INCIDENTS.

BULL RUN, SUNDAY, JULY 21ST.

BY ALICE B. HAVEN.

Curses spring to my lips! Oh, my God, send the hail
Of swift ready vengeance for deeds such as this!
Forego all thy mercy, if judgment must fail!
Forgive my wild heart if it prayeth amiss-
His blood crieth upward!

"Amiss!"-and the strife of my clamorous grief
Is hushed into stillness-what grief like to thine!
If my poor human heart, with its passions so brief,
Is tortured with pangs, can we guess the Divine,
With depths past all searching!
VOL. II.-POETRY 1

I know eyes more tender looked upward to Thee; That visage, so marred by the torturing crownThose smooth, noble limbs, racked with anguish I see;

The side where the blood and the water gushed down,

From stroke fierce and brutal.

Help lips white with anguish to take up His prayer;
Help hearts that are bursting to stifle their cries;
The shout of the populace, too, has been there,
To drown pleas for justice, to clothe truth in lies-
To enrage and to madden.

They knew not we loved them; they knew not we prayed

For their weal as our own;-" we are brethren," we plead ;

Unceasing those prayers to Our Father were made; When they flung down the palm for palmetto, wo said,

Their sleeping ashes, from below,
Send up the thrilling murmur, No!

Knit they the gentle ties which long
These sister States were proud to wear,
And forged the kindly links so strong,

For idle hands in sport to tearFor scornful hands aside to throw? No! by our fathers' memory, No!

Our humming marts, our iron ways,

Our wind-tossed woods on mountain crest,

The hoarse Atlantic, with his bays,

The calm, broad Ocean of the West,

And Mississippi's torrent-flow,

And loud Niagara, answer, No!

Not yet the hour is nigh, when they
Who deep in Eld's dim twilight sit,
Earth's ancient kings, shall rise and say,
"Proud country, welcome to the pit!
So soon art thou, like us, brought low?"
No! sullen group of shadows, No!

For now, behold, the arm that gave
The victory in our fathers' day,
Strong, as of old, to guard and save-

That mighty arm which none can stay-
On clouds above, and fields below,
Writes, in men's sight, the answer, No!

AFTER THE FIGHT AT MANASSAS.

PY SARAH HELEN WHITMAN.

By the great bells swinging slow The solemn dirges of our woe, By the heavy flags that fall Trailing from the bastioned wall, Miserere, Domine!

By our country's common blame,
By our silent years of shame,
By our curbed and bated breath
Under dynasties of Death,

Miserere, Domine!

By the sin we dared disown,

Till its "dragon teeth" were sown,
By the cause, yet unavowed,
By the fire behind the cloud,
Miserere, Domine !

By our Northern host betrayed,
At Manassas' bloody raid,
By our losses unatoned-
Our dead heroes, heart-enthroned,
Miserere, Domine !

For Rhode Island's gallant stand-
Her "unconquerable band ;"-
For the dear, familiar names,
Now linked to old, historic fames,
Te laudamus, Domine !

For our boys that knew not fear,
For their "gallant Brigadier,"
For their leader, brave and young,
For their praise on every tongue!
Te laudamus, Domine!

By the hope that suffers long,
And grows through holy sorrow strong,
By all the starry flags unfurled,
For the last war-field of the world,
Give us, O God, the victory!

-Providence Daily Journal, Aug. 6.

THE REST-WHERE ARE THEY?

Written on seeing the returning regiments, and after having read a familiar name among the killed of the Seventy-first, at the battle of Bull Run.

BY LAURA ELMER.

Our hearts give us answer-they're taken;
Accepted's the offering they made!
On earth never more shall they waken-
On Liberty's altar they're laid,-
Blest sacrifice!

Blest dead, be ye now softly sleeping—
Our tenderest tears shall bedew

Each grave-and we're proud 'mid our weeping,
That trial's hour proved ye so true
In sacrifice!

O patriots, rest safe forever

From temptings inglorious secure

Ye've triumphed in holy endeavor;

Your blood-yes, your blood proves how pure Your sacrifice!

We'll weep as your agonies sharing,

Ye fainting, death-wounded, and lone; That poor shattered limb, with none caring, A mother once clasped as her own, In purest joy!

How warm-God, how true were her kisses!
Like jettings of life-blood they came;
That silk-dimpled knee bore her blisses-
Aye, blisses all worthy the name-
Sweet baby boy!

Few summers have sped since she clasped thee,
And chased e'en a shade from thy brow;

The pitying winds gliding past thee,
Seem mocking balm-breaths to thee now
Of life's past joy!

"Tis over-thy last pulse has fluttered; Thou'rt glorious now-thou'rt secure ; 'Gainst thee ne'er can libel be utteredThy blood proves thy loyalty pure— Dear sacrifice!

Thy country's thou art, and forever,
Thy country's while lasteth all time;
Safe bosomed, and nothing can sever

This bond of thy life's yielded prime-
Sweet sacrifice!

Such memories hallowed we'll cherish-
How precious to die with the brave!
O shout: Ne'er can Liberty perish-
Her saviours confront e'en the grave-
Grand sacrifice!