Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1896-12-26
FLY, ENyIoUS TIME.
THUS SANG MILTON OF THE DE-
PARTING YEAR.

THUS SANG MILTON OF The DE-
PARTING YEAR.
Man and His BIarvels Pass Away, but
TireRess Time Rolls on-The Death OF
tho Year Brings Feeling OF Sadness.
A New Face at the Door.
Even now the gray dawn of the new
year is peeping over the horizon. We
can almost hear the bells tolling the
midnight mass for the dying year:
Yes. the year IS growing old,
And his eye Is pale and bieared-
Death. with frosty hand and cold.
Plucks the old man by the beard.
Sorely. sorelyl
Let rs Affect a gay spirit, if we will.
There is an indescribabie, unnamable
sodness that comes over rs all at this
dying Of the old year. There is feeling
Of unspeakable dread, sense OF utter
loneliness, that takes possession of our
souls as the taper Of tho old year burns
low. III a man ever feels the chill Of the
supernatural. it is at this time One
hears strange sounds and sees uncanny
visions:
Through woods and mountain passes
The winds, like anthems roll.
They are chanting solemn masses.
Singing, "Pray for this poor soul
Pray, prayi''
So Longfellow dwelt mournfully on
the passing of the old year, and in like
manner did Tennyson bemoan its de-
mise:
Fun knee deep lies the winter snow,
And the winter winds are wearily signing.
Toll We the church bell sad and slow
And tread softly and speak low,
For the old year lies a-dying.
Old year, you must not die.
You came TO as so readily,
You lived with us 80 steadily
Old year, you shall not die.
Step gently. Death is almost here:
His face is growing sharp and thin
Alacl, our friend is gonei
Close up his eyes. tie mp his chin,
Step from the corpse and let him in
That standeth there alone
And waitesh az the door.
There's q new foot on the floor, my friend,
And a new face at the door, my friend
new face at the door,
And thus the old year dies and the
new year reigns;
Again the silent wheels Of time
/ Their annual round have driven.
The New Years day is breaking:
The wave IS breaking ON the shore.
The echo fading from the chime
Again tho shadow moveth DER
The dial plate Of time
And time speeds-on--that ever chang
ing. tireless. crunching time; that time
o. which Milton sang in a voice that is
now hushed by time;
Fly envious time. till thou run out thy raceI
Call on the lazy leaden stepping hours
~ f,arfk
And glut thyself with what thy womb devoura
Which Is no-more than what is false and vain
And merely mortal dross.
So little is our loss,
So little Is thy gain;
For. when rs each thing bad thou hast entomb-
ed,
And last Of all thy greedy self consumed,
Then long eternity shall greet our bliss
With an individual kiss.
And JOY shall overtake us as a food,
When everything that is sincerely good
And perfectly divine.
With truth and peace and love, shall over shine
About the supreme throne
Of him 70 whose happy making sight alone
When once our heavenly guided soul shall
climb.
Then all this earthly grossness quit,
Attired with stars we shall forever SIT,
Triumphing over death and chance and thee.
o Timei
And so time goes ON and has gone on
tor ages upon ages Time chants:
Before my breath. like blazing FAX,
Man and his marvcls pass awayi
And changing empires wane and wax
Are founded. flourish and decay.
Time has
$50 seen some strange mutations;
The Roman empire has begun and ended
New worlds have risen-we have lost old ma
tions,
And countless kings have into dust been
humbled.
But no matter how we bid the parting
year farewell, or how we shall hail the
new-no matter how we measure it
time keeps slowly but surely ticking
away,
Zine, like brilliant steed with seven rays
| And with a thousand eyes. imperishable,
| Fun Of fecundity. bears all things onward.
On him ascend the learned and the wise
Time like seven wheeled. seven naved car,
His rolling wheels are all the worlds, his axle
is immortality.
Each new year brings us nearer the
earthly end, nearer the call of the faith.
full Bellman, who sings:
Along the dark and silent night.
| With my lantern and my light
And the twinkling OF my bell,
Thus walk, and this tell:
Death and dreadfulness cali ON
To the general session.
To whose dismal bar we there
All accounts must come to clear.
Scores of sins we've made here many,
Wiped out few. God knows. If any.
Rise, ye debtors then. and fall
To mike payments, while call.
Ponder this. when am gone
By the clock tits almost one,
Chicago Record