreary ar
And where the wool bine shed upon the porch
Its crimson leaves, rs if the year stood there,
Firing the hoor with its inverted torch
Amid all this, the centreof the scene,
The white haired matron with monot'nous
tread. -,--,..
Piled the swift wheel, and with her joyless
mem
Sat like a fate and watched the fl ing thread.
She had known sorrow. He had walked with
her.
Oft supped, and broke with her the ashen
crust,
And in the dead leaves still she heard the stir
Ofhis thick mantle trailing in the dust.
While yet her cheek was bright with sum or
bloom,
Her country summoned and shn gave her all !;
And twice war bowe to her mis- sable plume.
Re gave he sword to rust upon the wall.
Re-gave the sword but nosthe hand that drew,
And struck for liberty the dying blow;
Nor him who, to his sire and country true,
Fell mid the ranks OF the invading foe.
Long. but not loud, the. dropping waeel went
on,
Like the low murmur Of 8 hive a. noon
Long, but not loud the memory Of the gone
Breashel through her lips a sad and trem u
lous tone
At last the thread was &snapped--her head wa 5
bowel;
Life dropped the distaff through her hands
serene, rz.-,..s-
And loving neighbors smoothei her careful
shroud,
While death AMI winter closed the autumn