The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-02-17
HYLAS.
BY BAYARD TAYLOR.

No cloud was seen; on blue and craggy Ida
The hot noon lay, and on the plains enamel;
Cool, in his bed, alone, the swift Scamander.
Why should haste" said young and rosy Hylas
1.-The seas were rough and long the way from
CochiS.
Beneath the snow-whe awning slumbers Jason,
Pillowed upon his tame Thessalian panther;
The shields are piled the listless oars suspended
ON the black thwarts, and all the hairy bondsmen
Doze on the benches. They may walt Tor water,
Till have bathed in mountain-born Scamandcr.>
SO said, untlletng his purple cnlamys,
And putting down his urn, he stood moment,
Breathing the faint, warm odOr of the blossoms
That spanged thick the lovely Dardan meadows
Then, STOPPING lightly, loosened he his buskinss,
And felt with with shrinking feetthe crispy yerdure
Naked, save one light robe that from his shoulder
Hung to his knee, the youthful flush revealing
OF warm, white limbs, halfnerved with coming
manhood
Yet fair and smooth with tenderness OF beauty.
Now to to the rivers sandy marge advancing,
He dropped the robe, and raised his head eXulths
In the clear sunshine that with beam embracing
Held him against Appo's glowing bosom
Sacred is Youth, the JOY OF youthful 1eeling'
A joy indeed, IL living joy, was Hylas,
Whence Jove-begotton Heraclcs, the mighty,
To men though terrible, to him was gentle,
Smoothing his rugged nature into laughter
When the boy stole his club, or from his shoulders
Dragged the huge paws of the NemIan lion.
The thick brown locks. tossed backward from his
forehead,
Fell soft about his temples; manhoods blossom
Not yet had sprouted on his chin, but freshly
Curved the fair cheek, and full the red lips parting
Like loose bow, that just had launched it S arrow
His large blue eyes, with Joy diate and beamy,
Were clear as the unshadowed Grecian heaven;
Dewy and sleek his dimped shoulders rounded
70 the white arms and whittier breast between them
Downward, the supple, lines had less OF soitness
His back was like gods; his lons were moulded
As if some pulse of power began to waken;
The springy fuIness of his things, outsWerving,
Sloped to his knee, and lightly dropping downward,
Drew the curve lines that breathe, in rest OF NOTION
He saw his glorious limbs reversely mirrored
In the still wave and stretched his foot to press it
ON the smooth sole that answered at the surface;
Alas. the shape dissolved in gimmering fragments,
Then timidy at first, he dipped, and catching
Quick breath. with tngling shudder, as the waters
Swirled his thighs and deeper, slowly deeper,
Til on his breast the Rivers cheek wa3 pillowed,
And deeper still, till every shoreward ripple
Talked in his ear, and like cygnefs bosom
His white round shoulder shed the dripping crystal,
There, as he tloated, with rapturous motion.
The lucid GOODNESS folding close around him,
The lily-cradling rpples murmured, "liylas"
lie shook from off his ears the hyaclnthlle
Curs, that had lain unwet upon the water, ~.
And still the rippes murmured, "Hylas! Hylas"
lie thought: s'The voices are but carbon music.
Pan dwells not here, and Echo still is calling
From some high cliff that tops Thracan valley:
So long mine ears, on tumbling Hellespontus,
II ave heard the waves hammer Argos forenead
That misdeem the tiutng of this current
For some lost nymph-' Again the murmur, "Hy-
l'9.
And with the sound cold, smooth arm around him
Sid like a wave, and down the clear, green dark
Glimmcred on either side shining BOSOM
Glimmered, uprising slow; and ever closer
Wound the cold arms, till climbing to his shoulders,
Their cheeks lay nestled, while the purple tanges,
Their loose hair made i'll sken mesh onwound
him.
Their eyes of clear, pale emerald then uplifting,
They kissed his neck with lips of humid coral
And once again there a came murmur, ''Hylas
o, come with us! o. follow where we wander
Deep down beneath the green, translucent ceiling
Where on the sandy bed of old Scamander
With cool white buds we braid our purple tresscs,
Iucd by the bubbling waves around lis stealing!
Thou fair Greek boy, o, come with us! y. follow
Where thou no more shalt hear Propontis riot,
But by our arms be Tapped in endless quiet,
Within the glimmering caves of Ocean hollow!
We have no love; alone, of all the 1mmortals,
We have no love. O, love us, we who press thee
With faithful arms, though cold whose lips caress
Who hold thy beauty prsoned Love us, Hylas!"
The sound dissolved in liquid murmurs, calling
Still as it faded, Come with us, ., follow"
The boy grew chill to feel their twining pressure
Lock round his limbs, and bear him, vany striving,
Down from the MONDAY brightness. "Leave me,
Maids!
Icavc"' me he cried. ''the day to me is dearer
Than all your caves dcep-sphered in Oceans quiet.
| am but mortal seek but mortal pleasure:
| WOULD 1lO CIiHlSt lnS HcAHt' wal! t[NlHtoiitt,
Tho swept by storms and shocked by Joye's dread
thunder,
To be king beneath the dark-green waters"
Still moaned the humid lips between their kisses,
I'VE have no love. o, love us, we who love thee!
And came in answer, thus, the words OF Hylas;
MY love is mortal. For the Argive maidens
keep the kisses which your lips would ravish.
Unlock your cold white arms,-take from my should
The tangled swell of your bewildering tresses.
Let me return; the wind comes down from Ida,
And soon the galley, stirring from her slumber,
VIII fret to ride where PeliOn's twilight shadow
Fails DER the towers of Jason's sea-girt city.
| am not yourS-I cannot braid the lilies
In YOUR wet hair nor on your argent boSOms
Close my drowSed eyes to hear your ripping voices
Hateful to me your sweet, cold crystal Delng,-
Your world of waery quiet. Help, Apollo!
For am thine; thy fire, thy beam, thy music,
Dance in my heart and flood my sense with rapture
The iov. the warmth and passion now awaken,
Promised by thee, but erewhile calmly sleeping.
o. leave me, Maids loose your chill embraces,
Or shall die, for mortal maidens pinins."
But still with unrelating arms they bound him,
And still accorlant, flowed their watery voices:
1--WE have thee noW-we hold thy beauty prisOned;
o, come with us beneath the emerald waters
We have no love; we love thee, rosy iiylas.
q, love US. who shall nevermore release thee
Love US, whose milky arms will be thy cradle
Far down on the untroubed sands of ocean,
Where now we bear thee. claspcd in our embraces"
And slowly, slowly sank the am"rous Maids;
The boys blue eyes, upturned, looked through the
Pleading for help: but Heavens immortal Archer
Was swathed in cloud. The rpples hid his fore
head
And last, the thick, bright curs n moment floated,
SO warm and silky that the stream upborc them,
Closing reluctant, a. he sank forever.
The sunset died behind the crags of Imbros.
Argo was Juggling at her chain; for freshly
Blew the swift breeze and leaped the restless bill
lows.
The voice of Jason reused the doing sailors,
And up the mast was heaved the snowy canvass
But mighty Hcracles, the Joye begotten,
I7nmindful stood, beside the cool Scamander,
Leaning upon his club. A purple chamys
Tossed DER an urn was all that lay before him;
And when he called eXpectant, 'Hylas! HylasW
The empty echoes made his answer -''Hylas!"
The particulars Of sad case of mistaken
identity come from Skaneateles, N. Y. A short
time since the wife Of wealthy man died
near Shepherds Station, and was inferred in
the public cemetery. Then followed the death
OF 4 woman Of questionable character, whose
remains were also laid away in the same GEM
etery by kind hands. They did not pay par
ticular attention as to the place where the
tainted one should lie. 1t happened that she
was buried near the wife of Olives" Again
the angel of death visited the rich mans
dwelling A daughter was stricken down
She was buried beside her mother, as the faith
er supposed Owing to the inclement season
of the year no headstones had been raised