THE OCCULTATION OF ORION. He sought the blacksmith at his forge, Then, through the silence overhead, The reign of violence is o'er!" Its music on another's strings, The trumpet of the angel cast Upon the heavenly lyre its blast, And on from sphere to sphere the words apply to a constellation But my observation is (1) Astronomically speaking, this title is incorrect; as what can properly be applied to some of its stars only. made from the hill of song, and not from that of science; and will, I trust, be found sufficiently accurate for the present purpose. I STOOD on the bridge at midnight, Behind the dark church-tower. I saw her bright reflection In the waters under me, Like a golden goblet falling THE BRIDGE. And far in the hazy distance Among the long, black rafters The wavering shadows lay, And the current that came from the ocean Seemed to lift and bear them away; As, sweeping and eddying through them, And, streaming into the moonlight, And like those waters rushing A flood of thoughts came o'er me How often, O, how often, In the days that had gone by, I had stood on that bridge at midnight How often, O, how often, I had wished that the ebbing tide Would bear me away on its bosom O'er the ocean wild and wide! For my heart was hot and restless, And the burden laid upon me Seemed greater than I could bear. But now it has fallen from me, It is buried in the sea; And only the sorrow of others Throws its shadow over me. Yet whenever I cross the river On its bridge with wooden piers, Like the odor of brine from the ocean Comes the thought of other years. And I think how many thousands Each bearing his burden of sorrow, I see the long procession Still passing to and fro, The young heart hot and restless, And forever and forever, As long as the river flows, As long as the heart has passions, The moon and its broken reflection GLOOMY and dark art thou, O chief of the mighty Omawhaws; Narrow and populous streets, as once by the margin of rivers |