Viewing page 105 of 309

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

184     MRS. SWIFT.

Again that hand was clasp'd in mine,
Once more thou wert mine own,
And 'neath the crescent moon's pale shine,
On the hill-side, alone,

We wander'd forth, too blest to be 
Creatures of earth and care;
A rude voice broke the reverie,
The vision it was - air!

A CHRISTMAS CAROL.

(ADDRESSED TO MRS. E. F. ELLET.)

SUMMER has gone with its bloom and its fountains,
Hush'd is the music from valley and hill;
The frost-king now reigns on the snow-cover'd mountains,
And ice-fetters prison the river and rill.

But, Lady-bird still thy sweet strains are awaking 
The sunshine that dwelt in the long-perish'd bowers,
And the soft-wooing zephyrs are playfully shaking 
The rich gushing perfume from many-hued flowers.

Enchanted we turn from the cold and the real,
To wander with thee in thy fancy's rich dream;
And in the far land of the Poet's ideal,
To watch the bright sparkle of Helicon's stream.

What matters it, if on the face of creation,
The snow-drift lies deep, and the stormy winds shriek,
Undisturbed by the dreary and wide desolation,
We shut out its darkness, thy pages to seek.

But May will return, with her garland of roses,
The woods be all vocal with carol and lay;
The forget-me-not bank, where the wild bee reposes,
Will twine with star-flowers each delicate spray.

MRS. E.C. KINNEY. 185

From earth, air, and water, sweet sounds shall come stealing,
And in one joyous pæan ascend to the skies,
And nature - in leaf, bud and blossom - revealing 
Her mystical workmanship, gladden our eyes.

Then, dearest one, come to our Eden; no pinion
That flies by our groves shall be welcome as thine;
All true hearts shall bow to thy gentle dominion,
And worshippers throng to thy laurel-wreathed shrine.

Now to her who has poured forth her mind's choicest treasure,
To cheer the dark season of torpor and care,
From the type of herself, in a full crystal measure,
We will toast "our sweet Ellet, - the joyous, and fair!"

MRS. E.C. KINNEY.

MRS. KINNEY, whose maiden name was Dodge, was born and educated in the city of New York, where her father was for many years engaged in mercantile pursuits. The love of nature was always one of her strongest characteristics, and on removing to her father's country home near Plainfield, N. J., this poetic feeling began to find utterance in verse.

Her first productions appeared in the Knickerbocker, under the name of Stedman, but for a number of years she has been an occasional contributor to Graham's Magazine, and other periodicals. In 1841, she was married to Mr. William B. Kinney, the talented editor of the Newark Daily Advertiser, and has resided at Newark ever since. There is much genuine feeling, a delicate perception of the beautiful, and an honest love for the simple and true, in her effusions, which cannot fail to please.

16*

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-06-28 18:48:33 ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-06-28 19:12:10