But, ah! 'twas fortune was severe, "Be blest, ye Seats of sweet repose, "But earth no cordial has in store, My suff'rings to remove; For though I ne'er can see him more; The Swain no longer could forbear, Th' astonish'd maiden shriek'd with As at her feet he fell. "Forgive a guilty youth," he said, "Ah! little, little, can'st thou think, "Let not thy righteous frown severe, "Still, to redeem my crime, shall be We have seen some other of his productions of much merit; but, in all the essential attributes of poetry, the best of them appears to us inferior to that which we have here selected. WOMAN. BY JAMES STUART. WHEN half creation's works were done, And softly blushing skies; And wide across earth's dewy lawn Clad in her robe of tender green, Soft o'er the lily's glowing white, She shed the rose's flush; She drew the diamond from the mine, She took the balmy vi'let's blue, The following beautiful stanzas on the formation of Nature's most In the first stream of light. beautiful production, breathe a spirit of poetry, which we have seldom And now in elegance arrayed, seen equalled. They are the effu- Her last, her fairest work she made, sion of a poet who is scarcely, if at Almost a seraph's frame : all, known in this country. He pos-To animate this form was given sessed real genius, of which the A gentle spirit sent from heaven, literary gem we now offer to our readers, is an unquestionable proof ; but he seems not to have been endowed with that steadiness and perseverance in the service of the Muses, which are necessary to make an impression and gain a name, as one of their favourites. And WOMAN was her name. Then or her softly-smiling face And every charm was there; O! strong was the cement of patriot affection, Washington's name ! That heav'n-borrow'd standard, the symbol of union, "Tis the badge that displays the illustrious communion O! we'll never abandon the bright constellation, But a rampart we'll form round the laws of our nation, Washington's name! The sire of his country, how dearly he lov'd us, Washington's name! POETRY. TO MY FIRST LOVE. BY DOCTOR M'HENRY. O! thou, for whom my bosom swell'd, From all that once my life could bless, O! Anna, think'st thou time or place, Charms there impress'd so deep as thine! No; I may suffer and repine, While round my head life's tempests roll; To death itself I may resign, But thou shalt triumph in my soul. At twilight's tender hour of love, Where oft we pledged our vows sincere ? Save when he thinks of thee alone? FOR THE AMERICAN MONTHLY MAGAZINE. ODE TO THE NEW YEAR. Chaunt ye a lofty strain, To the smiling new-born year, I see his chariot here, Of purest hoar and snow-flake, drest. Chaunt ye a joyous song, To the long-wished welcome year, Let the harp-string gaily sound, And a storm-cloud decks him round; His issuing forth, is rude, With the music of the north, With the young flowers peeping forth; The months, with varied tune, With clasped hands advance; Strange wonders, mystic year! And the star-decked sky, That curtains us around, Shall not meet my closed eye, When sunk beneath the ground; But, the mourning yew, shall sadly wave Princeton, N. J. December 13, 1823. CYPRIAN. FOR THE AMERICAN MONTHLY MAGAZINE. Domestic Sketches. No. I. It was the noon of one of those cloudless days in the latter part of autumn, when, instead of the parching and sultry heat, which is the never-failing attendant of the early part of that season, a refreshing breeze springing up, rendered it scarce necessary to use any shield against the enlivening beams of the mid-day sun. Chesnut-street exhibited a gay and interesting sight. The eye was constantly regaled by successive bevies of belles, blooming in all the pride of youth and beauty, their fine complexions shaded by clustering ringlets of the most glossy curls, and lighted up by the fire of eyes as yet undimmed by a tear. The philanthropist felt his heart swell with pleasure as he beheld their cheerful and open countenances, bespeaking minds frank, sincere and untroubled by a care; while the youthful poet stood lost in admiration, and seemed to realize, in the fairy forms that passed before him, the fairest visions of his most enraptured moments. Among the crowd that had sallied forth to enjoy the beauties of the season, was a trio of females, two of whom, at least, seemed determined, by the richness of their dress, to show to the best advantage, the charms with which nature had endowed them. A dress of the finest muslin, white as the falling snow, ornamented with flounces, lace, &c. &c. and surmounted by a spencer of pea-green silk, was the robe a promener of these two nymphs. Light hats, in planning which, Miss T-- had exerted all that felicity of invention and beauty of execution which have procured her so extensive and well-deserved a patronage among the fair of our city, sat on their flaxen tresses, like a butterfly on the lily. The reader will, perhaps, be anxious to know who these damsels were, and, also, who was the third lady, concerning whom we have as yet said nothing. We will endeavour to gratify this laudable curiosity. Miss Charlotte and Miss Caroline Drugget are the only daughters of Mr. Christopher Drugget, and of his lady, Mrs. Gertrude Drugget, the lady who, eclipsed by her fair daughters, is thus awkwardly introduced to our readers. Mr. and Mrs. D. had, during about thirty years of their married life, been engaged in the retail dry good business, by which means they had amassed a considerable fortune, which, as the young ladies had unanimously determined, could not be better spent than in "putting them in a way of getting well married," as they expressed themselves. Tired VOL. I. No. 1. 9 |