San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-10-11
THE RIVER SAN MARCOS,

L
Bet like heart, living heart. deep, deep
Within the bosom ofits wide prairies,
Lies the Valley Of San Marcos. And there,
princess reused from slurber BY the kiss
0fbalmy Southern skies. the river springs
From out her rocky bed. and hsstens on
Far down the vale, to give her royal hand
In marriage to the waiting Guadalupe.
Like some grim giant keeping silent watch,
While from his feet his recreant daughter dies,
Above the hoary mountain stands. his head
Encircled by an emerald pointed crown
or cedars. strong as those Of Lebanon,
That bow their sombre cres.s, aud WOO the wind.
Drunken with fragrance from the vale below.
About his brow. set like dusky chain,
The mystic Race Paths run-his amulet
And nestled squarely 'gainst his rugged breast.
Perched quantity 'mong the great Scared rocks
that hang
Like tombstones on the mountain. side, the neat
The FALCON built still fingers. though the wing
That swept the gathering dust from of our shield.
Hath long since dropped to dust
Now wooed by dusky glooms on either side.
Now whIrlng round the crsggy banks. now stayed
| By tangled vines that stretch their arms across,
Below, an ancient MILL. with laggard wheels.
Is mirrored in her CLASSY depths. and broad
The mil-race reaches out his arms, all decked
With pebble-stones, and fringed with purple Gags.
And strves to bar her onward course-in vain,
For, nerved with sudden fear, she springs, and
bright
Her rainbow garments glitter in the sun,
AS on she pants toward the shallow ford.
And here. down slopiEg to the water's marge,
The fields, all golden with the harvest, come;
And here, the horseman, refining In his steed.
At eve, will pause and mark the village spires
CLEAN golden in the setting sun, aud far
Across deeply furrowed field will glance
With idle eye upon stately hill,
That girt with cedars, rises like king,
To mark the further limit Of the field.
Twas there, between tie hill and river, stood
A shaded cottage; and its roof was low
And dark, aud vines that twined the porch but
,. served
To hide the bleaknees of its wall. But then
Twas home, aud ''Heauen ts near Us in our
. childhood -
And wss but child; and summer days,
That since have oftentimes seemed long and sad,
W
That sent my brother's fairy bark, ell.balanced,
In safety down the rivers 10. Alas!
Is there, can there be augkt in all the world
To soothe the sick soul to such perfect rest
as filled its early dreams Is there no fount,
Like that of old so madly sought by LEON,
Where the worn soul may battle and rise renewed
And up and down the banks before our door.
Now gathering up the yellow lily buds,
That lay like gold en- fagons on the stream,
Now idly bending down the ragged sedge
That rustled in the lazy summer breeze,
And now among the grape vines, where they hung
In light iestoons above the water-edge,
With careless step roamed.
Well remember,
Down where the river makes sudden bend,
Below the ford. and near the dusky road,
Upon her bosom sleeps a fairy isle,
Entwined about with snowy alder-boughs
And tapestried with vines that bore flower
Whose petals looked like drops OF blood,
(we called 1t Lady of the Bleeding Heart;")
And through it wandered little careless paths
That writhed like wounded snakes among the beds
OF tufted grass; and Ger this living gem
The very skies seemed bluer. and the waves.
That rippled round II, threw up brighter spray.
Upon the banks for hours I've stood, and longed
To bask amid Its shades, and when at last
NV brother dragged, with wondrous care, his boat.
Rude fashioned, small, and furnished with one oar
Across the long slope frcm the stately nil
where II was built, ue'er did Columbus heart
Beat with throb SO wild upon that shore,
Unknown to any save to him. as ours
when, with o'erweared hands and lsbored BREATH
We steered in safety o'er the dangerous way,
And stood the monarchs Of that fairy realm
Nv brother, how wish our wayward feet
Once more could feel that lordly pride-our hearts
Once more know all their cravings satishedi
Lweet Valley Of San Marcosl few are the years
That since have linked their golden hands and bea
Like spirits down the valley OF the past
A nd vet il seems weary time 10 me
Swset River of San Nal the openings seeo
Retweep the moss-hung trees, like golden paths
That lead through Eden 10 Heavens iairer neIIs,
Th,t circle thee around. Thine own prsiries
How my sad spirit would exult to bathe
It's wings, all heavy with the dust OF care
Deep in their glowing beauty How my heart,
O;ershadowed with this cloud Of gloom, would
wake
tn life anew beneath those summer skies!
Nv home is nestled now among the hills,
The wooded hills, like those OF that feir STATE,
THAT queen among the daughters OF the Souih'
THAT gave me birth and gayly fits the breeze
Among the boughs Of oaks whose HunBs
Are gedd ed with the rings OF centuries'
Ana naples, cloaked Ike princes, wave tneir HAgs
Above the serried armies Of the Fern
That march alolg the forest stream Nhete ioN
The beeches sweep their brighily-gleAming leaves
And one tall pine, q ssut.nel, keeps WAteh
Before my very door. .N.,,,,t
The trees, the forest-tTees! NJ hetN OsAs -
A M hfrh beneath their stately INKS Az. yS
-, ss r,ethiuks our mountain air seems tLieki
a "A tss sreen tresses Of our forest trees,
Thsy choke ray very breaihing iHsn, % ~ ~
7 81. -ould spurn NJ native shades, ana iAin
xr.,,is sure.o with untGued wing aeross the oioAe
aS5 bouu5lsss prairies Ct the Wet, ard trtst-e
" freeeo-s back beneath unshadoTea sk'tsi
n. R,vsr ry ehildhoosi fGir Vailsy-Qaesni
riihir, tAy bosom jet ct morn ise ssa
ms seer his silver beans, su1 % tay u1sss u1s
49,, - stars the ysIlgu stars, are ilirTor-3
7.-s, .-,sr,iI -ssrshes yet thins sotiet cEr.
4 - Ts, ,Aat fairy isle in bssuiy sleeps
N 5rs ser 81 ols Wio uhits ibs uaEins 80
y .~As = -, k-f-As % treak her nsEic flstPsJ
- 81 bssrT Win P7rpls cugt, Sc EaEs'
r., so--. tSra-s ths kills Bat l-on'L
80 nors Vii sEustE y ~ re. 1.,-, -
a, s-sIirtt sour tty glIssy iictl-1o n -
80 Tss- ssn Nsrc5s, vAs- so7s rrti-.,@"'
- ,sS,-,.i-s uifh sts osctar crsps. . Az
rsss-s II eyes, iis bst1ty tcaros > - -. s-,,-.
- ss.-s -firt ftti- ~ sJt.les, = p.
.-ss.k 80 kss.-s re e ~ fri-J ehar1s-
!. - 80 ~ ksE-t rsft lgLE-nz,
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