The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1896-02-27
unreauIted Knights.


'Twixt haunted walls / went unblest.
Up through the halls of hand-caryed walls
monuments of lordly display,
OF kipgs elate, or princes great,
OF proud estate in oldon day.
A fearful gloom and ill-perfume
Went winged from the marble gray
A midnight wind came stealing in
Eye-lille windows of "Nevermore"
With grating groans and dismal means
From the stern stones that break its shore,
And specters dim Of ancient hymn
Softly tipped on the tuftless fore.
In weirdsome plight each shadow knight
Dauntless warrior of long ago
Forth drew his steel as on the field
Where loud appeal and deadly blow
Was made and dealt and heard and felt
While fiercer grew the suns fixed glow
Out in the broad and Time-begnawed
And fungus-clothed quaint palisade,
In groups devout they stalked about
Both in and out the arbor shade.
And spako no word that eer was heard
No noise, save what their armor made.
On steed of white princely knight
Came swiftly up through tore and vine.
With loudly cry he brandished high
For every eye weird ensign.
BY room and me passed horse and he
And followed they on close behind
The rider brave, in manner grave,
Summoned around the spirit throng
With strange command his fleshless hand
Toward the land of bard and song.
From highmost dome, pointed the home
OF Grants they, once proud and strong
Aloud, the sound that went around
And dying on the haunted hill
Then DER the sea o visioned lea
Their knightland free in woeful still,
They call again; their sobs of pain
Disturbed the calm with horrors filed.
This mounted knight, with hand upright,
In tones uneGrthly and severe,
Soberlv said. knights earthly dead,
On each gaunt head, tieshless and sere,
BY eating tomb, scarlet plume
Once waved and lcgions bowed in fear"
There, on yon land, we gallant band
No love nor VOWS ever belied;
In CORY mire 'gainst equal ire
For maid and sire we fought and died.
We sought the fame Of they that came,
OF they that mourned, in sorrow sighed"
"Avaunt, memry neer shall stem we
On thy current; thy sweet refrain
(Revoking years of buried cheers)
Brings futile tears. again, again;
On this wan night by grief bedight
We love thee, yet It's more than pain"
mo demoned praise do we upraise.
Nay matter what shall Ger betide,
Our spirit host, our Wanting boast,
Our solemn toast-all else beside
| Is love for thee our sire-lann free
And each fair one we made no bride"
'Perchance, perchance, as years advance,
This eking doom at last suspend
No more to throng in empty song
Through night hours long, but He will SCI
And liberate from such fate.
Our sanity virgins to attend"
Meath yonder sky, they resting lie;
Beyond it, they deyoutly pray
On throne upright Qilies bedght
That mansion light, grander than day.
He reigns above in realms of love,
And soon these terrors will allay."
"Out through the gloom to each dim tomb,
HE We, as knights Of olden TINA
| Forth come no more to wander DER
This mythic shore of Garlic rhyme;
Patiently sleep on this lone steep.
Wait they in ethereal cline"
| "Sleep, rest and dream of golden CLEAN,
OF immortelles divine that grow.
| Twill solace thee-thy misery
TO ecstasy viii change, know,
| Waking on high never TO sigh
For our kgightly times once ago"
Long henighted and sad plghtedA
Fate-cursed spirits that have wandered,
Rigid with fear, by words severe
And sternly clear, stood and pondered,
Then hearkened to that counsel true,
And down from the dome they sanntered
In silence roam each wretched gnome
No more through humid rooms and hal
And in the dim weird interim
| A piaintiYe hymn each one appalIs,
And waiting there are angels fair,
When serve they out what sin befalls,
Dread is this shore n1med Nevermore,
Whether here or Ger Stygan stream;
As damned they by causeless fray,
bask and stray in 6c.ilo CLEAN
OF earthly love, While far above
She reigns and reigas within my dream,
Aye well | feel sympathy steal
TO them unreSting and unbblcst,
For my meek soul has grief untold
And burdens old that rent my breast,
And on this shore called Neyermore.
From her my soul can find no rest,
r. d. /.
w. W. ASi1r 10 Wed.