The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-05-01
+ or The CLARIoN.1
LOST AND FOUND.
By VIII Hubbard Herman

0ar ship lay ,.illed within the calm
of.eas contineIezs. Far away
In tile rcd southern distance lay
An i-Ie with palaces and palms.
Hot -hone the sea beneath our ship,
We hardly heard the ripples drip
From oil our hulk. The priceless prize
Ofau our freight we would have given
TIA fair wind and fresh had driven
Our vessel to the Land atar,
BegoaI the low, bright harbor bar.
our wine and bread were wei near spent,
And white and hungry sailors went
Ia knots apart. With batcd breath
They mu,tered things / could not hear,
Est still NV heart was clutched by fear
OF namrIe-- terror and rude death.
AM das went by, and we were cursed
ANA rrazad by hunger and by thirst,
And tneu il was knew the worst,
A mariner with whetted knife
~praar up and shrieIlcd: "Draw lots for
life,
because one man of us must die,
Th4tof his blood the rest may quaif,
That OF his flesh the rest may eat
q, human blood and flesh are sweet;
Taedaiute-t of draughts and meats"
A maniac light was in his eye,
A maniac tone was in his voice,
And then / heard the sailors say:
%. Y-ss. one of us must die this day.
They rouk the dice box and they played
To .ae whose neck should feel the blade.
-aoos it last, and, 10! the cry
Rang from all throats that | must die
D.. GIVE me one hour, Just one.' ] plead.
..Tuat / may pray" They gave consent
3, one To the hot, black deck bent,
And asked that might meet the dead;
Nsbtmoet my bride who sailed away
One sweet, bright morning in the May;
Who threw last kisses with her hand
TO me upon the spumy sand,
Until the tall barque round the peaks
Of Cornwall disappeared, and l
Weut-with a sob that was a sigh,
with tears upon my boyish cheeks,
To wait for her return. But no;
She never did return to me,
For tidings came from far sea
That struck my heart a. with blow,
For the tall barquc had sunken low
pom the hidden rocks. No more
Would it sail homeward unto shore,
And AS prayed a cloud rose high
And blutted out the burning sky,
Ana Ughtnings flashed from sky to sea,
As if the glory had got free
From out Of Heaven. Thunders rolled
With crash and boom; while uncontrolled
The winds spraug up and swept us on
Unto the isle. We struck a rock;
Nv senses left me with a shock,
And when 1 woke my strength was gone.
staggered to my feet, and 10!
/ saw d land of light and bloom,
A land Of sunshine and perfume,
Aud all chat Nature can bestew
With pleasant yallies, green and deep,
That mounted upward to the steep,
OF rhalky cliffs where eurled the mist,
Ot morning, by the sunshine kissed,
To bcryl pearl, and amethyst,
Aud an bold brilliance. Here and there,
The palm trees tossed in amber air.
Upspringiag in the glooms of green,
Tail. shining sheaves of flowers were seen
The reddcs red. the bluest blue,
The whitcst white, all dashed with dew,
All swaying on the supple stems
OF which they were the diadems,
Ana flaming birds that looked like flowers
70 WHOM their God had given wing,
That lhey 81 ght up and upward spring,
Unto a whittier world than ours.
! walked the beach: the foamy waves
Were Ginning at my feet tame,
That sounded like the subtle rune,
OF some lost Paradise slaves:
When suddenly before my sight,
stood up city vast and white,
With strange. majestic temple walls,
Deserted streets aud voiceless halls,
with dumb. proud isles. ruined shrines'
Trims stained with sacriticial wines,
With stones f1r sacrlicial rites,
And columns twjned with parasites
All blotchcd with hloody-calyxed blooms
That led to stIll aud solemn tombs,
where funeral tiags and fallen lamps
Nere streaked with sombre dust and damps
And here and there in inches stood,
Brown mummies, in the solitude.
Staring at me through sigbtless eyes,
With looks Of hideous surprise,
Back went | to the public mart,
And passing through palace door,
Where kings had ruled in days of yore,
wandered. I.eak, and sore of heart,
mi sat me Oh the faded throne,
And wrung my ha2ds aud made my moan
When Suddenly heard the tone,
And tinkle OF Lutte: the strands
Seemed quiveriug with quivering hands,
And then a sad voice sang, and |
Pressed down my heart and thought to die
For that same voice had sung to me,
On as far shore beyond the sea;
Had sung to me in mornings new,
In the June seasons when we walked,
Through English mealow-lands; or talke'
Where boomed the cow-slips, dark wit
dew,
NV bride, so tender and so true!
l sighed 20, am but asleep!
dream shall awake to weep!
dream! l said no more, for, 10!
saw a vision in the gloom,
And grandeur Of the ancient room,
l saw a vision OF my bride!
10, blessed God" gladly cried,
"Her spirit | at least may see!
AtIeast her spirit comes TO mel
Then rose \ soft delicious voice,
"My soul. be lifted up! Rejoice!
At least his spirit comes to me
His spirit l at last may see."
And standing motionless l gazed.
And gazed upon her matchless grace,
While like radiant angel, dazed,
Her soul-light fiickered on my face,
Spell-bound she looked within my eyes,
Then, with a sudden storm OF cries,
She fell upon my breast and said,
Thou art not dead! thou art not dead =
And thus the lost was found, and thus
From uttermost of continents,
We were led back by love intense.
BY ways that were unknown to us,
BY ways we never would have trod,
But through the guidance OF our God.
Then, o! whatjoyous days we passed.
Within that isle. How we went.
Through bowers swooning with their scel