Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-03-16
POETRY.
TO ONE IN HEAVEN:

George d. Prentice, himself one OF the
most gifted of the American bards'
thought that no living poet could sur
pass the gracefulness or beauty CT the
following lines from the muse OF Anne
liza. They are very fine:
Pale star. that with thy soft, sad light,
Came out upon my bridal eve!
/ have a song to sing tonight,
Before thou tak'st thy mournful leave.
Since then so softly time has stirred,
That months have almost seemed like
hours,
And am like little bird
That slept too long among the flowers,
And waking, sit with waveless wing
But OH with sadder heart | sing
| sing of one who dwells In heaven.
The winds are soft, the clouds are few,
And tenderest thoughts my heart be-
guile,
As, floating up through mist and dew,
The pale young moon comes out ana
smiles;
And to the green resounding shore
In siIvery troops the ripples crowd,
Till all the ocean, dimpled DER,
Lifts up his voice and LAUGHS aloud,
And star on star. all soft and calm,
Floats up yon arch, serenely blue,
And lost to earth and STEPPED in balm.
NY spirit floats in ether too.
Loved onel though lost to human sight,
feel thy spirit lingering near,
As softly as feel the light
That trembles through the atmosphere,
As in some temples holy shades,
Though mute the hymn and hushed
the prayer,
A solemn awe the soul peryades,
Which tells that worship has been
there
A breath of incense, left alone,
Where many censor swung around,
Will thrill the wanderer, like tone,
Who treads on consecrated ground.
know thy soul, from worlds of bliss,
That stoops awhile to dwell with me,
Hath caught the prayer L breathed in
this.
Thai, Lat least may dwell with thee. :
/ hear the murmur of the seas,
That thrills me ike thy spirits signs
I hear a voice on every breeze,
That makes to mine its soft replies,
A veice all low and sweet. like thine,
1t gives an answer to nay prayer. -
And brings my soul from heaven a sign
That l shall know and meet thee there
I'll know thee there by that sweet face
Round which q tender halo plays,
Still touched with that expressive grace
That made the lovely allSthy days;
By that sweet smile that Ger it shed,
A beauty like the light of even,
Whose soft expression never fled,
Even when his soul had fled to heaven.
Ill know thee by that starry crown
That glitters in thy raven hair;
Oh, by these blessed signs alone
I'll know thee there-rll know thee
there.
For ahI thine eye, within whose sphere
The sweets of youth and beauty met,
That swan in love and softness there,
Must swim in love and softness yet;
For ahi its dark and liquid beams,
Though saddened by the softest sighs,
Were holier than the light that streams
Down from the gates of Paradise
Where bright and radiant like the mCrn
Yet soft and dewy as the eve;
Too sad for eyes where smiles are borE,
Too young for ears that learn to grieve.
/ wonder if this cold, sweet breeze
Hath touched thy lips and famed thy
brow,
For all my spirit bears and sees
Recall thes to my memory now;
For every hour we breathe apart
Will but increase, if that can be,
The earnest love that fills my heart,
Already filled Sc full of thee.
Yetmany a tear these eyes must weep,
And many tear these eyes must
weep,
And many sin must be forgiven,
Ere these pale lips shall sink to sleep,
Ere thou and i shall be in heaven.