Which colored all his objects;-he had ceased To live within himself; she was his life,
The ocean to the river of his thoughts, Which terminated all; upon a tone,
A touch of hers, his blood would ebb and flow, And his cheek change tempestuously-his heart Unknowing of its cause of agony.
5. But she in these fond feelings had no share : Her sighs were not for him; to her he was Even as a brother-but no more; 't was much; For brotherless she was, save in the name Her infant friendship had bestowed on him- Herself the solitary scion left
Of a time-honored race.-It was a name
Which pleased him, and yet pleased him not-and why? Time taught him a deep answer-when she loved Another. Even now she loved another; And on the summit of that hill she stood Looking afar, if yet her lover's steed
Kept pace with her expectancy, and flew.- 6. A change came o'er the spirit of my dream: There was an ancient mansion; and befōre Its walls there was a steed caparisoned. Within an antique oratory stood
The Boy of whom I spake—he was ălōne, And pale, and pacing to and fro. Anon
He săte him down, and seized a pen and traced Words which I could not guess of; then he leaned His bowed head on his hands, and shook, as 't were With a convulsion-then arose again;
And with his teeth and quivering hands did tear What he had written; but he shed no tears.
And he did calm himself, and fix his brow
The lady of his love reëntered there ;
She was serene and smiling then; and yět
She knew she was by him beloved; she knew— How quickly comes such knowledge! that his heart
Was darkened with her shadow, and she saw
That he was wretched; but she saw not all. He rose, and with a cold and gentle grasp He took her hand; a moment o'er his face A tablet of unutterable thoughts
Was traced; and then it faded as it came.
He dropped the hand he held, and with slow steps Retired; but not as bidding her ǎdieū,
For they did part with mutual smiles. He passed From out the massy gate of that old Hall; And, mounting on his steed, he went his way; And ne'er repassed that hoary thresh'old mōre.
CHANGE came o'er the spirit of
The Boy was sprung to manhood. In the wilds
Of fiery climes he made himself a home, And his soul drank their sunbeams; he was girt With strange and dusky aspects; he was not Himself like what he had been; on the sea And on the shōre he was a wanderer; There was a mass of many images Crowded like waves upon me, but he was A part of all; and in the last he lay, Reposing from the noontide sultrinèss, Couched among fallen columns, in the shade Of ruined walls that had survived the names Of those who reared them; by his sleeping side Stood camels grazing, and some goodly steeds Were fastened near a fountain; and a man Clad in a flowing garb did watch the while, While many of his tribe slumbered around; And they were canopied by the blue sky— So cloudless, clear, and purely beautiful, That God alone was to be seen in Heaven.— 2 A change came o'er the spirit of my dream: The Lady of his love was wed with one Who did not love her better. In her home,
A thousand leagues from his,-her native home— She dwelt, begirt with growing infancy, Daughters and sons of Beauty. But behold! Upon her face there was the tint of grief, The settled shadow of an inward strife, And an unquiet drooping of the eye,
As if its lid were charged with unshed tears. What could her grief be?-She had all she loved; And he who had so loved her was not there
To trouble with bad hopes, or evil wish,
Or ill-repressed affection, her pure thoughts. What could her grief be?—she had loved him not, Nor given him cause to deem himself beloved; Nor could he be a part of that which preyed Upon her mind—a spectre of the past.— 3. A change came o'er the spirit of my dream : The Wanderer was returned-I saw him stand Before an altar, with a gentle bride;
Her face was fair; but was not that which made The starlight of his Boyhood. As he stood, Even at the altar, o'er his brow there came The self-same aspect, and the quivering shock That in the antique oratory shook
His bosom in its solitude; and then- As in that hour-a moment o'er his face The tablet of unutterable thoughts
Was traced-and then it faded as it came And he stood calm and quiet; and he spoke The fitting vows, but heard not his own words; And all things reeled around him; he could see Not that which was, nor that which should have been- But the old mansion, and the accustomed hall, And the remembered chambers, and the place, The day, the hour, the sunshine, and the shade- All things pertaining to that place and hour, And her who was his destiny-came back And thrust themselves between him and the light: What business had they there at such a time?—
4. A change came o'er the spirit of my dream: The Lady of his love-Oh! she was changed,
As by the sickness of the soul; her mind Had wandered from its dwelling; and her eyes, They had not their own luster, but the look Which is not of the earth; she was become The queen of a fantastic realm; her thoughts Were combinations of disjointed things; And forms impalpable, and unperceived Of others' sight, familiar were to hers.
And this the world calls frenzy ; but the wise Have a far deeper madness, and the glance Of melancholy is a fearful gift;
What is it but the telescope of truth? Which strips the distance of its fantasies, And brings life near in utter nakedness, Making the cold reality too real!—
5. A change came o'er the spirit of my dream: The Wanderer was alone, as heretofore; The beings which surrounded him were gone, Or were at war with him; he was a mark For blight and desolation-compassed round With Hatred and Contention; Pain was mixed In all which was served up to him; until, Like to the Pontic monarch of old days, He fed on poisons; and they had no power, But were a kind of nutriment.
Through that which had been death to many men;
And made him friends of mountains. With the stars,
And the quick spirit of the Universe,
He held his dialogues! and they did teach
To him the magic of their mysteries; To him the book of Night was opened wide, And voices from the deep abyss revealed
A marvel and a secret-Be it so.
7. My dream was past: it had no further change. It was of a strange order, that the doom
Of these two creatures should be thus traced out Almost like a reality-the one
To end in madness-both in misery.
105. SCENE FROM THE LADY OF LYONS.'
MELNOTTE'S cottage-WIDOW bustling about. A table spread for supper. IDOW. So-I think that looks very neat. He sent me
WIDO a line, so blotted that I can scarcely read it, to say he
would be here almost immediately. She must have loved him well indeed, to have forgotten his birth; for though he was introduced to her in disguise, he is too honorable not to have revealed to her the artifice which her love only could forgive. Well, I do not wonder at it; for though my son is not a prince, he ought to be one, and that's almost as good. [Knock at the door.] Ah! here they are. [Enter MELNOTTE and PAULINE.] Widow. Oh, my boy-the pride of my heart!—welcome, welcome! I beg pardon, Ma'am, but I do love him so!
Pauline. Good woman, I really-Why, Prince, what is this? -does the old woman know you? Oh, I guess you have done her some service. Another proof of your kind heart, is it not? Melnotte. Of my kind heart, ay!
Pauline. So, you know the prince?
Widow. Know him, Madame ?-Ah, I begin to fear it is you who know him not!
Pauline. Do you think she is mad? Can we stay here, my lord? I think there's something very wild about her.
Melnotte. Madame, I-No, I can not tell her! My knees knock together: what a coward is a man who has lost his honor! Speak to her-speak to her-[to his mother]—tell her that-O Heaven, that I were dead!
Pauline. How confused he looks!-this strange place-this woman—what can it mean? I half suspect-Who are you, Madame?—who are you? Can't you speak? are you struck dumb?
Widow. Claude, you have not deceived her?-Ah, shame upon
' Claude Melnotte, who had received many indignities to his slighted love, from Pauline, married her under the false appearance of an Italian prince. He afterward repents his bitter revenge; makes
immediate amends; and, impelled by affection, virtue, and a laudable ambition, finally conquers a position, and becomes, in fact, her husband.
'Pauline, (på lên ́).
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