The Worthington advance., 1882-08-10
THE THUNDERSTORM.
By ABRAHAM PERRY MILLER.

IL never. in all my reading, have
found more grand and beautiful piece
of word painting than this description
OF the advance, elimination and retreat
OF q thunder.StOrm.-Ja1nes G.. Clark.
Poet and Balladist.]
This Summer Night IS neither cool nor warm.
bMt fresh and fragrant from the blessed storm,
Wncn, stfli receding through the glorious night,
SHIT up divergent, from the realms below.
fOIlOwed by hOarsc and sullen b0Oms. as though
some son Planet had exploded and uphurled
Ahe splendid ruins through the upper world
~ through the afternoon the dreamy day
The lazy clouds went lettering round the Sky,
Or " SAT lar up and dOzed on mountains high
~ th sfeen trees drooped the painting cattle lay
Along the worlds far rim and down the sky,
Gio4d fanoramas loo'I!ed and gided by,
''ock' icenerss, aountains' capped With lumln.
And hundred lowered cities, moving slow:
All" '''en: ~ %ith banners round the West unfurl-
The great ire red Sun went down behind the world,
A"d' eastward. looming DER the hills, Nights
Like a worlds Ghost, rose i,l.def,nea and dim,
The ael1iSfatete1turea as1S clouds lay fri"eed with
As though tho gods hal thrown their cloak.
For some high pastime played At eventide:
And where the sun went down. the glowing sky
w. Mas Sa,, a., On iire intense and flaming high
Where Heavens ore Is into Planets cast.
Ana then sent forth. each world to take its place:
Ana SPIN Tor cycles through the realms OF space!
a 4 Thunder; Storm upl,eaved Its golden crest.
Awe With lightning that. with wondrous freaks.
peaks,
As though! the gods on some great work intent,
Into the sky had heaVea 4 Continent!
And now, while yet the sky above was bright
And all Gods worlds, 1t seemed, had come in
From out stE' tSe west there came cooling breeze
Which went about and whispered to the trees
That DER the mountains and the western plain,
Coming on, ,.!s this MS way, there vas mighty rain,
Then all the glad trees, with the news elatc,
Waved leaves and branches with commotion
great,
AS men hear goo, news Of some great affair
And wave their hats aud handkerchiefs in air!
Anon the ie'I storm came on The lightning
II seas OF fire upon every HIM.:
The crashing Thunder split tn eternal walls,
And rumbled down the sky like rolling balls.
And snook the world from mountain-top to
And all tie woods and all the mountain, round,
And all the hollow sky and every cloud,
Filled with the thunder beloved long and l,ud:
Down came the rain IS though the streams on
high
Had burst their banks and overfiOwed the skv!
And sweeping Oh with mighty rush and beat
And A. roar and tramp OF m4ltitudinous feet,
Washed Of the world and left it fresh and sweet!
Then passed the Storm and left Us such a
night
AS only storms can leave US in their flight!
So bland the air that all the sounds seem near
And turn to music on the quickenel ear;
Even from the hillsides out beyond the town,
The shouts and laughter come distinctly down.
Beyond the hills huge piles Of cloud are blown,
And round the heavens in mountainous masses
For miles aud miles the cloudy ruins lie,
Like broken hills and mountains in the Sky.
A though an Earthquake, reaching from, below,
Had crushed world to pieces at a blow!
And clear above me, rising free and high,
Sweeps the vast wonder of the endless Skv.
Sprink led with flying worlds that, in their flight
Shine like good men, to give each other light
Thus. in the busy day, one world alone
OF All the million million worlds il shown
But In the night, when men have time to gaze
God draws the curtain and His Heaven displays!
Far off 4 light shoots down the azure wall
(As though IN Angel let a star-lamp fall y
And Gods great High Way through the realms
OF space
Runs off to some remote and happy place.
Runs up. pcrcilance. to His own bright abode
lii the sky's centre for, 80 rich is God,
He builds the very Highly Way to his throne,
Of worlds more grand and costly than our own!