Page:Tales of humour and romance translated by Holcroft.djvu/229

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THE MOON.
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the breast, still throbbing and sunk amongst flowers, and the dream of the soul after death represents its earthly life, as our dreams here below picture childhood with the glowing and magic colouring of perfection.

Eugenius looked from the moon towards the Earth which during the long moon-day of two earthly weeks, floated like a thin white cloud in the azure sky; but he recognised not his old mother-land. At length the Sun went down upon the moon, and our Earth rested immoveable, large and glimmering upon the pure horizon of Elysium, and poured over the odour-breathing gardens its soft gleamings, like the prismatic spray of the water-fall over the green meadow. Then, he recognised the world upon which he had left a sore afflicted heart, and his soul although surrounded by joy, became filled with sadness and with ceaseless longing for the dear object of his former existence, who still mourned in that world below.—"O my Rosamond! wherefore fleest thou not from a globe where thou art no longer beloved?" and he looked beseechingly to the angel of Rest and said: "Beloved! Take me from this land of grief and conduct me down to my affectionate Rosamond, that I may see her, and be the mournful partner of her sorrow." Then suddenly his soul as if freed from every bond began to fly—clouds fluttered around him as if they supported him in his flight, and swelling, carried