THE LAST MAN. ALL worldly shapes shall melt in gloom, I saw a vision in my sleep, That gave my spirit strength to sweep Adown the gulf of Time! I saw the last of human mould The Sun's eye had a sickly glare, Some had expired in fight,—the brands In plague and famine some! Earth's cities had no sound nor tread; Yet, prophet-like, that lone one stood, That shook the sere leaves from the wood Saying, We are twins in death, proud Sun! Thy face is cold, thy race is run, 'Tis Mercy bids thee go; For thou ten thousand thousand years Hast seen the tide of human tears, What though beneath thee man put forth And arts that made fire, flood, and earth, Yet mourn I not thy parted sway, And triumphs that beneath thee sprang, Entail'd on human hearts. Go, let oblivion's curtain fall Nor with thy rising beams recall Its piteous pageants bring not back, Nor waken flesh, upon the rack Of pain anew to writhe; Stretch'd in disease's shapes abhorr'd, Or mown in battle by the sword, Like grass beneath the scythe. Ev'n I am weary in yon skies Test of all sumless agonies, Behold not me expire. My lips that speak thy dirge of deathTheir rounded gasp and gurgling breath To see thou shalt not boast. The eclipse of Nature spreads my pall, This spirit shall return to Him Go, Sun, while Mercy holds me up To drink this last and bitter cup Of grief that man shall taste— Go, tell the night that hides thy face, Or shake his trust in God! A DREAM. WELL may sleep present us fictions, Since our waking moments teem With such fanciful convictions As make life itself a dream.— Half our daylight faith's a fable; Sleep disports with shadows too, Seeming in their turn as stable As the world we wake to view. Than was left by Phantasy In a bark, methought, lone steering, Sad regrets from past existence Came like gales of chilling breath; Shadow'd in the forward distance Now seeming more, now less remote, But my soul revived at seeing And as some sweet clarion's breath So his accents bade me brook "Types not this." I said, "fair spirit! That my death hour is not come? Say, what days shall I inherit ?— Tell my soul their sum." "No," he said, " yon phantom's aspect, |