The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-08-03

visible. =, -, -.
A POETS Dream Of the Soul.
s.L. MARIA CHILD.
For, ~ DO ell bards. he WAS born Of beauty,
And with natural ltnsss 20 draw down
All tones and shades of beSaty to his soul,
Even as the rainbow: tinted she'll, which Hes
Miles deep at tho bottom Of the sea, hath all
Colors Of skiea and flowers, and gems and
plumes.
Forms arc like sea shells on the shore they
Whore the mind snds, and not how far It has
been. -
Es.tu..
HIDDEN among common stones, in a
hill. l.sido of Germany, an agate reposed
in deep tranquility. The roots of violet
twinod about 1t, and as they embraced
more and more closely, year by year,
there grew up silent friendship be-
tween tho stone and the flower. In
Spring, when the plant moved above
the surface Of tho earth, it transmitted
genial sun warmth, aud carried dim
ametbystine light in to the dark home
Of the mineral. Lovingly it breathed
forth the secrets of its life, but the
agate could not understand it's speech !;
for q lower form of existence has merely
a vague feeling of the presence Of tho
grade above it. But from ciroling de-
gress of vegetable life, spirally, through
the violet, passed subtle influence into
the heart of the agate. It wanted to
grow, to apread, to pass upward into
the light. But tho laws OF. its being
girdled it round like chain of iron.
A shepherd came and stretched him.
self fondly by the side of the violet, and
piped sweet pastoral music, thinking
the while of the fragrant breath and
deep blue eyes of her he loved. The
flower recognized tho tones A. portion
of its own soul, and breathed forth
perfumes in harmony. Her deeply
moved inward joy was feft by the
mineral, and kindled enthusiastic long.
ing. Under the glow which renders all
forms fluid, the chain of necessity. re-
laxed, and the agate expressed it's
aspiration for vegetable life in the form
of moses, roots, aud leaves. But soon
it touched the wall of limitation; up.
ward it could not grow.
A oompounder Of medicines and
amuiets came digging for roots and
minerals. He pounded the moss agate
to dust, and boiled it with the violet
The souls passed away from the de.
stroyed forms, to enter again at some
perfoct union of thought and affection,
Ia marriage between some Of the inf
nitely various manifestations Of this
| central duality of the universe. The
spirit of the agate foated far, and was
finally attracted toward broad inland
lake in the wilds Of unknown America
The lilies we're making love, and
it passed into the seed to which their
union gave birth. In the deep tran
guilty Of the forest, it lived a snowy
lily with golden heart, gently swayed
on the waters to the sound of ripping
murmurs. Brightly solemn was the
moon stiffness there. It agitated the
breast Of the lily; for the mild planet
shed dewy tears on his brow, as he lay
sleeping, and seemed to say mournfully,
"I, too, am of thy Kindred, yet thou
dost not know me-"
Soon came the happy days when the
lily wooed his bride. Gracefully she
bowed toward him, and a delicious Ian
guor melted his whole being, az he
fondly vciled her 10 golden shower Of
aroma. Its spiritual essence pcrvadcd
the atmosphere. The birds felt its iu-
fueuce, though they knew not whence
it was. The wood pigeons began to 600,
and tho mockipg bird poured forth all
the loves of the forest. The flowers
thrilled responsive to their EXTREMIST
roots, and all the little blossoms wanted
to kiss each other.
The remembrance Of mineral exis-
tcncc had passed away from the lily
but with these sounds came vague
"reminiscences ofkindled vibrations, thai
wrote the aspiration of the agate il
mossy hieroglyphios on its BOSOM
Among the tall trees, a vine was danc.
ing and laughing In the face of the sun
cit must be q pleasant life to swing
so blithiy high up in the air." thought
tho lilt: 90, what would give to bt
80. much nearer to the starsW HI
.reased his head, aud tried to initiate tn,
vine but the waters gently swayed hin
backward, and he fell "a leep on the
bosom Of the lake. A troop Of buffaloe'
came to drink, aud 10 sport they pullec
up the lilies, and tossed them on thei1
horns. 81
| Tho soul, going forth to enter.a new
body, arrived on the Southern shores o
tho Khonc, at the oourting time of bios
SONS, and became winged seed, from
which vine leaped forth. Joyous wa
its life in that sunny oliMe Of grapes ant
olives. Beautiful rainbow tinted fairies
Ihovered about it in swarms. Tho,
waltzed on the leaves, and swung from
the tondrils, playing all manner. o
merry tricks. If drowsy one fsl
asleep in the flower. bolls, thcy tormsn-
ted him without mercy. tioklino his nos,