The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-08-04
A NEGLECTED GRAVE.
The Cypress-shaded Enclosure where Poet
shelley's Heart Rests.

The Cypress-Shaded 1nclosure Where Poos
shelley's Heart Rests.
"Shelleyp" asked tho man in charge
of the Protestant cemetery at Rome,
when we appeared at the gate on re-
cent beautiful afternoon. 1t is the only
English word, except "Keats," that lie
can pronounce correctly. Three years
ago tho same man put the same qucs-
ton to us. We again answered eyes,
For with many others of the English
speaking race we took a sad pleasure
in visiting the graves of those two most
gifted and unhappy beings. Shelley's
heart alone rests in the cypress-shaded
inclosure which is now full of graves.
The rest of his body, 1t may be remem-
bered, was reduced to ashes on q fu-
neral pyre in the presence of Byron
and some others, at that spot on the
shore of Spezzia Bay where the
drowned poet had been cast up by the
waves. As this is nm age Of monu-
ments to neglected genius, was Curl
Gus to see If any thing had been done
for Shelley by his ardent admirers
since 1888. No! there is the old small
stone fiat on the earth looking moldier
than ever. The inscription ''Corcor-
dunn" is filled in with dirt. A weed.
looking like burdock, grows rankly
about the grave. There is not flower
near it, unless one should count in .
withered and blackened rose which
some plying soul had thrown down on
the center Of the dingy marble slab.
This may have been lying there for two
or three months. dare say fragments
of it will be found there a year hence
unless the wind blows them away. For
it il evident that Shelley's tombstone
"a never swept and cleaned except by
the elements. Trelawney, the lifelong
friend and staunch defender of the
poet, rests beside him. He died at the
age of eighty-eight and Shelley at thir-
ty. In standing beside these two
graves, especially destitute Of human
care, one pays a tribute to friendship az
we'll as to genius.
Another old man-Severn-sleepa
alongside of young Keats. Their
graves, situated in q free and wind
swept place, outside of the stuffed Gem.
etery, are well cared for. The same
good people who put up the exquisite
1
the wall Of the portal and erected the
tombstone in memory of Severn doubt
less provided for proper attention tc
the graves. The wall near by is thick
with climbing roses. Daisies, butter
cups and some flowers not SO familiar
to us star the lush grass on every side.
A trim hedge incloses the two who, ir
death as in life, we're not divided
Keats sleeps under the shadow of ,
laurel tree, which has grown much II
the last three years and still supple,
leaves in abundance to be plucked ant
pressed as souvenirs. As we stoot
there and watched the sharp shadow o
the venerable pyramid of Cestius slow
ly creeping toward US, the spell wa
broken by the harsh voice of man q
nv elbow. what shame" he said
"that such an epitaph should be sllowe,
to stand above such gravel" lturne,
and saw an Englishman. He referred
of course, to the bitterness of the in
scription alluding to the savage criti
cisms which doubtless hastened tn
death of the consumptive, broken
hearted Keats. The Englishmar
thought it was high time to erase thi
memorial of . bygone literary feud
"True,"I replied, "the epitaph doe
seem out of place now, when the posi-
ton of Keats among the English i'm
mortalx IL assured. But. after all
should it not be kept there as warnin
to future criticsp It should teach ther
to be more tolerant g. young author
with their new and daring styles.
The other man could not accept ths
view of the case. did not care to dil
cuss it. So We touched hats and parted
Cor. Journal of Commerce.