The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1894-01-04
Written for The Prison Mirror.
A VISION IN FROST.
BY SHORN POET.

The night was cold: all through the day
The sun chased not the frost away
Each WindOW-pane, a frosty heart
ThrObbed weird-like in fantastic art!
By magic hands Of etching power.
Hrew outlines of the nOdding- flower
The tiny limbs of fern and brake,
fairy arbOr seemed to make.
And life on wings did there upriSe
Of bumble-beeS and butterflies
humming Bird whose tendril tongue
To sparkling beads of honey clung-
And children grouped. of dew cOngeaed
In clusters thronged an argent field.
A mitriform displayed itself,
A lyratee a mOnadelph
Far-reaching from the WlndOWSlll.
In bold relief a datfOdil
Attracting from a river, thaWed,
nautilus and heterOpOd.
Gigantic cliffs upreared their heads,
Near OOZy SWampS and Sea-marSh beds;
IgnOble. in their rights defied,
BY sea encrOachmentS at hightide;
Though barren. worn and isolate,
They spoke OF scenes OF distant date
Of Olden days, and vanished art,
When DOric skill supplied the mart.
There, massive works in ruins lay.
Ancient, mOreSque grand in decay;
Where once a castle seemed to be
High-Walled in rustic masonry,
A gargOyled-pillar proudly stands;
A groined arch with trefOil bands.
And vOluteS carved, where could be seen
Miter- jOinted baldachin;
-Four chamfered shafts mOdilliOn-traced.
A turret O'er a battement placed.
Those battered cliffs showed traces yet
OF barbacan and minaret.
COrinthian. beyond deface.
In mOrtised-hOlds from top to base
Like warderS on the boundaries
Stood stern brOwed oaks, and beech-nut trees:
POrtculliS and chevauX-de-frise
A jewelled sword, a rampant gun,
A breast plate, shield and morton.
AX-Lochaber and gabion.
All these lntagliOs deep and plain
Were pictured on the WindOWpane.
The hour was late. though warmer grown.
The freight on the carvings Shone;
Through all the hours, the mOOn-beamS played
With nereidS in ambuScade.
And, where lancet window cleaned
BalcOny-set and silver-beamed,
Illumined sparks flew up in flame,
And in four letters, blaZed a name
Euterpe from the ruins sprung.
Dancing she moved the nymphs among:
Nor stayed she, till of veil She barred
A maid blue-eyed, and gOlden-hair'd.
MelpOmene with EratO
In Clos myrtle-WreathS did glow;
And CalliOpa. sweet in song.
Chimed with Thalia in the thrOng
The mingled tones at SatyrS' call,
In frozen echoes scaled the wall,
DSsOlving. shOne;-tuned all the air.
With home, sweet home, resplendent there.
Pendant, then in argent light
Sought refuge on d mountain S height;
And dazzling more, again, arrayed,
The muses. and the blue-eyed maid.
A wand'ring knight, lost to the road,
Long rested where the summit glOwed:
As one in doubt which path to take
{Less for his own, than others Sake)-
The brilliant scene his limbs did shake.
He pOndered deep, oft would upstart.
And blear-eyed glanceS seemed to dart
Upon that wild, cragg'd mountain part
His head firm-set, gray hairs besprent,
Pushed forward with resolves intent.
Huge powders in his pathway gared.
And three-faced FurieS at him Stared
Opposing him. their lips they lent
In ambideXter argument
He struggled on. bold crags he gained,
His eyes upon the maid remained
Who trembled that step he miss:
For near him yawned precipice.
And, as the last pOrtculliS fell,
A bound. leap! A solemn spell.
The knight-the maid. their frOSted-train-
Had melted from the wndOwpane.