Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-01-09
THE FAMILY CIRCLE.
The New-Ycar's Night of AN Uahappy
One.
FROM THE GERMAN OF JEAN PAUL.

An old man stood on New Years night,
by the window, and looked with the long
glance of despair up to the immovable and
eternally blooming heaven, and down upon
the silent, pure, white earth; upon which
no one now was SO joyless and sleepless as
he.
For he was near his grave, and it was
covered only by the SHOWS Of age, not
decked with the green Of youth; and he
brought with him from his entire, rich life,
only error, sin, and misery "a wasted body,
"a dcsolate soub-a breast full of poison,
and on old age full of regrets.
The beautiful days of his youth wandered
before him like spectres, and led him back
again to that fair morning when his father
| first placed him upon the sidewalk of Life,
which to the right leads on the sun-path of
virtue, into wide and peaceful land, full
of light and harvests. filed with bright
angels; and which TO the left leads down
the mole path of vice into dark cavern,
full of dripping poison, full of serpents ready
to dart upon their prey, and of dismal close
exhaations.
All! the serpents hang now around his
breast, and the drop of poison upon his
tongue, and he realizes where he is.
Despairing, and with unspeakable grief,
he cried out to heaven, "giye me again my
youth, o. Father, place me again upon the
sidewalk of life, that may choose another
path. But his father and his youth were
long ago past. He saw the will-o-the- wisp
dance upon the marsh and go out oyer the
graveyard; these are my ill-spent days T"
He saw a star fall from the heavens, to gilt
ter upon the Garth .That am l." said his
blushing heart, and remorse with its serpent
tooth dug deeper into Its wounds.
His glowing imagination painted to him
creeping night wanderers upon the roofs,
and the Windmill raised its arms, threaten
ing to crush him, and mask which had
been left behind in the empty charnel house,
gradually assumed his own features.
Suddenly, in the midst of this struggle, the
music for the New-Year flowed down from
the tower like distant church anthem, he
became less agitated. He looked around
upon the horizon and over the wide earth,
and he thought of the friends of his youth,
who, now better and happier than he, were
teachers of the world-fdthers of happy chill
dren-and were blessed men.
And he said, "Oh, could also, like you,
ON this first night Of the year, slumber with
dry eyes if / had willed. All my dear pa
rents, / could have been happy if l had full
filled your New-years wish and teaching" !"
Amid these feverish remembrances it ap-
peared to him as if the mask in the charnel-
house rose UP with bis own features-at
length, through that superstition which on
New-year's night sees ghosts and future
events, it became changed to living youth.
He could see no more, he closed his eyes,
thousands of warm tears slreamed and van
ished in the snow. He only sighed low
still disconsolate and despairing, "Come
again youth, come again!" And it came, for
he had only thus fearfully dreamed on a
New Years night. He was still young, but
his wrong-doing had been no dream. He
thanked God that he yet could turn from
the filthy courses of vice, and come hack
upon the sunny path which leads into the
bright land Of harvests.
Go with him, young reader, if thou stand
est upon his path of error. May this fear
ful dream in the future become thy warning
for if thou shalt once really, full of sorrow
call out "Come again, beautiful YOUTH,
then indeed it will not come.