A LITERARY CURIOSITY. The following
remarkable little poem is a contribution
of the San Francisco Times, from the pen
of Mrs. fL A. Deming. The reader will
notice that each line is a quotation
from some of the standard authors of
England and America. This is the result
of a year's laborious search among the
voluminous writings of thirty-eight
leading-poets''of the past and present.
The number of each line.refers to its
author below: LIFE. 1. Wby all this toil
for triumphs of an hour? 2. Life's a
short summer, man a flower. 3. By turns
we catch the vital breath and die— 4,,
The cradle and the tomb, alas! so nigh.
6. To be is better than not to be, 6.
Though all man's life may seem a
tragedy: 7.But light cares speak when
mighty griefs are dumb, 8. The bottom is
but'shallow whence they come. 9. Your
fate is but tbe common fate of all* 10.
Dnmingled joys here to no man befall. '
11. Nature to each allots its proper
sphere • 12. Fortune makes folly her
peculiar care.' 13. Custom does often
reason overrule, 14. And throw a cruel
sunshine on a fool. 1 5 L ' i Hea"ven; ^
^ " ^ 16. They who forgive most shall be
0, given. 1 « 17. Sin maybe clasped so
close fcecannotsd 18. Vile intercourse,
where virtue has no h 19. Then keep each
passion down, how.w.T 20. Thou pendulum
betwixt a<m>{le»ndb 21. Her sensual
snares lbt faithless DIPM,.!/.'' 22.
With craft and skill, to ruin and bZ 1 •
23. Soar not too high to fall, hot stoop
to. 24. We masters grow of all that we <
impiouj 25. Oh, then, 1 renounce that
esteem, 26. Riches have wings, the
grandeur is & A, 27. Think not ambition
wise because 'tis 28. The paths of glory
lead but to the bC 1 29. What is
ambition ? 'Tis a glorious cW 30. Only
destructive to the brnve andgr«,t 31.
What's all the gaudy,glitter of a
crown'. 32. The way to bliss lias not on
beds of dom ! 33. How long we live,
notyesrs, but actions t,' 34. That man
lives twice who lives- the fin i well.
36. Make, then, while yet ye may, vout |
your friend, 36. Whom Christians
worship, yet not c beud. 37. The trust
that's given guard, and to yoats be
just; ;. For, live we bow we can, die we
must, 1, Young; 2, Dr. Johnson; 3, p0pj
Prior: 6, Sewel; 6, Spencer; 7, Daniell-
Sir Walter Raleigh; 9, Longfellow; 10,
Soill well; 11, Congreve; 12, Churchill;
13, Boches ter; 14, Armstrong; 15,
Milton; lfi, Bailey' ] Trench; IS,
Somerville; 19, Thomson''J Byron; 21,
Smollett; 22, Crabb;23, Mametip 24,
Cowley; 25, Beattie; 26, Cowper; 21 ;
Wm. Davenant; 28, Gray, 29, Willie; 30,'
j dison ; 31, Dryden ; 32, Francis
Quades-Watkins; 34, Herrick; 35, William
Mason'-5 Hill; 37, Dana; 38, Shakgpeare.