Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-03-17
For the Union and Ameri can.
THE FLIGHT or THE r AVEN.

BIZ GRO. t. sTAEsBURY.
Once again. lone and weary, sat 20 ndering on
Phantoms starting from the legends If the long
Once again, as sat shielding from tho sight, my
faint eyes, yielding
To the power these ghosts were WELDING, there
was rapping at my door.
And Il broke upon the stiffness like tnat rapplng
at my door
Which heard 50 long before.
Once again, had, half dreaming, in the throng
of fances streaming
ThrOueh my mind, seen many VISION OF the
And the wintry storm that bound me in my lonely
chan lber, found me
Seeing with the fsncies round me, face and form
of lost IGNORE:
Face and form of that rare maiden had loVed so
And va IL love for evermore.
Bnt her well remera bered features, minglilg only
with the creatures
OF my fancy and ths Shadows that were floating
Nv ca re 4 fond eluded: When I'd clasp her,
Till nv reason, oft deluded, caught the rapping
at my door ~, A.. -
And with sudden terror linked IL WIZ tnAt rap
mad heard there long before.
Linked it with that night of sadness, when the
Took his station in my chamber, heralded by
tempest's roar.
At the thought my eyes lifted: Iothat hasnted
spot they drifted:
Fixed as though he meier had shifted, with his
shadow on the floor,
Sat the grim aAd CHASTITY raven who had perched
There to sit forever more.
And the ghostly, damn'd internal fend had laid
his grasp et srnal
On nv soul as he had laid his cursed shadow on
When, in howling storm benighted, he within my
chamber lighted
And each hope was crushed ana Dlghted IN my
soul forever more.
There the sullen gloomy devil ever muttered DER
His Internal "Never more"
On this second night Of vision, whilst the wind
in wild derision
Hideous, mock'd my growing terrors, cen I'd
Grew in grim and gaunt proportions, and Il IL
frighIful weird cOntortiOns
Seem'd ghastly deaths distortions, in the shade "
While un Set he muttered mid the nights ter a.
| pestuOus roar
His eternal "NeVer more"
Still the sickly light was hafing; stil had not
found the daring
| To arise and seek in darkness what I'd sought IN
Still the rapping was repeated as if entrance was
Still nv coward soul retreated from the terrors of
tine door:
! Still dreaded lest another like that one above
Should pursue me ever more.
Wilder grew the storm-wind' S shrieking, and each
| rusty shutter creaking
Added new fantastic terrOrs to the COLLINS there
| before.
Frequent was that dark bird mutterlngj ana uIl-
1 easier his HUtteriQp,
! As if cen he dreaded uttering,-and from very
/ dread IorbOre
/ Forced it from him-''Never more"
/ Filpd with mad despair, L vainly sprangto clutch
| Brooding. taunting and tormenting wanderer
| from the nightly shore.
I Then, with frantic desperation, overcoming hest
| tatiOn,
/ Conquering my trepidation, open wide dashed
the door.
"ComsI" [ shrieked, "Come all damnation I
| Join these shadows on my floor
] Come as shadows, birds or devils; come with
! tongues a thOusandmOre;
/ Taunt me wild with Never more!Y"
/ Then with very horror gasping, frenzied, mad,
| and wildly clasping
! In my hands my thrObbing head, fell upon ny
chamber floor
4 Fell upon its velvet coating whsre that awful
! From the raven who sat goating all my dreadful
misery DER.
Then l cried ''oh God forgive mel" I, who
never prayed before,
! Cried, "Forgive, If nothing mOrei"
Suddenly ont fed the chillness, in the chamber
Deep profoundest hush contrasting all the riot
/ there before.
In lethargic amazement, beheld from door
/ Ave as if from verv basement stealing upward
/ through the floor,
An unearthly, heavenly radiance creeping every
While lay there on the aOor.
Instantly a sweet calm filled me; then a longing
wild hope thrilled me.
For felt and knew the calmness had felt bui
| once before;
Only once, when She was dying, and our farew ell
kiss was signing
And in my chambess lying, felt the presence OF
LenOre.
Then the very air grew purer than it eer hat
And thought twas for LenOre.
But my coming senses, freeing from the II din
ness found being
Such as they had never met in all the golden day.
of yore.
ROBBED in brilliant shining tresses is the ange
form which presses
( Lightly rs the soft CaFesses of the lips of loved
LenOre,
On the cushions violet lining she had pressed 81
oft before.
Twas an angel; not Lenore.
Brilliant eyes were flashing, burning, as she tt
the raven turning,
Calmly pointed with majestic motion to the Ope1
door.
Then abashed and cowed, he futtered from hi,
perch, and nothing uttered,
Not asyllabe he muttcred as he passed beyond
the door.
And my soul grew calm and tranquil when thc
shadow left the floor,
10 be gone forever more.
Then 10 me she cried, "Oh mortal, am sen
from Heavens portal
To remind you, God is loving, has been, will bt
And the words thy spirit broken BY its weight O.
woe has spoken,
Good forgive me-" are the token which waited
| at tie door.
Lift your voice in faith to Heaven, and the Coz
whom you adore
viii sustain you ever more
CANCEL" said I, GLORIOUS being sent from Heav
en- and foreseeing
All that God in wOndr0us mercy for US mortal
Mas in store;
Tell mo truly, if in Heaven, 1 can walk as ont
forgiven,
Since I've long against ii striven till my heart i
rent and sore!
Can my Cod so sore ofendednow forgiven Speak
l implOre!"
"Jesus, lives" the Angel answered, "He car
save from perils sore.
LII LIS 4OfSS AGSl GhcI LuOAOs
Then knew the lesson taught me, and my new
found faith now brought me
From the darkness of despair TO SEGA brighter
happier shore.
Now my way grows ever clearer, and feel the
presence nearer,
In that sweet calm growing dearer, OF the form
OF loved LoUOTe.
! For know III clasp the maiden whom the ange
will restore
In that sweet Forever more.
When my day of life is ending, and my spirits
flight is tending
There to join immortal beings thronging on thai
other shore;
oh know they will have told her that I'm has
tening to fold her
In my eager arms and hold her to the soul she
loved before.
For know that God will give me back my loved
and lost Lenore
In that long Forever more.
BiNGHAMTON.