THE MARRIAGE OF THE SEAS.

SUGGESTED BY THE CONTEMPLATED SHIP-CANAL.

A SWEET and gentle angel came near my couch at night,
With wings of downy softness, and eyes of starry light;
And when she spoke I trembled, as aspens in the breeze,
For she brought an invitation to the Marriage of the Seas.

I felt a strange enchantment stealing through and through my mind,
As down the waving forest steals the balmy summer-wind;
I ventured no acceptance, but I bade the sprite 'Away!'
When close she came, and closer, and on my pillow lay.

And now she whispered temptingly, and made me hear her sing,
As quickly o'er my senses she threw her soothing wing;
I fell into a slumber, when a vision bright as day
Played with my raptured spirit, and stole my heart away.

I ventured now acceptance, and I begged the phantom tell
When the nuptial would be ready, and where the marriage-bell?
Ah! then I learned the errand of my pillowed angel there
Was worthy of a queenly crown upon her forehead fair.

She bore no messages of ill, but spoke her noble heart,
As she mourned the separation of nations far apart;
And she said a narrow Isthmus divided sea from sea,
Where the nuptial would be spoken, in presence of the free.

The bride, a mild Pacific maiden, unto the altar came;
Her brow was marble majesty, her heart a sacred flame:
Her bracelet was of richest pearls, her necklace golden hills,
Her treasures jewelled islands, her draughts the mountain rills.

The bride-groom was a hero, with escutcheon of degree,
His bosom bore the record of a noble heraldry;

The Genoese, the Pilgrim Sires, the victories of the west,
These of all others were the 'fields' he loved to count the best.

-

The wedding was magnificent; the priest, of manly face,
Was the great High-Priest of Freedom -the Anglo-Saxon race:
The witnesses were planets, the halls the spangled skies,
The guests were orient nations

their presents, argosies!

It is a glorious privilege to be a guest this night,

Where moon and stars are chandeliers, and seas reflect their light:

And scarcely have we entered the broad cathedral hall,

When seraphs sing in harmony a merry madrigal:

'Come to the bridal, moon and stars,
Come to the hall of revelry;
Come SATURN, MERCURY, and MARS,
Witness the wedding of the sea!

'Come to the bridal, men and kings,

Come! diamonds though your crowns may be;
And let the gift each casket brings
Be worthy of a married sea!

'Darien mountains bow their heads,

And Isthmus hills are cleft in twain;
The swamps, lagoons, and panther-beds
Are buried by the stalwart Thane.

'The ANGLO-SAXON is the priest
The matrimonial rites shall be
Performed before the marriage-feast,
When Sea is married unto Sea!

'Come to the bridal, moon and stars,
Come to the hall of revelry;
Come, SATURN, MERCURY, and MARS,
Witness the wedding of the sea!'

The halls were opened, and the guests assembled in a throng,
As summer winds from moon-lit isles came carolling along;
The priest, clad in his flowing robes, thus to the maiden said:
'Wilt thou to-night, PACIFIC maid, be with ATLANTUS wed?'

Her calm consent upon her lip―he to ATLANTUS turned,
And saw within his manly eye a noble passion burned:
'Wilt thou unto thy bosom take this gentle maiden's heart? '
'I'll take her to my wedded wife, and act a husband's part.'

The halls still opened, and the guests assembled in a throng,
And breezes from the southern isles, still chorusing along;
The priest the while, in flowing robes, his solemn sanction gave:
'Ye twain are one in crested surf, or undulating wave:

In peace or war, through good and ill, I bind ye to your oath;

The world hath claims upon your bond - the nations guard you both:

This tie unites the Pagan and the Oriental world

To shores whose people triumph in a Christian flag unfurled.'

The angelof the downy wing, the sylph of star-lit eyes,
Now left the hall, a messenger of HYMEN to the skies;
And there on record may be found, 'mid heavenly mysteries,
The wedding of the waters bright—the Marriage of the Seas!

TRANSLATED FOR THE KNICKERBOCKER FROM HENRY MURGER'S 'SCENES DE LA BOHEME.'

BY CHARLES ASTOR BRISTED.

СНАРТER ELEVEN.

HOW TO PAY THE RENT.

THE three establishments were broken up. Minie was provided for by Viscount Paul; Musette, by another young Viscount; and Phemy had gone some where-no one knew exactly where. The three friends had broken with their mistresses, but they had some money-enough for a week's revel, and they were in the first day of it, while the snow fell thickly out of doors.

Marcel had sent the porter on a commission, and paid him in advance to insure its completion. As he did so, the man was struck with the unusual appearance of a gold piece in the painter's hands, and before going on his errand, hastened to apprize the landlord (with whom Marcel was in arrears as usual) of the important fact.

'Sir,' he blurted forth, quite out of breath with haste and emotion, 'the artist in the sixth story has money. that big fellow, you know, who laughs in my face when I bring him his account.'

6

'Yes,' said the landlord, ' and who had the impudence to borrow money of me to pay me back part of it. He has notice to quit.'

‘Ah, Sir, but he is rolling in gold to-day, and giving a party. I saw them just now. It's a good time.'

'You're right,' said the landlord. 'I will go myself.'

Just as Rodolphe was thundering out a song which he had found at the bottom of his glass, there came several knocks at the door. Marcel, who expected some body else, leaped up from his chair and the torpidity of incipient drunkenness, and ran to open it.

A gentleman appeared on the threshold, not so bad-looking, except that his dressing-gown was very clumsily made.

'I am glad to see you so comfortable,' he said, looking at the table on which appeared the remains of a magnificent leg of mutton.

'The landlord!' cried Rodolphe; let us receive him with the honors due to his position!' and he commenced beating on his plate with his knife and fork.

Colline handed him a chair, and Marcel cried :

'Come, Schaunard! pass us a clean glass. You are just in time,' he continued to the landlord; we were going to drink your health. My friend there, Mr. Colline, was saying some touching things about you. As you are present, he will begin over again, out of compliment to you. Do begin again, Colline.'

'Excuse me, gentlemen,' said the landlord; I don't wish to trouble you, but' - and he unfolded a little paper which he had in his hand.

'What's the document?' asked Marcel. The landlord, who had cast an inquisitive glance around the room, perceived some gold on the chimney-piece.

'It is your receipt,' he said, hastily,' which I had the honor of sending you once already.'

'My faithful memory recalls the circumstance,' replied the artist. 'It was on Friday, the eighth of the month, at a quarter past twelve.' It is signed, you see, in due form,' said the landlord; and if it is agreeable to you'

I was intending to call upon you,' interrupted Marcel. 'I have a great deal to talk to you about.'

'At your service.'

Oblige me by taking something,' continued the painter, forcing a glass of wine on his landlord. Now, Sir,' he continued, 'you sent me lately a little paper, with a picture of a lady and a pair of scales on it. It was signed Godard.'

'The constable's name.'

'He writes very badly; I had to get my friend here, who understands all sorts of hieroglyphics and other languages'—and he pointed to Colline to translate it for me.'

'It was a notice to quit; a precautionary measure, according to the rule in such cases.'

'Exactly. Now I wanted to have a conference with you about this very notice, for which I should like to substitute a lease. This house suits me. The stair-case is clean, the street gay, and some of my friends live near; in short, a thousand reasons attach me to these premises.' But,' and the landlord unfolded his receipt again, 'there is the last quarter's rent to pay.'

'We shall pay it, Sir. Such is our fixed intention.'

Nevertheless, the landlord kept his eyes glued to the money on the mantel-piece; and such was the fixed pertinacity of his look that the coins seemed to move toward him of themselves.

I am happy to have come at a time when, without inconveniencing yourself, you can settle our little account,' he said, presenting once more his receipt to Marcel, who, not able to parry the assault, avoided it once more.

You have some property in the provinces, I think,' he said.

Very little, very little. A small house and farm in Burgundy; very trifling returns; the tenants are bad pays, and therefore,' he added, pushing forward his receipt again, this small sum comes just in time. Sixty francs, you know.'

6

Yes,' said Marcel, going to the mantel-piece and taking up three pieces of gold. 'Sixty, sixty it is,' and he placed the money on the table just out of the landlord's reach.

'At last,' thought the latter. His countenance lighted up, and he similarly laid down his receipt on the table.

Schaunard, Colline, and Rodolphe looked anxiously on.

'Well, Sir,' quoth Marcel, 'since you are a Burgundian, you will not be sorry to see a countryman of yours.' He opened a bottle of old Macon, and poured out a bumper.

Really, I never tasted better,' said the landlord.

'An uncle of mine who lives there, sends me a basket or two occa

sionally.'

The landlord rose, and was stretching out his hand toward the money, when Marcel stopped him again.

'You will not refuse another glass?'

The landlord did not refuse. He drank the second glass, and was once more attempting to possess himself of the money, when Marcel called out:

'Stop! I have an idea. I am rather rich just now, for me. My uncle in Burgundy has sent me an appendix to my usual allowance. Now I may spend this money too fast. Youth has so many temptations, know. Therefore, if it is all the same to you, I will pay a quarter · in advance.' He took sixty francs in silver and added them to the three Napoleons which were on the table.

you

Then I will give you a receipt for the present quarter,' said the landlord. 'I have some blank ones in my pocket-book. I will fill it up and date it ahead-after all,' thought he, devouring the hundred and twenty francs with his eyes, this tenant is not so bad.'

Meanwhile, the other three, not understanding Marcel's diplomacy, remained utterly stupefied.

'But this chimney smokes, which is very disagreeable.'

'Why didn't you tell me before? I will send the workmen tomorrow,' answered the landlord, not wishing to be behind-hand in this contest of good offices. He filled up the second receipt, pushed the two over to Marcel, and stretched out his hand once more toward the heap of money. 'You don't know how timely this sum comes,' he continued. 'I have to pay some bills for repairs, and was really quite short of cash.' 'Very sorry to have made you wait.'

'Oh it's no matter now.

again.

'Permit me,' said Marcel;

Permit me' and out went his hand

we haven't done with this, yet. You

know the saying when the wine is opened,'' and he filled the landlord's glass a third time.

One must drink it,' and he did.

Exactly,' said the artist, with a wink at his friends, who now understood what he was after.

The landlord's eyes began to twinkle strangely. He wriggled on his chair, began to talk loosely, in all senses of the word, and promised Marcel fabulous repairs and embellishments.

Bring out the big guns,' said the artist aside to the poet.
Rodolphe passed along a bottle of rum.

After the first glass, the landlord sang a ditty, which absolutely made Schaunard blush.

After the second, he lamented his conjugal infelicity. His wife's name being Helen, he compared himself to Menelaus.

After the third, he had an attack of philosophy, and threw up such aphorisms as these:

'Life is a river.'

'Happiness depends not on wealth.'