THE TWO PORTRAITS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 825, 12 August 1864, Page 5

THE TWO PORTRAITS.

An old and withered crone was she, With bending form and tottering limb j Earth's brightness from her lot bad flown, Her eyes were wan and dim. Spring, unto her, brought hope no more, To her wei'e S v mmer s splendors dreary, And night and day she murmured o'er, I'm weary, oh, I'm weary. A radiant picture hung beside, Red lips, rich tresses, features bright; ' And youth, sweet youth, around the brows, Like a coronet of light. A face that one might kneel before, ■ As to some Goddess rendering fluty, And sun himself, within the light, Of its immortal beauty. Towards the picture's loveliness, The palsied crone would point anon: ; Nay, wondering voyasjer, marvel not, That, that and I are one. A wide urihavigable gulf, These two do from each other sever, And I seem to stand on some far shore Of life's grim rushing river. Strange visions of its sunny side, They visit me anon and aye, Of Golden paths and flowery nooks, Where old bright phantoms stray. Of the glory of that fervid time, When heaved the heart with young emotion; --~. And tides of thought rushed o'er the brain, With sweet and wild commotion. Those hours have faded to a dream, Those thoughts of passion faded too: The same—yet not the same—l seem /As one who dream'd long time ago. Yet mourn I not those parted gleams, Morn followeth fast on eve's grey gloaming ; The light of Spring on blasted heath, And a fairer youth is coming. Hast thou not heard of that fair-clime,; Where beauty finds immortal birth? A star amid the stars, whose light Was once brought down to earth. And there I go to claim my crown, Where blight locks change no more to hoary: Nor love doth sadly turn to weep, O'er changed.and vanished glory. Anonymous. Militaby Changes.—The 18th Husarss are under orders for Madras in July, the !7tli Lancers coining home early in 1865. Next year, no doubt the 16th Lancers will proceed to Bombay, relieving the 6th Dragoons. The infantry movements to or from foreign service will be as follows:—The Ist battalion 11th, 2nd battalion 12th, and 58th to go from Ireland to Bengal, relieving the 48th, 71st, and 52nd ; the 45th takes the place of the 28th in the Bombay Presidency, and the 2nd battalion of the 10th goes from the Cape to Bengal, relieving the 81st. In consequence of the absorption of the St. Helena regiment, an additional battalion will be sent out to the Cape, detaching a wing to that island. This will necessitate the departure of two regiments for the Cape, and the Ist battalian 10th, and the 86th from Ireland, will no doubt be the the two sent out. The relief of the three regiments—lst battalion 13th, 69bh, and 74th —which have left India, was provided for last year; the four battalions released from the lonian Islands are being so distributed as to allow of the return home at once of the Ist battalion 14th from Jamaica, the Ist battalion 21st Fusiliers from Barbadoes, the 89th from Bermuda, and the 62nd from Canada. This completes all the arrangements for 1864. In looking at the probable reliefs for 1865, we of course put New Zealand out of the question.--.Ar»J3y and Navy Gazette. NEW BKEW,