As leaf of autumn, which the wolfish winds,
Selecting from its falling sisters, chase,
Far from its native grove, to lifeless wastes,
And leave it there alone, to be forgotten
Eternally, God pass'd in mercy by-

His praise be ever new!-and on him breathed,
And bade him live, and put into his hands
A holy harp, into his lips a song,

That roll'd its numbers down the tide of time:
Ambitious now but little, to be praised

Of men alone; ambitious most, to be
Approved of God, the Judge of all; and have
His name recorded in the book of life.

Such things were Disappointment and Remorse;
And oft united both, as friends severe,
To teach men wisdom; but the fool, untaught,
Was foolish still. His ear he stopp'd, his eyes
He shut, and blindly, deafly obstinate,
Forced desperately his way from woe to woe.

One place, one only place, there was on earth,
Where no man e'er was fool, however mad.
"Men may live fools, but fools they cannot die."
Ah! 'twas a truth most true; and sung in time,
And to the sons of men, by one well known
On earth for lofty verse and lofty sense.

THE DUELLIST AND THE SUICIDE.

With groans that made no pause, lamenting there Were seen the duellist and suicide.

This thought, but thought amiss, that of himself
He was entire proprietor; and so,

When he was tired of time, with his own hand,
He open'd the portals of eternity,

And sooner than the devils hoped, arrived
In hell. The other, of resentment quick,
And, for a word, a look, a gesture, deem'd
Not scrupulously exact in all respect,
Prompt to revenge, went to the cited field,
For double murder arm'd, his own, and his
That as himself he was ordain'd to love.
The first in pagan books of early times,

Was heroism pronounced, and greatly praised.
In fashion's glossary of later days,

The last was honour call'd, and spirit high.
Alas! 'twas mortal spirit, honour which
Forgot to wake at the last trumpet's voice,
Bearing the signature of Time alone,
Uncurrent in Eternity, and base.

Wise men suspected this before; for they
Could never understand what honour meant,
Or why that should be honour term'd, which made
Man murder man, and broke the laws of God,
Most wantonly. Sometimes, indeed, the grave,
And those of Christian creed, imagined, spoke
Admiringly of honour, lauding much
The noble youth, who, after many rounds
Of boxing, died; or, to the pistol shot
His breast exposed, his soul to endless pain.
But they who most admired, and understood
This honour best, and on its altar laid

Their lives, most obviously were fools; and what
Fools only, and the wicked, understood,
The wise agreed was some delusive shade,
That with the mist of Time should disappear.

THE LAST DAY.

No sign of change appear'd: to every man
That day seem'd as the past. From noontide path
The sun look'd gloriously on earth, and all

Her scenes of giddy folly smiled secure,

When suddenly, alas, fair Earth! the sun

Was wrapp'd in darkness, and his beams return'd
Up to the throne of God, and over all

The earth came night, moonless and starless night!
Nature stood still. The seas and rivers stood,
And all the winds, and every living thing.
The cataract, that like a giant wroth,
Rush'd down impetuously, as seized, at once,
By sudden frost with all his hoary locks,

Stood still and beasts of every kind stood still.
A deep and dreadful silence reign'd alone!

Hope died in every breast, and on all men

Came fear and trembling. None to his neighbour spoke. Husband thought not of wife, nor of her child

The mother, nor friend of friend, nor foe of foe.

In horrible suspense all mortals stood;

And, as they stood and listen'd, chariots were heard

Rolling in heaven. Reveal'd in flaming fire,

The angel of God appear'd in stature vast,

Blazing, and lifting up his hand on high,
By Him that lives for ever, swore, that Time
Should be no more. Throughout, creation heard
And sigh'd; all rivers, lakes, and seas, and woods,
Desponding waste, and cultivated vale,

Wild cave, and ancient hill, and every rock,
Sigh'd. Earth, arrested in her wonted path,
As ox struck by the lifted axe, when nought
Was fear'd, in all her entrails deeply groan'd.
A universal crash was heard, as if

The ribs of nature broke, and all her dark
Foundations fail'd: and deadly paleness sat
On every face of man, and every heart
Grew chill, and every knee his fellow smote.

None spoke, none stirr'd, none wept; for horror held
All motionless, and fetter'd every tongue.

Again, o'er all the nations silence fell:

And, in the heavens, robed in excessive light,
That drove the thick of darkness far aside,
And walk'd with penetration keen, through all

The abodes of men, another angel stood,
And blew the trump of God: Awake, ye dead!
Be changed, ye living, and put on the garb

Of immortality! Awake! arise!

The God of Judgment comes! This said the voice,
And Silence, from eternity that slept

Beyond the sphere of the creating word,
And all the noise of Time, awaken'd, heard.

Heaven heard, and earth, and farthest hell through all
Her regions of despair; the ear of Death
Heard, and the sleep that for so long a night
Press'd on his leaden eyelids, fled; and all
The dead awoke, and all the living changed.

LOVE.

Mysterious, infinite, exhaustless Love
On earth mysterious, and mysterious still
In heaven! sweet chord, that harmonizes all
The harps of Paradise! the spring, the well,
That fills the bowl and banquet of the sky!

But why should I to thee of Love divine?
Who happy, and not eloquent of Love?
Who holy, and, as thou art, pure, and not
A temple where her glory ever dwells,
Where burn her fires, and beams her perfect eye?

Kindred to this, part of this holy flame,
Was youthful love-the sweetest boon of earth.
Hail, Love! first Love, thou word that sums all bliss!
The sparkling cream of all Time's blessedness,
The silken down of happiness complete!
Discerner of the ripest grapes of joy,

She gather'd, and selected with her hand,
All finest relishes, all fairest sights,

All rarest odours, all divinest sounds,

All thoughts, all feelings dearest to the soul;

And brought the holy mixture home, and fill'd

The heart with all superlatives of bliss.

But, who would that expound, which words transcends, Must talk in vain. Behold a meeting scene

Of early love, and thence infer its worth.

It was an eve of autumn's holiest mood;
The corn fields, bathed in Cynthia's silver light,
Stood ready for the reaper's gathering hand,
And all the winds slept soundly. Nature seem'd,
In silent contemplation, to adore

Its Maker. Now and then, the aged leaf
Fell from its fellows, rustling to the ground;
And, as it fell, bade man think on his end.
On vale and lake, on wood and mountain high,
With pensive wing outspread, sat heavenly Thought,
Conversing with itself. Vesper look'd forth,
From out her western hermitage, and smiled;
And up the east, unclouded, rode the moon
With all her stars, gazing on earth intense,
As if she saw some wonder walking there.

Such was the night, so lovely, still, serene,
When, by a hermit thorn that on the hill
Had seen a hundred flowery ages pass,
A damsel kneel'd to offer up her prayer,
Her prayer nightly offer'd, nightly heard.
This ancient thorn had been the meeting place
Of love, before his country's voice had call'd
The ardent youth to fields of honour far
Beyond the wave: and hither now repair'd,
Nightly, the maid, by God's all-seeing eye
Seen only, while she sought this boon alone-
Her lover's safety and his quick return.
In holy, humble attitude she kneel'd,
And to her bosom, fair as moonbeam, press'd
One hand, the other lifted up to heaven.
Her eye, upturn'd, bright as the star of morn,
As violet meek, excessive ardour stream'd,
Wafting away her earnest heart to God.
Her voice, scarce utter'd, soft as zephyr sighs
On morning lily's cheek, though soft and low,
Yet heard in heaven, heard at the mercy-seat.
A tear-drop wander'd on her lovely face;
It was a tear of faith and holy fear,
Pure as the drops that hang at dawning time,
On yonder willows by the stream of life.

On her the Moon look'd steadfastly; the stars,
That circle nightly round the eternal throne,

Glanced down, well pleased; and Everlasting Love
Gave gracious audience to her prayer sincere.