The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-09-15
TO CHARLES SUMNER.
IN xEMoRIAN.
By W. W. STORY.

Space stretch between us, yet you still were
And fltendship had no shadows of regret.
The ocean drear divided us, but naught
0bscured the interchange OF word and thought;
The unbroken line of sympathy still throDDeo,
And unto both its constant message brought.
And 50 felt you were not far away
The mere m aterisi distance seemed TO lay
That some day we should meet; ay, any day
That WE again should clasp each others hand,
sDeak as OF old, and face to face should stand,
Renew the . asst, and plot aud plan again,
As in years past we piotted anu We pianHeU
That hope is vanished nova sudden change
Hath borne you from me Tar oeyono IN lahse
ar that familiar life that here we knew
into region dim and far and strange.
A vaster sea divides us nova stretch
Across whose space we vainly strive TO reach,
Whose deeps man passes never 10 returhi
From whose far shores there comes no human
speech.
Tn one swift moment you have passed and gone
Out on the blind way all must tread alone,
Unaccom panied, unfrien ded none knows wnere'
Gone out into the va cue and vast unknown.
Gone where mortal sense can track your
Gone Where Faith casts weak and waverins
Where tr embling Hope and Fear bewiidered
Lost in the athless silent shades of night.
Vanished for ever from this world away.
From all the accidents OF night IA uay'
The seasons chance and change, the voice OF
And al life passion, joy, hope, pain, and play
Gone in an instant like breath of wind.
Leaving the dead dumb instrument penlna,
Through which the spirit with such wonorous
Thrilled its fine harmonies OF sense and mind.
Gone?-what is gone, and whittier has it fed?
What means this dreadful utterance-he is
What is this strange mysterious tie called Life,
That bindeth soul 10 sense by such shghtthrea :
Iove's grasp is strong and yet it could not hold
The somewhat that 1t loved; and thought is
Yet stroye in vain to follow where It fled,
And sank to earth, the sc cret ali untold.
Where and what are you now? what do you
know,
See, feeI9 is all that was so dark below
Cleared up at last? Does memory still remain,
And do you long for us who loved you so?
In this new life does human feeling last?
OR has oblivion blotted out the Past,
All the glad joys of this warm life OF sense,
And all the lights ana shadows o er IL casts
= OR are you nothing now?1gone like a tone
That dies to silence-Or light that shone
One cleaning moment, swift TO disappear,
By death 5 cold breath to utter darkness blown?
To all these questions comes silence drear:--
Stretched DER LIES utmost verge with longing
The still soul listens but no answer comes
Save the low heart-beats of its hope or fear
So we return to earth-we laugh and weep,
Love, hope, despair. Time in its silent sweep
Bears along-till. tired out at last,
Gladly we lay us down In dea tbs deep sleep.
No matter what it brings-at least it wears
A peaceful charm of rest from all our cares.
Why should we wish to toll and struggle more;
Is not sleep sweet If no dark dreams it bears?
Look at this face where death has laid its hand
How calm it looks-how sorrowless, how
LIES fever over, all the passions fed.
All the lines smoothed they burn as with g
brand.
Not Joys glad smile in happiest hours it bore,
Not Loves enchanted look that once IL wore,
Could lend a grace so noble, so refined,
And now 1t wears when JOY and love are oer'
And yet-that peace will never smooth oui
He whom he loved is lost. Come back again.
Come back, we cry; no, never!-all our low
And all our grief cry out for him in vain.
That pictured memory graced with treasure
That stored experience rich with learning rare
Those gsrnered thoughts and those affection
Are they all squandered, lost, dispersed in air?
Seek as you wilI-bIind creature-never eye
OF MOI tai man shall pierce this mystery.
This, this alone we know, that nought we know
And yet we feel-life surely can not die.
Change it may suffer-vanish from us here,
In forms beyond our ken TO reappear.
Pass up the finite scale of seed stalk, flower,
To odOr-then exhale beyond TINS sphere.
But death-blank nothing! at the very though
Reason recoils = Faith shudders = Hope, di
Reels back aghast; no wild imagi ming
Can shape shapeless empty void of naug hit.
To somewhat. vague and dim howeer it be,
The soul must cling mere black tnanity
Defies our utmost stretch of widest thought,
And here at least Hope, Reason, Faith agree.
Then why with nightmare dreams spiri
scare?
Hopes promise Of a loftier life beyond,
With larger loving and an ampler air.
OF vaster regions lifted from the sphere
Where the freed spirit, mo wing ever on.
Breathes adiviner purer atmos phere.
So viii dream, since nothing we can know,
Your soul. enfranchised, wanders to nd fro
On som5 Elysian plain beyond our sense,
Communing with great spirits as You go.
That eft a tender memory, turning, strays
To US who tread below these earthly ways,
Not mourning for us as we mourn for you,
But seeing clear above this cloudy maze.
That purged of Time, your spirit lar ger grows
In that new being--askiag not repose,
But With new aims and more expanded powers
On, on. for ever with glad purpose goes.
And If It's all dream so let 1t be;
Who shall decide when all is mystery?
And yet 1 rather choose this heavenly dream
Than deaths dark horror of inanity.
At least your noble thoughts can never die
They live to stir and lift humanity
They live to sweeten life and cheer us on:
Ii they are with us, surely you are nigh.
Yes, in our memory, long as sense remains,
That stalwart frame shall live, that voice who
strains
To lofty purpose pitched struck like fire
Into our blood, and thrilled through all o.
veins.
That full sonorous voice, whose high strung kt
Was tuned to justice and to Liberty
That sounded like charge TO rouse the world
From the deep sumber of its apathy.
Nor these aIone;-we snail remember too
The kind familiar tones of love we knew,
The genial converse and the storied lore,
The cultured charm that every listener drew.
The gladstone smile. the CLEAN OF quick surpris