Along with its daily clothing? Just as the felon condemn'd to die With a very natural loathing— Leaving the Sheriff to dream of ropes, From his gloomy cell in a vision elopes, To caper on sunny greens and slopes, Instead of the dance upon nothing. Thus, even thus, the Countess slept, And golden light Under lids still red with weeping. The golden doll that she used to hug! The golden service she had at her meals, The golden guineas in silken purse And the Golden Legends she heard from her nurse, Of the Mayor in his gilded carriage And London streets that were paved with gold And the Golden Eggs that were laid of old— To the golden ring At her own auriferous Marriage! And still the golden light of the sun Through her golden dream appear'd to run, While the moon, as if in malicious mirth But vainly, vainly, the thunder fell, For the soul of the Sleeper was under a spell That time had lately embitter'd— The Count, as once at her foot he knelt "Twas the Golden Leg!-she knew its gleam! That her eyeballs made at so mortal a crash, * Gold, still gold! hard, yellow, and cold, For gold she had lived, and she died for gold- In the morning they found her all alone— But her Leg, the Golden Leg, was gone, Gold-still gold! it haunted her yet— And they brought it in as Felo-de-Se, Her Moral. Gold! Gold! Gold! Gold ! Bright and yellow, hard and cold, Spurn'd by the young, but hugg'd by the old Gold! Gold! Gold! Gold ! How widely its agencies vary To save to ruin-to curse-to bless- Now stamp'd with the image of Good Queen Bess, POEMS. A TALE OF A TRUMPET. "Old woman, old woman, will you go a-shearing? Of all old women hard of hearing, The deafest, sure, was Dame Eleanor Spearing! On her head, it is true, Two flaps there grew, That served for a pair of gold rings to go through; But for any purpose of ears in a parley, No hint was needed from D. E. F. You saw in her face that the woman was deaf: From her twisted mouth to her eyes so peery, Each queer feature ask'd a query; A look that said in a silent way, "Who? and What? and How? and Eh? |