Graham's Magazine, Vol. XX, No. 1, January 1842Various
General
Graham's Magazine, Vol. XX, No. 1, January 1842
Various
Literature -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals
Another and another wave! Oh! for the light of morning. Yes!
young Jessie, thou would’st give worlds now for the breezes of the
far-off land—the hum of bees, the songs of birds, the scent of flowers
in the summer sunshine—the sight of thy home smiling amidst its
murmuring trees, with the clear brook hard by laughing over the stones,
and the voices of thy young sisters sounding gaily in thy ears. But ere
morning we may all be with our brother who has but just gone from our
midst. _Ora pro nobis!_
We were but dreaming when we thought ourselves among the mountains and
on the sea, and we were awoke by thy soft voice—oh! loved one of our
soul—and looking into thy blue eyes—moist, not with tears, but with
thine all-sensitive soul—we feel a calm come down upon us soothing, how
gently and sweetly, our agitated thoughts. Many and many a tale could we
tell thee of sorrow and peril on the seas, and our heart is even now
full of one which would bring the tears into other eyes than thine—but
no! you tell us we are all too agitated by our dream, and that another
time will do—well, well! Sing us, then, one of thine own sweet
songs—Melanie!—for is not thy voice like the warbler of our woods, he
of the hundred notes, the silvery, the melting, the unrivalled? That was
sweetly done—ever could we sit and listen to thee thus.
“Thy voice is like a fountain
Leaping up in sunshine bright,
And _we_ never weary counting
Its clear droppings, lone and single,
Or when in one full gush they mingle,
Shooting in melodious light!”
That is Lowell’s—a noble soul is his, and all on fire with poetry. We
tender to him, though we have never met in the flesh, our good right
hand, joining his herewith in cordial fellowship, the hearts of both
being in our eyes the while:—we tender him our hand—he far away in his
student’s room at Boston and we here in old Philadelphia—and we tell
sneering worldlings and critics who are born only to be damned, that,
for one so young, Lowell has written grandly; that he is full, even to
overflowing, of purity, enthusiasm, imagination, and love for all God’s
creatures; and being this, why should not we—aye! and all honest men
beside—grasp him cheerily by the hand, and if need be, stand to our
arms in his defence?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account