Ellsworth American., 1874-10-01
pottrp.
The Closing Scene.

BY I. II. READ.
The following is pronounced by the West
minister Review. the finest American poem ever
Written;
WITHIN the sober realms of leafess trees.
'Rhe russell year inhaled the dreamy air;
LIN some tanned reaper in his hour of esse:
Weep all the fields are lying brown and bare.
The 0~sX barns, looking from their hszy hills,
Ost the dun waters widening in the wales.
Sent dNwn the air greeting to the mills,
On the dull thunder of alternate fails.
\ All sights were melowed. and all sounds sub
= dued,
The hills seemed further and the streams
sang low,
A. in dream the distant woodmsn hewed
His Winter log with many \ mufiled blow.
he embattled forests, erewhile armed with
he,r SSo1d, Sanoer. .r,sn, with every n,r,,,, hu.
Now stood like some sad beaten hosts Of old,
Withdrawn afar in Times remoiest blue.
On sombre wings the vulture tried his flight;
The dove scarce heard the signing mates
= complaint:
And, like star slow drowning in the light.
The village church yane seemed TO pale and
faint.
The sentinel cock upon the hillside crew
Crew thrice-and all wss stil.er than before;
silent, uil some replying Warder blew
His alien horn, aud then was heard no more.
Where erst the jay within the clm's tall crest.
Made garulous trouble round her unfledged
young;
And where the oriole hung her swsying nest.
BY every light wind like acenser swung;
Where sang the noisy martins of the caves,
The busy swallows circling ever near
Fort boding. As the rustic mind believes,
An early harvest and plenteous year;
Where every bird that walked the yernal feast.
Shook the sweet slumber from its wings st
morn;
To warn the reaper of the rosy east,
All now was sunless, empty and forlorn.
Alone, from out the stubble. pIped the quail
And croaksd the crow through all the dreary
gloom;
Alone. the pheasant. drumming in the vale,
Made echo in the distant cottage loom.
There was no bud, 10 bloom upon the bowers:
The spiders moved their thin shrouds night
by night;
The thistle-cown. the only ghost offlowers,
Sailed slowly by-passed noiselessly out of
Amid all this-in the most dreary air.
And where the woodoine shed upon the
porch
Its crimson leaves, as ifthe year stood there,
Firing the floor with its inverted torch.
Amid all ,his-,he center of the scene.
The white,haired matron, with monotonous
tread
Piled the swim wheel. and with her joyous
mien.
Sat like fate. and watched ths flying thread
She had known sorrow-he had walked with
her,
on supped, and broke with her the sshen
crust,
And in the desd leaves still she heard the stir
oi his thick mantle trailing In the dust.
While yet her cheek was bright with summer
bloom;
Her country summoned and she gave her all;
And twice war bowed 10 her hi. sable plume
he-gAve the sword TO rust upon the wall.
Re-gsve the sword. but not the hand thu, drew
=. And 1.i.!. struck for liberty tho drins olowi
Fell mid the ranks of the invading Zoe.
Long. but not loud. the droning wheel went on,
Like the low murmur of hive at noon;
Long. but not loud, the memory of the gone
Breathed through her lips sad and iremu-
ious tone.
Al last the thread was snapped-he- head was
bowed,
Lite dropped the dstaif through her hands
serene,
And loving neighbors smoother her careful,
shroud,
While death and Winter closed the Autumn
scene.