The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1872-03-12
NUMBER 8
We N T Q E
Moonlight on Lagase.


Muoniighf on Lagaae.
-"Abrood IN o Summers mooxiigAt ia
Veaice" wrote n, P. Willis, forty years
ago-"is a line that mi gilt never be writs
ten but asa scene OF q play Never
shall we forget the transcendsat lowell
ness of an evening spent on the Laguus.
when the moonlight was softly shinlmers
ing on its tranquil waters There is
near the Mole sort OF Beer Garden,
where. seated at little tables in tle. open,
air, the Germans sip their beer and en-
Joy the pl pleasres Of conversation at thsy
hour of twilight. Sitting here at the
water, s edge We saw ths sun go dowa-iR--
a heaven Of blue and the moon rise ss
from sea of glass; 1t was one Of
those supreme moments which repay the
tourist for al. the fatigues and 'annoyanb
ces Of travel As the twilight deepened
we sat and talked OF home until
dreamy and far away feeling stole over
us, Almost at our feet the silent gon.
dolas were coming and going, as parties
arrived or took boat for an evening on
the water 1t was impossible 10 resist
the spell of such an hour, when the
earth seemed overhowed with moon
light We descended the stone steps to
the waters edge and entering gondoixs
was soon gliding noisclessly out into the
wide Lagune whose shallow waters en-.
compass the city, "A sondolier willis
make the circuit of the city in; tive
hours. ,..t.se a..5.tx
We had not heard the gondoliers sing.
ing at their oars, and we thought that
what Byron wrote more than half q cen.
tury ago might still be true:
I'm Venice Tasso's echoes are no more, =.
And silent rows the songless gondoliOr:
Her palaces are crumbiing to tho shore. 'i''
And music meets not always now tbs ssx.'
In the old days of venetisn ihdepen.s
dence Tasso and Ariosto were the posts
Of the gondoliers. Tssso's Jerusalem.
was sung in alternate stanzas, ons voice
taking up the first verse. s.ps
II sing the army and the pions tonight
That the great sepulchre Of Christ did frss:
Much did he toll in heart, in mind, in might
Much in the glorious conquest suffered hssls
After brief pause another ,voicsFs.
spontled with a second stanza:3 81 syaa
''In vain to Him did earth oppose her rage $40
(. In vain to arms did Turk and Lybisn ar; s..1
In vain did comrades fierce their quarrsls wassvr.
Favored of heaven and blessed BY power. % !.
high" @ 20 es''7'''
In;ByrtoSn's time, under the yofssf2
the Austrian, the song Of the gondolierS
had died for want of heart, and We were 8
curious. to know if il had revived With
the recovered freedom Of the city. -.
"Can you sing. Gondolisr7" ?"
Isl. Signore" F'Ts -
1t ltdid,not require much urging to iar
duce him to take up the song, and he
gave US several airs from the opera, exc
cuted with some degree Of sweetness as
we'll as strength. The dialecs of Venice
! is very soft, having an elisien Of conso-as
nauts that imparts in sweetness, what isss
taken away in force. Having once t.
ken up the strain, barcdrolid and caA-
zonnette followed opera He sang the
song with which Venice welcoJped Carl
baldi, and then he,told ofshis own tri-ss
umph in boat race in which he won y,
prize. Venice is the hons Of the. re-
gatta, and the gondolier is proud to come
off victor in these wate- races. But
what seemed most strange to us, coming
from an almost songless land, was tQss
hear this poor boatman singing the mu.
sic of the opera, with US confined to the
educated few, with taste and very credit
table execution. sa..oa sstE9i d sip II
Thus we noated on over the shalloWys
Lagune,at times almost running agroupd.
on the sand banks, which give 9 tortu.,
Gus course to the channels. The beauty,
of that evening sail defes oil tlescripi"
ton. The placid waters silveredsby thes
moon, the lights of the, Lido twinklingr,
in the distance, Venice cleaning With its
| long line Of gas lights, other gondolas
passing in the distance and giving back
our song, the music Of the band in the
Square of st Mark floating over the
still waterfall combined to give an hoar
of purest happiness, - deep dream of
peace" zoe iii ssi, & swoils ola b1llss
"My soul was an enchanted boat il .sir..3s
Which like sleeping swan did fessod syeun
Upon the waves of that sweet singing, :; ,si,
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