Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1878-03-29
p . { t iGal.
Published by request of lady.
ISABELLA OF AUSTRIA.
by JOHN G. WHITTIER.

Joseph of Austria, predicted her own death
immediately after her marriage with the En-.
peror. Amidst the gayety and splendor Of
Vienna and Presburg she was reserved and
melancholy; she believed that Heaven had
given her a view Of the future, and that her
child, the namesake of the great Maria There
So, would perish with her. Her prediction
was fulfilled"
Midst the palace bowers of Hungary
Presburg's pride
With the noble-born and beautiful assembled
at her side,
She stood beneath the summer heaven, the soft
winds signing on,
Stirring the green and arching boughs, like
dancers in the sun.
The beautiful pomegranate's gold, the snowy
orange bloom,
The lotus and the creeping vine, the roses
meek Perfume
The willow crossing with its green some stat
ue's marble hair;
All that might charm the exquisite sense or
light the soul was there.
But she, monarchs treasured one, leaned
goomily apart,
With her dark eye tearfuly cast down and a
shadow on her heart.
Young beautiful and dearly loved, what sor-
row hath she known
Are not the hearts and swords Of all held sa-
cred as her OWN
Is not her lord the knightliest in battlefield
or bower2
The foremost in the council-hall or at the ban
quet hour?
Is not his love as pure and deep as his own
Danuhe's tide?
And wherefore in her princelv home weeps
Isabel, bis bride?
She raised her jeweed hand and flung her
yelling tresses back,
Bathing its snowy tapering within their glossy
black
tear fell on the orange leaves, rich gems and
mimic blossoms,
And fringed robes shook fearfully upon her
sighng bosom;
"Smile on smile on, !" she murmured low.
"for all is joy around
Shadows and sunshine, stainless sky, soft airs
and blossomed ground,
'Tis meet the light Of heart should smile when
natures brow is fair.
And melody and fragrance, twin sisters OF
the air
But ask not me TO share with you the beauty
OF The scene
The fountain fall, mosaic walk and tesselated
green;
And point not to the mild blue sky or glori-
Gus summer sun,
know how very fair is all the hand of God
hath done
The hills, the sky, the sunlit clouds, the foun-
tain leaping forth,
The swayipg trees, the scented flowers, the
dark green robes of earth
/ love them slill yet have learned to turn
aside from all,
And never more my heart must own their
sweet but fatal thraIl
"And could love the noble one whose mighty
name bear,
And closer 10 my bursting heart his hallowed
image wear;
And watch our sweet young flower unfold
ing day by day,
And taste of that unearthly bliss which mo-
theirs only know;
But no, | may not cling to earth, that voice
is in my ear,
That shadow fingers by my sde-the death
wall and the bier,
The cold and starless night of death where day
may never beam,
| The silence and the loathesomeness, the sleep
which hath no dream
"Ch, God to leave this fair bright world,
and more than all, 10 know
The moment when the spectral One shall deal
the fearful blow;
To know the day, the very hour, to feel the
tide roll on
To shudder at the gloom before, and weep the
sunshine gone;
To count the days, the few short days, of light
and life and BREATH
Between me and the noisome grave-tbe voice
less home Of death.
Alas If knowing, feeling this, murmur at
my doom,
Let not thy frowning, o, my Cod lend
darkness 10 the tomb
ooh, have borne my spirit up, and smiled
amid the chill
Remembrance Of my certain doom, which lin
gers with me still;
would not cloud our fair chld's brow, nor
let n tear-drop dim
The eye that met my welded lords, lest it
should sadden him.
But there are moments when the gush Of feel
ing hath its sway
That hidden tide of unnamed woe, nor fear.
nor love may stay.
Smile on, smile on, light-hearted ones, your
sun of joy is high;
Smile on, and leave the doom ed OF Heaven
alone 10 weep and dep
A funeral chant went wailing through Wen
mas holy pile;
A coffin with its gorgeous pail was borne along
the aisle,
The banners of kIngly race waved high
above the dead
A mighty band Of mourners came--a king
was al its head
A youthful king with mournful tread and
dim and fearful eye
He had not dreamed that one so pure as bis
fair bride could die;
And sad and wild above the throng the funer-
al anthem ruDg:
'Mourn for the hope Of Austria, mourn for
the loved and Dung ~
The wall went up from other landslide val
leys OF the Hun,
Fair Parma with its orange bowers, and hills
Of vine and sun;
The lilies Of imperial France dropped as the
sounds went by,
Tie long lament Of coistered Spain WAS min
gled with the cry:
The dweliers in Colona's halls, the Slowak at
his cave,
The bowed at the Escurial, the Magyar siernly
brave
All wepl the early stricken flower, and burst
from every tongue,
Mourn for the dark-eyed Isabel-mourn for
the loved and young"