Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-11-06
THE CLOSING SCENE.
ny T. BUCHANAN READ.


1.-THE following poem is pronounced by
tbs Westminster Review the finest Amer
lean poem ever written:l
within the sober realms Of leafiess trees,
The russell year inhaled the dreamy air,
Idke some tanned reaper In his hour OF
When alIthe fields are lying brown and
bare.
The gray barns, looking from their hnzy
Der the n,'i dun waters widening In the
Sent down the air greeting to the mills,
On the dull thunder OF alternate fails.
Ailsishts were mellOwed. and all sounds
The hills seemed further. and the strcams
As in a dream s the the distant woodman hewed
His winter log with many mufiad
blow. .....
The embattled forests, ercwhile armed
Their banners brish, with every martial
Now stood Ike some sad, beaten hosts Of
wishdrswn sfarin Time'sremotcstbiu blue.
On .o n ,;s,,, Elnss the vulsare tried his
The dove scarce 9 heard his signing mates
The i Village church vano seemed to pale
ssl1i and faint. c an -0~f
The sentinel cock upon the hillside crew
Crew thrice-and all was stiller than be-
silent, till some replying warter blew
His alien horn, and then was heard no
Hsn "ore' ~ ssa- "a sasagE is,.a ps
Where erst ths Jay withia THE eims tall
Made s saru,ious trouble round her un-
And wn. asaF sss SSf aspIs hung her swsyma
BY every light wind IKE censor swung
Where sang the noisy martins Of the caves
The busy swallows circiing ever near
Foreboding, as the rustic mind believes.
| An early harvest and plenteous year;
Where every bird taat walked the vcrnal
Shook the sweet slumber from It's wing,
To warn the reaper of the rosy east,
All now was sunless, empty and forlorn
Alone, from. out the stubblo piped the
And crSo aa,a the crow through all tn,
Alone, the pheasant, drumming in tn,
Made echo in tho distant cottage loom.
There was no bud, no bloom upon thu
The spiders moved their thin shroudl
| night by night;
The thistle-down, the only ghost OF flowers
Sailed slowly by-passed noiselessly ou
Amid all this--in this most dreary air
| And where the woodblne shed upon tn,
Its crimson son leaves. as ifthe year stoo'
Firing the moor with Its inverted torch.
Amid all this-the center of the scene,
The white haired matron, with inonoto
Piled the swim wheel, and with her joyles
Sat like fate and watched the fiyin
thread.
She had known sorrow--he had wake
| .tHf,' with her, te
on supped, and broksw with her the asho
And in the dead leaves stin she heard tn
OF his thick mantle trailing in the dus
While yet her cheek was bright with sum
Her country summoned and she gave he
| all;
, And twice war bowed to her his sabl
plume
He savo the sword to rust upon the wal
Rc-gave the sword, but not the hand tina
drew
And struck for liberty the dying blow;
Nor him who to his sire and country tru
Fell mid the ranks Of the invading fo
Long, but not loud, the droning whs.
went on,
Like the low murmur of hive at noon
Long, but not loud, the memory of I'll
!, gone s.U HF
Breathed through her lips q sad IN
tremulous tone.
At last the thread was snapped-her hea
I'll was bowed, rN
Life dropped the distafr through he
hands serene, : t-.I-,
| And loving neighbors smoothed her cart
ful shroud, NJ ~. rs "
While death and winter closed tho ~
tumn scene. q.