The Cairo daily bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1870-1872, 1871-09-24

Anu stately trees upon them stood.
No history has mention'd IL,
No map has given it place;
The last dim trace of tribe and race
The worlds forgetfulness is fit.
1t held one structure grand and mossd,
Mighty as any castle sung,
And old when Oldest Ind was young,
With threshold Christian never cross'd;
A temple builded TO the sun,
Along whose sombre altar-stone
Brown bleeding virgins had been strown
Like leaves, whom leaves are crisp and dun,
In ages ere the Sphinx was born,
Or Babylon had birth or morn.
My chief led up the marble step
lie ever led, broad blade in hand
When down the stones, with double hand
Clutch'd to his blade, a savage leapt,
Hot bent to barter life for life.
The chieftain drove his bowie knife
Full through his thick and broad breast
bone,
And broke the point against the stone,
The dark stone of the temple wall.
i saw him loose his hold and fall
Full length with head hung down the step;
saw run down a ruddy food
OF rushing pulsing human blood.
Then from the crowd a woman crept
And kiss'd the CORY hands and face,
And smote herself. Then one by ono
The dark crowd crept and did tho same,
Then bore the dead man from the place.
Down darken'd aisles the brown priests
came,
So picture-likc, with sandall'd feet
And long gray dismal grass-wove gowns,
So like the pictures Of old time.
And stood all still and dark of frowns,
A q l. Il h. a. "A
SO we laid ready hand to sword
And boldly spoke some bitter word
But they were stubborn still, and stood
Dark frowning as winter wood,
And mutt ring something of the crime
or blood upon the temple stone,
As if the first that it had known.
We turned toward the massive door
With clash of steel at heel, and with
Some swords all red and ready drawn.
l traced the sharp edge Of my sword
Along the marble wall and floor
For crack or crevice there was none.
From one vast mount Of marble stone
The mighty temple had been corsd
BY nut-brown children of the sun,
When stars were newly bright and blithe
OF song along the rim Of dawn,
A mighty marble monolith!
Something THE characteristics we have
specified are also visible in the concluding
passages of this poem. Those passages
are rather long, but since they present
some Of Mr.. Miller's best qualities in very
attractive light, we give full play to the
quotation:
Years after, SHELTERED from the sun
Beneath Sacramento bay,
A black Muchacho by me lay
Along the long grass crisp and dun,
His brown mule browsing by his side,
And told with all poems pride
| How he once fought, how long and well,
Broad breast to breast, red hand to hand,
| Against foe for his fair land,
And how tho fierce invader fell;
| And artless told me how he died.
To die with hand and brow unbound
! He gave his gems and jeweld sword
| Thus at last the warrior found
Some freedom for his steel's reward.
| He walk'd out from the prison-wall
Dressd like prince for parade,
| And made no note Of man OF maid,
But gazed out calmly over all;
Then look d affair." half paused, and then
Above the notified sea of men
He kissed his thin hand 70 the sun;
Then smiled SO proudly none hal known
But he was stepping to throne,
Yet took no note of any one.
A nude brown beggar peon child
Encouraged as the captive smiled,
| Look'd up, half scared, half plying;
He stoopd, he caught it from the sands,
Put bright coins in its two brown hands,
| Then strobe on like another king.
Two deep, a musket's length they stood,
| A-front, in sandals nude, and dun
As death and darkness wove in one
Their thick lips thirsting for his blood.
lie took their black hands one by one,
And, smiling with q patient grace,
Forgave them all and took his place.
lie barred his broad brow to the SUM-
Gave one long last look to the sky,
The white-winged clouds that hurried by,
| The olive hills in orange hue;
A last list to the cockatoo
That hung by beak from cocoa-bough
Hard by, and hung and sung as though
He never was to sing again,
Hung all red-crownd and robed in green,
With belts Of gold and blue beLween.-
A bow, a touch Of heart, n pail
OF purple smoke, crush, thud,
| A warriors raiment rent, and blood,
A face in dust and-that was all
Success had made him more than king;
Defeat made him the vilest thing
In name, contempt or hate can bring;
So much the loaded dice of war
Do make or mar Of character.
Speak i'll who will Of him, he died
In all disgrace; say Of the dead
His heart was black, his hands were red
Say this much, and be satisfied
Gloat over it all undenied.
only say that he to me,
Whatever he to others was,
, Was truer far than any one
That have known beneath the sun,
Sinner, saint, or Pharisee,
AS boy or man, for any cause;
simply say he was my friend
When strong of hand and fair Of fame
Dead and disgraccd, stand the same
To him, and SO shall to the end
] lay this crude wreath on his dust,
Inwove with sad, sweet memories
Recalld here by these colder seas.
| 4 Ia 4 ha ,y;I al al nil Ia, ,pt