THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES THE LOST FAIRY BIRD A POEM, MRS. B. A. PIERSON. TOLEDO: BLADE PRINTING A PAPER CO. 1874. TS 3SS + Ji To MRS. J. F. MILLER, OF LOUISVILLE, KY. These verses are most affectionately inscribed by her friend, THE AUTHOR. 761029 THE LOST FAIRY BIRD. THE LOST FAIRY BIRD. Written on the S. S. Nassau, and suggested by the fall of a Bird called Man-of- War on deck. SIX BEAUTIFUL birds flew over the main, Six beautiful birds with a sweet refrain ! With wings as white as the snows that sleep On the mountain crest, whose lofty steep Rising and gleaming in distance afar, Is crowned with the radiant morning star! Six beautiful birds, and one was a Queen, Singing and sporting amid the bright sheen ! Upon her fair wings were garlands of flowers, Culled from the land of the amaranth bowers ! Lily and snow-drop and pearl-colored blossom Hung in their beauty upon her white bosom! A fairy princess and one day to reign Over a wide and a'flow'ry domain! THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. For snowy-winged birds are not what they seem, But spirits of woodland, of valley or stream ; And we, with our weak and sin-stricken eyes Pierce not their harmless and loving disguise. If a mortal but touch them, dishonored they die, Or wander o'er earth 'neath the dark, wintry sky! And never to look on the dear, fairy faces, Or 'never to see the sweet, flowery places ! Onward they floated, those beautiful birds, Over the deep, with their low, loving words ! " Oh, kind, gentle friends," the princess bird said, As she fluttered her wings and poised her fair head, " Look to the eastward and tell me, I pray, What is that creature that floats far away ? See, how quickly it moves ! and its huge, graceless form Is instinct with life ; with majesty warm ! Oh, my kind spirit friends, let us draw very near, THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. Of this creature, if mortal or bird, I've no fear! Strange, that this object we never have seen, Come Ilia, Monina, follow your queen." " Oh princess," said Ilia, " I pray you beware ! Did not the fairy queen make you our care ? And if evil befall her darling, I know It will kill her proud spirit with weeping and woe ! For dear, lovely princess, no mortal should brook, On your beautiful form on your sweet face to look ! So do not go near it is only a snare ; Dear, beautiful princess, we pray you, beware." " The heart of a queen should never know fear, Monina, your princess commands you draw near ! If the spirit of Ilia is cowardly, weak We will show her that higher enjoyments we. seek, The pleasure of learning from Nature's great book ! THE LOST FAIRY BIRD, Come, spirit friends, come ; on this strange object look !" But Monina fell on her knees, as she said, While she bowed to the princess her own stately head : " Our love for you, dear one, fills us with fears, For what to our vision so stately appears May, only a monster of mortal device, Be waiting to seize you oh, therefore, be wise ! If need be, we'd die for you, darling, be sure, But let not this object so foully allure ! For lost is the princess who yields to the snare, And is touched by a mortal I pray you, beware ! " " I scorn your monitions -alone will I fly ! Knights of the Lily; sooner I'd die Than abjectly live in cowardly fear, Away I will not that one should be near." She moved her white wings she rose to the sky, THE LOST FAIRY BIRD. With grace in her movements and pride in her eye ! And paused but a moment, afar in the air, To fling back in scorn, that one word (< Beware ! " She saw the huge object >but knew not the ship Sailing away toward the horizon's dip ! But her keen eye was bright, her white wing was strong, She reached it and hovered above it ere long ! And stooping just stooping she struck on the mast, And fell to the deck a hand held her fast ! " Oh, Ilia, dear Ilia, Monina, I die ! Farewell to my visions of sweet ecstacy ! Would that my poor heart had never been born ; Oh Knight of the Lily, I gave you but scorn For the generous gift of your own noble heart, Without greeting or farewell, forever, we part ! " With a shriek and a pang she won her release, THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. But lost in that moment Eternity's peace ! And hiding her face in the foam-crested wave, She wished that the Ocean might be her cold grave'! For one weary sin, how many a mortal Hath come short of heaven, the bright shining portal ! So like the poor princess, whose fatal desire, Then lighted for hope the funeral pyre ! In the meantime, the mother Queen sat on her throne, Which radiant with jewels of fairy land shone ! The dew-drops, whose glories the white rose bedeck, Were woven to shine on her beautiful neck ; All the hues of the rainbow were blended in them, And they formed for her brow a fair diadem ! The throne was o'er hung with butterflies' wings, Embellished with gold of the beetles' bright rings ! Her sceptre, an em'rald, wondrous in size, Crowned with a star, she had plucked from the skies ! THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. Her robe was composed of the pansies' gay leaves, Bright with the sunshine that summer time weaves. Her magical slippers were made of white moss, Embroidered by fairies, with gold-colored floss! Her palace was gorgeous with wonderful things, Trophies of conquest And cooled by pure springs The garden that bloomed with amaranth flowers, Sweet with the incense of glorious bowers ! But a shadow had passed o'er the Fairy Queen's face, And gave to her beauty, a pale, pensive grace ! The Knights of the Lily then sounded a call, And fairy bands entered the Ivory Hall ; But their music was silenced the moment they saw The Queen's pallid face they waited in awe ! A blast of the bugle that moment was heard, Each fairy head bowed to the Queen mother Bird! THE LOST FAIRY BIRD. And she spoke in her silvery accents at last, When the pang of some memory over her past : " Knights of the Lily, I bid you declare What you know of the Princess Gorilla, so fair; She left us at day-dawn ; she comes not at night, Though the heaven above us with star lamps is bright ! Oh, Ilia, Monina, I gave to your care, And ye Knights of the Lily, your princess so fair! Why weeping and sighing ? Why blanches each cheek ? What you know of the Princess, instantly speak!" "Dear Queen," and the accents were tremulous, low, "Of the fate of the Princess no one can know ; She left us to wander alone o'er the sea ; Perhaps she'll return unto us and to thee." THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. 13 The cheek of the Queen grew fearfully pale, And she dropped in her anguish the bright, gauzy veil, But arose in her majesty, coldly and stern : * " Perhaps, oh ye traitors! perhaps, she'll return! If she come, it is will if not, ye shall die; My knights of the crown, I bid you to fly Swiftly and faithfully over the deep ; Rest not your wings and pause not to sleep Till the Princess Gorilla, your princess, is found, And dead or alive, on ocean or ground, In darkness or sunshine, with mortal or fairy ; Haste, knights of the crown, nor falter nor tarry ! Ho, guards of the Palace, these pris'ners are ours ! Take them in chains to the dark cypress bowers ! And Ilia, Monina, the deadly night-shade, Is the couch, where the head of the traitor is laid; Where the dragon-fly hisses ; the raven and owl i 4 THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. Make the darkness and terror more gloomy and foul ! Where the prayers and the sighs and the tears of your grief, To your sin-haunted souls,, brings never relief! Sound the bugle again let the warriors of old Be summoned in phalanx, this palace to hold ! We know not what dangers may threaten us now, Or menace the crown on the F'airy Queen's brow ! " Every word of the monarch was swiftly obeyed ; And the Knights of the Lily, with dark chains arrayed ; While Ilia, Monina, went forth to their doom, To the cypress and nightshade, a prison and tomb ! The Knights of the Crown rose upward afar, And their pinions were glitt'ring with many a star ! THE LOST FA IR Y BIRD. 1 5 But their faces were sad, their aspect was stern, As they sought the Princess' fair form discern ! A moment they paused to hold council of flight, . And determined to sweep o'er the Ocean that night ! So, led by an instinct to spirits not rare, They found their lost Princess, Gorilla the fair! She had hidden beneath the white crested foam, Trembling and sighing and weeping for home! " Oh, Knights of the Crown," she said through her tears, " Return and permit me to die in my fears ! My white wing is broken my sweet hopes are lost, And the pure fairy dreams of my spirit are crost ! I cannot return go back to the Queen, And tell not my mother, Gorilla you've seen ; I never can sit on the em'rald throne ; Go back then, and leave me to die all alone ! " 1 6 THE LOST FAIRY BIRD. " No, never ! we dare not our Queen disobey ; Oh, Princess, dear Princess, we're filled with dismay ! Our hearts and our lives forever are thine ; Come back to the land where the star-blossoms shine ! Come back, and thy mother will pardon, we know, Your sin or your folly, and comfort your woe ! " They bore her away on their pinions of light, To the land that with blossoms forever is bright ; They entered the Palace before the fair dawn Could touch with its beauty the garden or lawn ; The bugle blast sounded the warriors and Queen Came flashing in gems, in gold and bright sheen ; While Corilla,the Princess,with head drooping low, And dew of the Ocean upon her pale brow ; THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. 1 7 With the garlands, which perfume and glory had shed About her fair form, all withered and dead, In anguish and grief of her spirit fell down, And covered her face from the sight of the Crown ! " My daughter ! the Princess ! where hast thou been ? " Said the solemn and startling voice of the Queen ; " Thy bright wing is broken what sorrow hath crushed Thy spirit, and all its sweet music hath hushed ? If only for sorrow thou mournest alone, Gorilla, thou knowest thy griefs are our own ! When didst thy mother, my darling, ere lose The gift of sweet counsel ; to comfort re- fuse ? Come to my arms and my loving embrace, Let me see once again your sweet sunny face ! " 1 8 THE LOST FAIRY BIRD. Not a sound from the Princess still bending low, With her heart throbbing wild in its anguish and woe ! With those sweet thrilling words no comfort there came To the source of her grief her terror and shame ! " Speak, instantly speak, my Knights of the Crown, Or the Guard of the Palace shall sweep you all down ! What is this grief? Is it sorrow or sin ? Fear not to speak to your own loving Queen.'' " I will answer myself," said the Princess' low voice, "Since the deed and its penalty leave me no choice ! A mortal hath touched me to die I'll prepare! But mother, oh mother, this life is so fair ! And Sir Avoline, Knight of the Lily, so brave, Who loves me, will come to my rescue and save !" THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. 19 Then sadness fell o'er the fairy bands all, And silence pervaded the Ivory Hall ! But the voice of the Queen once more was heard, And the swords of the warriors leaped forth at her word ! " This Knight of the Lily once more she shall see ; Bring hither, with Ilia, Monina, to me !" " Oh spare me, my mother," the lost Princess cried ; " Enough ; I shall never be Avoline's bride; Enough ; this anguish my spirit has broken, Why wilt thou demand some still deeper token ?" " Silence ! lost Princess, I care not to hear Thy penitent sigh to see thy false tear ! Though my heart-strings with anguish should sever, I will not forgive thee, thou false one no, never ! " THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. Then Avoline, Knight of the Lily, stood forth, " Oh, what is my life, dear Fairy Queen worth ? Let my head or my heart, the penalty pay, And the Princess Gorilla be free from this day ; I would suffer the tortures of lingering woe, Her sweet thanks to hear and her pure love know ! " "Wilt thou take her in all her dishonor now? Her bright beauty lost no crown on her brow ? To live in dark exile, far, far, away ! Speak, Knight of the Lily, and tell me, I pray ! " " If Gorilla, the Princess, now loves me, I will ; Dishonored and friendless, my heart is hers still ! And fairy land still would not fairy land be, Unless her sweet presence were granted to me!" THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. " Thou hast heard him lost Princess, what dost thou say ? Wilt thou lead this brave Knight from glory away ? If thou hast e'er loved him, I know thou wilt not E'en wish he should share thy dark, dreary lot ! " " Live, live, brave Avoline ; know for thy joy, The love of thy Princess no death can destroy ; I will not accept thee, so gentle and brave ; Gorilla, dishonored, will rest in her grave ! " He bowed to the Princess ; he knelt at her feet ; " Look in my eyes my darling, my sweet ! Has life one joy on me to confer, . Unblest by the hallowing presence of her Who has been my life's star my angel my guide, Through the sunshine and storm, the tempest and tide, THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. By the Powers that live in the earth or the sky, Gorilla, the Princess, my bride, shall not die!" She rose in her beauty no longer a bird ; She rose at the sound of Love's magical word ! A creature of glory a spirit redeemed, By the wonderful light from his spirit that beamed ; Immortal in youth in majesty, grace, And was clasped to his heart in a deathless embrace ! "Gorilla and Avoline blest, doubly blest," Said the Queen, "Ye nobly have stood the stern test ! If a spirit be found who constant endures, Mid anguish, dishonor, with love like to yours, The lost one is saved! And Avoline, thine Is the honor; and gifts are Divine! Thy beautiful bride is a sov'reign, and thou This day shalt thyself place the crown on her brow ; THE LOST FAIR Y BIRD. 23 And Avoline ever forever a king, Shall wear for his emblem, Love's own signet ring." Then shouts of delight rang aloud through the air : " Long life to the brave and Gorilla the fair!'' UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. JUN 2 1 1988 Form L9-100m-9,'52(A3105)444 PS P625 1 bird. Fierson - The lest fairy 3 1158 01262 1768 PS 25 P625 1