The Jasper weekly courier., 1878-07-19
THE DEATH or P0E'S SWEET
HEART.



IFrom the Graphic.
Announcement 4 made Of the death q
sarah Helen Whitman, at Providence oI
heart disease. To this lady Poe was Tor
some time engaged la marriage, but tho lady
wisely made the engagement CONDITIONAL
and the weakened. dissoiute poet was una
nj, IL observe the conditions, and they part
"a. In his lecture ON poetry ne awarded 70
her a "pre-eminsnce In Refinement OF arts
enthusiasm. Imagination and genius an CO
innate which the cultured lady scarcely
justified. Il was In September, lS4S. thai
thev became acquainted, and he thereafter
often visited her in Preyidence- His pub
lished letters 10 bis .f1ncee show much deli
caey and . refined moral sense, and are
among the most creditable Of all his writ
inr~. Bui some Of them betrsy, IN the ISn-
guage OF sarah Whitman, "the agony OF the
confiicf in which he was forcdoomed 70 de.
feat. with 4 power which no added woro
could h.ishIen.v The romantic circum-
stances attending his first meeting with this
LADY, have been beautifully narrated BY him.
self In his poem To Helen," ss follows:
TO HELEN.
saw thee oace-once only-years ago:
must not say how many-but NOS many.
II WAS JULY midnight. and from out
A fun .orbed moon. that. like thine own soul.
Sought apr pprecipisase pathway up through
Heaven.
There fell silvery- silken veil Of light.
with qnietnde and sultsiness and slumber.
Upon the upturnd faces Of q thousand
Roses that grew In an enchanted garden.
Where M winl dared 90 stir. unless on tip
Fell on she upturn'd faces of these roses
That gave out. in retssrn for the love light.
Their odorous souls in an ecsfatic death
Fell on the upturn'd faces Of these roses
That smiled and died in this parterre. en-
BY thee and hy the poetry Of thy presence.
Clad ali in white upon violet bank
feIl on the npfurn'd faces of the roses.
And on thine own. upturnd-alas, I'm sorrow
was IL not fate that on this July midnight
Was IL not fate (whoSe name il also sorrowl.
Thar badc me pause before that garden gate.
To brea.he the incense OF those Numbering
No footstrp stirred: the hated world All slept,
Save only thee and me. con. Heaven'-oh,
How my heart beats in coupling those two
save only thee and me. Ipaused-I looked
And in an instant all things disappeared.
tAh. bear In mind this garden was enchant-
the peariv luster Of the moor went out:
The messy banks and the rneanderfng paths,
The happy flowers and the repining trees
We're seen no more, the very roses od0rs
Died in the arms of tine adoring airs
An-ali expired save thee-saye LEES than
fhon:
save only the divine light in thine eyes
save but the soul in thine uplitted eyes
l saw hut them-fhey were the world TO me.
| saw but tpem-ssw only them for hours
Saw only them until the moon went down.
What wild heart histories seemed O. be en-
written
Upon those crystalline. celestial spheresi
How dark a wo, ye how sublime 4 hopei
How silently serene a sea of PRIDE
How daring ambition, yet how deep
How fathomiess capacity for love-
But now. at length. dear Dian sank from
sight,
Into q western couch Of thunder cloud;
And thou. a ghost, amid the entombing tree.
Didst glide away. Only thine eyes remained
They would not go-they never yet hays
gone.
Lighting my lonely pathway home that night
They have not left me tas my hopes have
since.
They follow me-they lead me through th'
ye1rS-
They are my ministers yet their slave.
Their Office Il 20 illuminate and enkfndie-
Ny duty 70 be saved by their bright light
And purified in their electric IRE,
And sancfified IN their elysian fire.
They nil my soul with Beauty (which 4
And are Tar up in Heaven-the stars kneel h
In the sad silent watches Of my night;
While even in the merician glare Of day
see them stfii-two sweetly scintillsnt
venuses, nnextingufshed BY the suns