Page:The Forest Sanctuary.pdf/34

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
28
THE FOREST SANCTUARY.


L.

It died away;—the incense-cloud was driven
Before the breeze—the words of doom were said;
And the sun faded mournfully from Heaven,
—He faded mournfully! and dimly red.
Parting in clouds from those that look'd their last,
And sigh'd—"farewell, thou sun!"—Eve glow'd and pass'd—
Night—midnight and the moon—came forth and shed
Sleep, even as dew, on glen, wood, peopled spot—

Save one—a place of death—and there men slumber'd not.


LI.

'Twas not within the city7[1]—but in sight
Of the snow-crown'd sierras, freely sweeping.
With many an eagle's eyrie on the height,
And hunter's cabin, by the torrent peeping
Far off: and vales between, and vineyards lay,
With sound and gleam of waters on their way,
And chesnut-woods, that girt the happy sleeping,
In many a peasant-home!—the midnight sky

Brought softly that rich world round those who came to die.
  1. ↑
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.