ElegyOn“Stella”

elegyon“stella”

thefollowingpoemistheworkofsomehaplesssonofthemuseswhodeservedabetterfate.thereisagreatdealof“thevoiceofcona”inhissolitary,mournfulnotes;andhadthesentimentsbeenclothedinshenstone'slanguage,theywouldhavebeennodiscrediteventothatelegantpoet.—r.b.

straitisthespotandgreenthesod

fromwhencemysorrowsflow;

andsoundlysleepstheeverdear

inhabitantbelow.

pardonmytransport,gentleshade,

whileo'ertheturfibow;

thyearthyhouseiscircumscrib'd,

andsolitarynow.

notonepoorstonetotellthyname,

ormakethyvirtuesknown:

butwhatavailstome—tothee,

thesculptureofastone?

i'llsitmedownuponthisturf,

andwipetherisingtear:

thechillblastpassesswiftlyby,

andflitsaroundthybier.

darkisthedwellingofthedead,

andsadtheirhouseofrest:

lowliesthehead,bydeath'scoldarms

inawfulfoldembrac'd.

isawthegrimavengerstand

incessantbythyside;

unseenbythee,hisdeadlybreath

thylingeringframedestroy'd.

palegrewtherosesonthycheek,

andwither'dwasthybloom,

tilltheslowpoisonbroughtthyyouth

untimelytothetomb.

thuswastedaretheranksofmen—

youth,health,andbeautyfall;

theruthlessruinspreadsaround,

andoverwhelmsusall.

beholdwhere,roundthynarrowhouse,

thegravesunnumber'dlie;

themultitudethatsleepbelow

existedbuttodie.

some,withthetotteringstepsofage,

troddownthedarksomeway;

andsome,inyouth'slamentedprime,

liketheeweretornaway:

yetthese,howeverhardtheirfate,

theirnativeearthreceives;

amidtheirweepingfriendstheydied,

andfilltheirfathers'graves.

fromthylov'dfriends,whenfirstthyheart

wastaughtbyheav'ntoglow,

far,farremov'd,theruthlessstroke

surpris'dandlaidtheelow.