With naught to fret, and none to chide; The woods and streams supplied. "His brethren were of sordid sort, Men with coarse minds, and without range; "And, as he grew, he took to books, "He read of settlers, who went forth "He read of the bold lives they led, "And how the Indians, quaintly gay, Came down in wampum-belt and feather, To welcome them with courteous grace; How they and the free forest race Hunted and dwelt together. "And how they and their chosen mates Led lives so sweet and primitive: Oh! in such land, with one dear heart, What joy it were to live! "So thought he, and such life it were As suited well his turn of mind; "Four needy brothers, coarse and dull; "At twenty he had ta'en a mate, A creature gentle, kind, and fair; Poor, like himself, but well content The forest-life to share. "She left an old white-headed sire; A mother loving, thoughtful, good; Out of their need, for many a want Else unforeseen; their daughter's dower In gifts of love, not scant. "His father with cold scorn received So dowered a daughter, without name; Nor could his purposed exile win Either assent or blame. "All was a chill of indifference ; And from his father's gate he went, "And in the western world they dwelt ; "All that his youth had dreamed he found In that life's freshness; peril strange; Adventure; freedom; sylvan wealth; And ceaseless, blameless change. "And there he, and his heart's true mate, Essay'd and found how sweet to live, 'Mid Nature's store, with health and love, That life so primitive! "But that sweet life came to an end.As falls the golden-eared corn Before the sickle, earthly bliss In human hearts is shorn. "Sickness-bereavement MISCELLANEOUS PIECES. - widowhoodOh, these three awful words embrace A weight of mortal woe that fell Upon our sylvan dwelling-place! "It matters not to tell of pangs, Of the heart-broken, the bereft ; I will pass over death and tears, I will pass on to other years, When only two were left! "I and a sister; long had passed Though in a stranger's family. Still in the wilderness we dwelt. And were grown up towards womanhood; "By rumours of approaching war, "We heard it first with disbelief; And long time after, when had spread Wild war throughout the land, we dwelt All unassailed by dread. "For they with whom our lot was cast, Were people of that Christian creed Who will not fight, but trust in God For help in time of need. "The forest round was like a camp, "Through the green forest rose the smoke The excited Indian tore. "This was around us, yet we dwelt In peace upon the forest bound; Without defence, without annoy, The Indian camp'd all round. "The door was never barr'd by night, The door was never closed by day; And there the Indians came and went, As they had done alway. "For these of Onas are the sons,' Said they, the upright peaceful men!" Nor was harm done to those who held The faith of William Penn. "But I this while thought less of peace, "Near us, within the forest-fort, Of fierce young spirits, sworn to sweep --- "The native Indian from his woods- "But he, to whom I pled, preferr'd Sweet pleading of another sort; "The Indian passed us in the wood, "At length the crisis of the war Ambush'd like tigers 'mid the trees: "A death of torture and of fireProtracted death; I knew too well, Outraged and anger'd, as of late Had been the Indian spirit, fell Would be their vengeance, and, to him, Their hate implacable. When first to me his fate was told, I stood amazed, confounded, dumb; "Wait, wait!' the peaceful people said; "I had no fear; the Indian race To me were as my early kin: "With me my fair, young sister went, Long journeying on through wood and swamp: Three long days' travel, ere we came To the great Indian camp. "We saw the Indians as we went, Hid 'mong the grass with tiger ken; But we were safe, they would not harm The daughters of the peaceful men. "In thickets of the woods at length We came to a savannah green ; "I turned me from that scene of war, 209 Long looked she on the pictured face, And the great chief is in his grave! "Yet for the father Onas' sake For their sakes who no blood have shed; We will not by his sons be blamed For taking life which they have claimed ;The red man can avenge his dead!' Back through the past my soul is urged; Back through each guilty stain; And every thought, and word, and deed, Unperished lives again! "For, as a leaf before the storm Is bowed and borne away, Though every word condemn my soul, "I see a white, low village-home; And a little child kneels at her knee, "It is the first-born of her love— Thy sorrowings, and thy truth, Think on my sinless youth! Ah, no! thou canst not plead for me! Hath parted us, and death hath oped "I made thy nights a weary watch; And a dark word by which men are cursed, "I was the eldest of our house; Doth cleave like leprosy! "I stood as in a father's place, As the sun before their sight, Beloved of all; and in their eyes Whate'er I did was right. "Alas! my heart was a cursed thing! I lured them on to sin, I lured them to a dark abyss, And plunged them headlong in! "Bodies and souls I ruined them; Yet in men's sight I kept My name unstained-on their's alone "They were my tools, and subtly "No, no! for me thou canst not plead ! "And, in my after misery, When evil days came down, "The third, a spirit like to mine; "He sate with me at the board last night, I sold them to work wickedness, - Ever on man bestowed, Were mine; a soft and winning speech, And beauty like a god! "All, all were passion's vilest slaves ;All ministered to crime; And now a dark eternity Doth make account with time. "I had a power, an awful power Over men's minds; I wove, Base as I was, around all hearts A chain, half fear, half love. "They were as clay; I moulded them With the light words of my tongue; Old men and wise alike obeyed: And thence ambition sprung. "The sin of angels was my sin; And, bold as was my thought, Men, weak and willing instruments, They gave me what I sought! "Rapine and outrage, and despair, Over the land spread wide; "The little that the poor man had, In vain he guarded well; Mine eye was as the basilisk's, That withered where it fell. "My sceptre was an iron rod! The suffering people's groan, Like sullen thunders heard afar, Was echoed to the throne: "To me it was a mockery! I scoffed at wise men's lore; I must recount the last : "There was a maid a fair young thingHigh-born, and undefiled By thought of sin; so meek, so wise; "In the beauty of her innocence, "With subtle mockery of good, "I brought destruction on her house And its grey-headed sire went down - ""T was, staggering from a long debauch, From some impure retreat, At midnight, in a dark disguise, "And I and my companions saw, Amid our shameless mirth, Rushed through my drunken brain; "The dead! yes, on the dead I looked! Oh! sight of woe to me! The one I drew as down from heaven, "Not in her beauty was she laid, A wild, remorseful agony, Like a fierce weapon stole! "From that night, life became a pang: "The gnawing sense of evil done, Above its prey my living soul "I plunged into yet madder guilt, I matched my strength against remorse, "Vain, vain! through war, through civil strife; I loathed the sight of human eye, "Thus I was hated, feared, and shunned; For all my race; and long I lived In warfare with mankind. "The cup I drained was a poisoned cup- I took it from my brother's hand — |