BERKELEY LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OP CALIFORNIA ■ c r ' , T •Y VI E W O R K s o I? HENRY ROSE illuotratfti LONDON REEVES AND TURNER, 196, STRAND 1890 (.1// ■A'i\'-///s Reserved.) LOAN STACK PREFACE. //I A I/O The author of the following collection, having been a lover of Nature, and a student of that branch of literature which best reflects Nature, from his boyhood, has noted wdth regret the ^rowing depreciation of " poetry," and has attempted to trace its cause. It cannot be that imaginative works no longer attract, for the most "wild and wondrous" romances — in prose — were never more in demand. Neither is it that the grand and beautiful in crea- tion have lost their charm. The landscapes, so lovingly copied, that adorn the \valls of our galleries ; the eager rush of city crowds to the hills or the sea ; the very toiler in the mart who carries a flower to his office, refute this assumption. What, then, can it be but that the subjects, if interesting in themselves, are ^Dre- sented in too formal a manner ? True, our earlier singers, with a language as yet hardly formed, accentuated the syllables they found most convenient, pronounced as they chose, mutilated words at pleasure, and turned sentences about to suit their purpose of the moment ; but is that any reason why a later generation, after reaping the harvest of their labours, should disregard the glorious development of our excellent mother- tongue, and preserve the barbarisms of its growing youth ? But let verse be clear, straightforw^ard, and proportionate, and, when in rhyme, with the rhymes well defined ; and it will be readily admitted to be far more effective, for appropriate themes, than the finest prose. It has long been conceded that any sub- ject that can be lifted above the plane of the commonplace may be taken for poetical treatment. Why, then, should the language used be so different from that of ordinary life ? Under this belief, the author has endeavoured in all he has written to leave nothing obscure or doubtful, but to pourtray each scene, wnth its true surroundings and atmosphere, as it was impressed upon his own senses or imagination. 528 11 PREFACE. The story of " Sir Everard Digby " is founded on a local legend. The mansion said to have been the scene of his conceal- ment and capture was, when the author took the subject in hand, deserted and lonely, as described in these pages. The narration, in " Summer Dreams," of the taking of Badajoz, is from the actual experience of a veteran in the stirring period that preceded Waterloo. All else in the volume is of the author's invention. The various English de- scriptions are, for the most part, from spots frequented by him in that impressionable time of life commonly called " in the teens," or visited as occasion offered in later years. In fact many of the pieces were written out of doors. The author is glad here to be afforded an opportunity of recording his acknowledgment of the very generous treatment he has received at so many hands. The contents of the volumes previously published have been revised throughout, with the kindly suggestions of one or two reviewers adopted wherever practicable. " Abdallah " and a few smaller pieces are now printed for the first time. LoNDOx, Auf/ust 50th, 1890. CONTENTS. ■ I'AGE AliDALLAU 3 SUMMER DKKAMS (1883). " . riiKLUDK— Tlic Mill -11 Tke Ramble 3» Sir Evei'iird Digby 35 The Student 44 Crida 46 The Sai:i;.vtu 50 The Stim:am 53 The Leguiid of the Toireut 54 The Wood 62 The Linnet and the Spavrow 65 The Showeii 77 The Initials 80 The SuiiMEii-HOUsK 87 The Story of the Rose-bud 88 Finale — The Departure 9& A STRING OF BEADS. Light in the City 103 ADeadl'oet 104 The Wooil-carver and the Goldsmiths 105 The Light-house Keeper 107 The Woodlands ... 108 The Chestnut Trees 109 A ]Mother's Hope... 110 The Moon and the Earth ... 110 York and Lancaster Ill Sextain 112 Life 113 A Sailor's Song 114 The Squirrel 115 The Willow 115 L'Envoi ... 11(> riECES FOR CHILDREN. The Mouse and the Hawk 121 The ButterHy and the Humble-bee 122 The Two F>irds ... 12.3 The Lily and the Toad ... 124 A Butterfly's Stoiy 126 The Fox and the Hen 127 THREE SHEIKS (1884). Introduction 1.31 The First Sheik's Stohy 132 First Interlude 159 The Second Sheik's Stoiiy 160 Second Interlude ... 182 The Thiud Sheik's Stoiiy 183 Conclusion 196 FROM WEST TO EAST (1887). Rustic Rhymes. Seclusion 199 Nature and Poesy 201 By the Stream 203 The Island ... 205 On tlu' Bridge 208 The Torrent in the Gleu 210 The Grey Tower 213 IV CONTENTS. FROM AVEST TO EAST {18S7 )—contmucd. Rustic Rhymes — continucch page Old ]\Iary 215 The Dropping Well 218 A Song of the Xorth "Wind 221 In the Lane... ... ... ... ... ... ... 222 A Woodland Tragedy 224 The Lord of Manton'.s Bride 225 At the Stile 229 In the Fore.st ... 233 The DiiyaiVs Destiny 237 The Fahues' Stk.vtagem 255 Life's Mysteky ■ 267 Aziz 279 Hassax of Aleppo ..^ 305 EARLIER SKETCHES AND SONGS. In the Desert ■ ... 347 An Arab's Song ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 351 The Story of the Giant 352 Roland ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 353 A Song of the Sea 354 Wonian'.s Fate ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 355 The Knight 355 The Birth of Love 356 The Robin's Lay 357 " I need no gift of thine " ... ... ... ... ... 357 The Story of a Star ^ 358 The Warrior and the Maiden ... ... .. ... ... 359 Waking Bliss ... 360 Parting 360 Lasting Love ... ... ... ... . . ... ... 361 " Sing me a song of olden, times " ... ... ... ... 362 Onward ... ... ... ... ... . . ... ... 362 A War Song ... ... ... ... . . ... ... 363 Alice ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 364 A Pilgrim at Jerusalem ... ... ... ... ... ... 365 A Prisoner's Lament ... ... .. ... ... ... 366 The Wanderer's Return . 366 Nevermore ... ... ... ... . ... ... 367 A Dirge 367 LYRICS FRO:\I "THE FISHERS." A Cantata. A De.solate Shore 371 Separation ... ... ... ... ... .. ... 371 Patience 372 Britain's Defence... ... ... ... ... ... ... 372 On the Sea 373 Thoughts of Home ... ... ... ... ... ... 374 The Seaman's Home ... ... ... ... ... .. 375 Love's Influence ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 376 Heart to Heart ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 377 Repose ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 377 JUBILEE PIECES, AND OTHERS. For the Fiftieth Anniversary of Her Majesty's Accession ... 381 " Awake ! O happy Nation " 382 The Twenty-first of June, 1887 383. Invocation to Harmony... ... ... ... ... ... 386 Damascus... ... ... . . . .. ... ... 388 Spring-tide ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 389 ABDALLAH. B ABDALLAH. ABDALLAH. x\]!DALLAn, son of Aboo-Seer who ruled From wide Euphrates to the Persian peaks, Had led a host that flecked the forest's gloom With flash of steel and scabbards sown with gems, And stirred the slumbering depths with shouts and blasts Of brazen clamour, till the sun had grown To noon, and many a goodly beast lay slain. Beneath a ridge of rock, where brightlier fell The green light trembling through a sparser growth. The tents were spread ; but when the signal blew To gather stragglers in, a crouching form Stole from the thicket and a lion's voice Bade sudden thunders roll from crag to crag And tingle down the hushed and shuddering glades. A hundred bows were bent, one errant shaft Buzzed in Abdallah's ear and stung his steed : Camp, followers, woods, were lost ; the shouts grew faint, Then failed ; and stillness of the desert wilds Closed round before its headlong race was stayed. Dismounting where the leaning rocks kept back The steadfast glare, Abdallah scanned the scene. Bewildered ; when a terrified gazelle Swept past him with a fierce and frightful beast Pursuing, but a ready javelin dashed The ravenous monster at the prince's feet ; His heel was on its neck, his dagger plunged Deep in its heart, and the fair creature freed. And, lo, a marvel ! for the panting shape Had vanished, but the sound of daintier speech B 2 4 ABDALLAH. Than dreaming ears might win from realms of sleep Thrilled him with new sensations, wild and vague ; An odorous gale breathed round him, and a form Of wondrous beauty, like the clear full moon, Beamed on him, making all his senses reel, While her strange story lifted up his hopes On soaring pinions, but to whirl them round And dash them down auew,.like storm-tossed birds Wellnigh bereft of life, benumbed and dazed. For now he learned that she his hand had freed From bonds of sorcery was of royal line ; An exile from the spice-strewn lands that lie Fanned by green groves beside the Sea of Pearls : The journey long and arduous, and beset With perils, that would win that far domain. Scarce master of his tongue, with hot wild words He bade the Prophet spurn him evermore Should he but swerve one hour from the sweet quest,. As from her brow she loosed a dazzling band And took his proffered signet in its place. He heard, as through a dream, her soft farewell, And caught her robes' faint glimmering as she slid From day to night where a rough cavern's mouth Eeceived her back to mystery ; still as stone He stood, and but for the dead monster's shape Beside him, and the gems within his clasp, Had deemed it all a vision, — till glad cries Eecalled him to himself, and, like the surge Of gathering tides, his followers crowded round. No WOKD he breathed to one of all his train. Nor Aboo-Seer ; but when the stars looked down From heaven's blue dome on silvered groves and flowers Folded in sleep, he stole forth to the boat Moored by the broad white steps that met the flood Whose glittering waters marked the garden's bound. Onward he glided till a willowy growth Darkened the bank, and softly stepped to land Where dwelt his kinsman Selim the Eecluse. ABDALLAH. Thrice with his dagger's hilt he smote the door Set iu a lofty wall, heyond whose stretch A watch-tower, like a moimtaiu peak, looked forth On woods and wastes, far seas and rounding skies. A mute attendant came, and led the way Across an open court with whispering shrubs And fountains sparkling in the starlight hours With supernatural lustre, to the hall Where Selim sat engrossed in studious toil. About the sage soft radiance streamed from lamps Of odorous oil, then glimmered into dusk. Abdallah caught a sound of rushing wings, And dimly saw that shadowy shapes drew back Behind the pillars, vast as trunks that loom Through forests veiled wath twilight undisturbed From dawn to dark ; but charged with loftier cares Than fear or curiosity could shake, Told his adventure and entreated aid. Then Selim rose and led Abdallah forth. Till, hollov/, vast, and indistinct, the tower Closed round them and above ; high, as in heaven, A flake of moonlight glittered and let fall A slender shaft of silver down the gloom Made heavier by its glory ; where it ceased, Clear on the lighted space, a landscape spread. Abdallah started, for the forest scene — The thicket whence the lion late had rushed, Confronted him, emblazoned on the wall. Amazed, he turned to Selim, iu whose hand A crystal, like a fragment of the moon, Caught the clear light ; view after view came forth To vanish in the dark as it was moved. At length, the grim crags and the cavern's mouth, A black gap in the moonlight prospect, grew In rugged truthfulness, Abdallah clutched His kinsman's arm, who read the wish and stayed. And, lo, from out the cave a creature stepped. In outline human, but its head a beast's, And bearing wings like some enormous bird. ABDALLAH. Abclallah trembled with a lover's fear At thought of Abra in that haunt of dread : But Selim beckoned, and a form as strange Uprose beside them, pointing to the spot \V'here to and fro the pictured presence strode, He raised a hand ; the wondrous vassal flew Up the dark shaft, breaking the slanting ray Of moonlight, and the mural vision failed, To tremble back and settle into shape Once more, as from the gaping dome it sped. Swift as a vulture scenting prey from far. Still speechless with suspense, their gaze fast fixed On that absorbing scene, the youth and seer Expectant stood, while on the cool dark air Their breathing had grown audible, with all Their powers of life concentred in their eyes. Anon, the pictured shape looked up, and sprang. With flapping wings and claws outspread for war. To meet the rival monster darting down With eager fury : grappling in mid air. With talons, fangs, and pinion-blows they fought An unexampled combat ; clearly thrown Before the mute spectators' gaze, who marked The conflict's ebb and flow, but caught no sound. Though all the rocks might tingle with the din. Hurled from each other to be dashed again Together in fresh paroxysms of rage. Feathers and flakes leaped from them, and the ground About them was bedewed with the dark drops Wrung from their writhing limbs ; now on the wing, Now trampling the loose sand, they wrestled, smote. Clung, and broke free, as never wild beasts strove ; Till, at the last, the guardian of the cave Fell forward, and lay prone at its foe's feet. Then Abra, from the depths of gloom, drew nigh ; At sight of her the victor bent the knee ; No sign of fear she showed, as in its arms It lifted her in reverence ; leaping up. With vans wide-spread and flickering to the moon ; Over the hollow crags both sank from view. ABDALLAH. Abdallali hung ou Seliin, his wild eyes All-eloquent, though incoherent words Alone escaped him ; the diverted ray Now showed a chasm of blackness at their feet : As some old monarch of the woods may drive Its searching roots as far within the mould As upward it can toss its tapering crest, So that dark gulf descended for a space Commensurate with the tower's stupendous height. The prince, beside himself with love and rage. Knew naught of doubt or dread, but with the seer Descended, dauntless, into that grim void. The stireed air blew about them, damp and cold A faint light followed, wavered, and died out ; Then only the pulsation of broad vans Breaking their fall was with them, till a splash, And spray dashed in their faces, told descent Had ceased ; but onward still they sped, the flow Of gurgling waters rumbling through the depths Of unknown night, and whispers eddying round, Like pantings of an undeveloped world. At length, far off, appeared a misty dawn, And when it cleared and widened, crags grew up And opened out a passage, whence they rose To the faint twilight of a realm of rocks. The silence of dead centuries, and the calm Of stony rest, invested those dim depths With peacefulness enwrapt in shadowy awe. But youth and seer shook off the drowsy spell And hastened forward, by the broadening light Directed, till the cavern's dusky halls Were threaded, and they stood beneath the moon. There, as it fell, yet lay the monstrous form ; A fearful and a piteous sight to see : But as they lifted up its battered head. Uttering a mighty cry, it rose erect And snatched at the bright gage Abdallah wore ; 8 ABD ALLAH. His scimitar shot forth a lightning flash One instant, then a score of mimic moons Showed where its shattered fragments strewed the sand ; As Sehm interposed, one ponderous wing Brushed him aside ; Abdallah's dagger glanced As from a coat of mail ; he looked on life As lost, and nerved himself to die a prince, When at his feet his dread assailant fell Beneath a blow that echoed round the rocks Like thunder, and their messenger, come back Across the cliffs, bent low before the sage. "Within the dark recesses shrank anew The doubly vanquished foe, the victor hurled A massive crag to quicken its retreat. Then with huge boulders blocked the ragged rift. One re-assuring word Abdallah caught, Then felt himself uplifted, like a babe Upon its mother's breast ; and far below Lay the long line of crags, the woodland scene A twinkling patch fast fading, with the moon And stars a glorious host about his head. Such peace through those cerulean spaces reigned, Rest, not of apathy, but wakeful calm Sweeter than sleep, enfolded him, till years And moments seemed the saine and earth outworn. When, with a shock, his senses tingled back, He stood within the walls that girt a town Of silent temples under tufted palms ; All glimmering white, save where the shadows fell Like clouds that fleck, but not conceal, the noon. A rush of wings, a dark spot in the blue, And like a pebble dropped amid the waves And lost for ever, seemed his bygone life. Then from the lofty minarets faintly fell The call to prayer, a muffled sound of feet Restrained, and rustling garments of a crowd With murmurous voices, softly floated round ; AliUALLAH. 9 But only the charmed trees and dreamy fanes Eevealed themselves beneath the breathless heavens. The service ceased, the sounds dispersed and died, And not a zephyr broke the solemn hush. And when Abdallah moved, his footfall seemed Profanity, his flitting shadow, black Upon the spotless walls, a prying fiend. And all the living world a vanished dream. At length, what looked a mighty bird of prey Bearing a powerless victim to its young, Grew on his gaze ; and, settling at his feet. Developed Selim and the vassal Shape. Beside the central mosque, a placid pool Expanded like a giant's shield, its boss An island with a pagod domed with gold, Its surface silver where encrusted stars And gleams of steely blue alternate shone. Again the flying form uplifted each And crossed the flood, then pointing to a gate Pure as a pearl, sprang up and soared away Ere coming dawn should turn the planets pale. They entered, with soft niusic rippling down Through odorous air, where slender columns propped The distant dome, whose concave flashed and glowed. Lighting rich hangings and a wide divan. And there a figure, motionless and mute. Clothed as in Abra's vesture, shot a thrill Through all Abdallah's being ; but a shock Of numbing fear succeeded, when he knelt And found the hand he fain had clasped was stone. Form, features, rigid; all the senses quenched. He turned to question Selim, and beheld A petrifaction, powerless to proceed Or retrograde, with closed eyes as in sleep. Why he should still be wakeful in that home 10 ABDALLAH. Of somnolence akin to stony death, Abdallah strove to fathom, sore perplexed. But deadlier terror chilled him when he plucked His kinsman by the robe, and with a crash That echoed through the hall, the ponderous form Fell and lay shattered at his very feet. And in the torturing silence that ensued, A reminiscence flashed across his mind, How once himself had seen a lion slain While one of its own cubs stood by amazed. Nor thought of flight, incredulous that its sire, The regal beast, could thus, indeed, lie dead. And like its features, so, he felt, his own, Though drawn with fear, showed dubious wonder too. Sad to the soul, beside the still recess Where Abra, or her semblance wrought like life, In pulseless calm reposed, he turned anew, To search if on the hand his signet shone. And as he softly drew the dainty robe With awe aside, he saw the lustrous gem, Whose small spark, like a trembling star of hope Through parting clouds, beamed on his life afresh. Not comfortless, though clothed in mystery yet. Scarce to the folded fingers had he pressed His reverent lips, when, lo, he heard a sigh ; x\nd lifting up his eyes beheld the head. Half raised, sink back, once more a shape of stone. Caressingly he held the hand anew, Entreating for a word ; but long in vain : Till, all at once, a languid utterance stole On his enraptured ears ; but died, abrupt. As once again he rose, and caught a shade Of disappointment on the marble face. A prey to torturing doubt, though pierced with love, He gazed, irresolute, on the beauteous form. So sweet yet so mysterious ; thence glanced back To the dread fragments scarce within the door ; Then, half despairing, sank upon his knees And wildly clasped anew the small cold hand : ALiUALLAH. 11 Again the voice, beseeching him to stay Even as he knelt, and swerve not for his hfc^ Or rather hers who spolce, restored his soul Within him and renewed his pulses' flow. With wonder shadowing all his love, he learned Her nature, like the film by sunset flushed Where heaven and earth in vaporous union blend. Was dual, for her glorious beauty owned Her mother of the genii, but her sire A mortal — though a king of mightiest sway. Hence through the softness of a child of Eve A statelier splendour shone with star-like calm. In trials, as in parentage, apart From mere humanity, her loftier woes Could rob no ray from those immortal eyes, Nor barely tincture the celestial tones That soothed Abdallah's senses like a spell. Yet fits of indignation, like the Jooom Of neariug thunder though the skies are calm, Shook him from time to time, and his warm grasp Tightened, as she outpoured her piteous tale. Taught by his radiant queen, her dauntless sire Had exorcised from his domains a throng. Malevolent, restless, ruthless, wily, fell. This to revenge, herself, by subtle means Entrapped and borne beyond his power, was doomed Beneath a brute's exterior to conceal Celestial strivings and keen human pangs. Till, moved by pure compassion, one of earth. Unwitting whom he served, should set her free. Even this accomplished by Abdallah's hand, The powers of darkness strove for mastery still ; And, but for happiest chance, had yet prevailed. One of a subject race to that high Hue Whence sprang her mother, was the victor Shape That, at her bidding, bore her from the cave, To rest in that enchanted town awhile ; 12 ABDALLAH. Till with a fitting escort her fond sire Should come and lead her like a princess back. Such was, in brief, the tale Abdallah gleaned With sympathetic ears ; at every pause Eevolving how from the congealing spell Immunity was his ; nay, Abra's self Loosed somewhat while he bent to mark her w^ords. When, at the close, he raised himself to speak, Again she sank down breathless and benumbed ; But, lo, her gift that lay above his heart Caught and flashed back the radiance from the roof, And shot a world of meaning through his mind. His trembling fingers eagerly detached The glittering badge, a warm gust shook the hall, And whispers tingled, as on her fair neck He laid it, and she rose up flushed and free ; But darkness smote him, and his senses slept. And when the light stole back anew, a throng Of images so threatening clustered round, Returning life became a thing of dread ; Till through his languorous pain seraphic speech Pulsated, and, by slow degrees, the hall Eesumed its true proportions, and the form So close beside him, Abra's perfect self. On him she laid her high behest, to take Her gage afresh and seek one strong to aid — Her kinswoman the Mistress of the Birds, While she in stony resignation slept. Himself had borne the weight of slumberous years And let his love go free, but that her wish Was paramount and her decision law. A marvellous parting theirs, for lovers bound By every hope of life and every wish : Vitality in full possessed alone By one, yet interchangeable and passed From each to each as the bright circlet passed. Dark somnolence for ever followini< close. AliDALLAH. 13- The sun was shining on the towers and palms "When, following Abra's words, Abdallah strode Through silent spaces and deserted streets And gained the gateway in the further wall. There, when the ghostly summons called to prayer Afresh, and unseen crowds again drew nigh. He joined in the devotions till the groups Dispersed anew, then, lifting up his voice, Claimed his release ; at once, as if self -moved, The bolts w^ere drawn, the doors thrown open wide ; And forth he fared, upon a level land Bounded by lofty hills with bare bright peaks. And drowsy forests darkening at their feet. Despite the heat, he pressed across the plain. Till day was wellnigh done : beneath the boughs He marked a ruined tower, and looked for rest, Perchance a w^ell, within its sheltering shade. He scarce had gained it, when a dazzling maid Came forth and offered him to drink ; he took The cup, but as he raised it, from the wall A lizard slipped and splashed into the draught. And unawares he let the vessel fall. He saw the sward turn black, and missed the maid ;. An owl shrank from his gaze in the wrecked shrine. Else vacant ; and the goblet at his feet, But now of silver, was a shrivelled gourd. By this the woodland depths grew dark with night,. But Abra's badge emitted wondrous beams That flashed far round and scared the cowering forms Lurking behind the boles, as, too perturbed To heed his weariness, he wandered on ; Till by a hollow tree he found a spring, Boughs bent with fruit, and shelter for repose. Deep in the forest, flower- sprent sward and groves On every side, dense foliage closing all, Eose a vast central trunk, with slighter stems Upbearing lateral boughs, and matted leaves 14 ABDALLAH. Roofing cool colonnades of growing shafts, Where fiercest noon shed but a shadowy light. There had the pensive Mistress of the Birds Found a congenial home, far off from stir Of human life, lulled by the languid leaves, And warbled snatches, to perpetual peace. When that green arbour grew upon his gaze, Abdallah was convoyed by fluttering flocks That crowded round him fearlessly, with some Preceding, as to herald his approach. A form more graceful than the willow bough Awaited him, when, with the glittering badge In token of his embassy displayed, He paced through dim aisles to the midmost hall. Sweet with fresh flowers, where mellowing beams of day. Through wavering umbrage filtered, faintly fell. Mute were the maidens and the feathery forms Attending her, till all the tale was told. Then she rose up indignant, and a sign Dismissed them with a billowy rush of wings To call the tribes together, and with speed. Anon, from grove and garden, w^ood and w^aste. Lone mountain-height, swift stream, lake, and salt sea. The swarms assembled, but to be dispersed, Flock after flock, to scour the region round. Hour followed hour, and group succeeding group Swept back from their long circuits, baffled, weak, And spiritless ; worn with an idle quest. Then day departed, and the whispering w^oods Breathed in low sighs, impatient for the moon. But ere the silver radiance stole through glades Of amplest freedom, came a noiseless troop, On wings of down, close-guarding in their midst A prisoner in apparel like their owm. Eesplendent in her just displeasure stood The Mistress of the Birds, her faultless form Dilated, lightnings flashing from her eyes. And awful as a thunder-cloud her brow. ABDALLAH. 15 As the resisting captive was dragged down By beak and claw, and flung beneath a net Whose magic meshes drove it to despair. A chamber scooped within the living trunk Eeceived them, and across its door the net Was stretched — a barrier naught of earth, nor air, Nor fire could burst ; save innocence alone. — Then with stern dignity the conquering queen Waved a bright wand above the culprit's head : The plumy vestments vanished, and, behold, A startliiag shape, half woman half afrite, Eose, panting, in the place of the lost bird. Vain was defiance ; like a splintered lance Her evil power fell from her when a chain. Light but invincible, controlled her limbs. And a thin robe, that fell in glimmering folds About her shapely figure, held it fast From further change, strive as its wearer would. Then from the fiery nature sense of right Or ruth had never moved, the closer dread Of dark age-long existence in a tree Cleft to receive its prisoner but to close Its living walls the firmer, with a twine Of tendrils clasped and sealed with the great name The whole black legions shrink from, wrung a vow Of restitution, as the conqueror willed. So FORTH on floating cars, by marshalled flocks Smoothly propelled, the Mistress of the Birds, Her Captive, and Abdallah, with a host Of winged attendants, sped across the space "Between the City of Shadows and the woods ; And when the first call on the faithful stole Through the dusk air from growing tower to tower. Swept down and softly settled on the walls. The worship ended, once again the cars Were lifted, and the Sorceress, with the Queen And Prince on either hand, was borne above All quarters of the city, glittering rain 16 ABDALLAH. Descending as she scattered from a bowl Eeleasing waters, while unwilling words Came slowly from her lips ; thus, on they fared, Like clouds of blessing cooling a parched laud. Before them ran a whisper, which the streets, Though bare, caught up ; around them, and behind,. Throngs flashed in sight and acclamations rang ; Till, the great compass made, the baleful spell Was cancelled, and the populace, unrestrained, Crowded about the ceutral fane, w^ith boats To bridge its circling waters, and with beams To batter down its w^alls, that light and air Should sweep its dismal memories out of mind. With eager words Abdallah strove to stay The sacrilege — but quick revengeful hands Dragged down the mystic structure as he spoke ; Yet even the lynx-eyed lover found no trace Of Abra, nor of Selim's shattered shape. Anon, through all its avenues the town — No more a City of Shadows, but a scene Of restless movement and redundant life. Poured earnest bands of searchers, till the noon Glowed in mid-heaven and smote with shafts of fire All living things that ventured from the shade. But when the moon and stars had risen anew, Abdallah paced beside the city wall. And, as a shipwrecked seaman scans the waste Of rounded waters for a nearing sail, Swept the wide heavens with hungering eyes, where hope, Though sore assailed by doubt, refused to yield. Beneath the breathless firmament a speck Floated to view, and, broadening into shape, Showed Selim's messenger on mighty wings Approaching : clambering to the rampart's oope. With hands upraised he signalled, till the Form Perceived, and, swooping down, snatched him aloft, Bore him above rock, river, w^ood, and wild ; Nor paused till at his kinsman's lofty dome Descending, once again they trod the turf. AUDALLAH. 17 Through the hushed conidor Abdallah stole, The voiceless warder leading, the dark Shape Beside him silent as a wreath of mist ; Till in the well-remembered hollow tower They paused, and saw the moon's admitted ray Illuminating a recumbent form Eigid as wood beneath the mantle's folds. And there the searcher fain had stayed his steps, But from a curtained niche the gleam of gems Allured him, and with one glad cry he passed. Swift as a kindled torch, from gloom to light. Plucking the glittering token from his breast, He laid it on his love ; straightway she rose ; And open flew the gates of heaven once more. To break the seer's stern sleep, maimed as he was, Had v/rought, not healthful life, but actual death : So back through fields of air Abdallah rode. As never steed by land or barque by sea Bore son of woman, to the sleeping town. To carry tidings to the Woodland Queen. At once the soft-plumed hosts that watch by night Prepared the cars ; and like a small black cloud Chased by a shoal all white and huddhng close, Showed the dark pilot shape and the fair fleet That followed, flecking the blue stretch of space. Thus Abra and the Mistress of the Birds Met with embraces in the wondrous tower, Whose owner lay, unconscious of his wounds, With splintered limbs and many a dreadful dint. And now upon a loftier quest the Prince "Was hastened : grateful memories at his heart, Tearful compliance of his dazzling love. And confident assurance from a queen Already proved so powerful ; all were his. When, with a missive and directions meet, He bade farewell ; and saw the tower fall back And fade into the night, as once again The marvellous bearer sped beneath the stars. 18 ABDALLAH. Hills, forests, floods, and crowding domes and spires, Glimmered beneath, through hushed and lucent air. As hour on hour the steady pinion-strokes Cleft their smooth course ; till from the furthest east Came a pulsation, rather than a gleam. Which bade the Shape, so potent through the night, Descend and seek a covert from the day. Then, in a craggy wilderness, alone. Worn with unwonted toil, the Prince reposed. But when the purple-bannered troops of day Had chased night's glittering legions from the fields Of widening blue, he lifted up his eyes, Freed from the spell of slumber, to behold The goal in sight, and hope welled at his heart, Por strength and confidence of youth were his. Theke kose a mountain with a peak of snow That flashed like flame amid the sky's first flush, And lightly shook a foaming torrent down. Behind whose watery shield a rugged path Wound upward : many an overhanging ledge Broke the grey beams that from rough fissures fell. Like the wild cataract's foam, dispersed and weak ; And further, stretched a cavern, like a mosque For magnitude, its high dome bare to heaven And open to the daylight and the breeze. There, from a date beyond man's memory, dwelt Four brethren, gaunt as vultures ; hale and hard As rocks or knotted oaks their sinewy frames. And bronzed with age-long labours at the forge. For, ever from the hollow summit stole A vaporous wreath, and all the wandering winds That fanned the crags were charged with roaring sounds Of furnace-blasts, the clangour of quick blows On ringing anvils, jangling of bars thrown down. And hissing as of waters vexed with heat. The sun was high, the lofty clifi's stood forth I n might and majesty beneath the glare, ABDAT,T,ATr. 19 Blue space above, the parched plain at their feet, Save where the running river's course grew green, When by the falling flood Abdallah paused And shouted, as the Woodland Queen had taught. At once, as if emerging from the spray, An ibis, like a streak of sunlight, flashed, 'Then turned and vanished, but to re-appear Stalking before a pigmy, black and bowed By constant service at the forge, who led The wondering Prince into the marvellous hall. Amazed, he watched the four gigantic forms Towering above the dwarfish host that fed The fires and ran strange errands to and fro. By light of shooting sparks and molten streams Surrounded ; gusty roars and clattering blows With flapping echoes ever eddying round. Then one, in stature, seeming length of days, And dignity pre-eminent, came forth From that industrious swarm ; who gravely took The proffered missive, with au undimmed eye Scanning its purport and its bearer's mien. Beckoning the Prince to follow, for no voice Slighter than thunder through the ceaseless din Could hope to pierce, beneath a yawning arch, Eough-hewn, but thickly sown with sparry points That flashed back the wide forges' ruddy glare, Along a winding way he led, the sounds Of labour faihug more and more, till all Seemed but a far off song of winds and waves ■On craggy shores, or forests, half asleep, Shaking their long locks to the billowy breeze. At length they gained a nook where falling drops, Incessant, pattered on the slippery floor From pendant masses, others, under these, Grew up, and here and there a slender shaft Extended joining both and growing still, Year after year, beneath the dripping dews. And in a niche, through furrowed ways, thin streams Of that strange fluid crystal formed a jet c 2 20 ABDALLAH. That in a basin, whose encrusted rim Showed gem-like, tinkled with a ceaseless chime. From this the placid mountain-ruler filled A vessel wrought of gold, made fast its lid. Led to the clamorous hall anew, bestowed The priceless gift, and, with a courteous sign Of benediction, sped Abdallah back. Beside the stream, where yet the hanging rocks Shielded from heat, the cataract's voice subdued By distaiice, and the clamour of the tribes Remote from day, incessant at their toil. Withdrawn to murmurous buzzings on the breeze^ Abdallah waited for the night to bring The vassal Shape, and consummate his hope. And whether in the waking world or that Of slumberous visions, or in each by turn. He mused, and dreamed, apart from things of earth,. He knew not, till his meditative trance, Or undistinguished sleep, was torn away Like a rent cloud, and with a sudden shock His mind grew clear, with sense of danger nigh. The stars were faintly glimmering, but the moon, A pallid orb, had scarce begun to scale The heavens, where neither light nor darkness ruled Yet in mid-air black forms were dimly seen In furious conflict, surging to and fro. Smiting and struggling ; sparks and flakes of fire Marking the combat's progress, with the rush Of pinions and a crackling as of scales Beneath the grip of talons strong as brass, i And owned by creatures of a wondrous kind. Since not a cry of rage, or pain, pierced through The tumult of the fluctuating fight. There, in the heavier umbrage of the rocks, One hand upon his scimitar and one Clutching the costly vessel of his quest ; With planted feet, and eyes that strove to read ABDALLAH. 21 The meaning of that unexpected strife, Staunch as a crag himself, Abdallah stood ; Till one gigantic form dropped to the ground, While all the crew beside swept in a flock Full overhead, with buffetings and gusts Of billowy force ; bound for the cavern's mouth Some seemed, the rest battling to bar their course. Then, wdth his sight adapted to the dusk, Or haply wuth the broadening of the moon, He scanned the senseless figure at his feet — And knew his kinsman's messenger, whose aid He counted on to bear him back to life And love — his mission else a madman's quest. Save that some downy shape, whose large round eyes Gleamed through the gloom, swept round, then bore away, Swift as a whirling pebble from the sling ; Hour after hour no presence stirred the calm That hung between the hushed stars and the wastes And stretched to the blue limits rounding all : The boom that from the hollow mountain rolled, The sole stray sound to link the Prince to life. And terrible his isolation grew As star on star loomed large in boundless space. The moon rose higher and with mysterious beams. Distinct as day if tenderer, brought the crags And level sands to view like pictured dreams, And turned his thoughts with awe upon himself. Alone amid creation's heedless powers. But when new day in shafts of splendour glanced From crag to crag, and struggling to the stream, Flickered about it like a lambent flame ; ""Powerless to raise his champion, or to rouse. He turned perforce to trace his homeward way. And long he journeyed through a lonely laud, A lion's foot-prints, or a serpent's trail. Traced in the desert dust, the sole faint signs. League after league, of living ci-eatures near : Till, all at once, a cool fresh patch of green, Shaded by tufted trees, betrayed a spring 22 ABDALLAH. Of vivifying waters, and the wastes Grew brighter, as with hope, about its skirts. There, sheltered from the fierceness of the noon. He paused ; though wearied, undespairiug still, And eager for the sinking of the sun : But slumber, aided by the fanning leaves, And gurgling waters, softly stole his sense. Thus, all forgetful of his toil, he lay Beneath the shadowing palms, when myriad wings. Pulsating, roused him, and a cloud of birds Swept down, and settling, speckled all the turf. And next, behold, the Woodland Queen, convoyed By sturdier hosts, her maids and Nubians nigh ; And at her side a vacant car attached To broad-plumed bearers, waiting for himself. Scarce had the long procession formed afresh, And with innumerable flappings stirred The calm air into gales to cool its course. When, like a billowy mist with tawny skirts And star-beams breaking through its rolling wreaths. The desert dust, by multitudinous feet Displaced, rose up in turgid masses pierced By restless radiance flashed from glittering arms. Back to the sheltering grove the flocks were turned, And all its boughs bent with the living freight With outstretched necks w^atching the coming host : And in that throng the Mistress of the Birds Now recognised the troops of Abra's sire, Led by himself, in quest of his lost child. And when, beneath the boughs, Abdallah won Warm words of blessing from the royal lips — So full of sweetest augury to his hopes, He scarce could trust his senses, half afraid That waking would dispel the bhssful dream. When, with the flying canopy overhead. They set their faces toward old Selim's tower ; Behold, a second army : while they paused. Dubious, both sides drawn up in battle-array. AHDALLAH. 23 The Mistress of the Birds, upborne above, Scanned the fresh host, and swiftly sent a slave To call Abdallah ; through the yielding air He followed, to be set down at the feet Of Aboo-Seer aud fall upon Ins neck. That night, when Selim from his stony trance Eeturned, amid strange pangs, to breathing life, And marked Abdallah and the Woodland Queen Bending above his couch, he strove to rise, Astounded that his limbs refused to work The bidding of his will — 'till Abra's face Shone on him, and remembrance, like a tide. Broke, wave succeeding wave, across his mind. His kinsman Aboo-Seer and Abra's sire Sat watching close beside ; the Captive form, Half human half demoniac, near at hand. Defiance half effaced by gentler lines That touched the bold bright features with fresh grace. As listlessly she sat amid the guards. Both man and bird, in silence stationed round. Then through the stillness, from the hollow tower A rushing sound was heard ; all eyes looked up, And, lo, the marvellous Shape was in their midst, Scarred from the recent combat and with plumes In dire disorder, but restored to strength Once more, and eager for a new behest. An ibis, like a ruddy flame of fire. Followed hard after, with a gleam of gold Trembling to the pulsation of its breast. The Mistress of the Birds received and read . The glittering missive from the mountain-king ; To learn the whole antagonistic crew Had been entrapped and vanquished by the lords Of the loud-echoing caverns, and but now Waited her will, in adamantine chains Controlled, and forced to labour at the forge. But when she told the message, with a voice Like a weak woman's spoke the Captive form, And dew seemed gathering in her glorious eyes, 24 ABDALLAH. But yet she faltered not, and all who heard Admired as well as pitied the proud queen, Though worsted at all points, a sovereign still. What was decreed would surely come to pass ; And now fate fought against her, all she craved Was leave to lead her legions from the realm ; And nevermore should she or hers return To vex the victors, or their subject states. This by an oath revered by men and fiends Confirming, on the Mistress of the Birds She fixed her gaze, assured of her assent. Ere the next moon was rounded to the full, The seat of Aboo-Seer's dominion viewed A pageant unexampled then or since. Beneath night's blazoned canopy, the streets Flushed warm with coloured fires, and every house Was hung with glittering emblems of delight. The bridal car and its supporters looked A broken rainbow fenced by lightning shafts Flashing and ever turning on themselves. On either hand were wondrous cressets borne, Wrought by the friendly workers of the mines, With fragrant clouds ascending from their glow. The chivalry, the minstrelsy, the pomp And courtly pride of two great rulers, joined To mightier agencies, by happiest fate Ranged on their side, spread such a marvellous sight Of grave-browed potentates, accoutered troops. Dwarfs from the caves, and dark tower-tall afrits. Closed in by plumy throngs from the four winds Collected, — rolled in variegated waves Amid the sleepless populace, that dreams Seemed truthful and day's meagre visions naught. But to Abdallah stranger than a tale It seemed to mark his own with Abra's sire ; The mighty masters of the hollow hills, Old Selim, and the Mistress of the Birds, All clustering round him, in the happiest hour Of human life, with blessings on their lips. SUMMER DEEAMS. THE MILL. 27 PEELUDE— THE MILL. From haunts of traffic for awhile unhound, Ere Summer's splendour left the happy skies, Within a sheltered vale a nook I found, So fresh and fair to my enamoured eyes, About my silenced heart at once was wound The loveliness of that enchanted dell, And on my passive mind a mood of musing fell. O silent skies, and shadowy woods, and rills Of sparkling light, and clili's abrupt and grim ! Whether the day's resplendent glory fills The rounded heavens ; or twilight, hushed and dim, Steals after, and a holy calm instils ; Grandeur, and grace, and majesty are yours, Beauty that ever lasts, and strength which still endures. Remote from turmoil of the restless world, And all its buzzing hives of human bees ; The floating towns, that with bold flags unfurled Defy the storms and trample on the seas ; The thunder and the smoke of battle curled Above the hostile squadrons breast to breast : How sweet, unmissed, unmarked, in Nature's lap to rest. As thus I pondered, idly loitering down The smooth descent of that enticing spot. Behold, a mill, with gables high, and brown With age ; and close beside the waters shot, Giving the turning wheel a foamy crown, And casting snowy flakes along the stream, Where alders bent above and flecked the rippling gleam. 28 . SUMMER DREAMS. With gurgling sound the waters wandered on, The fair eyes of the bhie forget-me-nots Looked down upon them, and the stately swan Floated in silence by the meadow-plots, Till through thick leaves the light, now faint and wan. Scarce showed the rock over whose broken edge The glassy current slid, then dripped from ledge to ledge. The shy kingfisher's plumes blazed in the light, The darting dragon-fly flashed on its way. The water-rat swam plainly into sight. The dusty bees rifled the bloomy spray ; The beaming sun looked down, from the far height Of cloudless skies, upon that peaceful scene Of flowery fields, clear streams, and thickets darkly green. A bridge of logs across the current gave A rustic pathway to that ancient mill ; Beneath for ever rushed the restless wave, Above and round its pebbles hurrying still. From fall to fall singing a joyous stave, ^Yhich broke upon the wheel's monotonous tone Fresh as the sparkling spray about the torrent thrown. The building had a dreamy, old-world look ; Its heavy walls, designed for strength alone, Belonged to a past age, when contests shook The nation, and their shield of sheltering stone, If ever tumults reached that favoured nook. Had, from a grange, at once become a fort To which the weak and young in danger could resort. Like loopholes still the narrow windows showed, Deep-set, and dark save where the sunny ray Had pierced and like a warrior's armour glowed, Or western lakes at closing of the day : And as I sauntered up the weedy road, I heard, pervading all, the muffled din Of some uncouth machine that toiled and groaned within. THE MILL. 29' The doves flew up and settled on the roof : No human presence yet my sight had found ; What could these dwellers he who held aloof From all companions, in that valley bound To constant labour in their own behoof ? Or what if, no one living there at all, The wheels and stones still turned, moved by the water's fall ? Half awed, half curious, I was roving round The quaint old mansion, when a sudden turn Placed me upon a plot of grassy ground. And the first look sufficed me to discern A porch where honeysuckle and jasmine wound Their tendrils each with each in careless grace, Toyed with the passing winds and scented all the place. Beyond the stretch of lawn a garden stood, Whose flowers, outspringing from a mass of green, Spread their bright colours to the sun's clear flood ; And on the fruit-trees ripening globes were seen ; While in the background rose the splendid wood. With fluttering leaves that twdnkled in the light. And shadowy depths below as calm and cool as night. The rumbling of the mill scarce murmured there ; The ceaseless measure of the torrent's fall With low faint music filled the slumberous air ; At times from the nigh trees a bird would call. And buzzing insects sought their luscious fare ; Yet none of these, nor every blended sound, Disturbed the sense of peace, but made it more profound. Oblivious both of starting-point and goal ; Like as a boat glides down the drifting stream Loosed from its moorings, under no control ; The downward current of an idle dream Had borne away my unresisting soul. Entangled in a rainbow-mesh, and fanned By odorous gales that blew across no earthly land : 30 SUMMER DREAMS. Or like a star that with the dawn of day Eecedes and melts into the brightening sky, Its effluence not eclipsed, nor swept away, Not lost, but gathered at the sun's warm eye Through clearer heavens to send a purer ray ; So I, absorbed in Nature, seemed a part, How slight, of the grand life that flowed from her strong heart. My thoughts were drawn back in a moment's space. As something laid a touch upon my hand ; And turning with a start, its cause to trace, I saw a noble dog beside me stand ■ Gazing with wistful eyes into my face ; And now I heard a human voice at last, As through the shaded porch an old man briskly passed. With home-bred courtesy he led me round The garden, then his orchard's stores displayed, "Which at the wood itself alone had bound ; There an old summer-house, now half decayed. Stood thus betwuxt the wild and cultured ground, This side with fruits and flowers made doubly bright. The further dense with leaves impervious to the light. And resting there, I said, " A spot like this, To the brain-wearied, for a w^hile would seem A very sanctuary of silent bliss, For life itself here looks a waking dream, Unshaken by disturbing passion's kiss. Nor measured by toil's avaricious hand ; — A cool oasis set in the parched desert-land." " At your age," answered he, " I should have thought This place a prison, had fortune fixed me here ; Then whence have you the weary feelings caught That should not touch your life for many a year ? My youthful limbs in foreign regions sought Means to allay the tingling of the blood Which stirs the bounding pulse and swells its restless flood." THE MILL. 31 Kinclh' he questioned, frankly I replied ; Nor long we chatted ere we grew as friends : And when T rose to leave, perchance I sighed To think for tedious toil what sweet amends Eest in such soft seclusion might provide ; But as I gave my hand to turn away, He realised my thoughts, inviting me to stay. I faltered, though desirous to accept, Confused, and at a loss what words to say ; But softly from the summer-house he stepped. And to the trellised entrance made his way. Ere I could answer ; short time was I kept Awaiting his return, and then he came Accompanied by his wife, a pleasant, comely dame. She to her husband's welcome joined her own. Looking at me with mild, benevolent eyes. And speaking plain words in so kind a tone My heart was touched with interest and surprise. Forthwith to an apartment I was shown, Some time untenanted, now soon prepared For my especial use while I then- kindness shared. This was an upper chamber, fresh and neat, A scent of lavender about it hung And mingled with the fragrance, faint and sweet, Of roses which around the casement clunsr ; The curtains were pure white, and for the feet A rug of rabbit-skins was duly laid ; Two faded Scriptural prints were on the walls displayed. And though the room was small, and well-nigh bare As that provided by the Shunammite For the lone Prophet's use when passing there ; I had no feeling other than delight. In hope of peaceful life beyond compare, While I for some sweet days should take my rest, Enfolded by the trees, in that delicious nest. 32 " SUMMEB DKEAMS. With this old couple one there dwelt to tend The moving stones ; silent and grave was he ; No journeyman I judged him, but a friend, A partner, or a kinsman he might be ; From morn till eve, untiring, would he spend His plodding hours within the dusty mill ; Part of the works he seemed, mechanical and still. And though at times I noted that my host Turned to the garden with industrious hands, That other, always steadfast at his post. Clipped the grooved stones, or fixed the driving bands, Or, on a back broader than many boast, Bore up the steps with ease a heavy load. And on the powdery floor the laden sacks bestowed. I, wandering by the stream, behind the fall, Trod down the tufted grasses, to behold The flowering flags, the rushes straight and tall, The floating lilies with their cups of gold, And dainty brook-lime delicately small ; Or through the deep green water caught a glance Of some retiring fish startled by my advance. And often would the miller lead the way To lovely bowers amid a sea of green ; Or up a gentle hill- side, to survey Valleys of pasture-land, with streams between. Where grazing cattle indolently stray ; Farm-buildings ; orchard-trees ; and, here and there, Grey churches with thin spires piercing the calm blue air. 33 THE EAMBLE. After the first night of my stay, I woke Close upon sunrise, glad to miss the sound Of clamorous wheels beneath a cloud of smoke ; Now fresh and fragrant air was all around. And on my ears the natural music broke Of waters flowing, whisperings of the breeze, And chirping voices calling from the rustling trees. And when the heat of noon began to fail, My new^-found friend proposed to lead me forth, Beyond the confines of the leafy vale, Into the pastoral scenery stretching north ; The genial offer I could only hail With gladness ; and across the shadowy wood We made our way, and in the widening country stood. By hedges bright with foliage ; brooks that slid Through grassy meadows, or where thickets bent Their branches over till they well-nigh hid The gurgling currents ; gaily on we went ; Past waving corn-fields ; lowly cots amid Their own small patches, under sheltering trees ; And granges w^ith an air of rustic W'ealth and ease. At length we struck into the wider road, With scarce a strip of shade on either side, And here a feeble tide of traffic flowed ; A waggon, loaded high and spreading wide, Dragged slowly by, while the dull carter strode. With sluggish tread, along the dusty track, Eesting his unused lash across the leader's back : D 34 SUMMER DREAMS. Then a substantial farmer jogged along On his stout cob ; perchance a market-cart Moved past on creaking axles, staunch and strong ; A herd of cattle, driven toward the mart, Whose lowing blended with the drover's song, Came straggling up ; or else a heavy chaise Kolled by, the plated harness flashing in the rays. Quitting the highway for a narrow lane, With interlacing branches overhead. The dust and heat were quickly lost again ; Cool pasture-lands on either hand were spread, And full in front arose a moss-grown fane. With yew-trees clustering round, and close beside A ruined mansion stood, a wreck of ancient pride. The grey walls, in the brilhant light of day. Against a background of deep foliage set, Stood out distinct, and caught a dazzling ray. Where mulUoned casements with the sunbeams met ; Deserted now, in lonely state it lay, A relic of a generation dead, But grand and noble still, though all its life had fled. " Could that lone isile a faithful record yield Of those who in its chambers dwelt of old. What touching histories might not be revealed. What actions worthy to be wa-ought in gold ; Ere lapsing years threw their oblivious shield Of silence, brooding, like a starless night. Above the vanished scenes, erewhile, perchance, so bright." Thus I exclaimed ; the miller made reply, " Of yonder mansion nothing can I tell ; Yet him I envy not whose unmoved eye On such a scene in carelessness could dwell : Calmly they rest, beneath the placid sky — The long-departed — whether smiles or tears Were oftenest known to them amid their earthly years. SIR EVERARD DIGBY. 35 " One legend I remember, which appHes To an old house like this we now can see ; That also in a pastoral county lies ; Near to my birth-place, and well known to me." I answered, " Such a tale I deem a prize." So resting, nothing loth, the kind old man Eesponded to my wish, and thus the story ran. SIK EVERAED UIGBY. Where the clear Ouse flows down in placid floods By spreading pasture-lands and thickening woods, A village, but in furtive glimpses seen Embowered amid the trees and hedgerows' green — Gayhurst by name — from tranquil day to day. Looks out on flowers, and hears the blackbird's lay. The bubbling spring, the rustling of the breeze. And, floating over all, the murmuring sound of bees. Back from the road a level park expands, Beyond whose stretch a lonely mansion stands, With dim plantations closing in the view. And gardens dark with many an ancient yew ; Hard by, the rustic church in peace profound Keeps watch above grey stone and grassy mound ; Ponds lie in front, within whose sheltering reeds The coot dwells undisturbed and the shy moor-fowl breeds. To that stilled spot the changeful seasons bring Alike the whisperings of the fragrant Spring, The smiles of Summer through the lengthening day. The tread of Autumn on the leaf-strewn way, Or Winter's hollow call across the snow : Eobed in its atmosphere of long ago. Suns shine, rains fall, and winds with roaring din Beat on the walls without, but all is hushed within. 36 SUMMER DREAMS. In days gone by, great men with earnest feet Trod the worn pathways of that cahn retreat ; Majestic dames and youthful ladies bright Swept through the halls with grandeur and with light ; And childish voices thrilled with happy sound, Awakening echoes now in silence bound : All these, long since, have vanished like a dream, Or weak uprooted flowers borne down a brawling stream. When Scottish James as England's monarch crowned The rival kingdoms in one nation bound, That broad estate was held by one well known For good repute, and honoured from the throne-^ Sir Everard Digby — stainless yet, had not 111 counsels linked him to the fiendish plot Which hoped by one black massacre to draw The British realm afresh beneath the Papal law. In early manhood ; generous, and devout ; His natural hesitation put to rout By priests who justified the scheme, and showed That he, since riches are by Heaven bestowed, Should yield, and be rejoiced to yield, his best In furtherance of the Church's high behest ; Was moved, at length, to give as they should need, Convinced their glorious aim would consecrate the deed. Thus with his judgment like a captive bound. And conscience in the depths of dogma drowned ; Leaning on Holy Church, he cast his lot Amongst the nobles who had planned the plot. With popish prelates, and compatriots bold ; And some their swords threw in, and he his gold : From month to month with secret toil they wrought, That all might be prepared when Time their moment brought. SIR EVEBAKD DIGBY. 37 When, to their dire dismay, the project failed : And, threatened with the rack, even stout Fawkes quailed. And gave perforce the names of all the rest ; And an indignant country armed in quest. Slew some, resisting ; others seized, to wait Stern trial and an ignominious fate ; Sir Everard, favoured by the fall of night, With loosed rein and red spur pursued his hurried flight. The winds roared like the sound of lashing seas, And stripped the last leaves from the to rtured trees ; The torn clouds, vainly battling with the blast. On the roused earth a furious deluge cast ; A night of terror, where no starry ray Could pierce the darkness of the dismal way, The glare preceding the loud thunder's crash Lighting the scene alone with intermittent flash. As on he pressed, he ever thought the wind Bore up the news of swift pursuit behind ; Heedless of clogging mire and chilling rain, His frame's exhaustion, or his mental pain ; Urging his steed to yet a swifter race. Despite the gloom, mistrustful of its pace ; While each new sound drove back his curdling blood, He madly plunged along, impetuous as a flood. Then, all at once, but whence he could not tell. Prone to the ground his dying charger fell ; No gun's report broke through the storm-vexed air To tell that a pursuer's hand was there. Yet when with such a din all heaven was stirred Could one short sound the more be surely heard ? No time to pause, for now his horse was dead More urgent waxed his need, on foot, alone, he fled. 38 SUMMEE DREAMS. The dim nlorn struggled through the leafless wood Ere on his own domain once more he stood ; Beneath the dripping boughs with wary tread, And searching eyes at every turn, he sped To gain the spot where clustering shrubs concealed A door which to no touch save his could yield. All unobserved through the dim arch he passed, And breathed a thankful prayer as hope came back at last. One narrow window checked invading gloom Where in the thick walls lay a secret room, Its entrance from above, — a loosened board Back to its fitting-place with ease restored. Two servitors alone, long-tried and true. Beside his wife, the weighty secret knew. There he retired, in hope to lurk unknown Till the pursuit swept by, — a tempest overblown. In silence passed the sad November da}- ; Only the wind went moaning on its way, Sighed to the shivering trees, and wandered round The gloomy mansion with a boding sound : The sun smiled faintly through the tears of mist, And scarce bj' noon the heavy dewdrops kissed Above the sullen river, sweeping down By fields of sodden grass and orchards stripped and brown. And Digby sat with straining ears, that caught No startling sound to rouse his anxious thought ; In prayer and meditation time had passed. And troublous slumber sealed his eyes at last ; When, lo ! a something roused him up, so near His heart thrilled with j)resentiment of fear — A harmless robin on the coping-stone. Which past the window's light with fluttering wing had flown. SIR EVERAED DIGBY. 39 And as he listened to the cliecrful note The sprightly bird shook from its little throat, He mused, " Could I, as undisturbed and free. Pour forth a happy song in careless glee. No gathering clouds to shade my darkened brain With dread of deep disgrace and torturing pain, Clear as the skies, once more my brow would grow, When chilling mists roll back and vernal zephyrs blow. " Arouse thee, heart, and be courageous yet ! Defeated, still our cause can I forget ? Mere tools are we in an Almighty Hand, Moved at His will and bound by His connnand. Power from on high will come by sure decree, That as my day my strength shall ever be ; Secure and tranquil therefore I can v^ait. Staunch and unflinching thus to brave the deadliest fate." 6 Night gathered round with clouds and driving rain ; Stretched on his couch he sought for sleep in vain, Till v\dth the gleam of dawn the tempest ceased. Then for awhile his wearied frame, released From struggling with the mind so long distressed. Sank down out-worn and snatched a fitful rest ; But short the respite, soon in dreams anew Around his tangled path the thickening troubles grew. He thought he saw the senate duly met, And the deep trap below in order set ; All eyes were on the King ; when, wdth a roar, A fierce explosion through the structure tore. Hurled all its stones and mangled bodies high. In one wild chaos, to the darkened sky. Which through its whole extent shook with the yell As back again to earth the blackened fragments fell. 40 SUMMER DREAMS. Then he was fastened, to the burning stake, And cried, " I suffer for the Church's sake !" And lo, he scarce had uttered the last word When from the heavens a rushing sound was heard. And down a cooHng torrent came that quenched The raging flames, and the bystanders drenched. Who shouting " See, a miracle !" thronged round, x\nd with their eager hands the cruel cords unbound. Anon he walked within the budding wood, As oft in bygone days, in musing mood ; He heard the birds' soft carols, clear and sweet, He saw the gentle flowers about his feet, And marked the bounteous sunshine mildly fall With light and warmth and blessing free to all ; And devilish then seemed every thought of ill That stirs men's passions up their fellow-men to kill. And when he woke, yet for a while he lay To half-formed thoughts and images a prey ; A traveller through that intermediate land Where truths to dreams stretch out a friendly hand And join in close companionship so well That fact from fancy none can justly tell, Till the revealing light of breathing day Breaks in upon the scene and drives the shades away. But when his mind grew fully roused and clear, The heavy tramp of horsemen he could hear. Taking their posts to watch the house outside ; Then footsteps hurrying through the chambers wide Around his cell, made drops of terror start, And smote like thunder on his beating heart ; With rigid limbs, and scarcely drawing breath, Lest some discovered noise should lead him forth to death. Throughout the day, at times, he heard the sound Of those who searched and yet no trace had found ; But when the sun at length withdrew his light, And gathering mists brought on the murky night, SIR EVEKARD DIGBY. 41 Silence came back, save when some charger neighed, Or one who asked the pass-word was obeyed ; And now he hoped, with a more tranquil breast, To hear the troops move off from their defeated quest. Again, and yet again, in prayer he bowled, Witli earnest thoughts that dared not breathe aloud ; Then, as around him grew the deepening gloom, He turned his glance about the narrow room, And praised with thankful heart the Queen of Heaven Who in that place her strong support had given. And kissed the crucifix, and blessed her Son Who on the holy-rood a world's redemption won. When to his weighted eyes a happier sleep Stole softly down , with breathing hushed and deep, In a celestial dream he saw the bands Of angels, with palm-branches in their hands ; Bright crowns were theirs, and robes of dazzling light Enwrought with wreaths of purple flowers and white. And to their harps of gold, with voices clear. They sang enchanting songs the dead might rise to hear. 8 Meanwhile the sheriff marked the setting sun. And chafed to think no clue had yet been won : But while he pondered heavier fell the night, And through the chambers point on point of light Flashed forth as lamps were kindled one by one ; And looking on, he felt a great thought run iVcross his mind, like the swaft lightning's gleam, That whispered to his hope a practicable scheme. . The household under guard, his followers set Candles alight, from base to parapet, In all the windows traceable, that he The careful working of his plan might see : 42 SUMMER DREAMS. And, pacing round, he watched row after row Brighten and spread, as glow succeeded glow, Till all the building in a yellow blaze Startled the shrinking night and swallowed up the haze. And when assured that his desire was done — Lights in the casements stationed, every one — His heart leaped up, for lo ! a window-rank Showed one unlighted space still blind and blank. Deliberate in his certainty, he laid His charge on each, and coolly was obeyed ; Ladders were reared ; the guiding window, gained. Fell crashing from their way, — and victory was attained. 9 Composed and grand now his last hope had fled. Sir Everard lifted his patrician head ; And calmly as an old wave-beaten rock Succumbs to some unusual tempest's shock, Bows its unflinching front by slow degrees, And softly slips down to the ravening seas ; So he, with dignity and fortitude, Eesigned himself to fate, his soul still unsubdued. — "When the stern law had snatched his life away. Back to the loved domain friends bore his clay ; There they laid down his not dishonoured head ; And in a little while the snow was spread Above his resting-place in stainless white. Hiding all that was earthly from the sight ; Emblem of Charity, that will not give Harsh judgment on one fault, but still bids virtues live. 10 Past the fair meads the gentle river winds, And many a nook of quiet beauty finds. Where woods bend over, and the skies shine through, Till dark green shadows meet with tender blue ; Sm EVEEAKD DIGBY. 43 And on its bank the hamlet sits at ease, Folded in sunlight, save where rustling trees Join bough to bough, and with their fluttering leaves Eepel the struggling rays, and shield the darkened eaves. And still the mansion stands in mournful state ; The silent tower beside its fitting mate : Except on Sabbath morns, when hinds repair, Across the fields, to join in worship there, No sounds are heard but of the wind and rain ; These soon depart, and all is hushed again. Save when a rook goes by on flapping wings. Or from the belfry-roof a starling faintly sings. 44 SUMMER DREAMS. ' THE STUDENT. A GLAD surprise befell the following clay — A former school-mate of a kindred mind, Whose dwelling, as I learned hereafter, lay- Contiguous to that leafy realm, inclined. So bright the morn, through the green woods to stray ; And thus we met, hap-hazard, face to face, Both idlers for the time, in that congenial place. Our temperaments alike : though valuing books. Enamoured more of teachings from blue skies. Songs of companionable winds and brooks. And all the melancholy calm that lies In dewy meads, still lakes, and sylvan nooks : His happier lot had left him free to roam Amid the cherished scenes of his ancestral home. And now with double joy we rambled down The fairy paths, and interchanged the talk Of clear-browed country and toil-wrinkled town ; Pausing at length, too indolent to walk. Beneath a tree whose spreading roots, and crown Umbrageous, offered both a natural seat And cool protection from the noontide's growing heat. And here our conversation turned to themes Ingrained in both our natures long ago ; Historic finger-posts, poetic dreams. And philosophic teachings, sweet to know ; And like the healthful air, and cheering streams Of perfect daylight, round our leafy shade, Our subjects on our hearts a loftier pleasure laid. THE STUDENT. 45 Auon into the life of every day We slid anew ; my host, as now I learned, Had been a soldier and had won his way To fair promotion and his pension earned ; At length, disabled in some mightier fray, No more withheld from honourable release, He took the mill, intent to end his days in peace. Experienced, and above his class refined. Unprejudiced, nor loth, when asked, to give The steady judgment of a balanced mind ; Happy his unambitious life to live Secluded, not as one to fate resigned, But a philosopher, in his plain way, "Whose occupation brought contentment day by day. I knew our tongues would travel back ere long, Like wearied birds returning to their nests, To those inspiring utterances of song That ever stirred within our ardent breasts ; If silenced when amid the worldly throng. More vigorous culling strength from the calm trees, Joy from the singing streams, and freshness from the breeze. We spoke of master minds that stand alone, Like mountains inaccessible to most ; And gentler natures whose sweet words have thrown Their spell on many a sympathising host : " Few gather joy, but sorrow all have known. Hence saddest themes win universal sway ; " I said, and he replied, " It may be as you say : " But for my preference let the song be bold To breathe the daring of a hardy race ; Of dauntless heroes let us still be told, -,- In martial strains their grand achievements trace, And learn their end with shouts of victory rolled In mighty echoes, tossed from sky to sky And caught bv all the hills, that will not let them die." 46 SUMMER DREAMS. I knew of old the bias of his mind, And sowed a word at times about the way, In hope to rouse him, as a touch of wind May draw the fragrance from a blossomed spray ; At length his heart was stirred, as I designed. To scenes of ancient glory then he led. While on elastic turf we paced with lightened tread. CEIDA. 1 Eesplendent rose the sun through skies of deepening blue, Across the swelling seas a golden radiance shed, And lighted tranquil fields where grain of ripening hue. In ears of weight that bowed to meet the sickle, spread. But they who sowed the seed were not secure to reap. For Alfred, who so long had led the Saxon swords. In Winchester was laid to sleep the dreamless sleep No more to be disturbed by any Danish hordes. And since a feebler hand the weakened sceptre swayed, The pirates gathered strength and swooped down as of yore, With pillage, fire, and blood the lonely spots dismayed ; Then back across the waves the spoils of plunder bore. In such a troublous time, young Crida and his hinds To gather in the crop had set their sturdy hands. When all their harvest thoughts were scattered to the winds By one in haste who warned of fresh marauding bands. The youthful husbandman a stalwart warrior grew. The reapers, armed with speed, a harnessed troop of might. And round their natural chief the ready phalanx drew To follow as he led, for hearth and home to fight. CRIDA. 47 And as they marched along to meet the hated foe They added all the groups that poured across the lea ; Thus tributary streams with hastening currents flow To swell the mightier flood that sweeps down to the sea. Soon as their eager eyes beheld the lino of coast, The raven flag that marked the threatening hulls they saw ; And marching up the beach came the defiant host That kept no treaty long and recognised no law. Anon the forces met with maddening cries of war, A flight of arrow^s glanced from off the rattling shields, Then rang the clash of arms, which echoed from afar Across the wondering waves and through the whisper- ing fields. But faithful each to each, as Crida's voice was heard, His wary ranks fell slowly back, as if perforce ; Their adversaries' shouts told that their hearts were • stirred "With savage joy, as on they pressed their forward course. But when they neared the trees suspicion in them grew Lest by the sheltering trunks an ambuscade was placed. And craftily they stayed ; but Crida charged anew. And forced them to fight on, or else retreat disgraced. Their chieftain was a man of mighty stature, dark His flowing hair and beard, and terrible his glance ; On Crida now he glared, as making him his mark. And like a lion's roar commanded to advance. The Saxons, closer drawn, scarce reached the covering trees. And flashed a shower of shafts from off their sturdy bows, When, like a shattered boat hurled back by scornful seas, Down at their feet fell, wrecked, the leader of their foes. 48 SUMMER DEEAMS. A shout of triumph met the yell of deadly rage "Which from the pirates burst at their commander's death, And hand to hand both sides now felt they must engage, And for a moment paused, and watched wdth bated breath. And in that pause a sound came from the distant beach, At which the Danes snatched up their smitten chief and fled ; For Saxon sails were spied beyond the sandy reach, Which to their brethren's aid propitious breezes sped. Then Crida loosed his men like hounds upon their path. Compelled them still to turn, and harassed all their way ; While they, like hunted wolves, ferocious in their wrath, Eallied, and raged, and fell ; or stumbled toward the bay. Their fellows, in whose charge the barques were left, beheld The flight, but dared not leave their posts to render aid ; For now the Saxon ships came on with canvas swelled, Like birds with outspread wings, and all their hearts dismayed. And when the remnant reached their decks, at once they spread Their every sail, in hope to pass the nearing fleet ; But abler seamanship the stern avengers led. And favouring winds conspired to make their gain complete : For, like a fisher's net, they closed the pirates in While still their anchors scarce were lifted from the sand ; And by the trampled shore uprose the deadlier din Of two-edged battle now", w^aged both by sea and land. CRIDA. 49 And as the lightning's Hash bursts through the thunder- cloud To point the forward path of the resounding storm, So Crida led his troop, his voice distinct and loud, And something more than man's seemed his dilated form. No quarter asked the Danes, like beasts they fought and fell; The victors' vessels towed the captured craft away ; And ere the setting smi not one was there to tell Of the decisive fight by that deserted bay. But through the hamlets round a great rejoicing spread To know the roving crews crushed in their black intent ; Even they who sadly mourned above their honoured dead Were cheered to think those lives had been so nobly spent. And of the general praise young Crida won his share ; But, unassuming still, on the succeeding morn To the full harvest-fields afresh he made repair, Amongst his trusty hinds, to gather in the corn. men deserving fame ! glorious hearts of old ! Long as the breezes blow, or ocean's billows roll, Your lives, enshrined in rays of sunlight's fiery gold. Shall charm the dazzled mind and thrill the swelling soul. And while our pulses bound at every daring deed, And tingle with the glow caught from their distant day. What pride is ours to know that of their own true seed Still in our sea-girt land are thousands brave as they. E 50 SUMMER DREAMS. THE SABBATH. Next clay the mill had rest, for Sabbath drew Its calm around with the returning sun ; A gentler voice diverted waters threw, About the wheel no longer forced to run ; And silently the gradual morning grew ; Then, faintly stealing down the pulseless air, A distant chiming told the time approached for prayer. Along the vale with chastened hearts we went, Eepose around and peace enfolding all. Till, softly pressing up a smooth ascent, We reached the fane whose bells' melodious call Had been our guide ; and rustic stragglers bent Their plodding footsteps toward the sacred place. With thankfulness and joy in every honest face. An old square tower of grey and mossy stone, Circled by grassy mounds where daisies grew ; One more conspicuous tomb, which stood alone. Beneath the shade of a recumbent yew, Crumbling with age and well-nigh overthrown ; A trim hedge fencing these from fields which lay Wrapped in the golden light of that delicious day : — Such was the prospect at our journey's end ; I might have fancied I was dreaming still : Could earthly murmurings so serenely blend, Or fairy scenes be less disturbed with ill ? I looked upon the face of my staid friend, And he seemed moved by feelings near akin As through the shaded porch we softly entered in. THE SABBATH. 51 From narrow windows fell a checkered ray On the firm floor and walls rongh-hewn and bare, The solid seats told of an earlier day When frames well-nigh as tough sat stiffly there, And heavy rafters failed not to display Their sturdy beams to our upgazing eyes, As if their massive strength could brook no thin disguise. The vast cathedrals came upon my mind. Where through the painted panes rich radiance falls On sculptured records of the dust enshrined Within the compass of their hallowing walls, And round them waves of music most refined, Borne on the mighty organs' sea-like tide, Eoll echoing through the naves and fill the cloisters wide. But how unlike to these that house of prayer. Enclosed by fields and lighted by the sun ! What though its walls were rough, its benches bare. With sti'ength that all embellishments would shun ; Tranquillity and holiness were there, And the faint twittering of a passing bird Broke not, but blended with, the thoughts of those who heard. More powerful reasoning, set to loftier speech, I oft had known ; but never sweeter w^ords ; For Faith had taught the pastor's tongue to reach Kesponsive hearts and vibrate through their chords ; And if to polished ears he would not preach The current dogmas of a modern time, He spoke the simple Truth, and Truth must be sublime. We sauntered back upon our homeward way With tranquil joy throned in our silent breasts ; The landscape round, steeped in the golden day — • For in the summer noon all nature rests — Wrapped in a dreamless sleep of beauty lay ; Distinct against the sky the dark green wood, Firm as a solid mass, with heavy foliage stood : E 2 52 SUMMER DKEAMS. The birds were in the self-same slumber bound ; The stream its everlasting music made, And humming voices sent a softened sound About the labyrinths of the leafy glade ; But naught of stir or tumult was there found To call the thoughts from their poetic dream, Or to disturb a mind pondering the pastor's theme. 53 THE STEEAM. The following day, soou after dawn, the mill Began its weekly duties, rumbling round. And the white waves that never could be still Dashed down the wheel afresh with thunderous sound ; And as I heard I felt a kind of chill, To think that even there if man would dwell. To win the means of life his hands must labour well. — Beneath thick alders, sheltered from the heat, I sat, and idly watched the flowing tide. When the great dog came gambolling to my feet. And looking up, its owner I espied doming across the grass to my retreat ; He offered now to lead me through a scene Where yet my roving steps, alone, could scarce have been. And still beside the stream our wanderings led, Through fields that promised many a golden sheaf. Or pasture-lands of level green outspread. Or thickly-set plantations full of leaf. Or dingles where the light was softly shed As meeting branches made a fretted dome Above the bushes where birds found a peaceful home. ^We turned aside when an impetuous brook Into the wider stream its volume threw ; Along its course our altered route we took, And bolder scenery round our progress grew; 54 SUMMER DEEAMS. From rock to rock the torrent fell, and shook Eefreshmg drops upon the clustering flowers, That bowed then- beauteous heads to meet the diamond showers. "With rush and roar, amid a sylvan scene. The waters hurried downward, dashed with light That pierced amid the leaves of vigorous green, And brought a glimpse of heaven's expanse to sight ; But shadows dark as midnight lay between. Through which the sweeping waters, vaguely heard, In the suspended pulse a half -formed terror stirred. And in that lonely place, amid the sound Of falling waters, and the varying breeze, Which spread the murmuring voices all around. Or, faintly rusthng through the shivering trees. Bound all into one harmony profound ; My staid companion set himself to tell A sad adventure which in such a spot befell. THE LEGEND OF THE TOKKENT. 1 The torrent falls, and foams along Its broken bed, in sun and shade ; The wandering winds receive its song And bear it down from glade to glade. Around, through all the golden day, The careless birds their sports pursue. Or boldly dash amid the spray, And shake their wings and sing anew. It flashes down the rocky height, A misty rainbow ever by, Till, clad in starry vesture, Night Advances through the silent sky : THE LEGEND OF THE TORRENT. 55 Then, like a wild and ghostly thing Endued with life, as clouds pass on, From out the gloom its splendours spring, Amaze the sight, and straight are gone. Should some belated woodman tread, Beneath the wintry tempest's frown, Anigli its course, he marks with dread The furious currents rushing down. For superstition's latent fears Arise, and all his bosom fill, As through its sound he thinks he hears A voice of lamentation thrill : For, centuries back, that torrent saw A sight that should for evermore Suspend its waves in freezing awe, Or fill with grief their hollow roar. 2 The woods had lost their Summer green, The skies with milder sunlight glowed. When gaily through the sylvan scene A gallant hunting party rode. The crying pack, the sounding horn. The rush of steeds, the cheery call, In jovial clamour forward borne, Were heard amid the waters' fall. A mighty hart, with flying bounds, Broke through to that secluded place. And close upon it pressed the hounds Inflamed with ardour of the chase : The hunters, clad in green and gold. Came hard behind ; till now the stag No more a forward course could hold. Kept back by the blockading crag. 56 SUMMER DREAMS. Then turned the noble beast at bay ; And more than one ferocious hound, With savage antlers thrust away, Lay stretched upon the crimsoned ground. And still it fought with head and hoof, And some were maimed, and some were slain, Till all the remnant held aloof To breathe awhile, then charge again. And on the whitening waters ran, Nor sent abroad a warning cry, But, disregarding beast or man. They thundered down and hurried by. The youthful lord of Hawthornden Was first of all the joyous band That trampled up the savage glen Where now the deer had made its stand. Eobust with early manhood's strength. Of active limbs and fearless heart. His daring pushed him to the length Of rashness in the leading part : For, leaping off his horse, he drew His hunting-knife, and forward pressed To brave the desperate stag, and threw His whole weight on to pierce its breast. If shouts from timorous friends he heard Unheeded on his ears they fell, One motive all his courage stirred And made his hardened muscles swell. In vain was now his valour shown ; His pale companions rushed too late To render aid, as overthrown He met the destined blow of fate. THE LEGEND OF THE TOEKENT. 57 The swift avenging arrows flew Above the form so crushed and still, And pierced their antlered victim through ; The hounds were left to work their will : Of stag or hound no hunter thought, For when they lifted Malcolm's head. They saw the woe that day had wrought — They knew his life for ever fled. Unmoved, the torrent tossed its foam, \Yith ceaseless din, from stone to stone, As some prepared to carry home The shape from which the breath had flown. But earlier still a few had left To pave the way for all the worst. Lest on the household thus bereft Too sharp the sudden shock should burst. Then on a bier of boughs was borne In sadness back the rtiined form. That sallied forth that fatal morn Endowed with life so full and warm. The mourning horsemen came behind. The wondering hounds together drew, And dismal seemed the wdiispering wind, And cold the skies of fading blue : The forest shook its loosened leaves And strewed them rotmd their forward way, But not like tears of one who grieves For loss no lapse of time can pay ; They coldly fell, and met the tread Of that procession passing on ; And ere the mists of eve had spread The last of all the band had gone. 58 SUMMER DREAMS. And still the waters rushed and roared, Tumultuous, down their rugged way, Around the rocks in fury poured, Or leaped above in angry spray. 5. Within the w^alls of fair Carlisle, Past many a hill and many a stream, The maiden dwelt whose favouring smile Fulfilled young Malcolm's fondest dream. And when a few brief moons had flown. And brought afresh the budding Spring, No more should life be lived alone. For sweetly would the joy-bells ring. And while her needle now she plied, Intent upon the worked design, " How short a space can now divide His loving heart," she thought, " from mine ! '" She heard a horse's tramping fall Within the courtyard paved with stone. And looking from the windowed wall Beheld a man she long had known. Her lover's trusted squire was he ; She paused, but yet no message came ; What could his hurried errand be, And why should she not know its aim ? Her idle frame and silks put by. For how could they her mind engage When one who came from him was nigh ? She called her little waiting page ; And said, " Go down, and bring me word If speech or missive waits for me." He brought reply, "One sought my lord. But said, mv mistress, naught of thee." THE LEGEND OF THE TOKRENT. 59 6. The torrent rages down the ileU, And shouts, and shakes the shivering woods, When Winter's added tempests swell To mightier force its feeding floods. o And shaken like the leafless wood. When now the dismal news was told. Fair Bertha's father trembling stood. But like a statue, pale and cold. " His dreadful death she needs must learn, But by degrees, lest worse betide; I pray thee hasten thy return. Nor give a sign to one beside." Thus spoke the parent ; he who heard, Obedient on his journey went, And breathed to none without a word Of all his sudden visit meant. But Bertha, watching, wondering, saw Again astride his mettled steed. The trusty messenger withdraw And on his backward journey speed ; Then softly to her father went. And told she marked the squire below, And begged his errand's true intent, If aught of Malcolm, she might know. And thus beset, the sire replied, That news of border strife had come. And he must be prepared to ride Amongst his men to guard their home. 7 Beneath the branches bare and brown. Chafing at each projecting stone. The restless torrent flashes down. And overhead the breezes moan. 60 SUMMER DREAMS. And downward like the torrent flow The tears from Bertha's streaming eyes, And sadder zephyrs cannot blow Than those from her continual sighs. Ill tidings travel far and fast, And through the castle, none knew how, That evil message spread at last. And she has learned her sorrow now. Her maidens fain would rouse her mind By tale and song, but not of love — No care can change her mood they find. Nor harp, nor voice will she approve. Her sire invited many a guest, And feast and dancing stirred the hall ; But she, remote from all the rest, Seemed one on whom the shadows fall. At length he bore her far away. Beyond the sea, to sunnier climes, In hope that their luxuriant day Might break the grief of former times. In vain he hoped ; a faded flower Was she when back they came at last ; And now below the silent tower She lies in peace, all sorrows past. 8 The torrent, hurled with mighty force Over the cliff and down the steeps, Eolls onward in its raging course. And still its old complaining keeps. The yOuth who met his death hard by. At rest beneath the willow tree, No more can hear the hunters' cry. Though loud and long the shout may be. THE LEGEND OF THE TOKEENT. 61 The maid who loved hiin more than ^Yell, In cahnness deep as his sleeps on ; Birds sing above, but cannot tell Of aught but peace where she is gone. Gone likewise is the gentle sire, Such sorrow bowed his hoary crown. From earth had fled his last desire, — And by his child they laid him down. Aye, many a year has passed away, With calm and tempest, sun and storm. And blended with their parent clay All then imbued with life so warm : But, like a thing of deathless date, The torrent rushes on its way, Above the boulders leaps elate, And strews abroad its showers of spray. Still rage and race impetuous stream Unmoved by human bliss or pain : Unlike to us who sadly dream Of days that cauuot come again. 62 SUMMER DEEAMS. THE WOOD. My host led through the leafy depths next day, By paths a random wanderer could not know, Till to the ridge beyond we forced a way And saw a beauteous landscape stretched below ; Fields, streams, and woods, flushed with the morning ray, Basked in unruffled peace, and, scattered round. Were cots and rustic fanes in pictured stillness bound. The distant roads and lanes with streaks of white Crossed here and there amid prevailing green ; But not a sound of labour reached our height, Though forms of journeyers, indistinctly seen, Or some slow waggon, crossed the line of sight Now and again, rest charmed the placid air Embracing that expanse, beyond a vision fair. " Sweet is the view," my staid companion said, " As any that my roving eyes have scanned, Though far more gorgeous have I seen outspread Where tropic heat rouses the teeming land ; But there the grandeur strikes the mind with dread ; For fierce beasts crouch within the broad-leaved brake. And bushes bright with flowers shelter the poisonous snake. " Hence I can prize a landscape such as this, Though lacking the luxuriance of the south ; Eemembering here what baleful things we miss — No noxious vapours smite the blackened mouth, Flying tormentors sting, nor reptiles hiss ; No tempests shake the ground and tear the skies; But life with calm is ours, for peace about us lies." THE WOOD. 63 When, later on, from my secure retreat. Where the meridian rays could never come And fanning leaves dispersed the growing heat, I heard the sounding waters, and the hum Of insects, in one music, faint and sweet, Blending and gently hovering over all. Like waves that ever swell but hardly rise or fall ; Sleep closed my eyes, and with a downy hand Conducting me across the sapphire seas, Guided my steps along a pearly strand, Through glorious groves planted with fragrant trees, And gardens by no human craftsmen planned ; Soft voices touched the winds with heavenly song. And loveliest shapes in hues of beauty passed along : But while I gazed in rapture on the scene. Beneath my feet I felt the firm earth quake ; Above my head boughs parted, and between The shuddering leaves stole an enormous snake ; My strength fell from me, and I scarce could lean Against the nearest tree-trunk, ere it wound Its crushing form round mine and bore me to the ground : But when I touched the turf the vision fled ; And as I glanced around with wondering eyes, I saw the quiet woodland in its stead, Closed in by the hushed fields and silent skies ; And chirping birds were flitting overhead. And listlessly I watched them come and go, Unconscious of my presence in the shade below. Musing, I heard the wandering zephyr's sighs Breathe in mysterious language to the leaves, Whose half intelligible faint replies -' Wove drowsy music round the roof and eaves Of the green bower ; then slowly trees and skies Blended their beauties in one fading hue Which an exhausted sun no longer struggled through. 64 SUMMER DREAMS. Then all the landscape softly slid away : A dhuness, not of mist, was gathering round ; A something sweeter than the loveliest day Soothed the charmed soul to pleasure more profound: "With that down-falling cloud of gentle grey Pain could not be ; Toil was a thing gone by ; Peace was the ruler now, Oblivion standing nigh. Whether the voices round my green retreat Stole through the clouds of slumber to my brain, Or embryo fancies can in dream-land meet Their vital atmosphere and breathe again ; I saw a drama to the life complete, Its actors birds, its scenes amid the woods. As if the feathery forms were stirred by human moods. And when the dream dissolved I thought to find Some of the plumed assemblage round me yet, But not a flutter roused the slumberous wind ; Through softened skies the sun, about to set, A molten orb in purple clouds enshrined. Left on the loftier boughs a fairy light, But, all beneath, the trunks were dark with coming night. "O" I went and peered into the rumbling mill ; The silent man was at his constant post, Like an automaton plodding onward still : Behind the fall I saw my genial host, Where the great dog, obedient to his will. Plunged in the flood to fetch the ventured stick, Or leaped and frisked about with many a sportive trick. I joined him, and along the bank we waJked, And watched the sun sink slowly to his rest ; Of former times my sage companion talked And prospects brilliant as the glowing west. Seen in his youth, ere, by his wounding balked, Fate brought his later days an altered lot, And fixed his travelled limbs in that secluded spot. THE LINNET AND THE SPAllKOW. 65 I heard his strange narrations with delight ; But nothing of my vision told to liim ; Yet ere I sought my simple couch that night, Lest time should steal or make its colours dim , I drew the sketch still fresh to mental sight ; A reminiscence of the woodland shades, And the fair forms that dwell amid the happy glades. THE linn]<:t and the SPAREOW. 1 The Spring was abroad in her beauty and bloom, With blossoms unfolding wherever was room, And the smiles of the sun and the tears of the showei's By turns added splendour or grace to the hours, As onward they glided with perfume and song, And all the delights that to Spring-tide belong. From the dawning of day to the twilight of eve Earth looked a new Eden where nothing could grieve ; The flowers were as fair as the tints in the skies, As they gazed on the sun with their lover-like eyes : The forests were clad in the freshest of green ; Below ran the streams amid shadow and sheen ; And perched on the branches, or sporting in air, The birds gave their praise to a season so fair. Where a thicket its network of greenery weaves And tempers the daylight that steals through the leaves, Was gathered a choice of all plumage and voice That could make the dim woods and their echoes rejoice With beauty around them and sunlight above No wonder their hearts were expanding with love ; So they sang, and coquetted, or softly withdrew. In pairs, with a murmur of vows to be true. Till the clustering boughs shut them in from the sight, Where the gladness of day met the softness of night 2 Of all that assemblage not one was more gay Than a sprightly young linnet, that warbled his lay 66 SUMMER DREAMS. So sweetly, so clearly, so full of delight, That even the blackbird gave way to its might, And said to the thrush, sitting by on a bough, " Our minstrelsy knows a fresh rivalry now." To which the thrush answered, " No need to wait long For the change that will come to his juvenile song ; I have seen what inspires both his heart and his voice- A trifling hen-sparrow, forsooth, is his choice ; She cunningly rests on a neighbouring spray, And insinuates fondness for him and his lay, Till, flattered, and dazzled, his judgment all lost, His thoughts in a beautiful tangle are tost, And fixed in the midst of the glorified mesh She stands, a bright vision, yet palpable flesh : But time will soon carry the rainbows from earth. And then he must know her for what she is worth." " O hush ! " said the blackbird, " We know from above Comes down, like the sunshine, our impulse to love : Would we, if we could, overcloud the sweet day ? Could all of our efforts drive darkness away ? Since all must be silent and bow to the night. More reason have we to rejoice in the light : This pair of new lovers, if lovers they be, Can alter no prospect for you or for me ; Let them live out their warm little lives to the fill ; Here is space for us all, and I wish them joy still." To this the thrush answered, " You argue awry ; No cynic to sneer at a true love am I ; But I never expect to behold her his mate — If I did I should wish him a happier fate ; For the flighty young sparrow, that seems to him now As firm as a leaf when attached to the bough, To-morrow may show to his mortified mind As loose as that leaf drifting off in the wind." Meanwhile the glad linnet continued his lay. Till the flirting young sparrow had flitted away : THE LIXXET AND THE SrAUUOW. G7 Then loneliness seized him ; and brushing about, His old friend the bull-finch, grown handsome and stout, Accosted him, praising his looks and the day ; And chatting together, they took the same way. With sensitive pinions spread out to the breeze, Till they came to the last of the sheltering trees : And pausing awhile on the verge of the grove. The linnet spoke out to his friend of his love. And kindly, but gravely, the bull-finch replied — He feared she would make him no suitable bride ; If the truth might be told, she was giddy, and pert ; Capricious, uncaring whose feelings she hurt ; For a while she might try to atti-act him, perchance. But would coldly retreat when he made an advance : To himself all the family long had been known, And his best of advice was — to leave her alone. But, like a young lover, the linnet grew hot, And exclaimed, " For her kindred I care not a jot ! And happy am I to perceive she can be So careless to others, so gentle to me : The spouse that you cherish, so fair to your sight. To me could have brought no especial delight ; And well has fate ordered it thus, that we all Shall be blest where our varied affections may call." " Quite true," said the bull-finch, "but mark how you miss The point of our converse, which briefly is this — Will the fiickle young sparrow, if taken to wife, Be likely to brighten, or darken your life ? Or foremost, indeed, I should rather have said Do you think she has any intention to wed? " The linnet responded, " I only can say, Her presence to me is the glory of day ; Though she never may marry, her friendship I prize Beyond all the wealth of this earth and its skies. ■~Her shape is so slender, her plumage so neat. Her manner so charming, at all points complete, From the beautiful eyes to the delicate feet A marvel of loveliness, perfect and sweet." F 2 68 SUMBIEK DREAMS. Said the bull-finch, " I see it were useless to try To convince, though the river of speech should run dry, A susceptible nature like yours with the words That judgment, which you would deem coldness, affords; Farewell, and ere we shall encounter again I trust that your heart may have suffered no pain." As the linnet turned back to the thicket again A shade of mistrust fell across his disdain ; Though he said to himself, " What can anyone tell Of her to a lover who knows her so well ? If careless to others she always can be How strong is the feeling that draws her to me." Yet the doubt that was sown in his mind, though ungrown Struck root with a torture aforetime unknown ; So he fluttered along without singing a note, For he felt an unusual pain in his throat, Till he wearily perched on a bough bending low To kiss a clear brook, that with musical flow Glided on, ever on, like the vanishing hours, Adored by the trees and caressed by the flowers ; And he gazed on that rivulet speeding along, Eesplendent with light and encircled by song. Till sweetness and sadness together were twined. And musing had seized his contemplative mind. He thought, " There are some that sing sweeter than she; And the plumage of many more splendid may be ; While others a loftier breeding can boast ; — Let every one choose what he values the most : Her grace and her gentleness charm me far more Than beauty and song ever thrilled me before ; The senses when dazzled their wonder may own, But the pleasure wears off when more intimate grown ; The heart can be reached by affection alone. And for this, if it come not, naught else will atone. " I will rouse up my courage and rush on my fate ; No longer in trembling suspense can I wait ; THE LINNET AND THE SPARROW. 69 If she scorn ine — but uo, such a thought I dismiss, And approach her in hope, nay, assured of my bhss : Nor need I prepare, for my feehngs will teach j\Iy eloquent tongue an appropriate speech." So emboldened and strengthened, he went on his way To look for his love ere the cool of the day ; Not dreaming her pastime had lasted its while — For little he knew of a feminine guile. But she, careless creature, quite heedless of him, Had joined a gay group, on a tree's spreading limb, That feasted and chattered, or whistled and sang. With a clamour that startled the woods as it rang. She had forced herself up to a prominent place ; And if joked about him made a saucy grimace, Then his voice and his manner and movements would mock, Amid screams of applause from the shallow-brained flock. But he, little thinking of any disgrace, ■Came steadily up to the holiday place ; Some gave him a welcome, some sidled away. Some stared in his face and kept on with their play ; But with management soon by the sparrow he stood. And asked her to ramble with him through the wood. For, dropping his voice to a very low tone. He had something to utter for her ear alone. She judged but too well what this language must mean, But trembling herself at the thought of a " scene " Before her companions, she rose from the bough, And turned back as he wished, who felt ecstasy now. For if she to his whisper came gently like this. His hopes might expand into measureless bliss. 6 ,.,But at last, when he thought, with no other anear. He could pour forth his tale to her gratified ear. And without hesitation had warmly begun. Since he looked on his suit as already half won. 70 SUMMER DEEAMS. He was staggered to find his proposal stopped short By her insolent look and sarcastic retort. " And is this," she broke in, " what you wanted to say. When from all my companions you called me away ? Do you think I should bid to all pleasures adieu To pass through a humdrum existence with you ? Your songs I admire, but the nobler aspire To more than mere sounds to awaken their fire, x\nd he that would kindle affection in me Much more than a simple young singer must be." At this he grew angry, and answered with pride, " Why then, may I ask, are you now at my side? You must know your owti actions have spurred me to speak, For you well-nigh held out the cold heart that I seek ; And if I had kept back, and let all the bright Spring Slide away while I roved with a changeable wing, Y'ou would then have put forward your every device To have warmed into feeling my bosom of ice ; But because I have spoken a little too soon My offer is slighted, and scorn is my boon." " Y^ou misunderstand me," she answered, " indeed, I am only too sorry to think I mislead ; Your songs have delighted me, this you well know. And oft have I lingered, reluctant to go To the giddier scenes where my presence was sought, And still through their clamour those echoes I caught, As they wandered along through the depths of my breast. As soft as the strains round a newly-built nest. Such dreaming is harmless, and thrown off at will. But marriage is real and fetters us still." Said the linnet, " You know our preamble of love Was noted and talked of by all in the grove ; If I had kept silence good cause had been yours To blame me as long as the Summer endures ; Nay, had I not spoken as now I have done I had been but a mark for the honest to shun : And now, a poor tatter of glory you gain. While I must turn backward, and stifle my pain." THE LINNET AND THE SPARKOW. 71 But the sparrow replied, " Let us still be the same As before ou this wearisome journey we came ; No others need learn what has passed with us here, Theu none of their sidelong remarks shall we fear ; Let us still remain friends, and give curious eyes No occasion to strengthen their latent surmise." He answered, " I ever was honest and true, From this I can alter not even for you ; Your coldness has crushed the warm life from [my heart, And for both of us now it is best we should part. Yet I wish you no harm as I bid j'ou farewell, On this darkest of evenings that ever befell." Then, suddenly turning, he hurried away. And was lost in the vapours that closed on the day. The sparrow, thus left to herself, calmly mused, " This makes the fourth offer I now have refused ; Why I thus should be sought is not easy to tell, Y^et in me some attraction must certainly dwell ; This poor little fellow was best of them all, And I hope he will soon rise afresh from his fall : How tiresome that no one can trifle, or flirt. Without causing another a desperate hurt. But he is no fool to lie captive to grief. And the changes of time will soon bring him relief. We make not ourselves, if our nature bears sway Can it be our own fault that we simply obey ? Away with such notions ! How dark it has grown ; I run a great risk to remain here alone." As the selfish young creature now thought in alarm That the night through its silence might bear her some harm, She hurriedly fluttered along by a glade Where the light lingered still, for she dreaded the shade, Till wearied and trembling with labour and fright, She reached her own bough and retired for the night. 72 SUMMER DREAMS. 8 Meanwhile the sad hnnet fled bhndly away, Unnotmg his course, or the faihng of day, For no sight had he now, but a desolate pain Ever throbbed in his pulses and beat on his brain : So forward he sped till exhausted, and then Sank down in a bush by the home of a wren. And the wren, with his falling disturbed from its rest, Comins forth in alarm from the door of its nest, Saw how in his wretchedness weakly he lay. And asked him what evil had chanced on his way ; " For surely," it added, " I thought you a stone Which the hand of some mischievous giant had thrown, And forth from my dwelling I sprang in dismay. Lest my young ones should fall to his lot for a prey." " wren ! " sighed the linnet, " no heart have I now To tell of my grief, if my strength would allow ; I regret I disturbed you, I thought no one nigh. Accept my excuses, and leave me to die." "Alas!" said the wren, "What import your wild words ? I will fetch you what seeds the nigh thicket affords, Then show you a nook where you safely may rest, Not there, lest an owl on his murderous quest Shall catch you by stealth in his merciless clutch. And bear you away through the dark to his hutch." But the linnet replied, in a sorrowful tone, " He may snatch me away, or may leave me alone; I care not, my life is so clouded by grief That death in its calmness may prove a relief." " I would not intrude on your grief, if you choose To hide it you yet can an answer refuse," Said the wren, " but not lightly I make the request. Being hopeful perchance to bring peace to your breast." And the linnet gasped out, " You are blest in your home ; To you such a sorrow as mine cannot come ; Yet kindly you speak, and the truth you shall know ; Though nothing you say can enliven my woe. — THE LINNET AND THE SPAKKOW. 73 I loved ; and my love has been spurned with disdain ; In my love was my life, and as deep is my pain. Whenever my plans for the future arose Her form was the centre round which they would close : Though many had told me my voice had grown sweet, I garnered and laid down my fame at her feet ; And truly to her half its meed would belong. For who like herself could inspire me with song? Ah, gazing on her I beheld naught beside ! What would I not do for so lovely a bride ? If berries grew scarce I should scour all the wood, From sunrise to sunset, to gather her food ; If a hawk hovered near, I would fly at his face, To baffle and blind him, or die in her place ; — - But vainly I talk of what never can be ; Henceforth I must own she is nothing to me : Which then wxre the wiser : — to tremble at death, Or to welcome the moment that steals my last breath ? " But the wren made reply, "You are both of you young, And from either fall lightly the words of the tongue ; If confronted by death you would soon stand at bay To defend the same life you would now throw away. Your mortification and trouble, though great. Will pass if you have but the patience to wait. And she before half of the Spring-tide has run May regret her late conduct and wish it undone. If you here for awhile in seclusion remain. Then pluck up your courage and seek her again, A reception so altered you haply may meet All the past will fade out, and your bliss be complete." "Your words," said the linnet, "bring hope to my mind, ^For wisdom is yours, and your offer most kind ; My heart thanks you more than my language can say, I will gratefully follow as you show the way." So the wren led him down where the branches were spread So protectingly round he had nothing to dread : Thought kept him awake for awhile, but at last Fatigue stole his senses and sleep held him fast. 74 SUMMER DREAMS. In that friendly retreat for some days he remained, And his vigour came haclc as his hopes were regained ; Till again the clear day had grown fair to his sight, And his songs gave a vent to his swelling delight. Yet often he found in the midst of a lay His thoughts, past controlling, still wandered away To muse how his love might her leisure employ, And build up a future of fanciful joy. As restlessness roused a new warmth in his breast. His mood to his neighbour he frankly confessed ; Who declaring his constancy much she admired, And wishing him all the success he desired, Yet advised him awhile to keep somewhat apart From the sparrow, to learn the true state of her heart. Then a kindly farewell to each other they bade. And the linnet turned back to his own native glade. 10 And first of his friends the sleek bull-finch he met ; They soon on a bough in close converse were set ; And strange was the story the linnet now heard Of the things which had, during his absence, occurred. The sparrow, he gathered, had lost not a day, But transferred her attentions at once to the jay ; A noble of- dignified presence was he, Besides, he possessed a magnificent tree ; Eeport called him cruel, — his voice was not good, — But his standing was equalled by few in the wood : So the sparrow persistently fell in his way. And spared not an effort her grace to display. Till his notice w^as gained — then he called her his friend- And succumbed and became her true slave in the end. Then vanity ruled in her heart with full sway, Who could rival her now" the betrothed of the jay ? But her pride had its fall, for the very last night That should see them still single, divided them quite : For a tempest arose with the thunder's wild roar And such lightning as none in the grove saw before ; THE LINNET AND TIIK SPAKEOW. 75 And the jay's lordly home, so commanding and high, Though the humbler escaped, met the rage of the sky ; And the limb where its owner was perched terror-bound,. Cut off by a Hash, was hurled down to the ground ; And from either the stroke, or the fright, or the fall ; Or perhaps such a great one demanded them all To level his splendour along with the dead ; But whatever the cause, his existence had fled. The sparrow, thus balked, made no useless lament, But trinnned up her plumes with another intent ; Condescendingly now to the goldfinch she came. But he roughly repelled her, and sneered at her aim. " Her arts by this time are so thoroughly known That her name to a proverb for lightness has grown ; Her scheming derided, her plots overthrown. She must migrate, or here live her life out alone." Thus ended the bull-finch ; the linnet's first thought Was to fly to her, now her affliction was wrought ; But the w^ords of the wren coming back to his mind, He considered, and judged it the wiser to find By calm observation true proof of her state ; So he curbed his warm impulse, determined to wait. 11 As day followed day, the contemplative bird Saw much, unperceived, and still more of her heard ; And as vapom's are pierced, and thawed, fold after fold,. When the sun sallies forth in his armour of gold. So the film fell away from his purified sight. And he viewed her at last in the truth's native light. No longer he saw a beatified form, More precious than day, ever beaming and warm, ,But a commonplace body which fitly arrayed The designing vain spirit whose will it obeyed. Then his heart was quite healed, and again his bold song Rolled down in a torrent of music so stronsr That the whole of the forest was stirred with his fame. And even his rivals respected his name. The vigilant sparrow no sooner had found Her once-slighted lover becoming renowned. 76 SUMMER DREAMS. Than she showed a regret for her treatment of old, Giving signs that her feelings no longer were cold. But the linnet pretended no signal to see, To all of her blandishments callous was he ; No love, and no anger she roused in his breast, For he treated her just as he treated the rest. This carelessness stung her as nothing else might ; Had he called her harsh names in his passion and spite, Or quailed at her presence, and shrunk from her sight, Some gain had she scored ; but this baffled her quite. 12 Spring glided away ; Summer came in its stead ; x\nd found the soured sparrow remaining unwed ; Her companions of late w^ere absorbed in new cares, She hated, yet envied, the joys that were theirs. And withdrew from the throng to a desolate place, And encouraged her spleen by denouncing her race. Now whether the linnet had found a fit mate, Or preferred to abide in his single estate. The story records not ; but this w^e may know. He was glad he had suffered his season of woe, For wisdom had come through the teaching of pain, So the loss of the time proved a permanent gain. And his songs, if they lacked the wild fervour of yore. Were imbued with a strength that enchanted the more. Till they who had slighted his snatches before Eecanted their verdict, constrained to adore. 77 THE SHOWER. The sun, whose light throughout the liappy days Had glorified the woods and flashing streams*, Next morn, concealed by clouds, withheld his rays, Or forced a sudden way in fitful gleams. No longer basking in a fervid blaze, The grass and leaves were wet with pattering showers, And gusty waves dispersed fresh odours from the flowers. From aught of lengthy rambling thus delayed. As toward the noon the downfall had increased, With the kind-hearted pair perforce I stayed In the neat parlour till the storm had ceased. My host with retrospective eyes surveyed His early years' adventures, which the might Of truth and homely words brought vividly to sight. Then from his own experiences he passed To those of one before him in the ranks. Who, on the walls of Badajoz at last Disabled, won slight glory and few thanks. But, like a worn-out weapon, idly cast Aside, had sought afresh his native vale, And told, to those who cared to hear, his stirring tale.'- After that fight, his hands were stiff and bent ; Hardened and scored as with embedded string ; Yet cheerfully about his work he went, — Filling his buckets at the bubbling spring ; Though this was all his state allowed, content. Thus in the language of the soldier bold, So far as memory serves, I heard his story told :— 78 SUMMER DREAMS. " For the third time, and during twenty days, Our troops had striven to take the stubborn town ; It seemed that we again the siege must raise, And turn back with a slur on our renown ; We men, half mad, chafing at these delays. Were all at once roused up with wild delight. Learning the Duke's resolve to storm the place that night. " To make the hundred who should scale the wall Foremost in danger, volunteers were asked ; Some instantly stepped forward at the call, And after that our officers were tasked To hold the willing back who burned to fall First on the foe and brush away the stain W^hich while they lived should not on British arms remain. " Of that rash hundred I was one, the foe Stood well prepared for us, and at the first Many w^ere dashed down to the ditch below, But like a broken thunder-cloud we burst With flashing blades upon their fronting row, Eesolved to take the place this time, or die; They fought like desperate men who knew their peril nigh. '■o-^ ' ' My sword was shattered in my grasping hand ; And as I hurled the useless hilt away, I saw above my head a gleaming brand Descending, which had quenched my living ray, Had not some angel my deliverance planned. For, as by instinct, with my hands I stayed The meditated stroke, clutching the baffled blade. " Picture the struggle that would then ensue ; It was in truth a flght for life or death, Till with a des]3erate wrench I fairly threw My fierce opponent, and with shrieking breath Over the shaded battlements he flew : Armed with that sword I turned, and still fought on. Unthinking of my wounds, till the grim hold was won. THE SHOWER. 79 " War I bad known, but uotbing bke tbat fray : Sword-blades and pikes were fixed on iipriglit planks To pierce ns as we made our forward way ; Across a floor of wood tbe foremost ranks Trod, but to find tbe balanced boards display A mass of upturned spikes, on which they fell — The pivot plan but worked its fiendish end too well. " But when, by our own slain together bound, Across the quivering platform we could tread, Never before had any Frenchmen found A British host they might so justly dread ; Avenging spirits were we* and spread around Such terror, and such fury nerved our hands, That now the fortress fell to our victorious bands. " When all was done I found the sword adhered To my maimed palm, and felt my wounds at last ; Given to the surgeon's care, it soon appeared My chance of usefulness in war had passed ; My hands, as now you see them, bent and seared, No more could wield a sword, or fire a gun. My marching days were over, my last battle won." — And when her husband's tongue began to fail. The housewife said, "Those apple-boughs we see Bright with the rain, remind me of a tale Of true romance, in childhood told to me, About a venturous youth, who, setting sail To see the world, was lost for many years. But after all came back to drv his true love's tears." 80 SUMMER DREAMS. THE INITIALS. 1 The parsonage stood in a belt of trees, On a ridge that bordered a grassy down ; Its front was swept by the briny breeze, For it looked across to the open seas ; And near at hand was the straggling town Of ancient buildings with timbers brown And pointed gables and roofs of stone. A ruinous fort, of a date unknown, Stood out on the headland ; and nets were spread To dry where the sunny rays were shed ; And boats lay idle above the reach Of the murmuring waves that broke on the beach. o The only child of the vicar now, For two were asleep in the sacred ground, Was Eeginald, whose triumphant brow Was scarce with manhood's dignity crowned. His hair was dark as the shades that lie Where fir-trees fret the wintry sky. And his deep brown eyes had a changeful gleam That flashed and failed like a forest stream. Eobust as a fisher-lad was he To climb the cliffs and to stem the sea ; As fleet of foot as a stag or a hound. And blithe at heart as a bird on the wing ; With gentleness still in his manliness bound. And noble of soul as the son of a kincf. "©• Away from the town, where fields were green, With many a blossoming hedge between, A rambUng mansion reposed amid Its clustering shrubs and exuberant flowers, Whose vernal umbrage well-nigh hid The mullioned windows and ivied towers. THF', INITIALS. 81 Til tlio shadowy calm of that quiet place, With the touch of womanhood's earhest grace On supple figure and radiant face, Fair Gertrude dwelt ; nor resided alone, But with sisters and brothers about her grown. A statelier maiden perchance you may meet. But none with expression more gentle and sweet, Or a lovelier look in the truthful eyes, As blue as Summer's unclouded skies. Her hair had captured some beams of day, Contentedly rolled in the tresses they lay ; And the soft rose tint of a pearly shell Had found a new home in her cheek to dwell. Young Keginald's chosen one was she. And glad in his love at rest to be. Now Eeginald's sire a kinsman had Who trafficked with ports of the orient main ; And he, with his parents' assent, was glad Extended knowledge of life to gain, That never could come in an idler's way, In a village aloof, by an unknown bay. And now occasion ofi'ered to go From colourless days of the temperate zone To wondrous realms of a torrid glow. If even a spice of danger w^ere throwni In the draught as he lifted the glittering cup. This only could add a more vigorous tone And strengthen his purpose to drink it up. The lovers met for a last adieu. In the shaded garden, when Spring was new ; And under a favourite apple-tree's boughs, Alive with blossoms of delicate hue. They softly repeated the fond sweet vows Of hopeful natures and feelings true. Then Eeginald cut in the tender bark Their twining initials, the day to mark. And the birds sang on, and the sunlight shone ; And Gertrude sat in the garden alone. G 82 SUMMER DREAMS, A letter came from a distant port, A loving farewell though, hurried and short ; Then silence grew, as the mystical main Spread wider, and wider, betwixt the twain. And many a Spring brought blossoms and leaves, And many a Summer its splendour and heat. And many an Autumn its fruits and sheaves. And many a Winter its snow and sleet, To the calm little town by the beautiful sea ; But to Gertrude no message ; and lonely was she. On the parsonage too a gathering shade, That deepened as time passed onward, was laid: — The vessel had vanished with all her crew ; And further than this no mortal knew. But Gertrude yet instinctively clung To the remnant of hope remaining still ; For faith is firm in the heart when young, And wondrous things may the years fulfil. So, tremblingly trustful, her sweet blue eyes Looked up to the depths of the fathomless skies. Or over the rippling waves of the sea, Contented to watch till the end should be. Her brothers grew up, and wandered away ; Her sisters, one after one, were led Domestic affection's golden ray In widening circles of love to shed. And all alone with her parents now, She felt that a cloud was beginning to rise Which cast a shade on her troubled brow, And lessened the light of her pensive eyes ; But bravely she broke through the tightening mesh. Took courage, and looked on the world afresh. Her presence appeared as the beauty of day In haunts of wretchedness, want, and pain : THK INITIALS. 83 She wearied not with a burdensome stay The narrow abodes, but flitted away Her further visits of love to pay : — And returned, and was welcomed, again and again. But ever a feeling of vague unrest, Like a heaving billow, surged up in her breast, As she gazed on the clouds in an ocean of blue, And fragments of splendour came straggling through, Where rifts had been torn by the force of the wind, Affording a glimpse of the glories behind. But deepest her sense of solitude grew When the apple-tree burst into life anew. With blossoms of exquisite pink and white ; Eecalling that last sweet day of delight When Eeginald slowly had faded from sight. She strove to stifle the rising sighs. And brushed the gathering dew from her eyes, As she made the lettering clear and free That w^as carved by his hand on the trunk of the tree. 3 The vicar was laid with his fathers to rest ; His widow no longer had heart to remain. Like a bird with no mate and no young and no nest. When a stranger the house with the living possessed ; So she sought her own county and kindred again : And Gertrude's last link was severed in twain. The dearest aunt in the world was she ; In that the children would all agree, From the tiny elf that sat on her knee. To the school-boy rough in his boisterous glee. Or the maiden dreaming of days to be. She joined in their games, she found them toys ; And never complained of a little noise. Or a broken branch, or a trampled flower, To add to their days one darkened hour : G 2 84 SUMMER DREAMS. But she told them stories of fairy-land ; Or willingly lent a helping hand To dress a doll, or to rig a boat On the mimic waves of the pond to float. And in making those innocent lives more bright Her own reached upward and caught the light. But when awake in the night she lay, In the shadowy hush of her darkened room ; And heard the breakers at war in the bay. And the thunder's roll, as a dazzling ray Shot out for an instant across the gloom ; Her heart grew faint with a nameless pain, And her tears gushed forth like a rush of rain. But saddest of all were the times when she Looked over the stretch of the lonely sea, Eemote from the village, the boats, and the nets ; With wishes and fears, and hopes and regrets All woven together, so mingled and crossed The sense of existence itself was lost. As year by year their apple-tree grew, With thickening boughs and a widening trunk, Her cherishing hand took care to renew The letters, becoming so deeply sunk. Her locks showed less of their sunny gleam, Her step was a trifle more sedate. But her trustful eyes had their own clear beam, For she knew that patience might conquer fate. Thus thrice five years had slowly passed, When her waiting reaped its reward at last. The smile of Spring w^as on land and sea, As Gertrude wandered along the shore ; She had stood that morning beside the tree. And widened afresh the initials it bore ; THE INITIALS. 85 She heard the waters' monotonous roar, She watched the rays on the glancing tide : And the sorrowful yearning came back once more, With persistence that would not be denied. She heard a voice as of long ago ; A step drew near on the shingly beach ; Her face grew bright with a sudden glow, Then paled again, like a flake of snow. And her tongue had lost the power of speech. She felt the clasp of Eeginald's hand, He spoke in the well-remembered tone ; But his form was altered, his face was tanned By the years of exposure his life had known, And traces of hardship were plainly shown In the shaded eyes and the wrinkled brow : But a touch of the early dawn was thrown On the lighted features of both of them now. One look from the meeting eyes was proof That each to other was true as of old, "When under the apple-tree's branching roof Their final promise of trust was told. And now she learned how the ship had been lost. And he, with other survivors, tossed On an island bare of herbage or trees. Exposed to the rage of the scourging breeze. And lashed by breakers of perilous seas. She wept as she heard of their hunger and pain. From the cold of the wind and the merciless rain ; Till a sail approaching had freed them again : But bore them away, through southern foam. Afar from even the news of home. And doubting not he was counted as dead, After so lengthy a time had sped, Before a letter could leave his hand To carry his tale to his native land ; 86 SUMMER DKEAMS. He could not dare to address to her A missive which, under an altered lot, Might set her tingling heart astir With thoughts and feelings far better forgot. He therefore had sent to his parents' care, At the parsonage, but the new vicar was there, Nor knew where the widow now made her stay And the message for ever had gone astray. But returned at last, he had now come down To seek for himself in the dear old town. 5 The wedding was simple as well could be ; But the whole of the village was there to see : More boisterous greetings at times are thrown About a bridal procession there, But heartier blessings were never known Than those sm^rounding that favoured pair. Thus seasons come, and seasons go ; The tides of ocean ebb and flow ; Denuded forests are growing green ;— The fruit hangs ripe where flowers have been ;- And after a drought the rains descend ; Through thirsty valleys new rivers wend : — And so must it be till the world shall end. 87 THE SUMMER-HOUSE. The clouds had all passed over ere the night Drew back at the return of day ouce more ; A quickening sun made all the landscape bright ; Again the bees their treasure homeward bore, Gay butterflies pursued their languid flight, Birds sallied forth or dived amid the trees, And voices of the streams came, dreamlike, on the breeze. Unheeded passed the time that perfect day ; Awhile I wandered through the glimmering glade. Then by the sparkling waters took my way, Eested with half-closed eyes amid the shade, Gazed on the flowers expanding to the ray, And fell asleep at last, lulled by Ihe sound Of waters, insects, birds, and zephyrs fluttering round. And after noon's decline my host and I In the quaint summer-house sat screened from heat, When my old school-fellow came sauntering by, And paused awhile to share the rustic seat ; Closed by green shades ; above, a bright blue sky ; Our random talk ranged freely up and down, From man to nature, and from country back to town. We praised the rural influences as best, For gentle peace in natural scenery lies, Which brings a quiet to the human breast, Like that of leafy woods or starry skies ; But in the cities, evermore possessed By restlessness, ambition, and the strife Of emulation, care pollutes the springs of life. 88 SUMMER DREAMS. Though in the giant buildings grandeur dwells, And splendour in the long procession glows, Incessant the disturbing turmoil swells, And wearying are the streets' monotonous rows ; Far sweeter comes the sound of village bells Across the river glittering in the light, And fields of tender green grow lovelier to the sight. " And yet," said I, " unnoticed in the crowd. True heroes often grace the ranks of toil ; And noblest natures, never praised aloud. May flourish in such uncongenial soil. An honourable love, too purely proud To bind a maiden to a lingering vow. Possessed by one I knew, rises to memory now." THE STOEY OF THE EOSE-BUD. Across a path of flowers Spring went her way, And Summer with a flushing brow drew nigh ; All earth grew brighter as the lengthening day Brought fuller glory to the beaming sky ; The fledgeling fluttered on from spray to spray. In the clear light glittered the lustrous fly. And through the leaves the fruits began to show Their forms that swelled to catch the ripening glow. Some happy children, in an orchard met. Enjoyed the season with a thoughtless glee. And on a swing between two branches set Tossed one another up into the tree, Laughed as they touched the leaves and strove to get Still higher, then, like the rushing of a sea, The broken waves of air around them wect. With roar and pressure, through their swift descent. Grown tired of that, about the sward they strayed With woven arms and steps of careless grace ; Sat down within the branches' screening shade. To taste the calm rest of that idle place ; THE STOKY OF THE EOSE-BUD. 89 Or, rousinti; up, some new game wildly played Of childish warfare, or of mimic chase, Till exercise had made them lightning-eyed, And with a ruddier hue their faces dyed. Thus the sweet hours sped on with artless miitli, Eepose and pastime ruling by short turns, As childhood still would have it, ere the birth Of love betrays the latent fire which burns Unquenchable by any force of earth. And gazing eastward for its daybreak yearns, Till life is all in golden beams arrayed. Or wrapped for ever in despondent shade. As thus the throng, so innocently gay. In thoughtless freedom sported, one was there "Who little cared to join the boisterous play, But stood apart, breathing a happier air ; For she he loved had glorified the day. Though still a child yet beyond childhood fair ; And he, advanced in years above the rest, Saw her with different eyes and knew her best. His boyish pulse grew tame, he asked not why, As in a dream he late had learned to stand And gaze into the far depths of the sky With silent thoughts that made his heart expand : And when her fairy presence drew anigh, A fitting form for his imagined land She seemed ; if not indeed a sylph of air. More lovable in flesh and quite as fair. Thus Arthur at an early age had found The form that filled his soul with sacred fire ; And tenderly his deepest feelings wound About the chosen one of his desire ; His brain was flooded with a silver sound Of constant music from no mortal lyre ; Sweeter the days, softer the nights had grown Since love, delicious love, his life had known. 90 SUMMER DEEAMS. And Clara, child as she might yet be deemed, When he was near felt the rich colour grow Upon her conscious cheek, her soft eyes seemed With added light of melting stars to glow ; And though her words were few, such radiance beamed In all her looks, no lover could be slow To let anticipating hope divine The happiest meaning from so true a sign. And thus in that fair orchard, where the might Of golden day was flecked by grateful shade, Two happy souls basked in the perfect light By dawn of love to youth alone displayed, Without a thought of an approaching night. Of rising clouds and tempests unafraid ; One thing alone they knew — they now were blest — Naught else could find a way to either breast. And would such rapturous dreams endure indeed, Grow with our years, and strengthen with our powers. Of heaven .itself we should have little need, For earth would bloom afresh with Eden's bowers ; But this can never hap to mortal seed ; At times a taste of joy may yet be ours, But surely as the day is quenched in night. Will sorrow come and swallow up dehght. So that day sped, as all days will go past. Till days be merged in one unending day ; And lovers lingering longest must at last With heavy steps take a divided way ; But hope, attendant still, has power to cast A splendour, quite echpsing memory's ray, About the life that love has just begun To touch with warmth like an ascending sun. o Now Arthur, leaving Clara at her door, Turned slowly down the darkened lane that led To his own home, far happier than before ; And brightest visions hovered round his bed, THK STOEY OF THE KOSE-BUD. 91 For dreams to him presented evermore Her fairy form and the warm words she said ; And sweet were those which he that day had heard, Which still through realms of sleep his pulses stirred. And she, indeed she hardly understood His earnest nature, being as yet so young ; She knew that he was very dear and good, And so her eyes would own if not her tongue ; But that day she had felt a melting mood, And all her little life had freely liung Into his opening arms, to be received And held for ever, as they both believed. And from her silent couch she too beheld Long vistas reaching through the brightening day, Adown the fragrant air rich music swelled. And in the distance softly died away ; And though the dreams themselves must be dispelled When morning light drew nigh, sober and grey, A charm was still about her, and her eyes Saw more than the plain world which round us lies. Thus lovers live unreal lives ; alas, That they should be awakened from their dreams, To mourn, as the last shattered fragments pass, How the blank world a dreary desert seems. Save where at sundry points a heavy mass Of blackening stones, like a huge bee-hive, teems With human forms that toil, and strive, and crawl, Then down to sullen death unheeded fall. The frozen orchard, rigid in repose, Spread to the gaze a gaunt and dreary sight ; Beneath a wintry sky the trees arose With leaf and fruit no longer green and bright ; But stiff, and bare except when falling snows Touched their extending boughs with lines of white ; And in the place of children's shouting there, Fell the faint whistling of the chilling air. 92 SUMMER DEEAMS. And over Arthur's life as great a change Had come as time had to that orchard brought ; No more with her he loved he now could range, Hang on her words and read her silent thought ; His days were passed in scenes remote and strange, Where, like a far-off music vaguely caught, The tidings he alone accounted dear, Though sweetly, sadly fell upon his ear. For some disaster overtook his sire, Which snatched the greater part of his estate ; So he was forced to quit the pastoral shire In city toil to battle with his fate ; But love and hope are all youth should require To nerve the hand and keep the heart elate, And both of these were his in high degree ; Who could look boldly forward if not he ? Thus sanguine Arthur proudly felt when first The channel of his altered life he saw ; Before his prospect darkened to the worst, As Clara, yielding to parental law. Dispelled the fancies he had idly nursed, And broke his solid firmness like a thaw. And vet he blamed her not, for in his mind He ever held her noble, sweet, and kind. But now to him all years must be the same, Mere circles with one grey horizon bound, For what could offer any worthy aim After a disappointment so profound ? Eepellent, as to Adam's eyes the flame Which guarded all approach to Eden's ground. Seemed other love ; since that had fallen away What slighter fabric could resist decay ? A youth a week ago, but now a man. He looked his saddening future in the face ; None but his guardian-angel knew his plan As, bidding farewell to his native place, THE STORY OF THE ROSE-BUD. 93 Within the exacting city he began The first faint cuthues of his wa}^ to trace : Uphill and heavy was his early course, But he pressed onward with a dogged force. No more from Summer skies of cloudless blue, Between the woven boughs, the winds came down And odorous whisperings round his pathway threw. Now he was striving in the heated town ; A steady glare, or else a leaden hue, Circled the high roofs, an oppressive crown. And din of wheels and Babel cries were heard Instead of stray notes of some passing bird. But with a purpose in his heart he went To his predestined labour, hopeful yet ; And if his looks told naught of his intent, Neither could they be said to show regret For vanished scenes ; full sturdily he meant On that same callous mart his stamp to set. Till, mounting up, as many a man had done, His dream's fulfilment might at last be won. '^a^ So through the week he spent the heavy hours, A scarce acknowledged part of a machine Which takes a myriad such and all their powers Eevolving ere its smooth results are seen ; Like armies marshalled under gloomy towers. With thoughtful brow and energetic mien, Each to his proper station speeds to share The daily task and his full burden bear. But when the six days' ending set him free For all the sweet break of the day of rest, Then would he wander forth by stream and tree And give himself to nmsings unrepressed ; Or in the minster bend a reverent knee To find his soul with loftier calm possessed, Till faith laid a foundation for his hope To build a palace touching heaven's blue cope. 94 SUMMER DREAMS. The \Yilclerness has yet its strips of green, With shady trees, and fountains cool and bright ; And years of steady labour bring between Brief intervals of rest and calm delight, Though like a landscape when through arches seen Narrow and far apart, still fair to sight : And Arthur found his respite too, to roam About the happy circuit of his home. Yet in the spot he noted many a change ; Friends wdth fair greetings met him here and there, Others assumed a manner cold and strange, And in their hearts he felt he owned no share ; But his reflective mind would not derange Its calmness for curt speech or vacant stare, The woodlands and the meadows and the streams Were still the same, and nourished his young dreams. And now occasion, which his fondest thought Had dreamed not of, occurred, whose happy turn, Unplanned of either, the two lovers brought Together once again ; quick to discern The differences so brief a time had wrought Since life's first lesson had been theirs to learn ; But no betraying glances from them broke, And simple friendship's speech was that they spoke. Part of a youthful band that through the dell Wandered at ease one golden afternoon Were they ; and unawares it thus befell They met ; and felt the time had passed too soon When gathering round beside the dropping well Through the clear air they saw the rising moon ; And turning homeward at the warning rays The scattered groups took their divided ways. No word apart from others had they known. Nor had they been so thoughtless as to sho%v By any change of manner, look, or tone. That still their mutual bosoms were aglow ; THE STOKY OF THE KOSE-BUD. 95 Though bliss to them, the thought was theirs alone ; Oiilooking youths and maidens, seldom slow To start shy love and hunt it down with glee, Were overmatched for once and failed to see. And none perceived that Arthur bore away, As they were sauntering down their homeward road, A little rose-bud on its thorny spray ; In pensive mood he reached his hushed abode. And far from prying eyes with no delay In sanctuary the precious flower bestowed ; For Clara's hand had placed it in his own, And how could silent love be fitlier shown ? Thus, though companions gave no room to speak, And honour's code allowed him not to write. And through his brief vacation he might seek In vain to re-produce that day's delight, That blossom, like the flush of her fair cheek, Should prove to him a talisman of might. To strengthen and preserve his noblest powers Till they could win their meed in happier hours. Yet a few days, and through the woods he went, Steeped in soft light, and heard the bubbling sound The shaded brooks amid the branches sent In answer to the zephyrs whispering round Bare trunk and leafy crown, till sweetly blent With humming voices, dreamlike and profound. Calm nature's influence soothed his passive brain And showed him a pure world devoid of pain. And when the waking came, and now once more To dreamy landscapes he must bid adieu, To meet afresh the crowd's continual roar ; Eesigned his tedious task-work to renew, Eefreshed, and sturdier yet than heretofore, Love by his side, Hope brightening all the view. He settled down to toil, a cheerful man Who shaped from day to day his opening plan. 96 SUMMER DEEAMS. Month following month had grown to years, and still Found Arthur at his post day after day ; What though a rugged track and all uphill The course which he must tread before him lay ? The confidence of youth could pour a rill Of poetry about the dreariest way ; And if at times a cloud grew overhead, It melted as a brightening gleam outspread. But as a Summer storm with lightning's flame Smites a green branch and turns its foliage brown, So now from the far shire a message came. Which, through the centre of the restless town, In a wild whisper called him by his name, Scattered his dreams, and bade him hurry down On wings of haste, if yet he would desire To see again on earth his dying sire. But, though the summons he at once obeyed, The tardy vehicle arrived too late ; The drawn blinds to his soul the news conveyed That nothing now could break the blow of fate ; No outward sign of rending grief displayed. He strove to realise his altered state. And saw his s^Driug-tide hopes all fall away. His whole life rounded by a wintry grey. Tears will not always testify to grief, To woman's eyes so readily supphed They bring her gentle nature a relief Far oftener to the sterner man denied ; Yet feelings most acute may be but brief When those less plainly showm may long abide : Thus Arthur felt now the dark shade had come. With muffled footsteps, to his childhood's home. Thenceforth on him he knew, though yet so young, The main weight of the darkened house must rest ; He murmured not to find this burden hung About his life, resolved to strive his best, THE STORY OF THE ROSE-BUD. 97 But lifted uj) his head and In'avcly (lung Eepining fancies from his chastened breast ; Turned with a linn hand to his toil again, And with a sense of duty conquered pain. He still preserved the withered rose-bud, though, Eeeling from fortune's second thrust, at first An impulse had been his afar to throw This relic of the past and face the worst ; But to that length his firmness could not go ; Perhaps some secret hope his heart yet nursed, Though scarce admitted to himself, that still Relenting fate his wishes might fulfil. However that might be, he put away The faded sign of his unfading love. Intent the ghosts of bygone times to lay ; With modest heroism he calmly strove, Unlike the warriors in a stirring fray "Who know whole nations will their feats approve, But more resembling one shipwrecked, unknown. Who fights with changing winds and tides alone. So scarce by hope, and not at all by praise. Cheered or encouraged, proudly pressing on, As yet unchilled by the surrounding haze, What his hand found to do was firmly done ; And if through the long lapse of weary days No golden trophies he could claim as won. His labour left no room for discontent ; Besides, his heart's first warmth was not yet spent. As time went on, by sure degrees if slow. More through the force of industry than aught Of loftier powers, success began to grow^ Commensurate with that end he fondly sought ; When on him fell afresh a staggering blow — Fate's third assault, with deadlier wounding fraught - Clara could never now be by his side To bless his life ; she was another's bride. H 98 SUMMEB DREAMS. He looked upon the flower, and put it by ; Then went about his ways as heretofore ; But lessened was the lustre of his eye, And his thin cheek a paler aspect wore ; If any noted this they knew not why ; His soul apart its disappointment bore. — And then the gold he hardly cared to wdn Now all his hope was slain, came flowing in. Ere long the city circles felt his fame, A man of mark was he, w^ho would not greet Successful enterprise when Arthur came To the great centres where the merchants meet ? Wealth at command, and honour in his name. Onlookers might have judged that joy complete Was his ; they little knew the thriving man Still bore the pain with which his youth began. Years came and went, and he grew old and grey, But lonely still though now of good estate : He calmly kept along his beaten way, Neither morose nor in his wealth elate ; Eelieving what distress about him lay, He meekly journeyed, till the shadowy gate Which parts the seen from the unseen he passed, And his worn heart recovered peace at last. Then his trustee, in searching through a chest, Found, amid deeds and bonds, the shrivelled flower ; A memory may have stirred in his own breast Of a love-token in some golden hour. And with a reminiscent gleam impressed His softened heart with sympathetic power ; For with a reverent silence he conveyed And in the once warm hand the blossom laid. 99 FINALE— THE DEPAETURE. Scarce through the silent shades a gleam of grey Proclaimed the dawn, ere from ray couch I rose, Intent to make the most of my last day In that soft dell hushed in sublime repose ; And soon my host and I were on our way To gain an eminence where all the might Of the returning sun would grow upon the sight. And standing there, we saw the melting haze Fall back before the shafts of piercing light, Till grew a rosy flush with amber rays, And then the sun himself, intensely bright, Came slowly up and set the skies ablaze With hues of burning gems and liquid gold About his regal way with lavish pride unrolled. Then flashed the streams and glowed the trees anew. From purple clouds a freshening air came down. Shook from the thorny spikes the drops of dew, And, whispering through the forest's leafy crown, Forth from their haunts a myriad beings drew. With glittering wings and voices of delight, Eejoicing that the day again drove back the night. Through the clear morn in the green woods we strolled ; Resting at times upon a sheltered bank, Or levelled tree ; beheld rare flowers unfold Their dainty leaves ; with ears attentive drank The sylvan music, on the senses rolled So softly ; and inhaled the fragant air. Enchanted with a scene where all was fresh and fair. H 2 100 SUMBIEE DEEAMS. At uoon we sat arouud the social board ; Wheu the warm-hearted housewife had brought down The choicest fruits their orchard could afford, And home-made wine, the simple feast to crown : And there we stayed, in converse held, till toward The deepening west the sun in silence went, And warned me I must leave before the day was spent. The dusty mill a flying visit asked. And the staid man amid its rumbling wheels ; Then the good host and hostess deeper tasked My feelings, for where honest worth reveals The generous nature scorning to be masked. The free hand, and the ripeness years should bring, To bid farewell must seem a somewhat saddening thing. So, stilled at soul, I turned afresh to meet The daily task, with an incessant din Of hurrying crowds in many a clattering street ; But like remembered music, faint and thin. Above the rush of wheels and tramp of feet, The voices of those days fell on my brain And lulled my wearied heart and aching brows again. And when the busier hours gave place to night. At rest, and in my silent chamber free To con them over, with a fresh delight I felt the growing themes come back to me. And set my hand in ordered lines to write Their purport down, that they might always last, Memorials of that time in sweet seclusion passed. A STRING OF BEADS. 103 LIGHT IN THE CITY^ I QUITE forget the city's roar, Nor heed the crowds that round mc pour On the cathedral wall I mark the sunlight fall : And looking on those towers of grey, Now brightening in the golden ray, I see, with Memory's eyes, A lowlier fane arise ; Where takes my love her last long rest. In that fair county of the west ; Clasped in the sacred ground, Beneath a grassy mound. Below, the solemn sea expands. And, whispering news of distant lands, The hoarse waves rise, and fall, And beat the boundary wall. The sun leads up the joyous day. His splendours flash across the baj^ And bring the sails to view Above the rounded blue : And overhead, the wakened trees Keturn the greetings of the breeze, And murmur, faint and slow, To those that sleep below. And in my heart I wonder oft What mean those voices low and soft — The murmurings of the trees ; The whisperings of the seas. 104 A STRING OF BEADS. And though I pass a restless hfe, Inured to all the city's strife, In many a noisy street I catch their echoes sweet ; Till I can fancy them possessed Of thoughts long folded in my breast ; They seem to sing of love Made perfect up above ; And all my soul their breathings stir, For fondly still they speak of her "Who sleeps beside the sea, Yet ever lives to me. A DEAD POET. For a season he dwelt with us here, And we heard, with a glow at the breast, His melodies mighty to cheer The lone and the sorrow-oppressed, With infinite Love brought anear. And Faith in sweet language confessed : And now he lies stretched on his bier. What place shall we choose for his rest ? Shall we ask of an overgrown town, Amid her illustrious dead, For room, in some fane of renown, To shelter his sanctified head ; Where the choristers' anthem rolls down. From chapels to aisles overspread With symbols of cross and of crown, x\nd of ho^je that would vanquish life's dread ? His numbers came fresh as the wind. Or the diamond drops of the rain ; Or rose, when to sadness resigned, Like waves of the murmuring main ; THE WOOD-CARVER AND THE GOLDSMITHS. 105 And i\o\\ in luush stone would ye bind AVhat shall sing to us never again ; Can aught in cathedrals enshrined The spirit of Nature contain ? Seek rather, beside a green hill, Some spot where the trees and the sky Bend over the rush of a rill, And blossoms bear incense on high ; Where the birds ever warble and trill, And the hum of the bee and the fiy Unite in one music to fill The breath of the breeze roving by. THE WOOD-CAEVEK AND THE GOLDSMITHS. A CARVER of wood, in the days of old, Discovered a vein of virgin gold. He toiled at his calling throughout the day ; At night he fetched his treasure away. He hollowed a shape in the floor of sand, With a critical eye and a steady hand ; Then melted a part of the precious gold, And carefully poured it into the mould. As soon as the cast was sufficiently cool He set to work with the' graving tool. At length it was finished ; a goblet rare, With grapes, and leaves, and tendrils fair. And then he placed it in light of day, And waited for what the people should say. The many admired its splendid hue. Its just proportions, and graving true : iiut the goldsmiths resented a carver of wood Should work in their metal, bad or good. 106 A STRING OF BEADS. They could not cavil about its shape, Nor the truthful form of leaf, tendril, or grape ; But the metal itself they declared was base, And offered at once to prove their case. The test was applied where a grain of sand Had escaped the touch of the finishing hand ; And in triumph they turned to the gaping crowd. Denouncing imposture with voices loud. The king's own treasurer chanced to hear The noise of contention, and drew anear The throng stood round as he lifted up, And carefully balanced the shining cup : He affirmed at once it was purest gold, And fit for the hand of the king to hold ; A little alloy, indeed, would have brought More sharpened lines where the graver wrought ; But, leaving the foliage, tendrils and fruit, Of the metal itself there was no dispute. The silenced complainers at this withdrew ; And the populace praised the work anew. — And still the carver iu leisure hours Exerted himself to improve his powers. The heaping of wealth was not his aim, Nor to stir the land with a sounding name ; But to give a shape to the lovely things That grew on his mind, ere they took to their wings. And many a form of beauty new Fresh tidbutes of praise from his countrymen drew. And now that his works had become renowned, The goldsmiths gathered approvingly round ; And proposed to enrol him, had he the mind. As one of their craft ; but ho declined. THE LIGHT-HOUSE KEEPER. 107 No wish had he to belong to a guild, But to work at his art as the love of it willed. So happily on his way he went, With an object in life and true content. THE LIGHT-HOUSE KEEPEE. Throughout the day Must I survey The pathless wastes of foam, And send at night The warning light From my uplifted home : The sea-birds fly, The winds rush by, The waters ebb and flow ; The rising gales Fill out the sails. And on the good ships go. When tempests roar And torrents pour Above me and around, My steady light. With radiance white, Cuts through the dark profound The light-house rocks Beneath the shocks, Their fury I defy. But shout and sing, A happy king, Between the sea and skv. 108 A STRING OF BEADS. THE WOODLANDS. Within the forest's bound, Stretched on the mossy ground, Shaded by patriarchal trees I lie ; Between the clustering leaves The slanting sunlight weaves Transparent meshes of celestial dye ; The wind, which scarce invades These shadowy colonnades. Languid from flowery beds, soft perfume throws ; Like youth with sparkling eye, The brook goes sliding by. Singing a happy measure as it goes, And doubling all the clouds that float on high. Like fairy barques skimming the Summer sky. But not to me belong The beauty and the song Of gushing rivulets and stately trees ; For me no pleasure floats Amid the wood-birds' notes. But sadness fills the pulses of the breeze ; The day may glimmer fair, Blooms scent the roving air. And bright wings flash across the sunny rays, But evermore my life With nature is at strife, For all my thoughts are wrapped in dismal haze ; And still the woods are not a whit less fair Than when I wandered forth untouched bv care. 109 THE CHESTNUT-TREES. The chestnut-trees were green, And decked with blossoms fair ; We walked amid the sylvan scene, And breathed the scented air ; We talked of Hope and Love, That sweet and balmy time The warmer made our pulses move. In Spring's uninjured prime. The chestnut-trees were grand In foliage and in fruit ; The sun came forth, and all the land Grew bright at his salute : We saw in Summer's heaven, So deeply, purely blue, A type of our affection given, Immutable and true. The chestnut-trees were sere, Their fruit fell to the ground ; We heeded not the changing year, By Autumn's hand embrowned ; But smiling said that we Could feel no Autumn's sway, But fair and fresh our love should be As on the bridal day. The chestnut-trees are bare. And through their branches old I hear the rush of wintry air Whistle so shrill and cold : 1 stand alone — my heart Lies in a silent urn. Spring — Summer — Autumn — must depart, And yield to Winter's turn. 110 A STRING OF BEADS. A MOTHEE'S HOPE. My baby sleeps. Not in my folding arms, or on my breast, Kissed into peace and lullabied to rest ; But witb the daisied tm-f above him pressed, ]\Iy baby sleeps. My baby sleeps. Not in the cradle, robed in snowy white, Eocked into breathing slumber soft and light ; But canopied by heaven and starry night, My baby sleeps. My baby sleeps. Not in the churchyard, wrapped in sullen mould, Where rains descend and winds blow harsh and cold ; But gathered in the Gentle Shepherd's fold, My baby sleeps. THE MOON AND THE EAETH. The crescent moon bends from her azure height, Eegardless of the clustering stars, to throw Upon the sleeping earth her smile of light, And brighten all the beauties spread below. And earth appears through all her softened dreams To feel her earnest moon's disturbing kiss. With gently-waving boughs the forest seems To beckon, and the river murmurs bliss. Why is the moon uneasy in her sphere With such a crowd of golden orbs anear. Are all their radiant forms of no avail Except to make her look more sad and pale ? YOKK AND LANCASTER. Ill The pensive moou j;licles tlir()u,ii;li tlie bnlliant throngs, Unnoting that they bow before her way ; Her look is not on them, and all their songs No sign of recognition will repay. And earth is rolling on her constant course, Yet shows her yearning in the heaving tide ; But natural barriers break its wasted force, With sparkles of the spray on every side. Wherefore is eartli nii(|ui('t while the breeze Is singing through the branches of the trees, Can all the flowers upon her grassy breast Breathe nothing sweet to lull her into rest ? YOEK AND LANCASTEE. The full red rose, how rich and bright It glows upon an armoured knight ; And, like the hue that dyes his cheek, Of hope and joy it seems to speak. The fair white rose, how pure and pale It rests upon the warrior's mail ; And, like his love's remembered cheek, Of dread and pain it seems to speak. O twine together red and white ; Must brothers still wdth brothers fight ? Put up the swoi'd ; hold out the hand ; Lest hated war destroy the land. O wan white rose, like beauty's tears, Devoid of colour, cold with fears ; How soon thy faded form shall spread Its pallid leaves to grace the dead. 112 A STRING OF BEADS. O ripe red rose, like knighthood's flush, Though now with pride thy petals blush, How" soon of thee will naught remain But gory leaves to deck the slain. O twine together white and red ; Shall blood of friends by friends be shed? Put up the sword ; hold out the hand ; And welcome peace to heal the land. SEXTAIN. Though night is on the world, I cannot sleep ; My heart is heavy with consuming care ; While in the wattled fold my thoughtless sheep Eepose in peace beneath the Summer air ; The fields are wrapped in dreams, but not of love ; The moon and stars are bright and cold above. Ye planets glittering through the vault above. Like me ye wander on unknown to sleep ; Unmoved ye beam on one distraught by love ; Why should ye note him, or his w'orthless sheep ? Of them, or me, ye cannot feel a care. But pass as heedless as the roving air. No soothing whisper steals through trembling air ; No voice comes falling from the dome above ; The stream glides onward thoughtless of my care ; The solemn trees know nothing of my love ; The flowers are shut and hang their heads in sleep : And not a movement stirs my drowsy sheep. Eest on till golden morning, happy sheep, How envied by your shepherd sad with love. Whose temples throb for lack of healthful sleep. Whose eyes grow dim to see those orbs above ; For, like a flame made weak by stagnant air, My heart is faint beneath its load of care. LIFE. 113 Could I arise, and cast aside my care ; Take, as of old, an interest in my sheep ; Bid my glad pipe arouse the sluggish air ; Or by the murmuring brook lie down to sleep ; Again with joy my thoughts would soar above The dark dejection of a slighted love. It cannot be ; my light is quenched by love ; Misled by words as vain as veering air ; Darkness is now around me, gloom above. And all my life hemmed in with cloudy care. Adieu, false maid, adieu : farewell, my sheep : Best comes at length with everlasting sleep. LIFE. With Childhood fair the pi'ospect seems Illumined by the light of dreams ; And twining flowers and strains of song In joy the I'osy hours prolong. With Youth resplendent shines the sky, And Love is ever fluttering nigh And from his fanning wings and mouth Sheds rarest odours of the south. With Manhood grey the scenes become, And Nature's voice grows harsh, or dumb The golden touch is lacking now On running brook and bending bough. With Age amid inclement air, By stealth, across a landscape bare, The frosts approach, the snows descend And darkness veils the nearing end. 114 A STKING OF BEADS. A SAILOR'S SONG. The life of a sailor is careless and free, His spirits are light as the spray That fringes the waves of the murmuring sea, Whose liberty wooed him away. Hurrah for a freedom like this ! May the life of a sailor be ours. What Briton its freshness would miss To slumber in indolent bowers ? The love of a sailor is steady and true, The waters may bear him afar. But rough though his manner his faith will shine through As fixed as the light of a star. Hurrah for affection like this! May the love of a sailor be ours. What Briton its beauty would miss For passion's ephemeral flowers? The heart of a sailor is noble and bold. His fathers have shown him the way To act like a man where his flag is unrolled, And he is as gallant as they. Hurrah for a courage like this ! May the heart of a sailor be ours. What Briton its grandeur would miss For thousands of fortified towers ? THE WILLOW. 115 THE SQUIEREL. O SQUiRKEL, could I climb the lofty trees With thy defiant ease, To breathe delicious air, exalted high, Surrounded by the sky. With all my thoughts uplifted from the ground ; What rapture in my every pulse would bound. O squirrel, could I glide from bough to bough As readily as thou, And gather food amid the dainty fruits, The buds and tender shoots, Warm in the sun, or fresh with points of dew ; How would the brightening years my life renew. O squirrel, could I make my quiet home Beneath thy leafy dome. Where happy birds and amorous winds unite To sing of soft delight, Till through the roof the silent stars look down ; What golden bliss my being then would crown. THE WILLOW. The willow bends over the stream ; Its branches are fair in the gleam Of the day ; The waters are crooning their song, And gliding and flashing along In the ray. I 2 116 A STRING OF BEADS. The willow is folded in thought ; The rush of the current is caught By each air, And borne to its pendulous leaves But nothing of that it perceives, Musing there. The birds may alight on its boughs, But none of their movements arouse Its regard ; The wind flutters round in its glee, But cannot awaken the tree Evil-starred. It sighs for that image so sweet Portrayed in the stream at its feet ; And its breath Grows fainter through grief and despair, Unknowing itself shadows there Its own death. L'ENVOI. Not in the woods, or flowery plains. To listening hinds, or shepherd swains, I sing at ease my careless strains : But just withdrawn from Babel's din, By snatches I essay to win An echo of the life within. The rustling trees, the falling streams,- The starry skies, the sunny gleams, I have them all, by night, in dreams. By day, through many a crowded street I make my way with hurrying feet, And with the rest for life compete. l'envoi. 117 And in my heart the pulse is strong, As, \vith a brain untouched by song, I sti'ive amid the toiling throng. And yet a sudden ray may bring To dusty pavements news of Spring That makes my inner nature sing. In this a talisman I bear To nullify the weight of care Whicli otherwise my brow would wear. And througli the watches of the night I listen, with a rapt delight, To voices of celestial might. And changing visions show to me The rivers rolling, wide and free. With glimpses of the distant sea ; The rain that falls in glittering showers On nestling farms, and mossy towers ; On orchard-blooms, and leafy bowers. Then conies a blackening thunder-cloud, The winds are loosed and roar aloud. And all the forest-heads are bowed. I see the tears of those who weep. Their loved ones laid in tranquil sleep ; But on the tides of nature sweep. Till sunlight takes the place of shade. And all the world in peace is laid, In robes of greenery fresh arrayed. I hear the breeze's fitful song. The torrent's numbers, wild and strong, x^nd music of the feathered throns that a mute slave Noisek'ssljf handed to each one, made his obeisance, and stole out. Then were their tongues re-loosed, and expressions of wonder had full vent. One, most struck hi/ the strenr/th of endurance discovered in Imii-hood, Questioned if life-long friendship could often have borne the severe test ; Courage, devotion, unselfishness, twined, like a cable of three strands, Set an example of manliness rarefy surpassed hg renoioned chiefs. Warmly he spoke as his heart felt, then, as he ended, the next said, " /, too, strove in my young days ; restive ivas I as a wild ox. Strong as a camel besides, and elate in the pride of robust limbs. JlHiere born, ancestors, kindred, or even, my nation, I know not : Yet through inheritance, doubtless, descended the love of a wild life, Growing to rapture rvhen freshened by danger, and scorning its vain threats. Wealth teas the goal of my striving, and rough joy sprang from the toil too; Aye, and I found when successes were multiplied till they had filled up Wondrous resources of treasure beyond any dream of my first hopes, Still the delight of attaining was more than the gain from the icealtk tvon.'' " Tell ns your story," the sheik said who at their asking had told his ; Brighter his dark eyes gleamed as at once he complied: and it ran thus : — f- THE SECOND SHEIK'S STOEY. About my memory still there seems to cliug The far-off vision of a city, bright With glittering domes, and stately towers, and trees Of patriarchal grandeur, and the jets Of silver fomitaius ; where my life began. Like pictures in the palpitating air Above the bm-ning desert, come and go The shifting glimpses of that distant dream. A roar of wild commotion, and a blaze Of conflagration, with a hurried rush From a thronged gateway to the naked plains : Then silent tents beneath the starry sky — Half-recollections, thus confused and dim, Point to some tumult in my natal town, From which, by hostile, if not friendly hands, I was borne off, and saved, belike, from death. But all the scene is indistinct and vague. A chieftain of a roving tribe, one rich In flocks and camels, being childless, gave His household charge concerning me, and watched My gradual growth, and treated me, indeed, As his own son. My true remembrance dates From childhood's term passed in that tranquil camp. The clear air, and the charm of wandering life, With exercise inseparable from such Existence, filled my growing frame with strength. And joy of being. With my favourite barb I spurned the sands and raced the whistling winds ; Hurled the bright javelin ; and in every sport Of active force excelled most of my years. THE SECOND SHEIK's STORY. iGl * . But when tlie bud of boyhood opened out To manhood's flower, the current of my hfe Was altered ; care usurped the throne of joy ; The day grew pensive, and the night disturbed By feverish dreams ; till all iny peace w^as slain. In quest of pasturage, we had moved our camp To a green hilly region, from whose heights A distant city rose to view* : gilt domes, White cupolas, and minarets gleamed amid Masses of foliage dark with shadow}- depths. And as I looked, witliin my bosom grew A longing to behold its beauties close. Day after day I gazed, and more and more Distasteful grew the tame life of the tents And pastoral occupation ; hour by hour The tumult of my mind increased : at length I set aside all scruples, and broke loose. After a night of restlessness, I rose At daybreak, found my steed, and galloped off. Alone, lest hindrance should be raised, to prove What wonders lay within that beckoning town. WHEN, dusty and hot, I reached the gate, the noon Stretched its broad blaze above the glittering walls. I housed my charger at the nearest khan. Paid my devotions at the neighbouring mosque, And rested till the tides of human life Poured down the streets anew'. Then forth I strode, Losing my personality in the crowd, Like one grape in the vine's thick clusters hid, But yet with eyes and ears alert, amazed At all the marvels of the moving scene. At last I gained an open square ; great piles Of building stood about, and in the midst A mighty fountain scattered showers of spray To the cooled air, sprinkling the flowers and trees That crowded round, alive with countless birds. M 162 THEEE SHEIKS. As I stood gazing, a procession passed : First, running footmen ; then, some mounted guards, Round a small wrinkled personage on a mare Of i^ure descent, with trappings rich with gems ; Slaves walked on either side ; and in the rear More horsemen ; with the rabble close behind. Through a wide archway that exalted man, With his attendants, rode ; the doors were shut. The crowd dispersed, and calm came back afresh. But while the cavalcade was filing in, I caught a transient view of a great court With pillared colonnades, embowering trees, Streams of clear water, and bright sunny streaks On glossy shrubs and flowers of every hue. And wonder, not unmixed with envy, rose Within my breast, to see that one so slight And feeble-looking, owned such w^ealth and power. I asked an idler, who was that great chief. " My brother," he replied, " no warrior, prince. Or ruler, but a wealthy merchant he : Born amid squalor, now a friend of kings, A shrewd man and a daring, he has won His great possessions by his toil and skill : True this has aged him ; yet will riches pass W^here wisdom is insulted, valour scorned, And piety neglected. Earth's chief spoils; Repose when needed , action if desired ; Honour, and deference, ever wait on wealth." His words, like seeds set in a quickening soil, Took root at once in my receptive heart ; I answered, " O my master, human life Is full of restlessness ; a stagnant calm Is like the barren desert ; action, full Of shifting beauty, like a peopled town. Were riches mine, I should be free to take The measure of the world ; but now, I stand A rooted palm beneath a changeless sky." He scrutinised my face, and slowly said, " Could you be firm to challenge and endure Fatigues and dangers of no common kind, THE SECOND SHEIK's STOKY. 163 If well assured of full gain at the last ? " " Test me," I answered, " put me to the proof ; Show me a way to climb up to the skies. Seize on the stars, and dash them down through space To set all earth on fire ; I will not shrink, Let but a worthy meed remain beyond." He led me back into the sliady mosque, There set his purpose clearly to my view. And ere we sallied forth again, the step Was taken ; I had cast my lot with his. To gain or fail, even at the risk of life. A strong king, in a distant age, had seized The plunder of some predatory bands ; This, with his own chief riches, in a cave Concealed beneath the sea, had long been lost. — Such was the treasure we were set to seek. IN a low chamber, by a lamp's faint ray Half lighted, the mysterious man that night, I looking on in silence, drew strange signs And seemed to be computing by the rules Given in a tome, yellow and worn with age, Whose characters were dark red, as of blood, Save here and there a symbol marked in gold. And iu the hush of night, with all the world Asleep, I heard him muttering rapid words, In language unintelligible to me ; I saw no presence, but I caught a voice In the same tongue replying, and the leaves Of the weird book were turned, and a mild light Proceeded from them, or my sight was false : A nameless terror tingled through my frame, I could not dare to either speak or move. But as a wild beast taken in a pit Crouches with watchful eyes and sharpened ears, I, bathed in perspiration, lay alert. But soon the murmurings ended : and once more A fitful slumber hung about my brain. ^1 2 164 THREE SHEIKS. PAET of a goodly company, we crossed The sandy waste, and reached the nearest port ; Thence taking ship. A fair breeze blew from land, The rippling ocean smiled beneath the sun. Sweet odours followed us from shore, and light Surrounded us, and hope was in our hearts. When night came up, beneath the clustering stars We kept our steady course ; the white spray flew, The zephyrs sang amid the flapping sails. The crescent moon arose, and all grew fair With more ethereal beauty, till a hush Stole on our senses with a spell of peace. And forward thus, for twenty days and nights We voyaged, full of happiness, had not Impatience stirred our pulses. Then we saw A wooded land uprising from the waves : Where, in due time, we anchored, and elate With joyful expectation, leaped ashore. Fair dwellings in a sea of foliage stood ; The quay led to bazaars, and baths, and mosques, But all the background was a forest scene. With mountain peaks lifted to heaven beyond. We found a guide to lead us through the woods And by the beach, w^ave-beaten, to the rocks Where the surrounding heights broke off abrupt. The dark leaf-roof spread on enormous trunks, Symmetrical though massive ; the soft floor Of moss and cast-off produce of the trees, Year after year accumulated ; glades Where the clear light streamed in and wandered on,. By furtive snatches, to the brightened bark, Touching the clambering plants and limp festoons With radiance, and amid the woven boughs Piercing at times with shafts of deadened gold ; The murmuring voices, through the hidden depths,. Of winds and waters ; and the flitting shapes Of startled life shrinking from our ajpproach : — These always live in memory. But the flash Of never-resting surges, under cliffs Tino SECOND sheik's stoky. 165 That roso like ramparts of some giaut race, Kings of the land before the birth of man, Thrilled me with wilder thoughts by far ; for there, Beneath the gaunt rocks where the tides sang on Their^jold monotonous music evermore, Defeat7or victory, life or death, lay hid. THAT night, within our temporary home, My fellow-traveller traced the route with care. And, using instruments all strange to me, VVith^frequent reference to his ancient book. Decided on the bearings of our goal. Next, we procured a barque of lightest build. Stored it with stealthy carelessness, in hope To baffle curious eyes ; and through the dark We would have crept out, but the city gates Were closed, which forced us to the drowsy time Of noon. We stole forth from the sleeping streets Unnoticed ; reached the still wood, and sank down Exhausted by our unaccustomed toil, Pursued beneath the fierce meridian rays. To force our passage, laden as we were, Filled two laborious days, and more ; two nights We slept and watched out by our fire of boughs : But toward the setting sun of the third day We paused upon the margin of the sea. Hard by the lofty rocks ; two lonely men : Haggard with weariness, yet trembling more With eager hope than weakened frames, we launched Our shallop, aud with caution pushed along. WTien we ceased rowing, a large stone let down Served as an anchor ; by the prow a rope Was firmly fastened, with its other end About his w^aist, my leader boldly leaped Into the silent waves and disappeared. Once he came up to breathe, then dived afresh And rose no more. I waited till suspense 166 THREE SHEIKS. Grew agonising, ere I felt the cord Tighten, as pre-arranged ; tlien I drew breath, Looked on the skies, the waters, and the rocks, x\nd indistinct they grew, as through a dream, Then, harding all my muscles, I plunged in, Followed the guiding rope, and quickly rose In a stupendous cavern, black with night. Save one small circuit glimmering in the ray That feebly gleamed from my companion's lamp. The waters, where they entered, soon were stayed As in a natural basin ; thence the floor Eose by degrees ; the walls, of sparry rock. Extended on, and on ; no sign of life Was visible as we searched from side to side In our illuminated space, which moved As we moved, darkness everywhere around. At last, behind a huge projecting crag, We fell, without a warning, on the spoil. Before, at points, small streams came trickling down The furrowed walls, but here the cave was dry, And worked, either by nature or by man, Into innumerable niches, close As wax-formed cells lie in the wild bee's comb. And, like them also, filled with wealth purloined. Chests, caskets, bales, and jars, tier over tier, Were stowed in order ; coffers on the floor. As if too weighty to be raised, stood firm In calm solidity, and drooped curtains hung Guarding, perchance, more perishable things. Secure in our possession, we pushed on To find the cavern's end ; with searching eyes. And steps of circumspection, forward still. By massive buttresses, and pillars gaunt In stony strength, we passed ; till stopped, perforce. Where the road ended in a chasm, whose width, Or depth, we could not even guess, so black Its ever-during robe of darkness hung. THE SECOND SHEIK's STOKY. 167 iViid through the deadly depths a ghostly souud Of whispering waters aud complaiuing airs Stole upward, aud about the concave roof Woke muffled echoes, till the lost aisles seemed Peopled with shadowy forms endowed with life And held in bondage, murmuring at their lot. As we retraced our footsteps, lo, a gleam Touched the projecting edges of the rocks, AY hich formed above the central space a shaft Of vast proportions ; when we reached the spot Dii'ectly in tlie midst, we saw the moon High overhead, a circle of clear sky, And one or two attendant stars around. Here, then, the source of renovated air Had we discovered ; dripping waters stirred Below, and easy vent was given aloft. We housed our food in safety ; snatched a meal In haste ; then trimmed our lamps, impatient now To prove what fate had offered to our hands. Inestimable gems, some loose, some set In ornaments of rare and skilful work, iVnd weapons rather for display than strife ; Eich silks ; embroidered hangings ; coinage, thrown Silver and gold together ; spices, gums, And scents whose breathing told of Oman's sea ; Curious trinkets ; robes of costliest stuffs ; And all imaginable toys that taste, Eefinement, power and luxury could wish, Here gathered in one heterogeneous mass, Dazzled our sight and overpowered our minds. Chest after chest we forced, and spreading shawls About the floor, sorted the varied w^ealth. Far in the night we toiled ; at last our eyes Grew heavy, while our limbs refused to move : Then, in our mantles wrapped, amid our spoil We lay, and sleep breathed blessing on our brows. We rose, to find the sun was high in heaven. For light streamed down the shaft, and well-nigh touched 168 THREE SHEIKS. The ridge of rock whose curve embraced the waves, Guarding approach, yet giving entrance too. We drew to this illuminated space Some of our treasure-chests ; with bales for seats, At leisure, and in comfort, we resumed Our survey. Looking round from time to time, I noted that the waters in the cave Sank, corresponding with the tide without. And trembled with a fear lest the rude arch Should grow to view, and then our rocking barque, Moored close at hand, might lure some passing sail To pry more narrowly, and discover all. But my companion showed projecting points And hollow spaces in the lofty shaft, By nature indicated, but by man Improved, providing for a bold escape. Yet, for the more security, we placed Down the dark passage, by the chasm of gloom, A casket brimmed with the resplendent gems Of richest value : others we concealed Within our girdles and our turban-folds : Then, reassured, pursued our pleasant task. ENGROSSED in our employment, several days Had sped like one, and the wished end drew near, When something smote the water ; at the sound I seized my lamp, and looked : the rope was loose : I drew it in, and with its weighted end A man rose up in dripping garments, stared One moment round the cavern, then cried out, " Aha, my masters; is your secret solved? Shrewd men are ye, and skilful, not so I ; Yet where I lead your footsteps mine must tread." In him we recognised the guide who showed The way through the dim forest to the cliffs. We knew he dared not brave us thus alone ; Some other must be waiting in the boat. Stationed to watch while he first entered in ; THE SECOND SHI'JK's STORY. 1 GO So grudgingly we yielded him a share : And wilHngly he lent material aid, Till we forgot resentment, half content To buy his sturdy service at its price. The night was on the world, a moonless night, And darkness hung about the lofty roof ; But with some torches our new-comer shaped And set amid the rifts, and our own lamps, A strong light was around us ; when I came Upon a marvellous prize : a temple, framed In just proportion, and of precious stones ; The groundwork gold, but well-nigh lost to sight Beneath the rich prismatic blaze of gems. I handed it to my companion, mute : He on that other cast a sidelong glance ; His back was toward us, as he bent above A coffer, and I signalled an assent ; But when my partner softly glided by. To bear this new discovery to the hoard Of the dark nook, the keen intruder saw. And followed, at a distance, on his steps : So I too, taking down a torch in turn, Follow^ed in silence, waiting the result. Hardly had my companion reached the chest Before his watcher stood beside it too ; " Is this vour honest dealing ? " he exclaimed. Throwing himself upon the coveted store ; The rock was slippery ; clinging to his prize, Backward he slid, ere we could reach a hand. The lid fell open, and beneath a rain Of jewels, he was lost in that abyss. I lay down with my face above the chasm, And let my torch slip down the dreadful space — As well one falling star might strive to light The depths of lowest hell, as that faint spark To break the horror of that solid gloom. And chilly I felt as my companion dragged My well-nigh lifeless body back, and helped 170 THREE SHEIKS. To set me on my feet : no sound from him AVho thus had vanished reached us where we stood,. Trembling and pale in our one torch's light, And speechless with the swiftness of the shock. Only the weird tones from the vaulted roof, Of hidden waters and imprisoned winds, Eeverberated through the doleful place, And the black crags whispered in terror back. I looked upon the fatal object, saved While our prime fruits of harvest at a breath Had withered, with a human life beside ; And wished most deeply we had never seen Its glittering points of concentrated light. We turned back with a weight upon our hearts ; Mechanically set to work afresh : Built up our fire : sat down to take our food : But joy had fled ; a shadow had grown up Above our lives, which many a sun would fail To dissipate, or wind to bear away. Then a new cause for fear oppressed our minds — The dead man's friend without ; should he dive in And rise up to confront us, would our word Be heeded ? Or, he might attack us both In desperation ; what could then prevent The stain of blood from fastening on our hands ? This should not be. We formed a hasty plan ; Pushed our sad wealth where darkness ever reigned Extinguished fire and torches ; laid one lamp, Eeserved for need, in a black niche ; and climbed, Aiding each other, up the shadowy shaft, Till we had reached a ledge where we could lie In shade, and yet command the space beneath. Though no intrusion roused us, I, at least. Strove vainly to forget the dreadful doom We late had witnessed; caused, I sadly felt, However indirectly, by myself. Thus I lay restless on the rocky ledge. Not insecure, for in that rugged shaft THE SECOND SHEIK's STOKY. 171 An ample aud protected space was mine; But in the solemn darkness, through the stir Of haunting echoes, once again I caught The dreaded utterance of that unknown tongue Which seemed to hover round the mystic book, Now laid amid the treasures of the cave. Had it been mine, I would have hurled it down Into the gulf of night, with the lost man. Horn* after hour I lay in deadly fear, Longing for light. At last a glimmer of grey Grew overhead, and by degrees stole down, Spreading a dim dawn round the rocky hall ; And with the first faint gleam the mutterings ceased. I WOKE with a presentiment of ill ; Unknowing why, I shuddered, and glanced round With caution : as remembrance grew, I leaned My head over the ledge and scanned the scene. The day was well advanced, and light was thrown Directly down ; a figure trod the floor, Holding a sw^ord, and calling out the name Belonging, as I deem, to our dead guide. He crossed the lighted circle, looking up And shouting ; though I knew he could not see My form in the deep shadow, yet I held My breath and shrank down closer to the stone» Wherever light extended he advanced, Searching and calling ; but the gloomj^ depths Appalled him, for he ventured little there. Glancing to where my leader lay, I saw He too was w^atching, like myself outstretched. As if life's functions w^ere suspended now, Or all absorbed in one — the sense of sight. At length, as wearied with his fruitless quest, The searcher, in dejection turning back, Slipped in the waves and vanished from our view. We could not doubt that others soon would come With blazing torches venturing to the depths 172 THREE SHEIKS. Of mystery, and our secret be made known. Action, immediate action, must be ours To save our wealth ; nay, more, our very lives. Amidst our labour, all at once, a cry Prom my comx^anion chilled my blood — " The boat ! " And rushing like a madman to the waves. He plunged head-foremost in : I followed close ; Together through the broken arch we rose. And saw the boat, left there to point the way, • Eising and falling on the swelling tide. We cut it loose, it drifted out to sea Keel upward, and the spot was now unmarked. Then, hurrying back, within the smallest space We packed our choicest treasures : he above And I below, aided by ropes, drew up And safely set them on the ledge : removed All litter from the floor ; took a last view Of the surroundings, with a growing hope That all might yet be prosperous. Night had grown Ere this, and now in weariness we dragged Our heavy frames up to our lessened store And wooed repose. But through the solemn hours The haunting w^hispers stirred my troubled sleep : Whether proceeding from that ancient tome, Or old-world voices, in the buried cave. From rock to rock repeated evermore ; Absorbed by day, distinguished in the night More like the stirring of an inner sense Than earthly sounds on human ears — a moan Of anguish, inarticulate, hopeless, deep. After a long lapse, straggling rays came down. And spread about us ; gladly shaking oft" The creeping terror of the ghastly night, I welcomed labour as a kind relief. Then, with strong ropes about our waists, we scaled The shaft's full height, requiring every limb And all our resolution ; but at last. Panting, crawled out and stood on the bold peak. THK SECOND SHEIK's STORY. 173 And from that lofty \vatch-tower we surveyed Walled towns, bright rivers, darkling woods, and wastes Of level sand ; and, lull alonp; one side, The placid ocean, ilecked with flying sails ; With heaven's vast dome around and over all. WE passed a hard time in the rough descent Of that steep mountain's side. With raiment torn. And cut and blistered feet and hands, W'e reached A straggling village, with its flocks and herds Surrounding it, the gladdening signs of life. Our haggard eyes and gaunt appearance moved A kindly soul to pity, whom we met Returning from his fields : the noon was nigh, And grateful to our worn frames were the shade, Food, and repose beneath his sheltering roof. There we remained until returning strength Gave leave for our departure ; then set forth Toward the chief city of all the region round : A land of vineyards, gardens, running streams, And green plantations reaching to the skirts Of forest depths, and up the mountain slopes. The town was seen far off, on a high ridge Uplifted, white and glittering to the sun ; Backed by the wooded scenery dark as night. And peaks beyond bold in endm'ing strength. We found a caravan about to start For regions more remote, with heavy loads To barter for the produce of the wilds ; And with the courteous merchants soon arranged Fair terms, equipped our camels, hired our hands. Then, after much delay, through the slow blood Of that impassive race, left the still town Behind us, with a feeling of relief. We journeyed by short stages ; but the land Grew picturesque and bold as we advanced. 174 THEEE SHEIKS. Through deep defiles, half hidden from the day, Where the faiut jingling of the camels' hells, "With echoes multiplied from rock to rock, Grew like the clamour of an army's march. We sauntered, listless, like a dreaming band. Then, from the gorge emerging, a vast stretch Of desert, shut in by stupendous cliffs And dark-green patches, growing, on approach, To forest depths impervious to the day, Aroused us from our apathy, with forms Of savage grandeur, and the changeful lights From snow-clad summits under sapphire skies. ONE memorable night, our tents were spread Where a clear fountain issued from a rock. Between the woodlands and the desert track. The moon was at the full, the wind was stilled, The running water sang its ceaseless song, Through the mysterious forest stole a breath Of something only half akin to sound ; The distant sentry, like a statue, rose Distinct and motionless against a sky Of infinite depth ; and all the camp was hushed. Sleep shunned me ; some imperious impulse drew My footsteps toward the trees ; I sauntered on, The half unconscious agent of a power Not courted, nor resisted ; but a spell Was on me, and beneath the silvered leaves I wandered, till the forest closed around In massive darkness on whose jagged edge The trembling moonlight faltered and fell back. A subtle music rippled through the gloom And drew me onward, wary step by step : The world of man had vanished ; primal night. Unbroken by creation's dawn, seemed there THE SECOND SHEIK's STORY. 175 ■Solidified at last, beneath the weight Of blackness age on ago in silence piled. And tliough I saw not, yet my senses knew Tree-trunks, like gaunt rocks, with entangled boughs. Like the rough roofs of subterranean holds Peopled by gnomes, or dwarfs of hideous forms, Stood round, and wrestled overhead, condemned To strive in vain for light, yet striving still. Through slime from centuries of decaying leaves, And resinous tears wrung from the tortured bark, Dropping, like moaning voices, all around, I felt my slow way ; and the hours seemed drawn To dreadful years of horror, while my will Was powerless to resist ; so on I went. Oppressed, as with a waking nightmare, past Human endurance, yet borne up by strength Infused by fiends to make my tortures more : For now, at times, I saw dread points of fire. Fierce red, or dazzling green, amid the gloom Advance, recede, vanish, or wander round, While hollow roarings, or heart-piercing yells. Shook the grim trees and stirred the deadened air, And through each fearful lull a hissing sound, As of innumerable serpents, crept Along the shuddering floor ; or, from the boughs, Unearthly shrieks and hootings chilled the blood. Still superhuman strength was mine, though fear Loosened my nerves and well-nigh crazed my brain. Then, as a night of tempest, through a rift In the dense clouds, may send a ragged ray Of feeble light to bring the foaming waves One moment into view, so, at the last, I caught a sickly glimmer ; stealing on. It grew into faint radiance, where the boughs. Boles, and protruding roots, were brought to sight, Distorted, monstrous, hideous, and deformed. Those evil voices ceased, the glaring eyes Had all withdrawn, a heavy silence hung About the sku'ts of that tremendous wild 'Of growth abnormal, as I made my way 176 THREE SHEIKS. With an increasing light ; more sparse the trees, More clear the firmament grew at each stride ; And when I stepped into an open space, The light of day streamed from a deep blue sky. And all the bordering trees showed shapely trunks And leaves of healthy green and beauteous form ; But not a breath disturbed them : not a pulse Of life was on the land or in the heavens. Before me was a strip of stony ground. And just beyond, a mass of towering rock, Gigantic, lifted up its darkening bulk And stretched, on either hand, its wall of strength. Abrupt, impassable, defiant, grim. On closer view, its furrowed face displayed Projecting columns ; terraces with stairs And balustrades ; arched entrances ; long rows Of niches, dark beneath the smile of day ; And many a wavy line of beauty traced Along the front : its roof the higher slopes Of hoary mountains, clothed with nature's growth In places, last of all the barren peaks. That marvellous temple, in the deathless rock Hollowed by mighty workers, ages past, Beached for an unknown distance, black as clouds Freighted with thunder in a moonless night. Fronting the forest's edge of quiet green. And with a heaven of sunny light above. More dismal grew its blackness and more dread. And ever, from its inner halls, the waves Of subtle music flowed, with rise and fall. Shrill melodies, and murmurous undertones, Like surges of a melancholy sea Might chant to desert islands day and night ; Though varied voices, struggling each with each. Yet in one sad monotonous burden bound. I gained an open door-way, and peered in With awe and wonder ; for the rock was pierced By corridors and chambers, and their walls THE SECOND SHEIKS STORY. 17 Enriched with chiselled shapes of grace and power. And through the dim recesses wandei'ing airs Woke the wild music's fluctuating strains. Pausing to rest, I heard a distant voice Kepeating words of holiness and prayer, That thrilled through all my nature with a dread More than the sense of loneliness could bring. But looking up to the clear skies, I thrust My fears aside, and pressed on toward the sound. Hall after hall, their frontage bright with day, But gloomy depths unsearchable behind, I threaded ; till I reached an inner room, From which the chant proceeded, with a lamp Shedding soft radiance through its arched approach. I stayed my footsteps, for the voice now ceased ; A venerable man stood at the porch ; Beneath an ample brow, by snows of age Shadowed and dignified, his placid eyes Shone like mild stars between the breaking clouds. Like an old prophet ; from his fellow-men Divided ; by the study of loftier lore Eemoved and sanctified ; of that lone place A fitting occupant, he met my gaze. OUE caravan might pause awhile to search, But vainly, and must take the forward road Ere long ; for through those dreadful forest depths To force my shuddering way afresh, was past My present courage ; and awhile I stayed Within that stony solitude, in peace. Through the vast excavation now I roamed. Alone, or guided by my reverend host. He showed me chambers scooped with niches, stored With jars of treasure, vases filled with gems And antique ornaments of massy gold, Amid decaying fabrics, once of price, And handiwork of old, now worthless dust. " Since wealth you crave, bear with you what you list, 178 . THKEE SHEIKS. He said, " no use have I for riches now ; And I am left the sole possessor here. " By chance, as men say, yet is all ordained, Searching for simples on the mountain's side A narrow crevice by the clustering shrubs Concealed from careless passers, caught my sight, And looking in, I saw a speck of sky Afar off, and stole up the tunnelled way, Emerging on a terrace of this rock. Dazzled by sudden daylight and confused At my discovery. Softly I advanced, But not a sound, or movement, broke the calm Of monumental stillness, save the voice Of singing winds that through these stony depths Sweep with a plaintive murmur never hushed. Where the dark road had end a door was set. Had this been shut the guiding ray had failed, I closed it, and my solitude was safe. "The last survivors, I suspect, were driven By famine to descend to the low i)lains. And wandered far, till this retreat became A dim tradition and its traces lost." For some few days a tranquil time I passed lu that majestic solitude. I traced The long front to its endings in the cliffs ; Explored its echoing passages and halls ; Heard the grey hermit's counsels, with the roll Of that eternal music of the winds. Through the cut rocks, about us day and night ; Joined in his simple meals ; and slept firm sleep. But soon my blood grew restless, and a dread Came on me lest that omnipresent calm Should either madden or paralyse my brain. The meagre fare, however wholesome, grew Distasteful ; insufficient ; and the words Of wisdom, vague as mutterings in a dream. No disposition that meek hermit showed To hold me, or to cast off my restraint ; THE SECOND SHEIk's STORY. 179 But iu ni}^ willing hands he placed a choice Of jewels, from the long lost store, beyond My highest hope ; then, with the kindliest words, Led to the hollowed hill, and set me free. AGAIN the fresh breeze of the mountains blew About me, and the golden light of day Steeped the wide prospect in resplendent hues, Flashed in the streams, and twinkled on the trees. I saw the browsing goats, the shepherds' huts Amid the sheltering foliage, and a line Of camels in the distance, with a thrill Of roused humanity that made me shout With happiness to join the world afresh. Entering a city, when the day declined Toward sunset, at the gate a band I met, From the lost caravan ; my shorter path, And the slow ways inherent in their race. Had brought us thus together once again. My partner hailed me as given back from death, And honourably divided all the wealth We rescued from the plunder of the cave ; Nor asked a share of the mild hermit's gift. Since he designed to traffic in that land ; We parted, for such stories had I heard Of blest Damascus, all my heart was moved To see its dazzling beauties for myself. BY rocky fastnesses, or cultured plains ; Parched desert solitudes, well watered vales ; Lonely encampments, and life-stirring towns ; My new associates led. The torrid glare Reflected from hot sand ; the fell simoom ; N 2 180 THREE SHEIKS. The furious storm on unprotected wastes ; The savage beasts, and more ferocious forms In human guise, roaming abroad for prey ; Encountered, or evaded, all were passed In safety, and my pulses seemed alive With their old exultation, as I viewed The beauteous city, with its groves and streams. Illustrious from afar — a crowd of towers. And cupolas, and walls of dazzling white. With cool green shades, beneath a blazing sky. Now I had spacious chambers ; numerous slaves To do my bidding ; gardens bright with bloom And fresh with running waters ; bosky bowers Of aromatic growth, to charm the mind W^ith dreams of Ormuz and the Persian Gulf ; A retinue, when I \vould ride abroad. Attended me ; both land and sea were gleaned To furnish forth my tables ; and the choice Of wit and learning were content to be My boon companions and to share my feasts. For me ships put to sea, defied the rage Of tempests, toiled, and trafficked, and returned : The laden caravans bore wealth of mine. Braved dangers of the deserts, fought the bands Of robbers, suffered hunger, thirst, fatigue, And torturing heat, in watchfulness and care, To bring me back accumulated gain. And I, at ease, could breathe the scented air, Broad leaves above me, green turf at my feet. Lulled by the fountains and the murmurous sounds Of half-awakened life about the flowers ; Till all the memories of the world without Seemed shadowy things, scarce worth a passing thought. And thus, for many a year, the daylight grew To noon, and faded into starry night : Moon after moon a lucent splendour poured THE SECOND SHEIIv's STORY. 181 Upon the tranquil scenery spread beneath : Seeds became plants ; buds broadened into flowers ; Fruits ripened ; cast new seeds upon the ground, To take root and to blossom forth afresh : And still my life slid on in idle calm, Like a moored boat rocked on a moonlight sea. BUT, as a sudden storm sweeps through the skies, Tears the long tresses from the bending trees, And roars in torrents down the rocky hills ; An impulse came upon me to throw off My languor, and to travel out afresh, In the free desert air ; if so my pulse Might win the flow- of its old vigorous tide. That brings me here — and so my tale is told. 182 THREE SHEIKS. SECOND INTERLUDE. WaBMLY the two who had listened applauded the tale of the hold sheik : Smoothing his (jrey heard sloicly, he answered their pilaudits in grave tones, " Sadness is ever with age, hept hack from j^ursuing its young tastes, Either hy feebleness, ptain, or regret at the changes that Time icorks: Half of my wealth — nay, all — tvould I give could it purchase my lost youth. Noio hare the freshness and beauty de^iar ted from, earth, for a grey sky Mounds the horizon, and deep sleep soon shall envelop my ivorn frame. Yet the Comjyassionate sleeps not : nothing remains hut to trust HimP Jle who had hearkened to both tales anstcered him thus: "I)i the whole 7corld Ilajipiness dwells, he only discovers and tcins it ichose cleared miiul Catches the secret of being and measures his life by a neio law. I, like the hermit you visited, dtvelt in seclusion for some time, Saddened at heart; rough rocks, black caves, lone deserts, and wild ivoods, Harmonised then tvifh the sense of defection that thrust me from men's haunts. After a ivhile came peace, and delight in existence; a new sense Opened the sight of the roused soul, lifting it up to its full height : Time and its trifles icere now found part of the ivondrous divine scheme. Touched by the calm spell thus breathed down from the limitless blue space, Pain and distress fled, never returning to torture my heart moreP Then, as his hearers requested a fxdler narration, he wrmt on : — 183 THE THIKD SHEIK'S STOEY. My birthplace is a town beside the sea ; My sire a merchant ; at whose side I met Worn mariners, and travellers over land, Who from far-distant regions sought the port, To buy and sell, or barter, and get gain. I followed in his footsteps : took a wife Fair as the full moon in a cloudless sky, And lived in careless joy : till one black day Bereavement like a sudden sunstroke fell — They bore my bride beyond the city walls, And under the dark cypress laid her down ; A lovely bough torn from my tree of life. Still, wrestling with my pain, I scanned the wares From countries inland, or beyond the seas. And kept to the worn groove throughout the day : But when the hush of starlight watches wrapped The sleeping city, sorrow stirred anew ; Old recollections thronged around my couch ; Or dreams restored my happiness, to lay A heavier shade across my waking hours. To rouse me back to life, my father urged That I should join a caravan ; which met My languid opposition ; till at length, Borne down by much entreaty, I ceased to strive ; And with one grieving backward look, took leave Of home, and kindred, and my buried love ; Believing I should never more behold Those buildings crowded by the flashing sea Alive with coloured sails and floating hulls. As hanging mists in seme deep mountain-gorge Eepel the shafts of daylight for a while. 184 THREE SHEIKS. Till searching winds come sweeping from the sea And make way for the chariot of the snn, Whose burning radiance vanquishes the last Eemains of opposition, and the rocks, So chill before, tingle and glow with heat : So I set forth on my unwilling way, Careless of all surroundings, clothed in gloom. To gather from the freshness of the breeze. The changing scenery, and the wandering life, Eecovered energies, and calm at last. With resignation settling in my heart. WHEN recollection of those journeying days First grows distinct, our camp was on the skirts Of a wide desert tract, but towering rocks And leafy umbrage sheltered us from rays Of noon-tide fury ; near at hand, a stream Leaped from a cliff, and fell, a curve of light, Sheer down, crashing upon the stones below With din, and splutter, and a scattered shower Of flashing gems ; then, an impetuous flood, With broken wave on wave, rushed wildly on, Till swallowed up in depths of wooded glens. That night no moon appeared, but the clear stars Showed the white torrent, backed by the dark rocks And wavy tree-tops marked against a sky Of sapphire ; all was silent, save the roar Of the down-bearing current, and the tents Were folded in oblivion ; I alone Looked out upon the scene with musing eyes ; When, all at once, I saw a figure stood On the bold crag from which the torrent shot ; A spear was in his hand, with which he seemed To point directions ; but to whom, and where? I stealthily crept through the sleeping camp, Keeping in shadow, gained its edge, and paused. THE THIKD SHEIK's STOKV. 18o With all my sense of being, for the time, l^ortioned between my straining eyes and ears. There was no breeze ; no bough, against the sky Traced plainly, swayed, or shook one trembling leaf ; And yet, now that the distant cataract's voice Was softened, I could catch a rustling sound Amid the trees ; I caiitiously sank down. And, with my face pressed to the ground, could feel, Rather than hear, a gliding movement borne To my roused senses, as of shuffling feet. I sped back to my tent with wary haste, Snatched up my pistols, fired them both at once, And ere their echoes died had roused a scene Of wnld commotion language fails to paint. I pointed to the form upon the cliff, Gesticulating now with eager rage, But hardly could I warn of their approach Before the savages were in our midst, With showers of missiles, and defiant yells That seemed to pierce the marrow in our bones. The shouting, and the trampling, and the clash Of weapons, as the wrestlers, breast to breast, Panting with toil and fury, seethed and tossed, Like a wild wood resisting some great storm. Half lighted by the feeble stars alone. Held me, a breathing statue, for a space. With no desire to flee, no power to help. Then as a serpent-fascinated bird, Which, fearfully approaching, knows its doom, Yet cannot turn aside ; trembling with dread In every nerve down to its feather-tips. With supplicating looks and gaping beak, Throws itself forward to the jaws spread wide Beneath the glittering eyes and swelling crest, And dies, against its will, by its own act : So I drew near the combatants, alive To the full terrors of a strife obscured Amid the shadowy tents, where friends and foes Were indistinguishable ; yet aglow 186 THKEE SHEIKS. With fiery ardour urging me to strike, Aud fiercely, at the heart of that mad fight. A shock Hke sudden hghtning, stopped my course ; A thrill of pain, a jar upon the nerves, And my right hand fell useless at my side ; But with the left I wrenched the hlade away From the dark form I hardly saw, a fire Was in my brain, I felt my teeth clenched fast, And struck home, not for life, but mad revenge ; A heavy mass fell straightway at my feet, I stamped upon it like a very fiend, And laughed in exultation at my strength. Then, with a long sigh, came my reason back; Light was the thing we needed ; could we see, A skilled defence might soon beat off the foe. I found a cruise of oil, and on a fire Still smouldering let it drip ; the rising flames Grew up and set a neighbouring booth ablaze, And still I fed the fire ; its welcome glare Showed where was danger ; darts were hurled around, Some grazed me, still I fed the flames ; my hand, That only one now left for use, was scorched. My hair singed, aud my garments set alight ; I crushed my robes together, my left hand Was worth more than ten valiant men's full strength Could I keep on, so I still fed the fire. And when with heat, excitement, and the draiu Of blood from the rough wound, I felt my power Fast ebbing, I was caught by friendly hands, With words of gratulation, while a shout Of victory reached my tingling ears ; then night Came down upon me, silent, starless, void. With pious ceremonial, our few slain We laid down in their honourable beds ; Left the vile bodies of the hateful horde To feast the jackals and the birds of prey : Shaking the dust of that abhorrent spot From off our feet, we struck across the waste, With sorrow and resentment plainly marked THE THIRD SHEIK's STOHY. 1H7 Upon onv brows and minglincj in our breasts. I kit many a day of tedious travel dulled The first impressions, as persistent seas, Tide following tide, make smooth a rocky beach : And like the story some reciter tells That scene was fast becoming, when we reached A town with high walls, and defences reared Of ponderous stones, with battlements, and towers At intervals, and heavy gates between. As unattended, one fair morn I crossed The city, through an open door I saw A' wondrous stretch of lawn and grove, blue lakes With leaping jets, and walks by clustering blooms. Then rippling music floated on the wind. Bearing the tones of a most exquisite voice Across the murmuring waters and the groves, Enchanted, bending forward with hushed leaves. Incautiously, beneath the drooping boughs I ventured, for a sjiell was in the spot. And that which w^as ordained w^as brought to pass ; For, ere I saw the singer, powerful hands Had seized me ; I was roughly hurried on, Down the smooth walks, to a pavilion reared On graceful pillars, in embowering shade. Where sat a haughty personage, robed in state, With Ethiopian vassals grouped around. My explanation was dismissed with scorn ; Insanely jealous, as all tyrants are, I saw his cruel eyes light up with rage ; And sank down at his feet in sheer despair. With faltering utterance, and most solemn words, Again I told the simple truth ; and prayed That some of my compatriots might be sought. To give their testimony in my defence. 188 THEEE SHEIKS. He spurned me from him for a baffled spy, If nothing worse, while bitterly I bewailed That idle curiosity which led My foolish feet to such a tangled net. I bowed myself invoking mightier aid, For human means could little serve me now. One standing near spoke words I failed to catch. To which he nodded grim assent ; a sign Was made, and I was bound and carried off, Expecting death, across the pleasant lawns And past the graceful trees, so altered now. In gloomy shadow, black with my distress. We paused upon the bank of a deep flood, At sight of which I made a last appeal To the dark slaves ; they pointed to their mouths And shook their heads, no power of speech was theirs. They set me in a boat, pushed off, and pulled With practised vigour down the swelling stream. Eeach after reach, by wooded banks, bare strips Of waste land, villages, and frowning cliffs. We sped. The sun grew up to noontide's strength. Smote our pained temples, spread a dazzling glare On the broad waters ; took a downward curve ; Still we pressed forward. Then a breeze sprang up, Brushed the light waves upon the river's breast. And helped us onward. Last, the widening flood Broke into two great arms around an isle Whose rough rocks bent above a sandy beach. Bare to the scorching sun and winds of heaven. There I was thrust ashore ; a bag of dates Thrown after me, in pity, if not contempt ; The boat wore round ; I watched its lessening size Till it became a mere speck on the waves ; Then sank down on the sand, feeling myself No denizen of earth, but lost to life Of human kind, at once and evermore. THE THIRD SHEIK's STORy'. 189 ON that lone spot no tree or shrub would grow ; By day the rocks grew hot beneath the sun, Condensing vapours made them wet at night ; The shade and shelter of the hollower crags Still offered some protection ; but the weight Of isolation made my pulses weak More than the lack of food ; the water-fowl On the bare ledges built their shallow nests, And turtles sought the sand to lay their eggs ; The means for mere existence thus I found ; But well-nigh lost the power of steady thought ; Brooding upon the waters day by day ; Watching the sun rise up ; come overhead ; And sink down, for the moon and pitiless stars To grow again, and look from the wide heavens On man's vicissitudes of light and gloom, So far aloof, unalteriug and unmoved. The wild birds' cries, the flapping of their wings, The splashing of their sport or search for food. Broke somewhat on the tedium of the day ; But when at night they settled in their haunts. On crag, or stony shelf, to silent rest, Night's deep solemnity grew round, and awed My being like a presence, calm and dread, "Whose majesty was heightened by the stir Of rushing winds calling to listening stars, And washing of the currents round the rocks. At length my pensive waiting found an end : I saw a shape on the broad river grow And take the full dimensions of a ship. With throbbing veins, and eyes half-dimmed with tears Wrung from suspense and hope despairing still, I stood upon a jutting point, and tossed ]\Iy hands about, and sent an earnest cry Of strong appeal across the spreading flood ; But feeble seemed my voice, dispersed in air. Then I unwound the turban from my brow, And shook it out, a fluttering signal, high 190 THREE SHEIKS. Above my head, and leaped upon the rock With frantic movements and redoubled shouts ; Till, at the last, a boat put off, and then Excitement and exhaustion threw me down, Swooning, yet struggling to retain my sense. Eough hands humanely lifted me with care On board the barque ; I felt it swinging round, Heard dipping oars, and parting w^aters lisp. As through a dream which waking would dissolve. WHEN roused anew to full life, I perceived Salt odours came upon the whistling breeze ; And ere the night the limitless blue waves Were round us, where the vessel bounded on. Like a loosed greyhound glorying in its speed. But with the second night a tempest rose And drove us from our course ; the rain came down As if the heavens were falling on the world ; The waves grew up like cliffs, with ragged crests Of dreadful foam, breaking across the deck And threatening to ingulf us ; hour on hour We battled with the fury of the storm, Till the distracted crew threw overboard Their last weak shreds of hope, and with wild prayers, Wailings, and execrations, sent a thrill Of added horror through the maddening scene. But that which is decreed must be fulfilled : The storm passed on, without one victim claimed To sate its vengeance ; but the sturdy ship Was sorely maimed ; and catching sight of land Near noon the following day, we let her drive Right forward as she listed ; and at length Cast anchor alongside a crowded port. THE THIRD SHEIK's STORY. 191 A shoal of boats went darting to and fro ; Sailors were humming idle songs ; whilo cries Of vendors in the streets, and all the buzz Of a great central market, thronged the breeze With indistinguishable sounds, closed in By constant murmurs of the chafing tides Against the worn edge of the stone-built quay. There I became interpreter for all My shipmates with the merchants of the land. And when the mended vessel put to sea, I stayed, assured my skill in divers tongues, With traffic joined, would yield me plenteous gains. Had wealth been all I sought, I might have won A lofty station in that thriving town ; But in my heart a longing grew to quit The beaten track of trade for fuller life. The mountains, the wide deserts, the deep woods, The running waters, and the lonely sea, Had filled my mind with images of peace That could not fade ; the day, indeed, might thrust Such gentler thoughts aside, but the still night Brought back the yearning with redoubled force. Had sympathetic friends been mine, perchance This might have passed ; but there all lived for gain ; A mercenary narrow-minded race. Straightened at heart, and bound up in themselves. I TUENED my back upon the soul-less crowd. And came at last upon the lonely wilds, Where signs of man stopped short, and Nature ruled In solitary grandeur, undisturbed. I hailed the singing breeze as a close friend ; Majestic mountains, lifting up their heads Vv^ith more than regal pride, and hoary woods. Saluted with due reverence ; with the flow 192 THREE SHEIKS. Of springs, outgiishing from the riven rocks, Blended my breathings of exuberant joy ; And on the mystic ocean, and the depths Of bkie space, flooded with the sun's warm light And hushed in sacred silence, mused with awe. I wandered on, with happiness too full. Almost, for thought ; or in the forest shade, Protected from meridian rays, sat down At one with all creation : and at night, Slept as securely on my bed of leaves And mosses as an inmate of the woods. I meant to lead the life of a recluse. Till both the fever and the dust of earth Were lifted from existence : to this end I sought a spot where I might rest secure From all intrusion, not of man alone. But those ungentle forms that bid us turn In terror or with loathing from their paths. I found a grove of fruit-trees, on the verge Of the bare tract that met the sea's clear waves. One central trunk was hollowed by great age. Where growth of lacing boughs and slender stems A twilight arbour offered ; close at hand, Pure w^ater, like a streak of light, slid through The green depths ; and the forest closed around. And there, throughout the time w^hen sunlight streams From morn till eve across a cloudless sky, I dwelt with Nature, and in silence learned The secrets of her loveliness and power. I saw the plants unfold their leaves and blooms ; The boughs drawn down by weight of ripening fruit ; The happy forms that throng the sylvan haunts, Sporting, or resting ; with the joyous charm Of innocence and freedom over all. And when the solemn Night, in sable robes Begemmed with stars, swept through the breathless heavens, THE THIRD SIIEIK's STORY. 193 With silent steps, closed eyes, and folded hands ; Soft were my slumbers in that calm retreat. Or if at times nocturnal birds awoke An echo, or a distant feline roar ; I heard, to feel a touch of fuller joy, Remote from true disturbance, and secure. Ere long, a now sense came, with fuller light And ampler teaching, to my growing soul. As stars rolled on their everlasting course They shot diviner influence from the skies ; A breath of incommunicable things Hovered in mid-air, yearning to descend ; The winds sweet songs of half-told mysteries sang To trees whose leaves trembled with new delight ; And ocean, with its old impressive tones. Thundered majestic truths to listening rocks. How often, in the golden prime of day, On the clear space between the w^ood and sea I stood entranced ; the waves of liquid light Seemed unsubstantial ; and the mighty trees. Shapes glorified beyond all growth of earth. No finite being, but a deathless part Of that expanding never-ending force That peopled space with worlds, and spun the thread Of gossamer that trembles with a breath, Was I ; a mortal grown immortal now. Or, looking from my bower when sunset filled The far horizon's bow with molten fire, What visions of ecstatic wonder grew Amid the clouds, above the heaving waves. Then depths of changeful splendour opened out, And glimpses came as of celestial realms : Mansions of diamond, golden streets, and walls Thick-set with flashing gems, and gates of pearl. And many a time throughout the night I lay With holy musings more serenely blest o 194 THEEE SHEIKS. Than all the downy bliss of gentlest sleep. Or slumbers, when they claimed me for a while, But amplified the learning I drank in More eagerly than desert sands a shower. For utterances were round me, not of speech, Or I might tell them, voices which aroused The dormant forces of the central soul. And, like a revelation, flashed a light In which past, present, future, all became United in one grand far-stretching whole, And life — this life of earth — a mere pin's point. And when these moods of exaltation passed, Fair fancies wove their charms about me still, In that delicious solitude. The waves Ean up the beach in diamond sparkles, full Of light and movement ; whispering many a tale Of undiscovered islands ; w'alls of rock ; Mountains of iridescent ice ; dim caves Of coral, peopled by a lovelier race Than human-kind ; harbours with crowding fleets ; And beaches of loose shingle white with foam. Or, screened from heat, within a green arcade I sat, and heard the murmurings of the wind Betw'een the leaves, that seemed to weave a lay Of rushing rivers ; snow-tipped heights where man Had never stood ; jingling of camel-bells From pathless deserts ; cities full of stir ; And haunted forests robed in old-world gloom. THESE memories still abide, and fill my heart With calm delight beyond the dream of mirth. Eegret, despondency, resentment, care. With me, are dead and buried long ago. THF, T}in;n sheik's stoky. 195 The flapping of the breeze about the tents, The starlight from the fathomless blue depths, The rising of the sun, the rolling seas, The sparkling springs, the verdure of the woods, — All the fair sights and soothing sounds about Our pathway ; and the savage grandeur, too, Of rock and desert, and the tempest's rage. Still minster to the rapt sense of joy. Infused with awe, first planted in the wild, Delicious period of my hermit life. And ever as the passing years bring back The season of continuous heat, I seek My sylvan haunt and dream my dreams anew — If dreams they be. A triple gain is mine From this communion with creation's works In their sublime simplicity and true power : — Anticipation first ; possession next ; And food for happiest retrospection last. o 2 196 THIIEE SHEIKS. CONCLUSION. Hushed for a while all three noio sat, «.s if objects afar off Lifted their thoughts from the jiresent, restorimj the glamour of old scenes Roused into fresh life, brighter and lovelier still in their veiv birth. Faintly the sighs of the night wind stole to the tents of the lone camp : Soft-voiced rivulets murmured in strains of delight as they flowed on ; Brilliantly flashed the beatified stars, a7id the mystical full moon Beamed like a queen in their midst and achnoivledged their homage with proud grace. Thus for a season the three friends pondered, entranced in a half-dream, Lightedby rays from the clear skies more than the gloiv of the worn lamji Hanging behind them unnoticed and flichering feebly with, spent oil. When, at the last, words came to remove the restraint from their loosed tongues, Both of the third sheik's hearers app-oved of his judgment of true joy ; Ranking contemplative calm a}id the 2Jeace of content over all eke. Later, when came their attendants, performing in silence the last tasks, Musingly rose the disturbed chiefs, looked from the tent on the fair night , Noting the camels at rest and the loatchers apart at their fixed posts ; Hardly a stir of the icind, or the waters, to ruffle the deep hush Laid on the desert encampment, its margin of pasture and dark trees. — Then with a sigh, from the fulness of peace, not of tceariness, drawn forth, Softly they turned to their couches, and sleep breathed balm on their sealed eyes. FROM WEST TO EAST. RUSTIC RHYMES. ;(; /^Ji^-^^^"^ hi '■iU. /^U. f £_1 SECLUSION. 199 SECLUSION. I DWELL beneath untainted skies, Amid the trees and flowers ; Uncaring at what distance hes The city crowned witli towers. For zephyrs, whispering as they blow, The song-birds, when they sing. And running waters, in their flow, A thousand legends bring. And fairy voices, sweet and clear, If winds and waters fail, Enthral me, should I list to hear. With many a wondrous tale. The world and I are far apart — The w^orld of man and strife ; Nature and I live, heart to heart. In sympathetic life. The light that fills the heavens is mine, The forests wave for me, For me buds bourgeon, planets shine And verdure clothes the lea : Above me gorgeous hues are spread As (Jaylight grows or fades ; Elastic moss receives my tread In green and shadowy glades ; And through the hush of sultry noon, When all the prospect sleeps ; Or when the tranquillisiug moon Her placid station keeps ; 200 EUSTIC EHYMES. I inuse upon the lovelier lore Denied the worldly-wise, Intent to garner more and more From fields and woods and skies. And often, like a breeze unsought, In pondering thus alone, I catch the music of a thought Ere yet the thought is grown ; As one who hears the sound or sees The coming of a shower. Before it patters on the trees That overhang his bower. But when the diamond drops are flung Erom all the leafy shields. And the prismatic bow is hun< Above the glittering fields. ^g The sylvan voices throb anew In songs of joyous might, x*\.nd buds a subtler odour strew From cups of dewy light. And thus, at times, I feel a glow That lifts the folds of thought. And bids spontaneous numbers flow. By sudden impulse taught. And though such slight and simple strains May rouse no curious ear, With me their natal charm remains From peaceful year to year. 201 NATUKE AND POESY. Two constant friends about me wait, As on by pastures, bills and streams I saunter, witb a listless gait, And dream Arcadian dreams. Tbe first is large and strong and fair ; ^Yith wide grey eyes, and robes of green, An ample brow, resplendent bair. And ever-placid mien. Her features bear tbe marks of time, And silently sbe glances round ; Yet is ber dignity sublime, Her sympatby profound. To sucb as know ber not sbe sbows Of dreadful stature, stern and cold. Impassive to tbe joys and woes A buman beart can bold. Y''et love for every creature stirs Tbe pulse of ber maternal breast — Impartial love tbat never errs, And care tbat knows no rest. And over all my wandering ways Her calm, approving smile is bent, Warm as tbe west wben summer stays The sun in bis descent. Tbe second owns a slenderer form, With brigbt blue eyes, and locks of gold, And cheeks as fresh and softly warm As buds that just unfold. 202 KUSTIC BHYMES. Her garments rustle like the leaves, And sparkle as with dewy gleams ; And in her voice she deftly weaves The songs of birds and streams. A sprightly sylph ; a blushing maid ; And artless, as beseems her years : A child of impulse, lightly swayed To dimples or to tears. Yet sweetly serious she can be, And softly by my side she trips ; Or, when I rest, sits close to me With silence on her lips. She knows the lays the zephyrs sing. And what the listening groves reply ; And all the shapes that wave a wing Or bask where sunbeams lie. She leads, through soft green lights and shades, To point where fairies still abide ; And holds my hand, as down the glades Their choral echoes glide. She waits with me through all the time Those liquid numbers roll and swell ; And, when they cease, in rippling rhyme Interprets what they tell. And still that statelier form I see, And mark the grave, unaltering eyes So filled with love for her, for me. And all beneath the skies. 203 BY THE STEEAM. Beside a green plantation of young trees, Whose plumed heads nod to every passing breeze ; Along whose edge the scented hawthorn grows, The rustling alder, and the rough wild rose ; The waters of a shallow brook are thrown, Wave after wave, from loosened stone to stone. With flashes of clear light, and sportive spray. And everlasting music on their way. Beyond, till gentle hills of misty blue Blend with the soft grey clouds and close the view,. Across smooth slopes and level tracts expand Fields rich with grain, or plots of pasture-land Where bleating flocks and lowing kine are fed. And many a sky-lark carols overhead. There, in the still, warm hours, I love to sit On a raised root, and watch the shadows flit About the sleeping landscape, with the sound Of running waters ever murmuring round ; Only some droning bee, or drowsy fly. On filmy vans, in languor floating by. For then that inner self that lives in dreams, Is carried, by the currents of the streams, Past regions where aquatic nations dwell In homes of perforated rock, or shell, By forests rising in proportions meet For races so diminutive and sweet ; Where calm is omnipresent, and the rest Of peace-born silence evermore impressed. Still forward, with a smoothly-flowing tide Upbearing and impelling me, I glide 204 RUSTIC RHYMES. Into a mightier realm, whose ramparts throw Dark shades athwart the mitigated glow Pervading all the depths, as from the moon, Or glades that never feel the blaze of noon. At length the smooth curves of the noiseless waves Lie round about a town of sparry caves. Whose halls of pearly light and coral blush Make the surrounding waters gleam and flush ; And from within soft harmonies are freed From many a hollow shell and punctured reed, With strains of mingled melody and speech That charm all living creatures within reach. Then gates, like melting rainbows, fall aside. And through a glittering archway, deep and wide, A bright procession, part on wondrous steeds Half fish half horse, in ordered state proceeds Across the tranquil waters, with the sound Of measured music ever floating round. Forms full of grace and loveliness are there ; Chains of clear pearls hold back thek rippling hair, Their garments seem of woven leaves and stems On which the flowers still rest like natural gems. Some with bared breasts and rosy palms divide The crowding waters of the loving tide ; Others in skiffs like turtles' plates of mail Tricked out with many a fish's glancing scale Glide on, as if propelled by forms below W^ith scarce an effort, indolently slow. Most carry twisted shells on which to sound, Or little coral harps with tendrils bound ; And all have voices for the full refrain That rolls at each division of the strain. From still retreats roused shapes of wonder rise. And solemn-featured fish with large round eyes, To watch from beds of weeds or craggy banks. Or softly moved to join the glittering ranks. But I stand motionless with fixed delight Till all the scene has passed before my sight. THE ISLAND. 205 At last tlio choric chant grows faint and thin, And with it fails the Hash of the last fin, Then, through the songs of trickling streams, is heard A fly's buzz, or the twittering of a bird ; And looking forth, I see the pastures spread Around me, leaves and blossoms overhead, The mimic billows of the brook below, And over all the sun's meridian glow. THE ISLAND. The stream becomes wider as onward it goes. Till full on a ledge in mid-channel it flows ; Then, softly dividing, Two currents are gliding, Encircling an island — a nook of repose. There trees grow in carelessness, bushes are green, Wild grasses are waving, with blossoms between ; And flies hover lightly, Or speed, flashing brightly. Like sparkles of sunshine across the calm scene. Lithe willows with pendulous branches make bowers. Tall poplars rise up from their centre like towers. Dark, solemn, and stately, That look down sedately On boulders and mosses and turf set with flow^ers. For spaces that catch the clear daylight abound Amid the green herbage with shadow^s fenced round. And zephyrs are blowing. And runnels are fiowdng. Entwining in murmurs of somnolent sound. A crossing is traced where the w'aters are thrown In slucies and shallows, by masses of stone Dividing and breaking The currents and making A path to those arbours so peaceful and lone. 206 BUSTIC KHYMES. There often had I, when the heavens were ablaze Beneath the broad noon's multitudmous rays, Sat, idly beholdmg The splendour enfolding The prospect till lost in a nebulous haze. But naught had I learned of its deeper delight Of joyous surprise, till one luminous night The charm had grown stronger, Enchaining me longer Than day could have done in the pride of its might. As then from the poplars I marked how the beams Were caught by the leaves and flashed back from the streams. Close, where I was sitting, A something came flitting, As though a small bird had been roused from its dreams. I looked for the wings that should pass or sweep round. But none grew before me, as sound followed sound, With delicate rustle And insect-like bustle, Which spread to the bushes and trees, from the ground. A pulse of faint music just reached my roused brain. And on the smooth plot a diminutive train. No taller than daisies, In intricate mazes Entwined, keeping step to the beat of the strain. The garments of some were like buds from a tree ; Of others, transparent as wings of a bee ; And many were throwing Clear sparkles, or glowing. Like clouds in a sunset, or spray from the sea. The glowworms stole forth, and their liquid green light Looked pale by the moonbeams, so dazzlingly white, The galaxy dancing Amongst them, and glancing Like planets that flash through the depths of calm night. THK ISLAND. 207 Birds silently leaned fi-om their coverts of green, Soft glossy-winged inoths hovered round the fair scene, And furry slim creatures With shar]) little features Peered out from the bushes with eyes bright and keen . Then resting, like flowers in the grass, all the throng Uplifted small voices in snatches of song, The whispers of willows And roll of slight billows In half-suppressed numbers still floating along. I hstened and ga^ied, with my senses held fast, Till over the group a dim shadow was cast ; One glance upward throwing, I saw a cloud growing ; And when I looked back all the pageant had passed. When full on the landscape the moonbeams are laid, I cross to that island and watch from the shade Of poplars that quiver Above the cleft river, To mark should again the fair show be displayed. At times as I turn from the streams and the spray, My pulses are quickened by flashes that play, Entwining and darting, And meeting and parting. But when I look closer they vanish away. Yet often I fancy, when zephyrs are free. Through musical murmurs of fountain and tree, I catch the faint ringing Of exquisite singing, And feel that the fairies are gazing on me. 208 RUSTIC EHYMES. ON THE BEIDGE. Beside the calm river, a slope of smooth pasture between, A church of a far distant date Surveys the still landscape, imbued with a holy, serene, And dignified state. No dwellings rise near it ; surrounded by masses of yew, In shadow and quiet it stands ; And round it, as swayed by its presence, the tranquillised view In silence expands. The blue of the sky becomes softer, and tenderly falls The touch of the noon's burning ray Above the square tower with its loopholes and buttress- propped walls Of moss-covered grey. The flood by a primitive bridge, on piles darkened with slime And brunt of the years they have stood, Is crossed — a memento bequeathed from our forefathers' time, And fashioned of wood. There often I lean on the sturdy rough rail for an hour, With only the rooks overhead To break on their silence who rest by the sanctified tower, Translated — not dead. Soft mosses lie lightly above them, sweet violets throw Their earliest perfume around, The starling builds near them, and, later, the yew-berries glow And fall to the ground. ON THE BRIDGE. 209' Not sadly, but softly and calmly they sank into rest — The trustful and child-like of old ; Of wisdom surpassing all teachings of sages possessed; Through faith waxing bold. The glories of sunrise and sunset, of blossom and leaf ; The fi'cshness of streams, and soft airs ; The music of song-birds; the fulness of swath or of sheaf; No more can be theirs. And why should they know of what chances here yet ? Though they might, What joy or what pain could it give ? For now have they learned the great truth of existence aright : They lived — and still live. If we, who are pent in the flesh, feel a stirring of wings, And look from our cage through the bars, Pierced through with a vision of wondrous and infinite things As clear as the stars ; Much rather shall they, who have struggled through darkness to birth And drunk from ineffable streams, Account their old home, if their thoughts ever turn to this earth, A region of dreams. Glide softly, bright river; sleep, meadows so green in the light; Hushed winds, whisper nothing but peace ; There, sun through the day, and there, moon and all stars through the night, Let ravs never cease. 210 EUSTIC BHYMES. THE TOEEENT IN THE GLEN. The lonely skies in silence rise Above the rifted rock, Where, down the steeps, a torrent leaps And breaks on shelf and block. Dispersed below, the w-aters throw A constant rain of spray. Till weeds and moss with green emboss The boulders round their way. The cliffs expand on either hand, The current checks its pace ; Then bushes spread, and overhead Thick branches interlace. A cooling air is ever there. With day but softly seen When shattered gleams of sunny beams Invade the leafy screen. Old legends tell strange things befell # A melancholy man. Who read the staves the restless waves Were crooning as they ran. For he, when young, had learned the tongue That winds and waters sing, And heard the chimes at festive times Eejoicing fairies ring. And now, it seemed, he sweetly dreamed In days of youth anew. And all around enchanted ground Was opening into view. THE TORRENT IN THE GLEN. 211 At length he saw, with wondering awe, Where vagrant rays were thrown, A naiad's form, distinct and warm, Amid the blocks of stone. The waters' flow grew white ^elow The ledge that stayed her feet. And branches hung with tendrils swmig Above her craggy seat. Her hair unrolled its stores of gold Eound pearly brow and throat, Her pensive eyes were like the skies Where tranquil planets float. Awhile amazed the watcher gazed. Then, softly drawing near. With gentlest speech essayed to reach The beauteous being's eai'. ^o But when he spoke, a splashing broke Through songs of streams and spray ; The nymph had fled, and in her stead A fish pursued its way. He marked the hole by which it stole Beneath the rocky bank, Drew deeper breath, defying death. Dived in, and swiftly sank. The current's course with steady force Impelled him, as it flowed. With scarce a fall, beside the wall That fenced the nymph's abode. And by a door that checked the roar And bubbling of the waves, His form at last, half drowned, was cast Within the realm of caves. p 2 212 EUSTIC KHYMES. There many a star of glittering spar Diffused a lovely light, And brought the troops and gathering groups Of nymphs and gnomes to sight. With them he stayed, and wooed the maid To be his gentle bride ; Who long declined, as too refined For one with dust allied. At last she said they yet might wed, If, ever from his birth. It could be shown that he had known ISlo love for one of earth. And it was well that he could tell A pure and honest tale ; For aught amiss, or less than this. Had proved of no avail. So they were crowned and duly bound By rites the fairies own : And happy life as man and wife For ages have they known. And when the day's meridian rays Above the glen are set, They often rise in human guise To mark where first they met. But should they hear a step draw near, From off the rock they glide ; Two fishes gleam within the stream And vanish side by side. 213 THE GREY TOWER. Beside an ancient tangled wood That strives with all the winds that blow, In former days a castle stood And overlooked the river's flow. Around, the fields spread, green and fair, And gardens bloom, and orchards glow, But where it rose the rocks are bare And not a blade of grass will grow. One tottering tower alone remains Preserved as yet from full decay. And on its stones are crimson stains No wintry storms can wash away. Within its shade the lone owl broods Beneath the moon's uncertain ray. No living thing beside intrudes Amid those walls of ghostly grey. The countenance of heaven grows dark Above it, blurred with cloudy tears ; The river's hurrying waters mark. And heave and break in wavv fears ; The shivering trees lament and sigh, As if with thoughts of by-gone years ; The peasants pass in sadness by ; And this the tale the stranger hears : — A baron, in the feudal times, Possessed that castle staunch and grand- Returned from purging youthful crimes By fighting in the Holy Land : 214 RUSTIC RHYMES. A daughter was his only child ; A courteous knight had sought her hand, Whose suit the haughty sire reviled : The lovers held their peace, and planned. The waters ran beside the crag That bore the loftiest flanking tower, And under its defiant flag. On high, was perched the lady's bower; But what for height or depth cares love? The cover of the midnight hour Should loose the maid immured above And break the tyrant father's power. When came the moment flushed with hope. The sire burst in with vengeful might ; At once his daughter caught the rope And leaped out, frenzied wdth affright ; Her lover, who had wellnigh scaled The last ledge of the bordering height, Sprang forward, but his foot-hold failed, And back he fell to depths of night. Beneath the fierceness of the shock Which there has left its sanguine trace,. She lay, a wreck upon the rock, Before her father's very face : Ere yet his anger could abate. More furious for this last disgrace. He hurried from the fortress gate And spurned her body from the place. When thus, as by a fiend possessed. He cast away his life's one gem. The scared attendants, sore distressed. Though yet too servile to condemn, About the crags in search dispersed. Or mildly strove his rage to stem ; But, with distorted lips, he cursed His child, the knight, and all of them. OLD MAKY. 215 The lifeless pair the waters bore Far off from that embattled mouud, Till on the bank, in three days more, By pitying souls their forms were found. With reverent hands laid, side by side, At rest within the sacred ground. In pulseless calm they now abide The resurrection-trumpet's sound. That night the baron, in his sleep. Sprang from bis couch and fiercely cried ; Eushed to the chamber wont to keep His child, and threw the casement wide. Dashed downward with a maniac's rage And plunged head-foremost in the tide Where striving currents ever wage A foamy war — and thus he died. OLD MARY. Old Mary's figure, bent and spare, Her withered hands, her sparse grey hair, And eyes no longer bright, Eecall no memories of the form She owned when life was fresh and warm With health and beauty's light. For Mary then was like a star That stirred in hamlets near and far Full many a rustic heart : The heavy farmer, on the road That passed her parents' thatched abode. For her would stay his cart : For her the keeper's son would bring The speckled eggs — to pierce and string, Just pilfered from the nest : 216 RUSTIC RHYMES. For her the ploughboy's horny hand Dragged from the bush her eye had scanned The spray he deemed the best. Yet artless as a brook, was she, That ghdes along in gentle glee With flowers on either side, Beloved of all, and sweet to each. That glean the smiles within their reach, But cannot sip the tide. But when her girlhood glided past, And woman's nimbus softly cast Its splendour on her face, A subtler charm her presence wrought, Her voice a richer tone had caught. Her bearing loftier grace. And life grew proudly serious when. No longer youths, but earnest men Contended for her smile ; But sadness touched her heart to know For every favour she might show Some rival winced the while. At length, in an unguarded hour. She took from one an offered flower, Another standing near ; A trivial act, and undesigned, But yet it slew her peace of mind For many a darkened year. When two contending lions wage The combat bred of jealous rage, The feline female stays, Content for victory to decide Which one by right shall claim the bride, And him as lord obeys. OLD MARY, 217 But grief in Mary's soul was wrought On learning two strong men had fought Ahout a flower, through her ; Far worse when word that one had died Ean through tlie peaceful country-side "With an appalling stir. The shocked survivor, urged to flee By scared relations, sought the sea, And lived an outcast's life ; And Mary, weeping, made a vow That never should her heart allow A man to call her " Wife." Years upon years have sped ; and he Who lies beneath the cypress tree. And he who crossed the main. Are talked of in their native dale As beings in some ancient tale Coined by a dreamer's brain. But Mary, an unsoured old maid, Like a tough tree though half decayed Still bearing shoots of green, Plods calmly on her placid ways. Knows naught of change save market-days. And keeps her mind serene. In her both lads and lasses know A trusty friend to whom to go For counsel when distressed ; And of their elders many too Her care has gently guided through Their troubles into rest. Ah Mary ; feeble, poor, and old ; Thy soul was cast in heaven's true mould ! If first misunderstood The purpose of thy life has been, Its sweet fulfilment now is seen In all thy deeds of good. 218 RUSTIC RHYMES. THE DKOPPING WELL. Depending from a bank, a fibrous growth Eeceives from secret springs, too slight to flow, Their Hmpid stores, and, as in greed or sloth, Eeleases them in drops, distinct and slow, Which agitate a little pool below With ceaseless tremor and a pattering sound ; The bordering grasses flicker to and fro. And everthing looks dank and green around, Save one uprising stone, which yet wdth moss is crowned. And through the trickling, and the rain-like fall For ever plashing in the tiny lake, Soft voices, not of earth, are said to call, Inviting mortal listeners to forsake All woi"ldliness and evermore partake The purer pleasures of a fairy clime, Lapped in delicious dreams awhile, to wake Eemote from human care, or touch of time. With every power renewed as erst in Eden's prime. Once, on the mossy stone, as shepherds tell, A lonely maiden sat, with languid eyes Watching the beads of crystal as they fell With faint, sweet cadence, soft as her own sighs, When gradually she heard the strange song rise, As if developed from the waters' lay, And nerved her shrinking soul to grasp the prize ; Long pondering what fair words were meet to say, And half reluctant still to put old things away. At length in faltering syllables she spoke. Giving weak utterance to her heart's desire, THE DKOPriNG WELL. 219 When from the well such gracious language broke All terror fled before its strengthening tire ; With joy she learned that now she would require To pause but till the harvest-moon grew clear, Then, disregarding streams, wet weeds, or mire, Step boldly through the pool without a fear. Assured that helping hands and loving hearts were near. Slowly the days and wearily the nights Of that probationar}^ term dragged past ; But, dreamily, she saw heaven's minor lights Grow weak before earth's satellite at last : Then forth she fared, with steps now checked, now fast,. As fervour or irresolution swayed. Till on the well she marked the moonbeams cast With diamond lustre, and no longer stayed, But with a sudden bound the mystic voice obeyed. It chanced a passing woodman saw her glide Beneath the glittering shower ; who, dumb with dread, Stood still to watch what further^ should betide : And, lo, a rock fell back, and light was shed From far recesses, shooting rosy red And molten gold amid the moon's white rays. Lighting fair forms that laid her on a bed Green as fresh moss, and decked with flowering sprays, While all the wondering air grew faint with elfin lays. He smote his brow and stamped his foot, amazed To find he was awake, and marked aright ; Then from the cave a loftier splendour blazed. And one who seemed arrayed in robes of light. Half blinding to a meagre mortal's sight, Approached the sleeping maiden with a look Full of calm bliss and love's resplendent might, And in his own right hand the sleeper's took : At which the rock closed up and all the firm bank shook. 220 RUSTIC RHYMES. The dazed man staggered home and told his tale : His listeners for themselves would see and hear : But all their watching proved of no avail Till rose the harvest-moon the following year ; When, lo, they saw a shadowy shape draw near, Pause, as in hesitation, by the stone. Then by a sudden impulse conquer fear, Dash forward where the constant drops are thrown. And vanish into depths w^hence radiant gleams were shown. Hence to the dropping well would rustics go, At each fresh anniversary of the date. To watch in silence for the fairy show, And mark the phantom form received in state. What marvellous stories would they then relate Of lighted halls piercing the gentle hills. Fairer than human fancy could create. Where ever some delicious chorus thrills Above the murmurous sounds of multitudinous rills. But when a century's silent course had run And perfected the period claimed for sleep. Admission into fairy-land was won ; Thenceforth the maiden's semblance ceased to creep Through the clear drops, however hinds might keep A stealthy, wistful watch from year to year. And through the trickling waters, and the sweep Of zephyrs, still imagine they could hear Small voices lifted up in carols sweet and clear. 221 A SONG OF THE NOETH WIND. I SHOUT as I rush by the lair Of wahais, or rough white bear, And scatter the snow That falls, as I go. From higher and calmer air. And O ! what strength is mine To wrestle with forests of pine That roar as I bend Their boughs till they rend And through them the clear stars shine. The crests of the wild seas tossed "With the stir of my speed as I crossed, By furrow and flake, Awhile to forsake The realms of enduring frost. Now hearken, ye loftier trees ; Contend, or give place, as ye please, I laugh ye to scorn, For my vigour was born Where briniest waves must freeze. Aha ! they yield to my power, And shed their dry leaves like a shower. And hoar-frost gems The spikes and the stems That bristle from grove and bower. Then away with a sweep of the wing. Fresh carols of conquest to sing, Over lands I have won. Till a mightier sun Shall return with the buds of spring. 222 BUSTIC RHYMES. IN THE LANE. Closed in by steep and shadowy banks, Where boughs bend overhead, And clambering weeds in histy ranks There iiuttering pennons spread, Between the woods, a winding way Is cool in summer's sultriest day. There shouts of blustering breezes cease, And every song-bird's throat Is moulded, by the spell of peace, To breathe a gentler note ; But echoes of mysterious sound At times are heard, as from the ground. Tradition tells, for ages past Those trembling banks have felt The pulses of a furnace-blast, Where pigmy workers smelt Metallic ore ; and many a blade Of magic power their skill has made. And in the days when dragons lurked In wood, or craggy den. And, issuing forth, sad havoc worked Amid the sons of men, The knight who with such foes would dare The combat, sought his weapon there. At night, prepared by fasts, he went Along the winding way, And by a gleaming crevice bent In silence, till a ray Flashed forward offering to his hand A glowing spear, or glittering brand. IN THE LANE. 223 If then he shrank in sudden fright, Or weakly turned to fly, A vengeful spark consumed the light Of his recoiling eye ; And thus the dreadful mark he bore Of cowardice for evermore. If rashly seized without complete Propitiation shov^n, The proffered vs^eapon held its heat And burnt him to the bone ; Then dwarfish legions filled the place And drove him homeward in disgrace. But when an unassuming soul, In calm and reverent guise, Eestrained himself with due control And justly won the prize. He bore it off unscathed and free ; Thenceforth invincible was he. No dragons now may haunt the shades, No witches ride the winds. Nor ogres glance athwart the glades In search of lonely hinds ; But still the clattering of the gnomes Is heard from their industrious homes. For so the simple shepherds hold ; And when their resting sheep Are safe and silent in the fold, Ere yet they turn to sleep, They sit about their cottage doors And con afresh their memories' stores. And sweet it is along the brink Of dream-laud thus to stray, And hear once more the measured clink As elfin hammers play On anvils ringing like the chime Of soft bells in a fairy clime. 224 RUSTIC RHYMES. A WOODLAND TEAGEDY. Here, even here, where the flowers Break into bloom at all hours, Traces of trouble are found : Feelings long dormant are stirred Marking this newly-hatched bird Dead on the ground. Nothing in nature is lone ; Somewhere at hand must be known Parent, or nestling, that grieves, Watching in vain for the form Missed from the homestead so warm Under the leaves. Innocent infantine bird, Carols can never be heard Now from thy paralysed breast : Wings, undeveloped for flight, Never be spread with delight Scorninsf the nest. ^o Berries may ripen and fall ; Voices of comrades may call ; Woods may grow green in the sun ; Thou wilt not hearken, nor see ; Eigid art thou, and for thee Daylight is done. Barren of beauty, though still Down and diminutive quill Point where the plumes would have grown ; Pierced by the sorrowful sight, Pity can glean but one slight Solace alone : THE LORD OF MANTON's BRIDE. 225 Joyless if thou must remain, So art thou loosened from pain ; Like an unperfectcd fly Crushed in the chrysalid state, Ere it could flinch from its fate Dreading to die. THE LOED OF MANTON'S BEIDE. The last of Manton's lords was yet a lad When in the far crusade his sire was slain ; His mother's widowhood was hrief as sad, And when he left her sleeping in the fane With monumental calm and silence clad, He turned afresh to his retired domain ; For camp and court, riot and feats of arms, Alike he shunned, subdued by nature's charms. His wont it was, in summer's softest hours, To win a wood that clothed a smooth hill-side, Sweet wnth wild rose and honeysuckle bowers, And overlooking valleys, green and wide, Where constant zephyrs wafted from the flowers A somnolent and aromatic tide. And voices of the light-winged fairy folk In murmurous waves on shores of dream-land broke There, from the castle's tumult far withdrawn, And the white hamlet basking in the heat, He paced by bosky grove and shadowy lawn. Or made a bank beneath the boughs his seat, So lost in musings that a fearless fawn Would couch beside, or follow at his feet ; Till, at the last, its gentle presence grew On every scene his waking visions knew. Q 226 RUSTIC EHYMES. It chanced that he had stayed one balmy night, With mists of meditation in his eyes, Till scattered stars appeared in heaven's blue height And the resplendent moon began to rise ; When that fair creature, lovelier in the light Of orbs so gentle, breathing softest sighs. And faltering syllables of human speech. Essayed his sympathetic heart to reach. Flooded with wonder not untouched by fear, Into his lap he drew the soft brown head. His own bent down in earnestness to hear, And store in memory, all that should be said ; Soothed and encouraged thus, with many a tear From its appealing eyes in brightness shed. It gathered power of utterance to unfold Its grievous tale, and the full story told. The youth, though prone tO dreaming, was amazed On learning, folded in the glossy hide. On an enchanted damsel he had gazed. Deeming a fawn was tripping at his side ; And now the fair new moon above them blazed. Were but a friendly, fearless hand applied. The charm would be dissolved, and she would stand As free as any maiden in the land. He vowed obedience to her least request ; Then, doubtful of his purpose, lightly drew His gleaming blade across her offered breast. But, since she moaned as if in pain, he threw The weapon on the dewy grass and pressed His palm upon a streak of crimson hue, In apj)rehensive fear lest he had wrought An evil deed, though innocent in thought. When reassured to find the wound but slight, Such strange emotions in his bosom stirred. Now wild with hope, now questioning if aright His mind translated what his ears had heard. THE LOKD OF MANTOn's BRIDE. 227 He wholly failed that memorable night, Though urged by many a piteous look and word ; Strive as he would, each time he drew the blade His hand so shook he let it fall dismayed. Aware that when the planets had grown pale Not only would unused occasion die, But her command of language likewise fail Till the long days, in torpor creeping by, Allured the sweet new moon afresh to scale The glittering heights of an unclouded sky, The disappointed fawn, while yet she might, Besought assistance for that future night. Enraged with his weak self, that should have won So rich a guerdon at such trifling cost, He brooded sleeplessly from sun to sun. With overshadowing dread that all was lost ; For the late trustful creature seemed to shun The well-known haunts, nor once his pathway crossed, From that sad, wasted night ; till round him grew A doubt if its events were ever true. Yet when the destined hour had come, he stood. Pale, but resolved to hold his heart in check, Amid the silence of the lonely wood. Starting if a stray leaf but cast a fleck Across the swaixl, vowing if saints were good And kind to show the graceful head and neck But once again, contented he could die : And, lo, he knew not whence, the fawn drew nigh. Soft were her words and hope was in their tone. And surely love was beaming in her look ; A strength inspired him, heretofore unknown. As with a man's firm grasp the blade he took — Q 2 228 RUSTIC EHYMES. Her arms were freed, her white hands forward thrown, Then, like a ripphng wave, herself she shook ; Eevealing to the youth's devouring eyes The loveliest maiden fancy could devise. The wondering moon climbed upward to behold, Clear of the boughs, so fortunate a pair ; Congratulating stars in flashing gold Signalled their joy, and wished them all things fair ; But naught they noticed as they slowly strolled Through silvered groves, and past the meadows bare ; Arriving home, they knew not how nor when, Lifted above the life of earthly men. The story stirred the country far and wide, And many a gallant knight and stately dame, To mark the bridegroom and his wondrous bride Exchange their vows, with crowds of rustics came ; And when, the rites concluded, side by side They stepped from the grey porch, such wild acclaim Saluted them and followed on their way, Its echoes live in memory to this day. For centuries after in the church were seen Two sculptured forms, preserved with reverence meet : — A noble-featured youth of pensive mien ; A maiden, like an angel pure and sweet, That seemed upon his offered arm to lean ; Both gazing on a fawn-skin at their feet. Fane, monument, and countless human lives Have passed since then, but still their tale survives. 229 AT THE STILE. Some steps, with a stile, from the lane Lead upward to patches of grain And pastures, denuded of trees, Fanned fresh by the winnowing breeze And bare to the sun and the rain. The steps are hewn masses of stone, Yet look to be carelessly thrown Where now by sheer weight they remain Immovable, long have they lain. With lichens and w^eeds overgrown. At hand, in a meadow, a mound Of kindred construction is found ; Memorials both of a time When chivalry struggled with crime And force made a ruler renowned. As once, with the stile for a seat, I rested at noon from the heat, A reaper, who paused as he made His simple repast in the shade, Belated their story complete. Two kinsmen, in courage allied Yet more than by family pride. Tradition assigns as long since As days of the valiant Black Prince, Had fought through the wars side by side. 230 RUSTIC RHYMES. Yet after the conflict was stayed No friendliness here was displayed ; For jealousy, sudden of growth, Made scorn of relationship, both Aspiring to win the same maid. And when the soft bonds were entwined Which only Death's hand could unbind. The knight whose addresses had failed Arrayed against him who prevailed Adherent, retainer, and hind. Surrounding the castle by night, In silence, and showing no light, He thought to surprise in their sleep The warders who guarded the keep, Or master them ere they could fight. But signalling torches flashed flame On glittering arms, as there came A trumpeter forth from the gate. Demanding, ^Yhy summoned so late '^ And calling the leader by name. Enraged beyond measure to know His purpose revealed to the foe, The traitor uplifted his brand And smote with so savage a hand The herald fell dead from the blow. At once from the turrets were thrown Fierce missiles of metal and stone. With arrows incessant as rain ; Hence many were wounded, some slain, Ere yet an assault could be shown. Thus finding the battlements manned, The lord of that desperate band Withdrew all his force for awhile, Intending to compass by guile The vengeance his malice had planned. AT THE STILE. 231 Like thunder-clouds brooding apart "With lightnings impatient to dart, Besieged and besiegers alike Awaited the signal to strike, The thirst for revenge in each heart. The moat was bridged over with ease By branches hacked off from the trees, Then piles by the loopholes were raised, Where, when they were kindled and blazed, The smoke was blown in by the breeze. But ever as gusts would divide The skirts of the cloud, were espied, Like ghosts in the flickering glare. The warders with weapons all bare And archers who shot at their side. At times, irrepressibly bold, Some rushed, like a wind, from the hold And harassed the flanks of the foe. All night, thus impelled to and fro, War's waves in obscurity rolled. But when the first glimmer of grey Grew round with the dawning of day, The traitor advanced to the tower W'hich held, as he deemed, the bride's bower, And drew the whole battle that way. The force of the flames had been strong Where now the determinate throng Surged onward, like breakers that roar Bound boulders that fence a low shore ; Nor battered the gateway for long. And lo, as the timbers crashed through, Involved in one ruin, they drew Great blocks from the blackened front wall, W'hich crushed, unprepared for their fall, The fiercest and first of the crew. 232 RUSTIC RHYMES. With these their implacable chief Lay prone, like a tree in full leaf Struck down by the sword of the storm ; The rest gathered round in a swarm, Confused with rage, terror, and grief. But seeing his enemy's clay Thus thrown at his feet for a prey, The lord of the fort offered life To such as relinquished the strife : Which ended the terrible fray. The priests were entreated in vain To bury a wretch with the stain Of perfidy black on his heart ; So, far from the pious apart, Dishonoured his ashes remain. The victor took ship with his bride. And, whether they sank in the tide Or found a new home far away, The castle was left to decay. Or huts from its ruins supplied. These steps, by the weeds half concealed. Are all of the wreck now revealed, Save only the monument, said To cover the bones of the dead. Out there, in the midst of the field. 233 IN THE FOEEST. Here, when I cease from my labours, Fain would I take my long rest ; Gentlest of creatures for neighbours, Bracken and buds on my breast : Kills but just heard in their flowing, Where the dark rock ends the view ; Zephyrs so tenderly blowing Leaves are still damp with the dew. Sounds of exuberant clamour Fail in this realm of green shades, Hushed by the somnolent glamour Folding the groves and the glades ; Only a murmurous measure, Faint as if breathed from the flov/ers, Born of the fulness of leisure. Pulsates at times from the bowers. Deep is the rapture to w^ander, Neither in darkness nor glare, Screened from intrusion, to ponder. Soothed by surroundings so fair : Dogmas and doubts of the newest Here are as dead as dry leaves ; Calm is the latest, and truest, Solace man's nature receives. Now, as the foliage thickens, Eoofing the walks of my choice, Comes the warm impulse that quickens Thought into feeling and voice : Here would I nurture new numbers ; Waking, by visions possessed ; Then, at the season for slumbers. Sink, as through dreams, into rest. THE DRYAD'S DESTINY. THE DRYADS DESTINY, 237 THE DEYAD'S DESTINY. The mantling snoW lay thick upon the ground ; Through rising mists the setting sun loomed red ; A hush was in the heavens and all around ; ■ The boughs were fair with frost-work overhead, And gems of light were loosened by my tread, Or fell in sparkling showers from many a spray, As near a wood's rough skirts the footpath led That offered to my steps the readiest way To win my sheltering home before the death of day. But when I rested by the ruddy glow, In that soft hour dividing day from night, No longer seemed the landscape swathed in snow. For summer's fullest glory charmed the sight ; Peak beyond peak, arrayed in dazzling light, Looked down on glittering streams and groves of gold. Bowers burned wdth blossom, palace walls shone bright. Warm clouds above hung gorgeous fold on fold. And, bounding all, the seas in molten splendour rolled. And yet I heard, as from an opened door, Glad shouts and infant laughter float along, With little footfalls pattering on the floor. And intermittent bursts of nursery song ; Till, warm and weary, slumber proved too strong At length, and fancy held unquestioned sway ; Setting before my view a w^ondrous throng Of images in magical array, As through enchanted realms it now was mine to stray. 238 THE dkyad's destiny. I. The sun was softly sinking to his rest, And forest boughs hung dark amid the glow, "When down a mossy glade in swiftness pressed, As if in terror, a resplendent doe White as the sea-foam or a flake of snow, And following, on a charger black as night, A form as regal as this world can know With anxious haste expended all his might. Intent to overtake the graceful creature's flight. If hounds and meaner huntsmen had pursued Of late, they now were lagging far behind ; No fleck of moving colour could be viewed. No zephyr brought a distant bugle's wind, But all the leafy landscape was consigned To solitude and silence, save for those Fleet figures it had first been mine to find — On every side the sylvan prospect rose, A green and shadowy realm of somnolent repose. The flush of sunset fading by degrees Enforced some diminution of the pace ; But still through thickening shades from solemn trees The horseman urged his undiverted chase. Till the glades ended where a rock's rough face Walled the wild wood, and with a headlong leap A torrent fell in foam about its base. Collected all its strength for one swift sweep, Plunged forward, and was lost in umbrage cool and deep. One backward look the lovely creature cast From eyes like earnest stars about to set, Then softly through the falling waters passed, Before the baffled kingly man could get To that swift current's margin, soft and wet With ceaseless splashings from the leaping spray ; There fruitlessly he sought, till wild regret And deadliest disappointment won their way. And, like a lifeless form, prone on the moss he lay. THE dryad's destiny. 239 Then up above the cataract's crown of white, Backed by the dark crags bounding that cahn scene, A maiden form appeared, whose locks of hght, DazzHng apparel, and angelic mien, Illumined all the growth of shadowy green And flashed across the streams a rosier ray. Till the capacious glade that spread between The burnished boles, and every winding way Dividing groves and bowers, became distinct as day. But even as the resplendent vision grew, A breeze that shook the branches hurried by, And in its course some drops of water threw Upon the prostrate man, who, with a sigh, Eose up, but gazing, uttered a great cry. At which the maiden vanished out of sight : And, lo, the stars were stationed in the sky, The torrent hardly seen, though late so bright, Beneath the sudden gloom of unexpected night. II. A hewn path led behind the waters' fall ; There, curtained by the stream's perpetual flow, A narrow portal pierced the rocky wall. Admitting to a cavern, dim and low, Upheld by mighty pillars, row on row, Like tree-trunks petrified with all their heads Bent downward in companionship of woe, x\nd dripping, as when tardy sunlight sheds A grudging beam to loose the covering winter spreads. Beyond a glimmering gate, a spacious court With marble flagging parted whiter walls. And alabaster columns lent support To slender archways, guarding secret halls Whence softened murmurings, as from fountain-falls, Mysterious rustling sounds from thick-leaved trees, Birds in their dreams still chirping woodland calls, And dronings, as from swarms of drowsy bees, Eolled forward, or grew faint, swayed by the wavering breeze. 240 THE dkyad's destiny. "Without a sense of movement, even as though The ground slid under while myself stood fast, I glided through the pillared sjiace, and, lo, The heart of the strange temple gained at last : Some circles of illumination, cast From scattered pinnacles, but half revealed Surroundings so majestic and so vast I thought to mark on high, when clouds should yield. The hosts of heaven grow bright in their cerulean field. As in cathedral aisles a sacred gloom Intensifies the touch of gorgeous stains "Whereby a monument, or sculptured tomb, Eeceives an impress of the painted panes And from the depth of bordering darkness gains A vague mysterious splendour, else unknown ; "Within that wondrous fane rose smaller fanes. Like islands whence volcanic fires are thrown, Each in its own dark sea, resplendent, and alone. Scaling the loftiest tower which overhung The doubtful prospect stretched in shade below I saw, far off, the flashing signals flung From pinnacle to pinnacle, aglow Like sunbeaius glorifying peaks of snow, As temple after temple leaped to light And turret over turret seemed to grow By magic through the whole wide range of sight. Till all the scene was limned in colours bold and bright. Then, suddenly, the doe and hunter broke Through those illustrious precincts, into view ; A flame of silver and a trail of smoke They now appeared, so fast she fled anew. And he, more swift than ever to pursue. Caught up the lightnings from her flying feet ; Forth from his charger's hoofs fierce sparkles flew, A storm of meteors covered her retreat : Doe, rider, horse, had passed ; a comet's flight less fleet. THE dkyad's destixy. 241 Then like a burning world the prospect blazed, And rushed to darkness in one blinding gleam. On which a whisper told me I had gazed Upon the landscape of the prince's dream. Who still was stretched beside the falling stream , Amid the woodland umbrage, hushed and deep ; But on his brow the moon's entrancing beam Stirred his imaginative powers to sweep In vigilant pursuit across the realms of sleep. III. As if an arm enfolded me, I felt That I was lifted up and borne away ; And, smoothly as the sea-bouud sails that melt Amid the waning hues of dying day, I drifted under heavens of sober grey. Till once again the peaceful moonlight scene Was round about me, where the sleeper lay, Exhausted, on the turf so soft and green, His dark steed in the glade, and silvered boughs between. From bosky bower, hushed grove, and shimmering lawn, The mellow moonlight faded by degrees ; Then the grey stealthy heralds of the dawn Stole forward on the pinions of a breeze. Crisp from the freshening touch of northern seas, Which dashed the drops of dew from leaf and spray And roused the feathered inmates of the trees To greet with warbling joy the widening ray. Whose purple changed to gold and brightened into day. And now the prince awoke, and to the skies, The woods, the waters, and the rocky height. Uplifted his wan face and haggard eyes : When a majestic bird of silvery white Swept past, and wellnigh brushed him in its flight ; Then, softly speeding forward, it looked back, Even as the doe had made a glance invite The fated one to follow in her track, And drew him on, and on, with ardour never slack. 242 THE dbyad's destiny. I watched the white wings and the downy form, So fair against the forest greenery traced Beneath the march of morning waxing warm, The classic outlines of his shape who paced Close after with mihesitating haste, And the black charger browsing there alone ; Till everything terrestrial seemed displaced By some old myth, erst but obscurely known Through scraps of song, but now to life and colour grown. Thus standing, like a statue, on the rock "Which overhung the woods, I saw the bird Bear for a tangled brake that seemed to block All egress, but the thorny branches stirred And opened out a way ; on which I heard. Despite the distance, a despairing cry. More eloquent than any uttered word. Which tingled for a moment through the sky. Then all was still, save where the waters hurried by. I felt a power beyond my proper self Impel me, as a forward course I took. Leaped lightly down from craggy shelf to shelf, And, guided by the windings of the brook. Pierced to the green seclusion of the nook Where lay, as in a swoon, the courtly man : There not a zephyr breathed, no leaflet shook. Hushed with a voiceless awe the current ran. And even the rays of light recoiled as from a ban. And all at once, but just above the ground, Pursued by a grim shape that seared the sight, I saw the sweet bird fluttering round and round ; Then, roused by the pulsation of its flight, With one strong leap uprose the princely knight. With one swift movement bared his vengeful blade, But, though he thrust with equal skill and might, The cunning fiendish thing could well evade The meditated strokes, and issue long delayed. THE dryad's destiny. 243 The snowy form seemed faltering at the last, And wellnigh in the talons of the foe; When the defender, watching as they passed, Threw forward his full weight in one quick blow And smote the monster, from whose side a flow Of fluid lire rushed forth, instead of blood, Burning the grass beneath its rolling glow, Till naiads, hurrying from the reedy flood, Extinguished it with showers of sand and glittering mud. Mad from the wounding and the bird's escape. That now watched, trembling, from a neighbouring tree. With spread claws and bared fangs the grisly shape Rushed at the knight ; who, resting on one knee. Fought, steadfast as a crag which breasts the sea And hurls its breakers back in shattered spray : And when the foiled aggressor turned to flee. Its adversary, held no more at bay. Pressed on and smiting lopped one scaly limb away. Again a bright streak, like a comet's tail, Flashed forth, and veiled the wriggling form's retreat, Dropping about the knight in burning hail And blackening the scorched herbage at his feet ; But the fair water-nymphs, so fresh and fleet. Put out the smouldering fires, ere they could spread, Buried the member calcined by the heat. On the bold prince approving glances shed. Then silently slipped back within their sedgy bed. For bird and dragon both had vanished now ; But she who looked a daughter of the skies. Appearing, plucked a blossom from a bough, Celestial sweetness in her grateful eyes. And gave the wistful prince the fragrant prize ; He pressed it to his lips with tenderest care — Forthwith a purple vapour seemed to rise ; And when it faded in translucent air, i\. meditative man alone was standing there. R 2 24i THE DKYAD S DESTINY. IV. Anon, the wooded prospect fell behind, As, following up the stream's expanding tide, I wandered, musing ; till I paused to find A stagnant lake outspreading, still and wide, Rushes and flowering flags on ever}' side, And a pale misty sky encircling all ; There not a pulse of movement was espied, Nor heard a solitary curlew's call, Or over rustling sedge one zephyr's languid fall. From pliant reeds some hand had framed a boat. Broad leaves of lilies lined its sides and floor, And in that buoyant ark I set afloat. Which needed no propelling sail or oar. Till gradually I lost the level shore And saw an island slowly grow to view. With waves of lead about it evermore, Where stunted willows of a sombrous hue Distilled from constant clouds a saturating dew. Then softly through a narrow creek I crept. Which ended where some logs supplied a stair. Smooth with a growth of green ; and when I steppe;! From the discarded barque in watchful care And gained the solid ground, I was aware Of a mean hovel, standing all alone In a wide waste breeding dank weeds, else bare ; Its roof was thatch with mosses overgrown. Its door of osier- work, its walls of crumbling stone. Then speckled frogs and newts of jetty hue Across the sullen waters smoothly sped. And after them with grassy fibres drew A lotus-leaf, where one wide blossom spread A creamy canopy to shield the head Of the dwarfed figure minded thus to roam ; Whose sturdy limbs, and face of dingy red With blinking eyes, acknowledged him a gnome, Though quitting for a while his subterranean home. THE DKYAD's destiny. 2do Through the thick air a dull pulsation grew, As tlocks of pigeons slowly loomed in sight ; In order and with measured strokes they flew, Bearing between them little bowers still bright With glossy sprays and buds of pink and white, Where wood-nymphs, fresh as flowers, serenely rode ; Then, tenderly as loosed leaves could alight. The fair birds softly set their beauteous load Beside the mildewed walls of that decayed abode. And yet a third procession, at its head Two wrinkled tritons, sounding a salute From horns of shell, rose from the lake's flat bod ; On w^hose approaching every frog and newt Sprawled on the grass in terror of pursuit ; But the grave marshals, stepping first to shore. Controlled the finny chargers, tame and mute, Lifted to land the glittering forms they bore, And by their ruling all grew tranquillised once more. I learned, a sister of the woodland queen Enraged, by means I failed to understand, The dragon set to guard the pass between The forest's border and the caverned land : Powerless to take her life, the monster planned The deadliest vengeance sorcery could procure, And with a strange and dire enchantment banned Her every movement, and would fain ensure So long as life was hers the penance should endure. Transformed into the semblance of a deer, Or else a bird — for so the spell was laid — ■ To flit from grove to grove in aimless fear, Or speed, though none pursued, from glade to glade ; Yet in her natural loveliness arrayed Should any mortal follow in the chase ; He maddened by the beauty she displayed, She flushed with hope, for a brief moment's space. To sink back to the brute — such was her hapless case. 246 THE dryad's destiny. The ruler of the waters had been won To make her cause his own and lend a fleet, That on the desert island claimed by none The monarch of the caves and mines should meet With the distressed queen and himself to treat, If haply, where no jealousies could rise Nor clashing interests threaten to compete, Urbane deliberation might devise A scheme to loose the nymph from her uncouth disguise. And fervently the several speakers pressed Their various plans on listeners paying heed, Desirous for the wrong to be redressed — Let but the way be shown — with love's own speed : And after much debate it was decreed That if the prince, in hope to win his bride, Hung life and death u^Don one valorous deed — Content for the dread issue to decide. So likewise should the spell be shattered, or abide. The harmonised assemblage then dispersed. In expectation of the fateful day ; The melancholy island, as at first. Enfolded in a mist of gloomy grey Impervious to the genial morning ray ; The heavy waters sleeping by the shore ; The willows, and the weeds, that stretched away Far as the sight could carry, evermore Abandoned by the breeze, decaying, dank, and hoar. V. Not long in that benumbing spot I stayed ; But if through fields of fog, or on the breast Of the dead waters at the last conveyed, I left it to its preternatural rest. My sense was too inert to be impressed. Anon, I saw the gloomy cavern's span Which that maimed monster sulkily possessed. Fronting a smooth space, where the woods began, And full along one side a shining river ran. THE dryad's destiny. 247 Gnomes issued horn the clefts about the cave, Nymphs stood within the forest's sheltering green, And tritons' heads peered from the brimming wave. With trembling reeds and bending boughs between : On liis dark steed the princely man was seen Approaching, now in curious mail arrayed That gleamed like cold ice through the leafy screen ; At this, the hosts from river, rock, and glade. Drew near and round the lists a living barrier made. The knight dismounted at the forest's end, The dryads tied his charger to a tree. And with admiring glances watched him bend Before their radiant queen a supple knee, Who offered him her dazzling hand, but he Was gazing where the spotless doe stood by ; And guided by his gaze I too could see A world of hope and love in her soft eye. And wondered not that he could dare to win or die. The scaly shape, with shouts and missiles drawn From the recesses of its black retreat, In fury rushed upon the shuddering lawn ; Two vans, like an enormous bat's, it beat. To regulate the pace of its three feet. And glared with eyes like flames upon the knight ; Who, in the midst, stood calmly forth to meet The coming shock, though half the nymphs in fright Shrank back amid the trees, aghast at such a sight. From its terrific jaws shot fire and smoke. The grass was singed and shrivelled at its tread, Yet from its wTiukled throat no utterance broke, As rearing, with its wings of membrane spread. It aimed its lightnings at the prince's head ; Its claws were bafded by his sweeping blade, And harmless as the lambent glories shed From saintly brows, the powerless fires but made A splendour round that form in magic mail arrayed.. 248 THE dryad's destiny. Thrust off to charge anew, though yet in vain, The stubborn dragon strove in desperate ire. Outpouring sparks like meteoric rain x\bout the knight — -scarce able to respire Through such a storm, clothed as it were in fire, His brand a comet, as he stemmed its force With skill and patience no assaults could tire. Till the fierce torrent, failing at the source. Diminished by degrees, then ceased its scathing course. The flashing weapon made one mighty sweep, Down to the scorched sward fell a leathery wing. At which the maddened monster gave a leap. Nor failed on the devoted knight to fling Its whole rough bulk with that revengeful spring ; As both were thus conglomerate, and I heard Beneath the crackling scales his armour ring, A hurried flapping through the branches stirred. And round the scene of strife fluttered the snow-white bird. Undaunted by the fanged and threatening jaws, With eager wings it buffeted the head Of that demoniac thing, whose lifted paws. With nails unsheathed, in vain their terrors spread, Since for its own sweet self it knew no dread ; And when towards it the fiendish form addressed Its hoarded vengeance in the prince's stead, That knight, by superhuman power possessed. Leaped up and drove his sword deep in its rugged chest. A feeble stream of radiance trickled out ; It shook its single van, as if to fly ; From wood, or rock, or river, came no shout, For all stood watching if it now would die ; With one convulsive bound it mounted high. Then like a stone crashed down beyond the knight. Who with his glittering blade at once drew nigh, Hacked off the head, and held it up to sight ; At which the throng cried out, tumultuous with delight. THK dtiyad's destiny. 249 The beauteous bird had silently withdrawn, — But close beside the margin of the stream The victor's love was standing on the lawn, When from the waters sprang a sudden gleam, And instantaneously a startled scream Bang out and died, as through the yielding waves The bright nymph vanished from the day's bright beam, Borne by a triton to the sunless caves Whose walls are hung with weeds, whose flooring shell- work paves. The dryads gathered in disordered ranks, Astonishment and dread on every face ; The naiads clung about the grassy banks. With many a tearful eye and mute embrace ; The gnomes ran forward with uneven pace, Wondering, and watching what should next ensue ; But the prompt river-king at once gave chase, And with him all the sturdier mermen drew, Splash after splash they made, and swiftly sank from view. The prince, for all his armour, would have sprung To join his lost love in the watery way. But on his neck the trembling wood-queen clung. Beseeching him, with earnest words, to stay, Nor add to the distress of that dark day : While round them in a ring her maidens spread, Chanting the burden of some doleful lay, Exulting shouts rang from the river's bed, Where tridents leaped to light and head succeeded head. Then, wriggling up the shore, the tish-like band, Led by their lord, whose presence scarce restrained Their anger, dragged the culprit out to land, And threw him down before the w^ood-nymphs, chained, And with the marks of conflict bruised and stained ; But supercilious and defiant yet. For on his flattened face a sneer remained. Betokening small dismay, and no regret, For his outrageous act, and the swift check it met. 250 THE dkyad's destiny. The prince's face grew stern, a wrathful light Flashed from his eyes, but ere a single word Could issue from his lips, a lovely sight Was shown, and such enchanting songs were heard The very trees and callous rocks seemed stirred ; For in the midst of naiads fresh as foam, No more to languish as a doe or bird. The rescued nymph, by merman and by gnome Saluted as she passed, came back to love and home. Sw^eet were the beams that filled those azure eyes, And beautiful the blushes on her cheek. And softer than a summer zephyr's sighs The syllables through w^hich she strove to speak The gratitude which left all utterance weak ; And when her champion reverently advanced No aid from feeble words he seemed to seek, But kneeled, while on his mail the sunbeams glanced ; And round them in their joy the happy di-yads danced. YI. Next, I was stationed on a narrow^ ledge Beneath the curves that roofed a peopled town Within the gnomes' dominions ; from whose edge. Aloof from all disturbance, I looked down On temples hewn from crags, now black, now brown. With here and there a dome of dazzling white. Some mightier edifice's worthy crown. Whose restless scintillations, ever bright. Were caught and flashed anew from glittering height to height. ^&^ A blare from brazen throats, the measured clang Of metal struck by metal, and the cries Of myriad elfin voices, wildly rang From arch and groin, which, in the stead of skies, Stretched farther than the senses could surmise ; Back fell a massive gate's broad leaves of gold, And countless shapes, diminutive in size, A serpentine procession had unrolled Beneath those towers carved out from rocks abrupt and bold. THE dryad's destiny. 251 Banners of beaten plates, above tlie heads Of weapons, or insignia of a guild, Gleamed, like discovered pools when daylight spreads, As to the central fane they passed, and filled Its ample hall, where every voice was stilled, Waiting the coming of their king with those They met to honour ; then one impulse thrilled All hearts, and mightier acclamations rose, With thunderous echoes still rolled back at every close. I, following, viewed the sylphs of woods and waves With gnomes and tritons mingled as it chanced, In that vast chamber in the realm of caves From whose carved walls rich mineral splendours glanced, And on whose broad lustre of all gems danced In dish and goblet, dazzling the weak sight With rays increasing as the feast advanced : Till I was borne away, by magic might. Far from the glittering crowd through fields of starry night. Then came a long lapse : but at length I saw The prince and the fair partner he had won, On the black charger speed, by field and shaw. To win a castled town ere day was done ; For low in the far west the sinking sun Backed its dark bulk with hues of ruddy gold : From tower to tower a signal seemed to run. Then from its opening gates broad torrents rolled Of joyous human life, most stirring to behold. Blithe trumpets sounded, clanging bells rang out Peal upon peal, rejoicing cannon roared, And the whole populace, with shout on shout Of gratulation, met the prince, restored To his own realm, and his betrothed adored. I, too, leaped up to join the merry din — But, lo, a twilight glimmer now was poured Around me, the glad sounds grew faint and thin. And not a glimpse of all the pageant could I win. 252 THE dbyad's destiny. The fire had sunk, and night had gathered round, For, looking from the casement, I could see The stars on high, the smooth snow on the ground, Flecked here and there with shades of shrub and tree Between whose gaunt boughs winds were w4iistling free; How different from my vision's pulse and glow ! And then I caught afresh the sounds of glee, And childish footsteps racing to and fro. And rhymes of babyhood with lulling fall and flow. THE FAIRIES' 8TKATAGEM. PERSONyE, MORTALS. EOLAND. LaUKA. FAIRIES. Lily, Harebell, Kingcup, Beier, and others. 2.55 THE FAIEIES' STRATAGEM. .1 glade : an old oak near the front, a grove behind ; aioater- fall beyond tJic trees on one hand, on tJie other a rushy pond. Evening : the moon rising. Lily, Harebell, Kingcup. Bright, White Euler of night ; Eise from your slumbers iu raiment of Hght : Glow, Throw Splendour below ; Filling the glades with a clearness like snow. Gleam, Beam, Fountain and stream ; Chant to the woods in the tones of a dream. Keep Sleep, Monsters that creep. Where the dead leaves have been blown in a heap. We Three Wait by the tree Marking the spot for our pastime and glee. Strong Song, Speeding along. Pierce to the haunts of the rest of our throng. 256 THE FAIBIES' STRATAGEM. Other fairies are noio gathering round : these take up the refrain of the following song. We haste from the shades to sport in the glades, Noiu the leaves on the trees are green ; The zephyrs blow soft from cloud-land aloft, Where the moon shoivs fair between. Let never an owl adventm-e to prowl, Noio the leaves on the trees are green ; Nor bats in their flight presume to alight, Wlicre the moon shoivs fair hetiveen. What rapture to cross the flooring of moss, Noic the leaves on the trees are green, To blossoms that ring and chime as they swing, Wliere the moon shoivs fair between. The glow-worms in ranks illumine the banks, Noiv the leaves on the trees are green ; And night-beetles fly in radiance by, Where the moon shoivs fair between. The cricket's bold song our mirth shall prolong, Noiv the leaves on the trees are green; But frogs must betake themselves to the lake, Mhere the moon shoivs fair between. So softly we sing and gaily we spring, Now the leaves on the trees are green, With dance and with lay till dawning of day, Where the moon shows fair between. Beiek enters hastily. Beiek. Hush ! a mortal comes this way ; Banished by his haughty queen : Wondrous was their wordy fray — Stand aside, and watch unseen. THE fairies' stkatagem. 257 Lily. Well advised ; for sous of earth See us uot, however uear, When for safety, or in mirth, Deftly we complete or gear With a jaunty cap of red Lightly resting on the head. All put on their ca^Js, and draw hack as Eoland, not 2)0'- ceiving them, enters. Eoland. With little thought I might have known That love would die as fades a flower, Whose beauty, but to fulness blown, With falliug petals strews the bower. Could I unfurl an eagle's wings, Then make a cloud my floating car ; From disappointing earthly things Eemoved by distance, dim and far ; In exultation would I soar, And lose the world for evermore. Beier (behind the oak). I wish that I never had known The magic of glance and of tone, And loveliness lovelier grown, Whenever the presence was shown Whose vanishing now I bemoan. For Love, dispossessed of his throne, Has fled to the tropical zone. And I, in the winter alone. Lamenting the happiness flown, Eesemble a plant that was sown, From seed by an accident blown, To die in a desert of stone. ROLAND.* Is that a voice amid the trees. Or can my very thoughts avow Their purport to the gentle breeze That hardly stirs a rustling bough? 258 THE FAIKIES STRATAGEM. Farewell, ye groves, no longer green, And bowers of bloom, once held so dear ; Eemembrance now would intervene And darken every prospect here. Departing, I would fain forget Alike resentment and regret. Had I been born a shepherd's child. And early taught to keep, In pastures hedged with hawthorn wild, My father's simple sheep ; By day the sun's imperial might, The tranquil moon and stars at night. Had made existence sweep So softly on with hushed delight, The passions all would sleep. But no ; the heart is human still. And never wholly free From pangs that rack and joys that thrill, Though varied they may be ; The peasant's soul resents a wrong. Or throbs with bliss as truly strong. Beneath the village tree. As theirs wdio wail in classic song. Or scorn such worms as he. .1.5 lie quits the glade, the fairies again covie forivard , taking off their caps, and croxvd round Briek. Lily. Tell us now what moved your mirth, Seeming wellnigh past control ? Brier. First that foolish pair, of earth, Pierced with passion to the soul ; Next, — but leave a circuit clear, Give me space, and you shall hear. The grasshopper gathered a party To dine at his home on the mound ; His welcome, though stately, was hearty. And guests in abundance were found : THE fairies' stratagem. 259 But beetles in armour sought places With flies in their garments of gauze, And moths with their feathers and laces Were rumpled and caught by their claws. When bows and urbane recognitions Of friends and acquaintances ceased, The}' took their appointed positions. And ladybirds served up the feast : — Youn.u; slioots gathered fresh from the hedges, Sweet blossoms with honey yet new, Crisp salads of succulent sedges, And lily-cups brimming with dew. Fairies. Hurrah, for the delicate fare ! We wish we could all liave been there. Brier. I waited to see them well seated And feeding with neighbourly chat, Then under a bush I retreated And decked myself out like a bat. When, shrieking, I hovered around them. So sudden a panic I spread It utterly seemed to confound them. And hither and thither they fled. They fluttered, they leaped, and they shambled ; Fought hard with each other in fright ; Fell over, all kicking, or scrambled Where anything hid them from sight. I quitted for fear of expending My life in a struggle for breath. For, long ere the scene could have ending, I laughed myself nearly to death. Fairies. Ha ! Ha ! what a frolic to share ! We wish we could all have been there. The dance is resumed. s 2 260 THE fairies' steatagem. Kingcup. Hold ! another earthling, see, Sadly, slowly drawing near. Brier. Stay concealed, for this is she Left by him who late was here. Harebell, to Brier. Eollow, and entice him back : Aid from us no lovers lack. All again put on their red caps, and Laura, unconscious of their presence, enters on one side as Bribe leaves by the other. Laura. An hour ago, and life was fair; Eeplete and warm with love and light : Now, like a scene of winter, bare. And dark beneath a frosty blight. Ah ! neither tears nor strong desire Can change or cancel words of haste : As well a skater, should he tire. Might hope to win the path he traced On ice that cracked beneath his tread And broke behind him as he sped. As she pauses in an attitude of dejection, Lily, making a sign to the other fairies to keep silence, sings. Lily. Light glows And flows From moon and star That we May see How fair they are ; Yet while our eyes Are on the skies The clouds, exhaled from earth, arise. THE FAIEIES' STRATAGEM. 261 So love Above Our dearest dreams Can light Our night With heavenly beams; But when the day Of worldly grey Eeturns, the vision fades away. Laura. The braiaches breaking into leaf, With fragrant buds of fire or snow, Lament with me that love is brief And short beguiling rapture's glow. As if a dryad mourned alone, I hear a sad, pathetic wail ; Anon, the fluttering grasses moan, And whispering elves repeat the tale, Till echoes fail by slow degrees And silence folds the shadowy trees. My soul is like a fairy harp The wdnds awake to song ; In gusts of passion, wild and sharp, Its numbers rush along, Or broken, like the sobbing rain. The fitful music falls, And in a sad recurring strain Its happier state recalls. But, full or faltering, love remains Its ever-during theme ; Impels new life along my veins, Or folds me like a dream : And as, though lost in depths of woe, A banished seraph sings. This magic measure still must flow Till death shall snap the strings. She noio seats herself by the oaJc, the fairies triijpiwj and gliding softly round, to light music, waving their arms. 262 THE fairies' stratagem. Lauba. What cloud is this that gathers round my dreariness, And leaves me but a sense of drowsy weariness ? The grief grows numb whose fangs I felt so bitingly. Beneath these boughs — that beckon so invitingly — And lulling leaves— that whisper — murmur — vernally- I fain — would sink — as now — to rest — eternally. Fairies. Brooks that flow Through the shade, Softly go Past this glade ; Gently fall Down the steep, Lest your call Shake her sleep. Airs that brush Boughs above. Heedful, hush Lays of love ; Hover round, Loath to cease, Weaving sound Full of peace. Trees that rise. Dark of hue, Under skies Bright and blue ; Bend your heads, Lest the beams Moon-rise sheds Break her dreams. Forms of light Flitting by, Let your slight Murmur lie. THE fairies' STUATACiE:\I. 263 Like a balm Faintly pressed, Sweet and calm On her rest. Roland returns, loith Brier stalking by his side in mock gravity. Roland. She sleeps beneath the silvered boughs, Around her shines the dewy grass : Though scorn be won, I yet must rouse And warn her, as my footsteps pass. I cannot leave her lonely here. With day departed from the skies. Lo, on her cheek a lingering tear ! And can it be my name she sighs ? Laura. Ah ! still I dream : but could I wake And find my Roland standing near, No weak excuses would I make, But own I wronged a heart so dear. Roland. If this be dreaming, let us both Remain entranced for evermore. Your Roland, Laura, would be loath To add one pang to memory's store. Both. Let Love make a home in our hearts. For heaven is where he will abide ; But if by mischance he departs, All joy in existence has died. As they slowly pursue their tcay tlirough the ivood, the fairies again come forward. Brier. Every elfin of our crew. Wave the pair a fond adieu. Should a fresh dispute ensue, Let them seek our aid anew. 264 THE fairies' stratagem. All noui resume their dancing, singing in chorus. Fairies. No longer must sight Eecoil in affright From the horrors of winter, its chill and its blight ; For spring can requite, With fuller dehght, The dejection of seasons of dolorous plight. The torrent is white With the moon giro wing bright, And it sings as it flashes along in its might ; When winds in their flight Make its melody slight, We can hear through its murmur the minstrel of night. Fresh blossoms appear Where leaves lying sere Had invested our haunts with a shadow of fear, For summer draws near And nights are so clear We can revel at will in the sport we hold dear. From thicket and mere What rejoicings we hear. That are borne on the pulses of air as they veer, And scatter the drear Winter spell with a cheer For the welcome return of the prime of the year ! Enchanted to know The frost and the snow- Have been slain by the sun with the shafts from his bow Outstretched in a row, Or clustered we grow. As the dance is involved or made simple and slow : How hghtly we go. With the touch of a toe. To the music, above and around and below, From zephyrs that blow All the boughs to and fro. And the cataract's hum in perpetual flow ! LIFE'S MYSTERY. LIFE'S MYSTERY. 2G7 LIFE'S MYSTEEY. Man. Doubt. Hope. Eaith. Chokus. Chokus. Behold, the dreamer comes ! his pensive eyes Are bent upon the ground ; As though the starry wonders of the skies Had ceased their rhythmic round. He fain would hearken if the forests' sighs, Or waters' murmurous sound, Can bear a soothing message, or advise Where Wisdom may be found. Man. When, weak with the woes of my kind, In silence and twilight I find, Out here, with the boughs overhead. Tranquillity careful for naught ; My soul is uplifted from thought, And visions grow round me instead. The furrows of sorrow we trace On doubting Mortality's face. By Nature can never be shown ; Her peace is the calmness of power ; Ah ! would, in some fortunate hour, Her secret to man were made known. Chokus. Be still, and with a heedful soul attend. And haply you may feel, Though hearing fail, the breathings that ascend And answer your appeal : 268 life's mystery. For deathless powers, appointed to befriend The noble and the leal, Are watching, till the course of time shall end, To comfort and to heal. But some there are potential to pervert The teachings of the skies. Perplex the minds of mortals to their hurt. Or poison them with lies : Yet, though they come with starry zones begirt And lightning in their eyes. Mistrust them, nor receive what they assert. But weigh it, and be wise. Man. We dwell in a wonderful world ; — • The land rises up from the sea ; About it the crests of the breakers are curled. Above it the winds are set free. The planets of day and of night Roll round with a glow never dim ; And man, looking forth in the pride of his might, Deems all appertaining to him. The mountains are his, and the plains, The forests, the fields, and the streams ; Heaven's arch is outspread to protect his domains, So boundless his heritage seems. For him come the shower and the ray. To quicken his fruitage and grain ; The beasts and the fowl and the fish are his prey : All nature submits to his reign. But suddenly, silent he lies ; Dead dust on the breast of live earth : And still the bhds carol, stars shine in the skies, And blossoms and buds have their birth. life's mystery. 269 The mouutaius stand fast in their power ; The seas ghtter bright with their spray ; But man — mighty man, has enjoyed his vain hour And passed, hke a vapour, away. Chorus. A stifled sound of sobbing seas, Or falUng waters faintly heard. Is borne along the startled breeze Till all the pendant leaves are stirred : And now it grows a plaint preferred To tingling rocks and shuddering trees, With doleful note and dreadful w^ord That make the pulse of nature freeze. Doubt. We come from — we cannot tell where, Like the wind or the light ; Existence is loaded with care, As a blossom with blight ; And forw^ard, how swiftly ! we bear Toward a region of night, For what shall be waiting us there Is a mist to the sight. We sing as we travel along. But a burden of pain Gives colour and tone to the song, Like the beat of the strain : Some few are courageous and strong, But examples are vain Where all feel the press of the throng Like the links of a chain. At times there are tempests around And a terrible din ; At others, we catch not a sound. But our ranks become thin ; 270 life's mysteey. Then, worse than the silence profound, Chilling whispers begin To question which way are we bound, And what goal shall we win. Man. We pause in the midst of a dream ; Unreal realities seem, Substantial the things that are naught : The world of the children of men Grows ripe for the reaping ; what then ? — Humanity shrinks from the thought. Faith. The stars are bright in heaven above Because they beam on earth with love. And down to man their smiles are thrown That so their yearning may be known. The flushing brow, the throbbing heart, And earnest eyes that glow and dart. Can all be seen, can all be felt, In starry rays that flash and melt. For through the cycles, wide and far, They mark the world, itself a star, And mortal man, immortal made, With powers akin to theirs arrayed. No darkness through the blue serene, Of cloud or night, can now be seen, All space is thronged with glittering wings. And star to star in rapture sings. Hope. T put me on a singer's robe, I took a sounding harp in hand, And walked across the peopled globe, As sped the sun from land to land. life's mystbey. 271 I struck the chords, and weary sighs Were charmed from many a Hghtened breast ; I sang, and countless tearful eyes Grew bright with radiant hope possessed. From bastioned tower to nomad tent, From regal hall to stunted cot, Ehxte with joy and song I went, And drove the fiends from every spot. I heard the baffled thunders roar, I saw the harmless lightnings play. And man was freed for evermore From doubt's control and sorrow's sway. Chorus. The straggling weed without a flower Obstructs the growth of worthier things, The clambering plant that chokes the bower Drags down the rose to which it clings ; And thus insidious error flings Its tendrils forward, hour by hour, Till, tangling all, it slowly brings The truth itself beneath its power. Man. How often have I lingered in a fane When choristers were chanting, with a throng Of worshippers responding to the strain, Enraptured by the music of the song. But ever as the fluctuating sound Soared upward from the multitude, I caught A moan of lamentation rolling round, With hopelessness and melancholy fraught. It seemed as if the living and the dead Had gathered for rejoicing after prayer. And angels in ecstatic numbers led, Yet demons muttered promptings of despair. 272 life's mystery. Though vanquished for a time beneath a burst Of harmony that whehned them hke a wave. Importunate, and plaintive as at first, Again the wailings jarred amid the stave. So doubts and disputations scatter seeds That germinate with doctrines we revere ; And thus with all our purposes and deeds The poisons of the passions interfere. Could we like little children simply trust Our Maker as our Father and our Friend, Despondency would crumble into dust And dolorous forebodings have an end. Chorus. Behold how beast and bird and fly, When comes the sleep that ends their lives, Compose themselves in calm to die, Indifferent what of earth survives : So milder men, remote from hives Of toiling crowds, with scarce a sigh, Receive the destined stroke that rives Their last remaining temporal tie. Doubt. Change and suffering darken earth ; Death pursues us from our birth ; Blossoms blow to fall away. Fruits that ripen soon decay ; Brightest joys are flecked with fears, Sweetest moments dashed with tears ; Sadness softens love's own kiss : . Sharp our sorrows, brief our bliss. Eound us cluster baseless dreams, Naught is what its promise seems ; Clouds that catch a rosy ray Turn to mists of chilling grey ; life's mystery. 273 Summer spreads a landscape fair, Winter smites and strips it bare ; When the grub has grown a fly Then has come its day to die. Men with backward looks behold Childhood's scenes of faded gold, Forward if they turn their gaze All is wrapped in gloomy haze ; Like a breath from off a glass Countless generations pass, When the last has run its race What shall then be left in space ? Man. I pant as in a vision of affright, I struggle with the terrors of the night — A darkness unrelieved by hope of day ; The voices that encouraged me but now Are dissipated, broken like a vow That soon as it is tested melts away. I wrong them, for they gather once again, I tingle with the prelude of a strain That pulsates like a planet in its sphere ; And, guided by the hum of throbbing strings, I catch a downiy glimmer, as of wings. And deep in azure heaven the stars are clear. Hope. With stars the heavens are bright, The fields with flowers. That man may reap delight In loneliest hours. Though all his kith and ki}i Be far away, A solace he may win From bud and ray. T 274 life's mystery. The breeze that in the grass Its carol sings, The notes from shapes that pass On ghttering wings, The tones his ear receives As waters flow, Or whisper rusthng leaves. Should banish woe. Few nights are wholly dark. And brief are they ; What rapture then to mark The glorious day ! A storm may vex the sky And drench the dales. But soon it passes by And light prevails. Till loosed from bonds of clay, O brooding man ! Expect not to survey Heaven's marvellous plan : Yet what you see, confess. Bids hope increase, And patiently possess Your soul in peace. Chorus. The primal laws of nature keep their force ; The seasons come and go ; The tempests shout in voices wild and hoarse, ■Or gentle zephyrs blow ; The stars roll on their everlasting course, And oceans ebb and flow : Attesting that the great creative source No loss of power can know. Faith. Beyond the farthest limits human thought Can ever hope to gain, life's mystery. 275 Creation's marvels ages past were wrought, And still remain. Destruction is the loftier name for change, For naught can slay life's seed ; Through varied forms the particles may range. Not die indeed. The world, though marked by many an altered state Since first its course began, Has lost no grain of substance or of weight. Nor ever can. When fire, devouring not, but purging all, Shall purify the whole. Voice unto voice through heaven's blue depths shall call. Soul answering soul. Then man, now tenanting a hut of clay On this sublunar earth. Shall win afresh, along the starry way. His home of birth. Man. O messengers, wondrous and sweet ! Eemain with me still, to complete The teachings that breathe in your song ; For blasphemy, doubt, and despair Can never dismay, nor ensnare, A soul by such numbers made strong. Chorus. Though earth may range through many a change. New nations rise and fall ; No chance nor strife can quench a life. Or hold it long in thrall : As planets roll, the human soul Develops to the call Of deathless love enthroned above. And heaven embraces all. T 2 AZIZ AZI2 279 AZIZ. Pakt I. When faction drove king Aziz from the throne, Disguised in mean apparel, and alone — Impelled by terror of a tragic fate, He stole from the tumultuous city's gate. Crossed the bright fields, and won the barren plain That bordered his imperial, lost domain ; Nor dared to stay his steps till moonless night Had interposed to shield him in his flight. At length he sank, exhausted, where a wood Involved in depths of double darkness stood, Till splintered shafts of radiance flashed between The pillared tree-trunks roofed with shaggy green, The rumbling of a nearing storm rolled round, And all the forest shuddered at the sound. Worn as he was, he paid but little heed To perils wilds and warring clouds could breed ; Loosed for a time from dread of following foes, Insensibly he drifted to repose. But when full overhead the tempest broke With yell and glare and cataract, Aziz woke. To see a sudden streak of keen pale blue Descend on a broad palm and cleave it through ; And with his awe came yet a closer fear ; For, lo, a furry monster, crouching near, Grew with the gleam of instantaneous light, 'To vanish, like a phantom, into night. 280 AZIZ. Dreading to stay, yet daring not to flee, As flash succeeded flash he watched the tree, Which, like a rocky fissure gaping wide. Was yet npheld by boles on either side, And the huge shape that slumbered, unconcerned, Wliile all around the conflict raged and burned. The tumult had decreased when dawning day Shed through the dripping boughs a straggling ray ; Then Aziz, still with fascinated eyes Fixed on the mighty beast, beheld it rise And enter where a wall of cold grey stone Showed a low porch with tendrils overgrown. But scarce upon his trembling feet he stood, When one who seemed the genius of the wood Came forward from the fissure where the shape That so had terrified him made escape ; Close at his side, behold, the marvellous brute Obedient strode with downcast eyes and mute. Their looks were turned from him, and not a sound Broke from the brushed twigs or tbe trampled ground. As on with stately steps they softly passed. And vanished in the dark green shades at last. Then longing seized him to survey the cell Where, as he deemed, so strange a pair could dwell. But when he reached the rift and pushed aside The growth of green, beyond the porch he spied No hermitage, but rocky caves that threw A realm of mystery on his wondering view. Beneath a mountain range, whose open peaks Admitted the clear day in broadening streaks. And wafted from the far blue skies a breeze Fresh as a gust that flicks the foaming seas. Aisle after aisle extended : shattered rills Fell from the dark clefts of the hollow hills, AZIZ. 281 I.anghed in the light, or gruinhled in the gloom ; Winds sang ; and over all a mightier boom, Incessant as the roar of ocean, spread A dull reverberation tinged with dread. Down passages whose rugged walls were set ^Yith restless beams from sparry dews still wet ; Past columns with a rough roof overgrown, As though a wild wood had been turned to stone ; Through shadowy spaces, where the ghostly ground Answered his quick steps with a w^histling sound ; A sovereign impulse he could not withstand Seemed, as it were, to lead him by the hand. At length, before him rose a glittering fane, Where fountains leaped and fell in scattered rain Collecting into channels that wei-e led Bound many a glossy clump and brilliant bed Of strange sweet blooms and aromatic boughs, AVhose heavy breath no wave of air could rouse. Lulled by the waters' murmuring, and oppressed By the soft scents, he laid him down to rest ; Forgetful of the motives of his flight. Wrapped in a dream of somnolent delight : Beneath his languid limbs deep mosses spread And day grew^ dim through foliage overhead. But that delicious slumber swiftly passed ; For, all at once, a brazen-throated blast Eesounded through the corridors and shook The hanging silence from the leafy nook. And like a fawn that marks the hunter's cry, Uncertain whether to couch low or fly. With strained ears and dilated eyes, looks round. And hearkens, to be guided by the sound, Or moving of the branches, in its choice ; So Aziz stood, and heard a far-olf voice Proclaim, above the ringing trumpet's tone, " Dominion is secured through love alone." 282 AZIZ. Emboldeued by the guiding clarion's call, He softly stole up to the central hall : But when he ^Dassed its xDortal, in the place Of men in mail, or groups of courtly grace, He only saw great cages hanging round, Where birds sent forth a lamentable sound Befitting lonely dells at dead of night Eather than that wide chamber streaked with light. New passions stirred the feathered forms within The barred enclosm^es, and a wilder din Burst forth, as with uneven steps he paced And row on row of eager captives faced ; Dismayed to catch through wildest shout and screech An undercurrent aping human speech. And by degrees he gathered that he viewed. Not birds, but men, with men's thoughts still imbued. Imploring aid, cursing their monstrous fate, Or urging hun to flee — ere yet too late. He smote his brow and bit his hand, to test If this were waking or a dream's wild jest ; Then cacklings more confused, and shriller shrieks, Lifted his tingling hair and blanched his cheeks, Walls, cages, haggard birds, went whirling round. And like a log he fell upon the ground. When sense came back and feebly stirred his brain. Oppressed with unimaginable pain, He lifted his despairing eyes, and saw He now was stretched beneath the vast brute's paw That so had scared him in the midnight wood ; And close beside the grey-robed hermit stood. His hands upraised, and his long beard of snow. For he was muttering, waving to and fro. AZIZ. 283 Theu Aziz, conscious that he could not rise, Yet shrinking from the creature's steadfast eyes. Strove with his hands to press his tortured head, And gasped on finding wings were there instead ; He felt his feet were crumpling into claws ; The teeth contracting in his lengthening jaws ; And knew himself another wretch transferred From man's estate to semblance of a bird. In horror, and with loathing, he beheld. As if by sympathetic hearts impelled, His fellow-captives, from their dungeons round, Watching, without a movement or a sound. And, lo, the transformation was complete ; Gone were the twitching throes and throbs of heat ; The degradation of his humbled pride Full punishment, though spared a pang beside. And stupefaction, struggling with his rage, Subdued him, till within the ready cage His quivering frame was thrust, the door made fast. And the dread seer, with his attendant, passed, Eepeatiug, in a calm didactic tone, " Dominion is secured tliroiujh, love alone." Aziz, no longer king, nor man, but bird, Though yet with human passions deeply stirred. Pondered upon his perch as day waxed bright ; More docile for the meditative night. Below him lay his garments, as they fell When his form shrank and changed beneath the spell ; His gleaming scimitar, no more concealed, Shone like the crescent moon in heaven's blue field ; And the prized amulet he still had pressed Through all vicissitudes to his bare breast, Had rolled along the floor, and like a star Now glittered but to mock him from afar. Yet, for the time, he put his rage aside. To take the subtle serpent for his guide. 284 AZIZ. Hence, when the harsh custodian of the place — A shambHng dwarf of an outlandish race, Carelessly pushed him his allotted dole. He curbed the natural impulse of his soul To spurn it and to vilify the slave : But schooled his pride full meekly to behave. And day by day he tasked himself to greet The dwarf's approach with song, as soft and sweet As came within the compass of a throat Wrenched from man's language to the wood-bird's note, Till the distorted servitor's rough breast Compassionated him above the rest. At length familiar grown, to test his plan He simulated sickness ; and the man, Beholding him extended on the floor Of his hard dungeon, opened wide the door And forth in tenderness his favourite drew ; Then, leaping up, aloft bird Aziz flew, Eeached a clear opening in the central dome. Marked, long before, from his repugnant home. And, with a scream of joy he could not stay. Plunged forward, and soared dizzily away. 7 Thus Aziz fared : but when the broad sun beat On a parched plain with full meridian heat, He felt both strength and courage ebbing fast ; And with a feeble chirp dropped down at last On a bare ledge beside a sullen sea, Awaiting gloomily what next should be. » He wondered who was seated on his throne Now he was crouching on a crag alone ; Instead of courtiers and obsequious slaves Surrounding him, stern rocks and callous waves : His manhood cramped within the paltry size Of a mean bird, and all he learned to prize — As sword and sceptre, regal robe and crown. To a plain suit of feathers dwindled down. AZIZ. 2R5 Thought following thought, his wearied eyes he closed, Till languor gained the mastery, and he dozed : But all at once he woke, and scanned the deep With a scared glance, for, breaking on his sleep, He heard, or thought he heard, the waters moan " Doiiiiiiion is secured throiigli love alone." And on the rocking waves, behold, a boat. With shining sails and glittering hull, afloat; And at the prow, more dazzling still, a form Suffused with rosy splendour, soft and warm, Was stationed, with her loose hair backward blown And thin white robes in grace about her thrown. Had one been near to note, he might have viewed How swiftly the bright barque its course pursued Across the lighted sea, then swerved aside To skirt the scowling rocks that met the tide ; Its occupant with soul-subduing song Charming the hushed waves as it sped along ; Till, as it doubled one lone crag, it stirred Through every quill and x^lume a small grey bird, That late had looked all overwhelmed with woe, But now, with pinions spread and eyes aglow, Swept to the shallop as it glided by, Desirous in such ecstasy to die. Pabt II. 1 Across the waters x\ziz and the maid. Involved in song and splendour, were conveyed, Till rose a smooth-shored island on the sight, Where groves grew dark, and stately towers gleamed white, And many a rounded dome and pointed spire Beneath the glowing sunbeams flashed with fire. 286 AZIZ. Sweet was the spell that happy region threw On every living soul that thither drew ; Its zephyrs breathed an all-pervading calm, Its flowers diffused an omnipresent balm, Its bubbling waters murmured soothing lays, Its fluttering leaves repressed the noontide rays ; Its atmosphere too soft, its charm too deep For wakefulness, and yet too full for sleej). The central palace shed from tower and wall A radiance as of flames that rise and fall, Its steps were bars of horizontal light That quivered through the full stretch of the flight, Its arch of entrance was a curving cloud, Its starry roof heaved, and its columns bowed And shook the rainbows that for hangings spread Their changeful hues, at every passing tread. Soft as the film that flecks the sunset glow, Edged with keen fire though formed of floating snow. About the spacious halls wide couches rose, For meditative rest, or smooth repose ; Like banks of dewy bloom the boards stood round, "With plates of gems and cups of crystal crowned ; And beings robed in tissues from the sky. Chanting melodious measures, sauntered by. And she who bore enraptured Aziz there Still made his welfare her incessant care. Informed his understanding, and each sense Etherealised and rendered more intense. Her vesture was of moonbeams, and her frame Shone through its pearly tints, not flesh, but flame ; And mightier marvel still, himself he found Pure soul, from shape of bird, or man, unbound. Then, side by side, through realms of air they sped. Till earth fell back — became a speck — and fled ; A vanished orb amid the marvellous throng Eevolving round them as they rushed along. AZIZ. 287 And all the gems the burning Orient bears, With every blossom teeming Nature wears, "Would fade beneath the splendour and the glow The smallest of those hanging worlds could show. Still onward, through illimitable space, Where the strong sun himself forbore the chase, And, group by group, the stars dropped off, they flew Till silent darkness in the distance grew, And on a half-formed sphere of shadowy white, That seemed creation's bound, they stayed their flight. Behind, the planets kept their rhythmic course, Wild comets blazed, and meteors spent their force ; But full in front, where glimmerings died away, A vast unbroken void of mystery lay, Beyond the limits of celestial law. Wrapped in unruffled gloom and sacred awe. By that abyss how trivial seemed the world, And all the transient glories it unfurled, Through earthly life's infinitesimal span. To gratify that abject atom — man. Untouched by pulse of sound, or ray of light, In solemn calm the depths of unknown night Stretched on — and on — till all the senses failed. Pursuing, and imagination quailed. And when the vision passed, and Aziz found The warm sun, with the blue expanse spread round That roofed the lowlier mansion of his birth, Grown bright above him ; overjoyed that earth, Humanity, and temporal things still kept Tenacious hold upon his life, he wept : For with his ampler views and teachings came A sense of littleness ; and tingling shame For all the hard oppressions of his past ; And weariness, that bade the drops fall fast. But by caressing hands his tears were dried ; The strengtheuer of his soul was at his side, 288 AZIZ. Clad in her human form of sweetest guise, To bless and dazzle his enamoured eyes ; And murmuring in a soft, confiding tone, "Dominion is secured through love alone." As, in the faltering utterance of a bird, He strove to speak his passion, and she heard So soothingly, then answered in a strain That gave him hope his life was not in vain, A wish for the supremacy and control Of servile masses never touched his soul ; But, with a wide horizon brightening still. The nobler destiny seemed his to fill A loftier throne, in a new realm of love. Flowers underfoot and changeless skies above. Back in the wondrous barque, to cross the sea — ■ For he alone who bound could set him free — Not at the feet of his resplendent guide A suppliant now, but nestling by her side. Through slumberous musings Aziz saw the spray Thrown off, like showers of meteors, from their w^ay ; Heard the divided current's lisping sound And echoes as from blown shells fioatiug round ; In such an atmosphere of blissful peace. He sighed to think how soon the spell would cease. But when the sterile region rose to view Whose flinty features all too well he knew, A strange discordant feeling of unrest, Half hope, half terror, stirred within his breast. He watched the beauteous wary pilot seek. Amid the crags, a navigable creek ; The quivering barque obeyed the ready helm, Swung round, and left them on the rocky realm. And lo, along the w^aste, a shape of white Rushed, like a scudding cloud, upon the sight ; Then on the ringing rock they heard the beat Of an impetuous steed's resounding feet AZIZ. 289 ^^"ith hard steel shod, beheld the track of tire They left behind them flicker and expire ; Till, bending its arched neck and wavy mane, To bring in easy reach the jewelled rein, Beside them the strong courser took its stand, Meek as a fawn beneath the damsel's hand. It shook its ears, and gave a soft glad neigh ; Eeceived its lovely load, and bore away, Swift as a flake of foam, when winds are free. Lifts its light plumes and skims along the sea. The crags receded, and the woods drew nigh ; Environed them — were threaded — and slipped by ; Then Aziz, perched upon the damsel's wrist, Saw the dread dome uprising, like a mist That blurred the glories of departing day. And shuddering, as he marked the trembling ray Fail from the spike of gold that tipped its curve. Prayed that his sweet deliverer might not swerve. The steed was loosed, and through the favouring gloom They entered, unperceived, the lofty room. Where, in their barred retreats, the captive throng. Disposed for sullen rest, had ceased their song. And there they waited till the moon grew briglit And shed through the clear dome a ghostly hght On pavement, column, cage, and sleeping bird. Whence not a chirp stole, nor a feather stirred. Then cried the damsel in a loud, sweet voice, " Awake, long-suilering prisoners, and rejoice ! Oppression ceases ; force is overthrown : Dominion in secured throiKjli love alone.'' Forth burst a joyous and confusing din ; The sable keeper hastily sprang in, u 290 AZIZ. And shrieked as he beheld the wondrous maid, In robes of twisted gold with gems inlaid, Beneath the moonbeams flashing like a star ; And all his charges beating wall and bar, Outrageous in their frenzy to be free : Then hurried back to fetch his lord to see. 6 The tumult was subdued in breathless fear When, with majestic port, the reverend seer, Fronting the bright intruder, took his stand ; The dwarf and the huge beast on either hand, And trembling Aziz watching from the height Of his fair champion's shoulder, smooth and white. The grave magician felt a mightier power Than he could wield, ascendant in that hour ; And the persuasive mandates of the maid With deference, and in willingness, obeyed. Bird Aziz had slid, swooning, to the ground ; But leaped to new life with a thrilling bound. To mark the plumy mantle at his feet, Himself king Aziz now, his garb complete, Not, as he passed that portal once before. Of sordid weeds, but robes the monarch wore. Then the resplendent damsel led the sage. With his mute servitors, from cage to cage. Till all their downy denizens were freed. And flocked, as doubting they were loosed indeed, About the maid and elder, who began To re-endow them with the form of man. The waving of a w^and, a muttered word. Prone on the pavement fell a senseless bird ; A gleam of water sprinkled on its head. Uprose a youthful noble in its stead ; And where the dungeons, shaped of heavy wood With massive bars and fastenings, late had stood, AZIZ. 291 Accoutrements and glistening arms were spread, Hung on the walls, and dangled overhead. With these the stalwart forms themselves arrayed, And, crowding the capacious floor, displayed A thousand warriors harnessed for the fight, All radiant with the moon's reflected licht. In the full view of hermit, slave, and beast. And nobles from their bird's disguise released, Aziz the king stooped low before the gem Of womanhood and kissed her raiment's hem. She raised him to his feet, replaced her veil, Bent to the courtly host in shining mail. That stood with bowed heads like a field of grain Brushed by the breath that sweeps from hill to plain . " And now," she said, " loved Aziz, lead this band In triumph to thy father's ancient land ; Resume the sceptre, rule a realm of peace ; x\nd every good be thine till life shall cease." " I care not," answered Aziz, " for the throne. Should thy departure bid me reign alone ; Though universal sovereignty were mine. With joy the w^hole wide world would I resign To sit for ever at thy beauteous feet. Folded in love's soft mantle, warm and sweet." " Aziz ! " she replied, " the lore divine Hast thou received, and all my heart is thine : But what has been decreed no charm can stay ; And thou and I must take a separate way, Till wisely thou demonstrate, from the throne. Dominion is secured through love alone." '' Promise but this," he answered, " be my sway Beneficent and just, no distant day And I may draw thee to my throbbing side, Sweet counsellor and sympathetic bride. Speak but the word, and, clad in triple steel, I subjugate the passion now I feel, u 2 292 AZIZ. And throw my soul upon my sword to cope With Death's self, fired by so sublime a hope." " Depart in trustfulness," she said, " and soon As in the depths of heaven the fair full moon Has thrice displaced the crescent now so clear, Eeturn to seek, and thou shalt find me here ; Thine, not in name alone, but very deed, Let but thy vital enterprise succeed ; Then, should thou list to lead me to thy land, No doubting shall withhold my willing hand ; And in our reign's bright annals shall be shown Dominion is secured through love alone." Thus tenderly they parted, ere the day Roused the still woods and kissed their dews away She with the reverend sage to watch and wait. He with the harnessed troop to claim his state. Part III. How his mere presence vanquished every foe. Changed Kziz never knew, nor sought to know ; He found the tyrannous usurper dead. His closer kinsmen and adherents fled ; And it sufficed him he and his bright host Possessed a realm at peace from coast to coast. Then daily to his council chamber caine, Not only nobles of descent and name, But sages of renown, endowed with skill, Though governing, to meet the people's will. And since his meanest subjects understood He laboured for the universal good. Crime fled across the border, faction failed. And unexampled happiness prevailed. AZIZ. 293 Engrossed by day in business of the state, Surrounded by the valorous, wise, and great, His thoughts were half diverted from the theme That lapped his leisure in a waking dream : But when the sun sank, and the soft stars grew Thick in the firmament as drops of dew, He laid his languid limbs with wonted ease On the divan, and over slumberous seas Was wafted at a wish to meet his bride ; A bird again, pressed to her balmy side. Once on a time a peri caught a bee, And stole its nectar ere she set it free ; Delirious with delight, she still must cling And rifle, till she pressed the poisonous sting, And falling, tossed in torture more severe By contrast with the rapture brought so near. Thus Aziz through the watches of the night, Unsated, fed on old and new delight : Woke to compose his frame for sleep anew, Breathe in soft sighs, and further dreams pursue ; Till fancy was outworn, and in its room Came terror and the blackness of the tomb. The beauteous moon, in time, grew broad above Whose mission was to light him to his love. Had the wild wings he once had owned been still Obedient to the dictates of his will, Fields, wastes, and woods no swifter could have sped Than now they flitted backward from his tread ; Till by the shining walls he paused at last. With panting breath and pulses beating fast. The dwarf stood watching at the gate and threw Its massive leaves apart, which closed anew, Self-moved, with a sonorous clang re-barred. As eager Aziz passed the cringing guard. 294 AZIZ. Too full of bappy hoxDefulness to scan The face of one he hardly deemed a man. But when he looked upon the reverend sage, And saw the dignity beseeming age And wisdom overcast with clouds of care, He trembled like a fowl within the snare ; And scarcely could command his lips to frame Meet questions as to her he hoped to claim. No answer, save a pressure of the hand The lover could not — would not — understand, The melancholy hermit made to this ; And desperate Aziz saw his dream of bliss Eeceding from his life, as fades the ray Of sunset beauty from expiring day. At length he learned his love had disappeared- But darker tidings still his soul had feared ; And once again the light of hope made way, Like morning through a mist of tearful grey. Embraced by the green arms of orchard-trees, And fenced with flowers that sweetened every breeze With birds in cages of pure gold hung round, Near rills of cooling spray and lulling sound ; Eevealed by mimic stars of lovely light, A small kiosk grew fair beneath the night. There, sheltered from intrusion, they conferred ; Naught but a stray moth, or a captive bird. With plaintive petulance, or drowsy drone, To ruffle the nrevailinij waters' tone. 'o While Aziz, forcing back a rising sigh, Spoke, turning to the trees a troublous eye. He saw a dark form gliding through the shade. And with a sign the sage's answer stayed ; For now, with senses all alert, he heard, From where the cages hung, a wakeful bird AZIZ. 295 Exclaim, " The traitor ! " A/iz, swift as thought, Sprang forward with a hou's leap and caught The struggling listener, smote him on the head. And dashed him down within the light, half dead ; The more indignant, and the hermit grave, Beholding at their feet the trusted slave. As thus the hondman lay devoid of sense. The furry monster came and bore him thence, Obedient to the summons of the sage. Who manacled and thrust him in a cage. By this the breath of morning gently stirred Amid the foliage, rousing beast and bird To wander forth and greet the dawning day With happy gambol and rejoicing lay. Then Aziz, at the grey old n^iaster's side. Paced with slow feet through alleys green and wide, And thought how he himself had been a bird, And thus could understand the notes he heard. Which else, however sweet, to sense untrained, Were mere soft sounds whose jargon still remained. So with keen ears he hearkened to the speech That floated on their numbers into reach : But not a phrase to mitigate his pain Gleaned from the dulcet, tantalising strain. And when the tedious time had slipped away That turned the faint white dawn to purple day. He tuned his utterance to their carols' sound, And begged from every feathered minstrel round News of his love ; but dreadful silence fell On grove and garden, like a sudden spell. The world grew black before him as he strolled. Despairing, to the cages framed of gold ; Unwittingly, for now his gaze was cast On the green sward, oblivious where he passed : 296 AZIZ. Till all at once the fire of hope returned, Flashed from his eye and in his pulses burned ; For, lo ! the wakeful bird whose scornful call Had stigmatised the traitor now in thrall Was chirping to its feathered comrades near, And with the purport Aziz longed to hear. Within the slender-pillared cool retreat The dazzling maid was resting from the heat, Left, save for the caged songsters, all alone. When footsteps on the floor of polished stone Scattered her slumbers, and the slave's black form Displaced her dreams of Aziz, bright and warm. As an indignant angel's wrath might rise Through pale stern features and reproving eyes. So terrible her beauty, brought to bay, Shone forth, and drove the startled dwarf away. Foiled for the time, yet fertile in resource, He turned to cunning since he failed in force. Now, like a deadly serpent that conceals Its lengthening bulk and through the thicket steals, Malignly patient, lest the twigs or grass Should warn its destined victims ere they pass ; So, step by step, with caution he drew near ; Encroaching ; pausing ; vengeful, yet in fear ; Till basely at her back, with shortened breath, He stopped and scowled, more horrible than death. By chance she turned her head — to see him stand Holding a crystal basin in his hand ; At once he spoke the words of power and threw The raagic water on her, yet she flew Beyond his grasp and reached the boughs above ; No more a damsel, but a beauteous dove. AZIZ 297 The slave, pursuing as she sped away, Mad in his haste, forgot to turn and slay The witnesses that from the cages round Marked, dumb with dread but moved with grief profound. Still forward, as he raged beneath, she flew Till the green depths concealed her from their view. Such was the tale the sympathetic bird Recounted ; Aziz trembling while he heard, As through a driving storm a lonely leaf Quivers this way and that, with wrath and grief : But when the dark narration ceased, the tide Of vengeful fury swept all else aside. He started, in ungovernable rage. To drag the fiend incarnate from his cage. With pang for pang hack his vile limbs away. And cast his carcase to the birds of prey. But the staid seer encountered him, and read, In his distorted face and stumbling tread, His soul's distress, and bade him stay his speed; But to the call the madman gave no heed. Till the majestic monster calmly strode And with its massive presence blocked his road. At this convulsions seized him ; then he lay Still, pale, and rigid, and was borne away, As a stray cub is brought back to the lair By its regardful dam with wistful care, Between the mild beast's jaws expanding wide ; With the grave hermit pacing at its side. The damsel whom the dastard had enchained. Though now a bird, her native wit retained : And in the sheltering woods, secure from ill, Let the slow moon the destined circuit fill 298 AZIZ. And strengthen her to brave afresh the might Of the fierce dwarf's accumulated spite. Then, hopeful through the seer's benevolent aid Once more in her true guise to stand arrayed, With all a woman's love and pride to greet Triumphant Aziz kneeling at her feet, She salHed forth on palpitating wings : And pondering incommunicable things. Was wellnigh falling the defenceless prey Of a night-hawk that swept across her way. Backward she sped, chased by the ravenous shape, And dubious seemed her prospect of escape ; With strong swift strokes the foe was gaining fast, When in a bush her fainting form she cast. Close grew the friendly twigs and thick the leaves. Fencing a space that, night or day, receives No straggling beam from either sun or moon ; To this dark centre sinking, none too soon. She heard her keen pursuer's pinions beat The startled air in gusts round her retreat. Too terrified to venture forth till day Should scare the fell nocturnal bird away ; Amid the twisted branches couching low, She watched through the monotonous hours and slow. 'O" At length she marked her arbour's roofing grew, Though indistinct, of yet a lighter hue ; Crept softly forward ; with a cautious eye Peered round ; and, lo, the sun was in the sky ; The shape of dread had vanished, and new day, Serene and bright, on all the landscape lay. So once again, with hope arresting fear. She set out for the temple of the seer. 8 The lattices were closed against the noon When Aziz slowly woke from his long swoon ; The hermit bent above him with an eye Of scrutiny ; the noble beast stood nigh. AZI/. 299 Sagacity and interest in its gaze ; And, here and there, where chinks allowed the rays Of broken sunlight stealthily to crawl, They showed the rich mosaic of the wall. Half rising from the couch, ere growing thought Could clearly gather what the past had wrought, He heard a fluttering sound about the door, The furry monster gave a muffled roar, Its lord threw back the hangings, making way For a wide streak of re-admitted day. On whose effulgent stream the gentle dove Was borne to sink in joy beside her love. How wildly then enraptured Aziz pressed The fond bird-damsel to his throbbing breast. Smoothed her soft plumes, and begged the sage to make Himself a bird anew for her sweet sake. The reverend master, moved by love so true, Beckoned his brute attendant, and withdrew. Next to the prisoner's cage the grave-paced pair Advanced : and like a wild beast in its lair. Crouched in the corner farthest from the light, A huddled shape grew darkly into sight. The wise magician, knowing but too well The hard condition of the powerful spell — That he who wove the charm, and none but he, Could disenchant and set the victim free — Forbore to threaten, or reproach ; a scheme Of reconciliation all his theme. 9 Meanwhile the lovers, when the first wild flow Of rapture calmed beneath a mellow'er glow, In soft sweet music, rather than in speech. Imparted their adventures each to each. Then Aziz learned the formula of might x\nd how to throw the magic drops aright, 300 AZIZ. And felt that love had not so filled his heart That justice had been minded to depart. Hence, when a sound of nearing steps was heard, With one caress and one low whispered word, He left his fair dove to receive the seer And the loosed slave, but watched secreted near. The war of passions made his senses swim, Till, as through vaporous folds, confused and dim, He saw the sage, the bondman, and the beast. And his own love's resplendent form released From durance, with the feathers at her feet ; And heard her voice, so eloquently sweet. Declaiming, in a glad, triumphant tone, "Dominion is secured tlivough love alone." But fixed and stern resolve like armour pressed Above the warmer impulse of his breast ; He paused for one keen, reassuring look. Then swiftly stepped from his concealing nook, With terrible deliberation said The words of might above the dwarf's bowed head. And in disdainful calmness threw the shower That sealed revenge in that exultant hour. And where the stunted form stood just before A hideous vulture rolled upon the floor ; Unequal its gaunt limbs, oblique its eye. Its chest protuberant, and its neck awry : Though now become a bird, a shape that gave Resemblance of the disproportioned slave. " Begone ! '" cried Aziz, " ere my vengeful steel Torment thee long as sense is thine to feel. Haste to the wilderness, and lonely there. Long for the scent of carrion in hot air To give thee prospect of a feast at last When the way- wearied caravan plods past. Then strive to rise on clogged and cumbrous wings. Behold, across the wadys cooled with springs. High palace-wall, rich gate, retired kiosk, T'plifted minaret, and dome-crowned mosque; AZIZ. 301 But turn not tliither, lest — not grateful death, But pangs to wring the heart and catch the breath Be thine thenceforward, in a cage immured, Till all that wrath can claim has been endured. Hast thou not seen, fool, hast thou not known, Dominion is secured through love alone .- " He spurned the cringing culprit from the floor, Lifted the heavy hangings of the door. And struck it, as it jerked itself beneath, A last blow from his scimitar's flat sheath ; And forth into the glare, with tortuous tlight, It struggled forward, and was lost to sight. 10 The seer, attended by the wondrous beast, Joined in the pageant of the marriage-feast ; The thousand nobles, in their war array, Who late had been enchanted, cleared the way, As through the decorated streets with glare Of fragrant torches, the rejoicing blare Of trumpets, clash of cymbals, boom of gongs. And the delighted people's shouts and songs. The good king Aziz bore his dazzling bride To share his regal state in joyous pride. And in their tenderest hours, when cares of day And government were softly put away. The glamour of the sad sweet past recurred, Till in low" strains, as happy bird to bird. Love found expression of a mightier range Than most can hope for in this world of change. But first the maxim that had made him wise Shone bright with gold in all his courtiers' eyes ; Traced on a cedar beam above the throne — '^Dominion is secured througli love alone.''' HASSAN OF ALEPPO. HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 305 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. " Hear, my masters ! what adventures chanced To Hassan of Aleppo, whom his sire Sent tvith a caravan to gather gain." Thus shouted the Reciter from his seat, Hard hij the market-place, witJiin the shade. The loiterers gathered round him at the call, — The water-bearer loith the vendor of beans, The slim lithe Arab by the Nubian slave. Pressed forivard, — massed in one expectant croivd That caught at every word as he icent on : " Seven years of doubt and dread had grown and failed Since Hassan had departed ; neither neivs Nor rumour of his zvelfare travelled back ; Incoming traders were besought in vain, And messengers had sped to distant lands To seek for tidings evermore denied ; Hope was extinct, and he was counted dead ; Whe7i, like an apparition, he returned ; So altered his oivn mother kneiu him not Till he declared himself and offered proofs Whose testimony could not be repelled. Then, tohen the first loild rush of joy ivas spent. To kinsmen and congratulating friends. On a set day, he told hoio he had sped. Now hear, for it is wonderful, tJie tale. Preserved by luell-skilled ivriters of the time As if in the narrator's actual loords." In various postures, as the love of ease Or earnest curiosity prevailed. Closer the listeners grouped themselves, and icon This story from the lips expert to tell. X 306 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. The first wide waste of level sand was crossed, And joyfully we hailed the shadowing rocks That stood about our course ; we spread our tents Beside a bubbling well, and paused in peace. The crescent moon grew bright in starry depths — A fairy barque on waters blue with calm From whose expanse rose many a lily of gold. The camels were at rest ; the songs and tales Had ceased ; and sleep on wings of down drew near ; When, all at once, there came a rushing sound Of horsemen, then a hasty gathering cry, And, like a sudden tempest, battle raged. The tents were overturned, the camels seized, Eesistance dashed aside, or beaten down By force of numbers, and the whole camp wrecked. The shouting of the plunderers, and the cries Of wounded, through the thunders of the strife Pierced with a splintering jar that stole the power Of movement from my trembling limbs awhile ; And when I gained my faculties and snatched A sword to strike for vengeance, I was caught Amidst a remnant hurrying from the spot, Exclaiming, " All is lost ! " So I too fled. "When, distanced from pursuit, we dared to rest Where overhanging cliffs spread constant gloom And shapeless fear about a sinuous gorge, I learned the few companions of my flight Were, one grey sheik, with his attendant slaves, And stragglers ; barely half a score, all told. Through the long night, we, in the dark ravine, Watched, not the moon, but ghostly moonlight grow Above the bare peaks, steal from ridge to ridge And straggle downward ; till a ruddier glow Supplanted it and shot its shafts of fire Across the blackness of the crowding crags. A solid wall of rock, abrupt and grim, To right, to left, before us, and behind ; Eock underfoot ; nothing but harsh rough rock To meet the gaze, save that thin line of light, HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 307 So distant we could only trace its streak With heads thrown back to guide the searching eyes. In silence and dejection, from the toil And horror of our melancholy way,' With maimed feet and bowed head I plodded on ; Till, as we turned a jutting point, a shout Burst from the hoary sheik, and I sank down Intoxicated with the marvellous scene, A wilderness of blossom spread below : Orchards on orchards, groves on groves were hung, Wellnigh to the flushed summits of the hills, That opened vales on vales of green and gold, Orange and white, vermilion, azure, bronze ; Hues bright as sunset ; tints more softly traced Thau twilight touches in deep forest glades ; And all so boundless that the rounding heavens Alone — not ended, but absorbed their glow. I stole to the sheik's side, he clutched my robe. His face was pale as ashes, and his hands Shook as with palsy, while his quivering voice Could scarce articulate, " The Eealm of Bloom." I called for water, fear was at my heart To which I dared not yield ; assuming hope I little felt, I helped to chafe his hands And raise his head that he might drink the draught. And when the slaves' departure left us free. He said, as if in answer to my looks, " In bygone ages, when the fields put forth A fuller growth, and men lived natural lives. They counted years by hundreds — not by tens, And dwelt, where now we sojourn, O my son. Why should not we live equal lives with theirs ; Calm, temperate, dignified ; and lengthy too ? Fulfil the set conditions, and we may." I dimly caught his aim ; knew to turn back, Alone, would be sheer madness ; love of life Is strong, at least in youth ; hence I replied, *' Lead, my master, thy meek follower I." At this his face grew radiant and he cried, X 2 308 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. " A quest have I, and just have struck the track : — Beyond this flowering region, muttering seas Bear to smooth shores with ancient forests crowmed, A doubtful land lies next, then mystic caves, And these lead straightway to the City of Gold That guards the Land of Calm. What years on years Have I expended, counting toil as naught, Meeting but failure after failure still, In hope to win this first step on the w^ay — To stumble on it now, as if by chance ! Though merest accident has linked thy fate With mine, yet thou shaft fare as I shall fare, If well resolved." I answered, " I have said." But he replied, " Swear to me." So I swore. Sweet were the scents that clung about the way, When, quitting the rough rocks, we trod the turf Thick-set with flowers like gems and gold, or flakes Dropped from blue heaven to let the stars shine through. Ten days sped gently past, and we had crossed That lovely land, and stood upon the shore That stayed the rippling ocean fringed with foam. Uneasily the mighty waters rolled Beneath a moonless sky ; some trembling stars Grew in the distant depths, but made more vague The dark expanse ; and murmurings and low sighs. As of complaining beings, hovered round The waves, that rose and fell, and flashed and failed. Unceasingly, filling our hearts with awe. There, silently, the sheik sought out a spot Beside a grove of palms, and on a fire Of branches sprinkled handfuls of the sand About us, till the blaze grew broad and clear As moonlight, and the billows, and the smoke, Hung gorgeous canopies above our heads. Or broke in molten splendours at our feet. HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 309 And then, across the sea, a noiseless wind Advanced, and we beheld a vessel, urged By neither oar nor sail, a lambent gleam Was round it, and it bore straight for the fire. I mutely gazed upon the hoary sheik, Who stood, with hands uplifted, as in prayer ; And, lo, the shining barque had touched the beach. A crane, so motionless it might have been A shape of silver w^rought to rival life. Save that its eyes flashed — bright as burning coals, Stood at the prow ; but not one human form Was visible, and not a word was said. The sheik, in reverence bending, stepped on board ; I followed ; then the scared slaves crowded in : And softly, with no sound of waves cut through. We glided on, and left the wondering wind Behind us as at once the land was lost. The skies w^ere silent, and the seas w^ere still, The waves sank, and the stars looked down amazed At our smooth progress, — undisturbed and swift As flies a feathered shaft through tranquil air. Soon we beheld vague forms upon a coast Of level sand ; grey woods and rising hills Swept back, peak over peak and tuft on tuft Outspreading, to the farthest range of sight. No being met us as we trod the shore, No whisper reached us from the leafy depths ; x\nd when I turned a backward look, I saw The smooth strand, and the waters hushed in peace. But not a speck or gleam to point the path The barque had taken, or the pure white crane. I shook myself, and stamped upon the ground. Struggling to speak, but could not loose my tongue ; I knew I was awake — the sky, the sea. The clustering trees, the crowding hills, were true ; The sheik, and his attendants, there ; and I, Possessed of all my senses, though amazed. Could feel my heart's pulsation and my sobs Of labouring breath ; yet strove as with a dream. 310 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. Our leader waved us forward ; like a flock Of timorous sheep, that through their foolish fears Dread separation more, so, crowding close. His followers, speechless all, obeyed the sign. But I stood firm, and pointing to the glades. Where flitting shadows crossed the light at times Then suddenly were lost ; by gestures, looks. And everything but words, besought to know The purpose of our jom-ney. Was a spell Of solid silence on that dreadful shore ? The sheik himself was mute ; his sole reply A signal which I could not understand. The forests reeled, the ground beneath my feet Swayed to and fro, gave way, and all was dark. A swinging movement roused me from my trance I felt that I was slowly borne along. And through a wooded scene, for tangled boughs, With heavy foliage and depending wreaths Of parasites that brushed us as we passed, Spread a dense roof that made perpetual night ; Save where some falling giant, crushing down The weaker stems, had left a ragged rift ; Then from far heaven the stars looked coldly down- Impassive as an idol's jewelled eyes. Next day, directed by the growing din Impetuous waters cast upon the breeze. We paused beside a wild and fearful scene. Betwixt dark crags with many a clambering plant Diversified, the mighty currents raged. Brandished their gleaming weapons, and rushed down. With battle-cries, upon the floods below ; They, scattered and borne onward by the fall, Yet turned at every vantage-point of rock. Leaped up to strive, fell back to seethe and foam With unavailing fury never quelled. As torrent after torrent thundered down. HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 311 Mixed iu the fight awhile, then hurried past, To give place to the forces yet to come. Where column pressed on column, dashed and broke, Wave against wave, "with everlasting war. The rocks roared to the clamour of their fray, And thrust all stragglers back into the midst ; The gaunt trees bent above in shivering dread, Questioned each other and drew their heads so close The wondering heavens could hardly gain a glimpse, Till the fierce strife was lessened, where the cliffs Drew back and let the muttering legions spread Their weakened ranks along a widening plain. And there w-e found a levelled tree, which spanned The calmer current ; by that swaying bridge We crossed ; and clambering up, stood by the stretch Of smooth deep waters sweeping to the fall. I well remember lying, wrapped in thought, But gazing on the flickering flames that rose From the near watch-fire, till the trees had lost Their substance ; when, though not a step was heard, I felt, — nay, dimly saw, a presence near : A mighty shadow with a shadowy sword Uplifted, and I called out, " Slay me not ! Wherein have I offended ? " At my cry The sheik approached and hurled a burning brand Which smote the towering form, and it dissolved. A thin mist spread between the pillared trunks, Eose to their woven roof, and disappeared ; While on my sharpened ears a mournful strain Of lamentation rolled, then passed away, Amidst a ghostly sound of whispering leaves And mutterings from recesses in the rocks. The lingering terrors of that haunted wood Throw a dark shade across my memory still. For, sleeping, I believed myself awake ; And waking, the despotic power of dreams Enchained me ; till my life itself seemed poised Between two realms — the shadowy and the true — 312 HASSAN OP ALEPPO. Unknowing where their boundaries overlapped. As one who stands upon a strip of earth Where day has failed but night has not yet grown ; The moon about to rise, the sun scarce set, And neither now predominant, though both, In some weak sort, make their nigh presence felt : So I throughout the watches of that night. Prolonged, by reverent awe and cloudy fear. To wonderful duration, lost my hold On earthly things, yet knew^ the world was close ; Peered into spirit-land, and met a race Of mightier beings on the border line ; Powerless to enter with them or withdraw. I hardly could believe I saw the sun Break through the clinging horrors of that night. When, like an angel's shield of tempered gold, He flashed his burning rays on woods and rocks. Blazed in the skies, and quivered on the streams. But as we journeyed on beneath the crags Of rugged grandeur ; gazed on hanging groves Magnificent in foliage, bright with bloom, Crisp in the glare, or soft in shadowed depths ; Saw sparkling waters slip from ledge to ledge. Heard their melodious voices, and the hum Of living gems that hovered round their course ; Night's terrors, as before the dreaded march Of wandering ants all insect-life, dismayed, Flies with precipitation, or is crushed ; Had passed, and were forgotten with the sense Of glad existence in that glorious realm. At day's departure, with the reverend sheik I sat to watch the rising of the moon ; When, solemnly, he bade me fix my gaze On a new constellation, hardly seen Above the far horizon ; more distinct It grew as night closed over ; taking shape As of a sceptre. " There," he whispered, " mark The peaceful sign that rules the Land of Calm." HASSAN OP ALEPrO. 313 Beyond that scene of torrents, woods, and crags. We reached a cultured laud whose gentle race Knew not the use of fire. A fountain burst From a bare cone, the midmost of the realm, Eolled down a rocky bed, and was dispersed In multitudinous streams ; a vaporous cloud Hung over it, like rainbows dimmed with mist ; For this, the natural caldron of the realm, Was ever boiling with infuriate rage, And in its neighbourhood vegetation ceased : There food was cooked, and all things needing heat Were perfected by its unstinted flow. More marvellous yet I deemed it to behold The natives wandering freely through the dark, By field and grove, or seated within doors At ease, requiring neither lamp nor torch ; For then their eyes gave light, like those of beasts That lurk in dens by day and prowl at night : Hence emerald, carbuncle, or sapphire rays Moved as they moved, brightening the paths they trod, Or, when they rested, like fixed stars stood still. There all the cultured plots were bright with plants Whose stems and branches gleamed as though their roots Drew silver from the rich mould, and the flowers Shone as with moonbeams hoarded in their cups. Next lay a level stretch of marshy land : A realm of oozy waters, half concealed By broad leaves overlapping till the blooms Could scarce be forced through by their curving stalks ; Close ranks of giant rushes, flowering flags, And shoots of sinuous growth entangling all. A region populous with reptile forms And slender birds that preyed upon their young. After those wide wet wastes, a sterile tract Extended to the feet of caverned rocks. Gaunt ; tree-less ; terrible in silent strength ; And through their depths of dread our passage lay. One mighty crag leaned forward from the rest. 314 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. As if descending slowly with a grasp To wrench the solid mountain from its base, And overhung the portal of a cave Furrowed by wearing storms and fanged with spar. Projecting like some monster's open jaws Thrust forth to catch a breath of cooling air. How often yet, when led away by dreams, I gaze on that enormous dragon-head Transfixed in stony calm for evermore, Till time sweeps back and brings a mournful scene Of waste unpeopled lands and sleeping seas, Half lighted by grey skies without a sun. Where creatures that are nightmares to behold Sprawl in the slime, or crouch beside the growth Of forests black wuth everduring night. Scarce had we lost the glimmering of the day When a resentful host, on leather wings Descending, dashed out many a torch's gleam, Before our blades could beat them back, wnth shrieks Whose echoes rolled from shuddering vault to vault Like clamour of some fierce demoniac crew. Soon after, through the darkness, far away. We caught the flickering of a pale blue light. Whose fitful radiance, flashing to and fro, Sank down to grow and leap afresh with tongues Entwining like a restless brood of snakes. Nearer we pressed, with fascinated eyes. To mark a dreadful river winding through Those halls of horror, with phosphoric gleams Attended, and in restless vapours wreathed. And when the clouds were lifted, as the flames Eecovered force and blazed anew, they showed, Across the flood, so terrible a scene Speech was denied us, and our limbs refused HASSAN OF ALEPrO. 315 Their offices ; as in a dreadful druain We stood entranced, possessed of sight alone. Eyes stored with lightnings glared from scaly heads Protruding from dim fissures ; clinging forms, Rough as gnarled trees, or glistering with smooth skins, Hung like excrescences about the walls ; More squatted on the plinths of rugged shafts, Fell in limp convolutions to the ground. Or lifted lithe and undulating necks With swelling crests and fangs prepared to strike, As mightier and yet fiercer shapes stalked by, Crushed them with jaws like splintered rocks, or smote. To right and left, with vengeful stings and nails Of fiendish power, that scattered round their path Terror and torture, tumult and mad rage. Yet not a sound stole to our straining ears From that appalling conflict's ebb and flow, All silent as a vision in the clouds. Though full of movement as a storm-vexed sea. Had it been ours to brave that realm of woe. Madness, or Death, had claimed us, one and all ; So masterful its distant terrors proved. The sheik himself looked pallid and perturbed As hastily he signalled us away : Fear, that had sapped our powers of limb before, Now threw a trembling touch of vigour back ; And, casting many an apprehensive glance Across the doleful flood, we turned and fled. When light of heaven stole in, the stream slid by Shorn of its crests of flame, and as we rushed Like madmen through the first gap in the crags, We saw it gliding down a verdant vale Between high chffs roofed by the still blue sky. But when the rocks were passed, the placid flood In idle curves meandered through a plain Profuse of orchard-bloom and woodland shade. And on its other bank pavilions rose Beneath the shadowing boughs, and beauteous forms 316 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. Were tripping, to light music, on tlie sward ; And some threw flowers upon the stream, with signs That we should join them : two youths, undeterred By the sheik's earnest warnings, swam across ; Fair hands reached down to help them up the bank, And, blending with the groups, they disappeared. Next day, as we were following the flood's course. No longer gentle, but a torrent tossed From rocky ledge to ledge in thunder and foam. We saw a sad sight, and would fain have drawn To land and burial our late comrades' forms ; But those impetuous waters whirled them past Before our wish could gather shape and act. At length we stood beside a towering pile. Whose front, of ponderous block on block upreared By no mere human craftsmen, overlooked The wrathful waves, like some grim giant's hold. Black as dense woods, with all its massive bulk Unbroken, save by one majestic porch Whose seven broad steps led on to depths of night. It seemed a fit sarcophagus for all Dead rulers of the prehistoric world. With beating hearts we entered, where the brands We lifted up showed dim, as through a mist ; The floor was powdery, giving forth no sound Beneath our tread, as, hushed in breathless awe, We followed in the footsteps of our chief ; Till like a widening rift in parting clouds, A shaft of light w^as laid athwart the gloom. Then, through an arch within whose wondrous span An army's battle-tide might well have rolled. We came to so immeasurable a hall No sons of men could ever rear its like ; The heaven's expanse alone of mightier stretch. The far off roof from seven wide openings poured Streams of clear day ; seven leaping fountains threw A blaze of diamonds upward and around ; HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 317 Seven were the walls whose angles blended, eacl With its stupendous arch — all vast alike. Sevenfold throughout, as if seven circling hills Had bent their heads together and grown fast. By fountain after fountain sitting down We listened to the music of their flow ; For sounds which hung about their earlier course Mysteriously were gathered in, and borne Through subterranean channels undispersed. To pulsate in the liberated streams That leaped and fell with voices never stilled. Through one we heard the stirring of the leaves In some secluded forest, notes of birds, Low suppressed winds, and all the woodland's hum. The next seemed shuddering with a muffled roar From dens of Libya, hissing as of snakes, And rushing of the sand-storm on its course. The third gave out a gurgling sound of streams That slip through tangled grasses and the growth Of clustering flowers that kiss them as they pass. Another quivered as with battle-cries. Neighing of chargers, clashing weapons crossed In furious strife, and clarions blown in haste. Succeeding this, we heard a pious chant Of pilgrims setting forward on their way. Amid the jingling of the camel-bells. Then grew the' mixed cries of a peopled town. Hoofs clattering, vendors shouting, shufiling feet, And multitudinous voices rolled in one. But from the last we only caught the sighs Of bending reeds and zephyrs so subdued To peace they hardly fluttered into sound. 318 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. Here the narration s floio teas checked , for cries Were heard, " Make tvay ! the Cadi comes ! give place ! Through the dividing throng attendants pressed To thrust unwary loiterers from the path, And in their midst the great man proudly rode. A rush of hoofs, a gleam of burnished arms, The clink of trappings, and a cloud of dust ; And like a ivind the pageant had passed by. Then, loosed from their restraint, the listeners took Their old positions, and the tale tvent on. Forth from the Hall of Fountains, as the last Had guided us, we pierced fresh caves of gloom ; Emerging into day upon a ledge Which overhung ravines of dreadful depth, Where cataracts flashed and foamed, and torrents roared, And tortuous trees clung to the bare brown rocks As if subsisting on the very stones.. At length, our ever-winding pathway turned A crag's bold front, and sudden as a flash, Showed white towns clustering under broad-leaved trees, And pastures watered by pellucid streams. The generous tribes of that contented realm Eeceived us gladly. Charmed with their smooth life. Our followers craved to cease their journeying there. — Thenceforth the sheik and I pressed on alone. Soon a wide water stayed us ; but a shape. Colossal, black, and featured hke a man, Eose from its depths, and offering us some tubes, Made signs that we should hold them in our mouths. As we obeyed, I felt that I was grasped With a firm clutch, and softly down we sped. The waves closed over with a hollow moan. Then all was hushed ; but still a quivering light Encirchng us displayed the Hquid realms HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 319 Peopled with glicliDg forms that passed in shoals, Aquatic groves, beds filled with living flowers, Castles of madrepore, and sparry caves ; Eeplete with life, yet silent as the skies. I thought of wrecks, and looked for ghastly sights ; But those innavigable waters knew No wandering keel to break upon their calm. Yet mightier melancholy brooded there Than a whole navy swallowed down could breed. For now our steps were on a land, once dense With human life, breathing the breath of heaven. Whose broad expanse, embracing hills, dales, woods. Cities and villages had been submerged, With the full population — man and beast — By some convulsion in an age remote From History's pages or Tradition's words. Mere mounds of ruin, tangled with a growth Unknown to land, and tenanted by shapes As unfamiliar, most of that dread scene. But, here and there, some massive structures showed Arches entire and columns still erect ; And one huge fort with blackened bastions stood Defiant as of old, though at its base A city had been dashed down as in scorn. Even of the trees some trunks were left, which bore Fantastic parasites and clinging forms — If living creatures close akin to plants. These things we saw, but lacked the power to speak ; Nor yet a sentient being seemed our guide, But with a measured pace, like a machine. Still leading us, the stolid figure moved. At length our heads rose up above the waves ; The tubes were taken back ; without a sound. The strange shape turned and vanished in the waves. A smooth white shore led, with a gentle ascent, To glittering woods and groves where bright festoons. Wreath over wreath, entwined their gorgeous folds 320 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. Amid the glossy foliage, hanging down In spiral tresses glancing as they swung. There everything was beautified with gold In some degree. The grass beneath our feet Was ribbed, the shapely leaves upon the boughs Were veined, the graceful boles and branches bossed, With sun-like brilliancy. The streams had caught A yellow glow, their beds being streaked with gold. The stones, where stones were seen, showed sparks of fire. The heart of every blossom, and the curls Of all the tendrils, caught the same warm touch. It blazed upon the plumage of the birds, The lizards' mail, the down of fluttering moths — The whole wide view instinct with living rays, Thus permeated with the glory of gold. Without a word, amid the glades we paced. Confounded by the splendour beaming round, Till through the glimmering vistas we beheld A fuller radiance yet, flashed back fx'om points Innumerable and architectural lines ; At which the sheik exclaimed, " The City of Gold.'" Far as the sight could reach, its lofty walls Rose, flanked with turrets, pierced by gates, and crowned By pinnacles that shone like mountain-peaks Whose caps of ice illuminate the vales. A mighty river, spanned by many a bridge, Rolled full in front ; domes, cupolas, and spires, Stood, thick as fruit upon a bending bough, Within, amid the crests of trees ; all flushed With trembling flakes of omnipresent gold. We trod a causeway strewed with shattered stars. Crossed the resplendent flood, and paused before A dazzling portal, marvellous in device ; It turned on its smooth hinges at a touch. When mansions so majestic stood revealed Wonder, surprise, delight, were lost in awe. HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 321 The sentries closed the gate and stared about, But saw us not : their robes were stiff with gold, Their wands of office and their seats were gold. Porches, and lattices, and row on row Of columns and pilasters blazed with gold : Gold sparkled in the walls on every side. And even the trampled dust held grains of gold. We wandered through the glittering streets, amazed That none beheld us — not even those who turned When we conversed or brushed them as we passed. No clamorous sounds, even in the thronged bazaars, Jarred on the sense of calm luxurious ease ; But gentlest speech, like rippling music, flowed From lips unused to wrath, or any extreme. Where order ruled with leisure undisturbed. Soon we were hemmed in by a brilliant throng Surrounding one we took to be the king. Attended as he was with such regard. And with a cavalcade so vast, and decked So gorgeously that every weapon shone A sunbeam, all the harness flashed with gems, And even the horses' bits and shoes were gold. With that procession joining, unperceived, We passed, through arches blazing like clear day. To gardens twinkling as with orbs of night. From pillared halls, that shone with steadier beams Amid the scintillation of the leaves And wavy lines of sparkling fountain-jets. Forms of imperial beauty, flower-like grace. And wondrous loveliness, came forth in groups To tread the spangled lawns, reach the ripe fruits. Or gather round the springs whose constant hum Boomed through the keener strains from warbhng birds. That night in a deserted bower we lay ; And happiest dreams were soothing my short sleep. When the sheik roused me with importunate words, Hurried me forth, and pointed to the skies. Y 322 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. I saw the Sceptre, in a loftier field, Dispersing mightier radiance than of old ; And judged our journey's termination nigh. When, lo, a sudden blaze of meteors burst. With vivid lightnings, through the crackling vault ; Star dashed on star with splintering rage and flames Of all-devouring fury ; night was turned To day beneath the splendour of their war Of red-hot bolts and smokeless fires uuqueuched : Then, orb on orb fell, thick as drops of rain. Beyond earth's verge, and all the tumult ceased. But still the balanced Sceptre calmly hung ; The silent stars their wonted stations kept ; For all those falling planets, in our eyes Unaltered, as to numbers or their light. " See," cried the sheik, " the fiends can not prevail Against the Sceptre of the Land of Calm ; Triumphant, tranquil, radiant, evermore It glows, a sign of power as well as peace." But, too perplexed and terrified to speak, I heard without replying, I felt my fate Was hnked wnth his, and sighed, but struggled not. Next day, the clash of cymbals and the roll Of drums prepared us for an old-world scene Of pageantry. Invisible ourselves. We watched the long procession fihng past. A vision yet, incongruous and confused. But full of vague magnificence, is impressed Upon my memory. Eadiant chariots rolled Beneath emblazoned banners, shining spears, And pennons flickering on the wavering winds. Eank after rank of stately chargers bore High dignitaries, nobles of the realm, Eulers of states, and captains of renown, Arrayed in planetary splendour and light Far-flashing, eddying round, and closing all. And in the midst, their monarch, as the sun And centre of the nation, rode a steed HASSAX OF ALEPPO. 323 Caparisoned in lightning, he himself Scarce sufferable though viewed with shaded eyes. At intervals were bands of minstrels set, Who raised a lofty chant ; at every close The voices of the crowd in chorus joined ; Then all the players of instruments struck in. Till heaven's far vault seemed trembling with the sound. Half stupefied with wonder, I w^as drawn Amid the press with those who sought to hail Their sovereign ; when a charger bore me down : And as I fell, and saw its shining shoes Above me, an involuntary cry Broke from my lips, so startling those around They checked its course, and I leaped up to meet My leader's look. Past swift wheels, prancing steeds. Archers on foot, and minstrels in long robes, We made our way, and deemed ourselves secure When we had reached the thinned throng in the rear. But, luckless still, I trod upon the skirts Of one who turned and caught me by the wrist ; And when he felt me struggle and failed to see My presence, he called out, though what he cried I knew not, and his fellows gathered round. But the quick sheik wrenched back his grasping hand And loosed me, when the scared man yelled afresh, Threw himself down and wallowed in the dust. We gained our freedom for a moment's space ; But, lo, the ]3ersonage I had near unhorsed Approached, when, as aware of me, his steed Started, and being spurred forward, plunged, and dropped Lifeless, w4th strained eyes and a foaming mouth ; And with it fell the courtly man, a crash Of armour and a stifled groan arose. Then all was still, and my pulse failed for fear. The sheik drew nigh and loosed the gleaming bands About his throat ; I lifted up his head ; Then others came and drew from him the weight Of dead horse and accoutrements of gold, But stared like men who feel the might of dreams, Y 2 324 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. And talked with quivering lips and bated breath. , I too, forgetting danger, spoke, and asked, " "What say these people, knowest thou, my lord ? At this they broke forth into clamorous cries, The grave sheik laid his hand upon his mouth And glided forward, but the throng struck out, And I was dashed with violence to the ground. Searching, some stumbled over me, and screamed, Encountering me as in the dark, or blind. Then came a ruler, and a hundred tongues Jargoned together, but he silenced all ; First saw the great chief in a chariot set And borne away, then in commanding tones Asked somewhat, and the clattering was renewed. I thought my life's end imminent, and began To murmur the professions of the faith, "When the deliberate utterance of the sheik "Was heard, though in a language strange to me. New exclamations of surprise and fear Burst forth, but these the calm commander stayed. And answered, as it seemed, my leader's words. Then I was lifted up, and with fresh crowds Collecting at the heels they could not see, We j)assed on to the ruler's own abode. Beside a fountain, in a pillared hall "We rested, with an atmosphere of gold About us, for the ceiling, walls, and floor; The couches, and the dome admitting day ; All blazed with gold wherever gold could lie. A moon-like maiden, we being seen of none, Entered to greet the ruler as a child Assured of love might greet a well-loved sire, Eresh as a bud just opening to the sun. Dew on its leaves, honey within its heart ; Shaming her dazzling robes with beauty's glow And grace but newly perfected, she shone Eesplendent as the messengers that wing The calm blue spaces parting star from star. Her father led her forth ; the light of heaven Went with her, and the gold grew dull as lead. HASSAN OF ALErro. 325 Our host came back leading a wrinkled man, So worn and grey he look a century old, Who in a placid voice addressed the sheik. Dominion on his forehead, through his eyes Thought, and determination in his lips. Compressed and thin, were symbolised ; with pride Tempered by the repose of conscious power And bland serenity of experienced age. While in that tongue, so soft and sweet, they talked, I, hoping the bright presence would return, Heard the smooth syllables, through dreamy depths, Sink to a liquid murmuring, as of bees, Then fade, and fail ; forgetting where I was. A firm hand roused me ; glittering robes were brought, Turbans that flamed with gems, and flashing arms ; In these w's decked ourselves, a vapour spread Through the wide hall, then burst a blaze of light — And in our natural forms we stood revealed. Seer, ruler, sheik, all fixed their gaze on me, When my companion spoke of my rash oath And questioned if my resolution held. Though minded to recede, I knew not how ; Nor could I speak the language of that race, Or hope again to see the radiant form That shook me from my purpose most of all. What should I win by lingering there alone ? Bound, too, by a strong oath, how could I swerve ? And roseate wishes, where hope cannot reach, Fade like frail sparks thrown from a crackling fire. All passed before my mind as in a flash ; Too proud to quail, and too weak to break loose, With spurious courage aping firm resolve, I answered, " O my master, have I borne The toilsome march to faint before the gate ? Wherefore renew our compact ? I have sworn." At midnight, through the depths of glistening groves, Beneath a tranquil moon, the mild seer led 326 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. To a bright river, where a barque was moored. We stepped ou board, loosed, and dropped down the stream. Without an oar, or sail, we smoothly sped, The man of mystery steering, the soft wash Of water only whispering in our ears, Till we beheld the gleam of marble steps, And, landing, reached a door of ivory, set Betwixt two heavy towers of rough dark stone Closed in by sombrous trees ; and knew the bounds Of the resplendent country had been crossed. Our guide struck one firm blow, the door fell back, Our brief farewells were made, and once again The sheik and I faced a new world alone. Beneath the silvered boughs of ancient trees, Through tangled grass, and bushes set with thorns. We forced our way ; till, suddenly, the hght Of all heaven's stars poured on us, and a stretch Of desert sands, with neither break nor bound. Lay, like the sea at rest, and stayed our steps. But with the dawn we marked a distant cloud Ax^proaching from the far wastes ; like a ship Before the wind it rushed along, two shapes Loomed through it ; then the dust was in our eyes, And, lo, two dromedaries, well equipped. Were kneeling in the brown sand at our feet. We mounted, and could hardly speak or breathe By reason of the violence of their speed. The sand rose like a curtain round our heads. Through which the fierce rays of the sun grew dim. With scarce a pause for rest, we hurried on For seven full days, subsisting on the stores They carried ; then the headlong pace was checked. In the faint distance palms and towers and domes Grew up, and toward the closing of the day We drew nigh to a town without a wall. Dismounted at a spring, and while we drank. The camels softly turned and disappeared. HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 327 How glorious now the sliiuiug Sceptre hung Full overhead, with orbs of sweetest light, The Land of Calm soft as a dream beneath. No battlements nor flooded moats were there, The bordering desert its more sure defence ; No sovmd to tell of any living thing, The bashful air just murmuring to the leaves. Their faltering answers, fainting as they rose. And waters smoothly gliding, only heard. Within those sacred bounds we trod with awe, The sheik's face rapt and placid as a star ; First passed some gleaming pools, with smooth broad leaves And closed cups floating on their pulseless breasts, And on their banks slim birds of silvery white Or faint blue, set, like sentries at their posts In contemplation lost, or fallen asleep : Then groves of tall dark trees, with clear wide walks Dividing them, and turrets of cool grey, Half shown and half concealed, at every path : Last w^as an open lawn, and full in front A temple, like the scattered dwellings grey And bare of ornament, yet boldly grand Through pure magnificence of proportionate size. Stood, with square towers, long galleries, and wade gates. Fit heart, and crown, of that hushed Land of Calm. I paused, now that the goal was won, and gazed. Speechless, upon the melancholy pile. The shadowy trees, the low fanes nestling close. The glimmering waters, and the mystic skies ; With a strange feeling gathering in my mind That not for the first time I viewed that realm Of apathetic days and pensive nights : If to the sheik, through age grown weary of earth, Desirable, appalling to a youth With his best years and life's chief joys to come. 328 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. Still, like a fish entangled in a net, I yielded, since I felt it vain to strive. The sheik pressed forward ; close upon his skirts I followed, to a portal with a gate Half open ; when a patriarch, whose beard Flowed far below his girdle, greeted both. As if expected, with a few mild words, And led us to a chamber with a change Of garments and a table newly set ; Then, like a shadowy silently withdrew. Throughout the watches of that night I lay W'ellnigh estranged from sleep, intent to shape A concrete purpose from my tangled thoughts. And when a fuller light, akin to day, Grew round, I rose and wandered forth alone, To ponder, undisturbed, my future course. Smooth lawns, soft groves, still streams, and shy retreats, Beneath a sky where neither sun nor moon Appeared, though now the Sceptre with its host Of planetary attendants had grown pale, Lay in unruffled quiet ; not a sound Above the wind's breath, or a fountain's voice Suppressed in tremor, reached the listening ear ; Yet this was Day — Day in the Land of Calm. I sought the sheik : inert, or wholly rapt In sweet vague musings, a sublime content Lighting his marble features, but his eyes Vacant, or fixed on objects far away ; He seemed a statue rather than a man. Within that twilight realm, whose unmoved heavens Saw not the rising and the setting sun, The waxing and the weaning of the moon, Or altering seasons— hot, cold, w^et, and dry ; The Sceptre and its constellations glowed By night, and when they faded subtle gleams HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 329 Spread a pale radiance round, accounted day Where full light and true darkness were unknown. Thus year on year accumulating wrought No changes to denote the lapse of time. Wondrous it was what scanty food sufficed, And how the raiment there supplied endured. Toil was unknown ; though once, in distant years, The central pile, the numerous small abodes, Shaped lawns, and planted groves, had taxed the powers Of workers long forgotten, Eest had ruled With undisputed sway for many an age ; Hence the whole realm lay, as entranced, betwixt Soft contemplation and unconscious sleep. Each son of that remote dominion held His separate habitation, hushed and lone, Enfolded by its fruit-trees, a clear rill Trickling beside, and deep shades closing round. Yet in the wide halls of the midmost fane Scrolls rich with wisdom of departed days Were stored ; and on occasions reverend sheiks Made calm orations, moving mild assent. Yet intercourse, even of that feeble type. Was rare, most choosing pensively to dwell Amid the silence of their several haunts. Some hermitages, in their own still nooks, Were vacant yet, with orchard boughs and grass Grown wild about them : free was I to choose Amongst them, as I listed, for myself. I took at random, deeming all alike ; Then from that unobserved retreat set forth To trace the limits of the shadowy land, Expecting to behold the barren wastes Outspread on all sides. Day by day I roamed. And night on night in silent lodges sle^Dt, Unsought and uuaccosted through the length And breadth of that dumb apathetic realm. ^ Southward, our course had taught, spread pathless sands ; Both West and North were bounded by a flood 330 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. I took for ocean, till I found no tide Disturbed its sluggish waters ; Eastward rose A line of cliffs without a breach, abrupt As any city wall, and loftier far. Beneath that steadfast firmament unflushed By sunlight splendours and unblurred by clouds, I paced, with searching eyes, or lost in thought. I hated the grey landscape with its nooks Of umbrage, its still pools, and silent birds Immovable as figures traced in stone. The charmed reeds, and the hush amid the trees. And when the half light of imperfect day Had passed, and the resplendent Sceptre shone Predominant, insufferable I held Its cold unfaltering radiance, as the sheik Had said, " A sign of power as well as peace." At length, amidst my pondering, a swift thought Winged wdth a ray of light from the warm world, Smote my roused mind and thrilled me with fresh hope. That where the last crags and the desert joined Some path might yet be traced to quit a land Whose barriers were but such as Nature set. Noiu, from the neighbouring mosque, the call to lyrayer Came icith its sacred summons to the crowd. The chanted loords of holiness stole doivn As if from the still skies, and all were held In calm devotion for the measured time. Anon, they raised themselves, and fixed their eyes Once more on the Beciter in their midst. Who, witli the water-carrier s projfered draught Befreshed, took up the story's tliread anew. Behold, when many a tedious day was spent In tracing the long line of bordering crags, I turned the last spur by the level sands. HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 331 Aud entered a uikl region, rough with rocks And prickly plants, without one tufted tree To mitigate the harshness of the scene. How long I took to cross that hideous land I know not, though I hardly dared to pause. By day or night, for terror of the snakes And lizards of a growth so vast, so fierce. They rather seemed a brood of hell than earth. Though many a time turned from my path and thrilled With deadliest apprehension, yet unscathed, I crossed that ghastly region : saw the sun Low down in a bright sky ; just reached a grove Of sheltering palms, stretched my worn limbs, and slept. Roused by the new day glimmering through the leaves, I looked up to perceive some rough dark forms I took for apes in silence w-atching near. The courage born of desperation spurred My flagging energies, I gained my feet. When, lo, they cast themselves upon the ground In savage courtesy, which proved them men. That simple nation dwelt in huts of boughs. Found pasture for some flocks in the still glades. Trapped the wild birds, drew fish from the clear streams. And lived a sylvan life of old- world peace. For me a spacious bower was set apart, Attendants stationed round, as for a king, Aud all the produce of the region held At my disposal ; nay, their very lives, I doubt not, had been given me if required. Thus for awhile I dwelt — not to say reigned — In that green land ; roving from glade to glade. Charmed with the woodland voices and the breath Of fresh-blown flowers ; or musing by the brooks Till they seemed stationary, and I, to glide Through groves inverted ; patches of blue sky And straggling sunbeams round my forward way. How different from that apathetic realm Of mute existence, twilight, and dull thought, 332 HASSAN OP ALEPPO, This territory, with its gleams and shades, Brisk breezes, waving boughs, and singing rills : The loneliest nooks instinct with freshness caught From ceaseless movement underlying peace. And not without deep feeling could I leave Those gentle creatures : faithful to the last, Some still attended me till I had crossed Their leafy land, and for a three days' march Over the plains beyond ; then with sad eyes, Like dumb domestic animals that watch Their lords go forth when they must stay behind, They bowed to my authority and turned back. Unknowing where I stood, without a sign, Except the sun's course, to direct my steps, I faced due East, trusting all else to chance. The winds, with shouts of freedom, rushed from hills Of ancient strength ; the forest-trees threw back Eesponsive acclamations ; headlong streams Burst from the rocky rifts with songs of glee ; And myriad forms on glittering plumes swept by And blended their glad snatches in the strain. My heart warmed with a sympathetic glow And leaped with exultation in its joy ; Each sense, impressed with luxury of full life, At one with the wild vigour of the scene. But when I crossed the hills, a deadly calm Stayed my bold pulse with apprehensive fear. No zephyr stirred ; the steadfast sun looked down, From unmoved heavens, upon a prospect fixed In stony resignation, which no rays Could kindle into smiles, no breezes rouse To movement, no down-pouring torrents wake To tears; impassive now for evermore. A land with all its eminences, dells, Woods, thickets, level plots, and winding paths, Of a dull slaty hue, where fell the light, And in the shades, black with a solid gloom. HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 333 As I slid down from broken ledge to ledge. x\stonishment, surpassing aught I felt Aforetime, grew within me to behold Groves, full of leaf, with birds upon their boughs. Immovable ; the tangled bushes, stiff ; The grasses as unyielding as the trees ; The very lizards grown fast to the rocks. An idle stream meandered through the vale. It seemed to curdle rather than to flow ; And as I stooped to drink, a voice called out. " Hold ! taste not ; lest thou stiffen and so become A marvel and a warning for all time." A man still young, clad in a merchant's garb, Came forth from a dark opening in the rocks. And offered me sweet water from a gourd ; Then, leading to his excavated cell. Set simple fare before me, with the charm Of unobtrusive kindliness, though scant His utterance, and preoccupied his mien. Together through that sober-tinted scene We roamed, the harsh paths clanging with our tread, Or spikes of grass breaking and crackling round Our cautious progress ; nothing, save the strip Of sluggish water, stirring : though a breeze, Driven from the hills, swept down upon the vale, No twinkling foliage signalled its approach Or waved a greeting, but the stubborn leaves Stood straight, or drooped about their hardened stems Unalterable, as in the dreadful hour That bade their sap solidify to stone. Beneath the rigid branches, over banks Aforetime springy moss and fluttej:ing flowers, Now firm as raised leaves on a gate of brass ; By huts, once bark and straw ; and human forms Congealed to statues, as when health's warm tide Grew" cold within them and pulsation failed — Like life, save for their uniform grey hue And awful stillness of unsw'erving pose — 334 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. We passed with chilled hearts ; birds lay on the ground, Arrested in mid flight and with their fall Not bruised, but shattered ; in the thickets snakes Were twined about their victims ; on the blooms Flies rested with spread wings, in act to feed : Thus each new step fresh evidences brought Of vital power by some imperious force Stayed instantaneously — set fast in stone, To be released no more till earth shall end. We clambered to an overhanging crag To mark, on every side, the solemn scene Outspread, a veritable valley of death, Devoid of colour, odour, pulse, or voice. And there my sad companion's tongue was loosed ; He spoke of hopes that blossomed round his youth. Fair as the moon and all her clustering stars. To be transformed, at one disastrous blow, To shadowy phantoms of a faded dream. " And therefore have I sought the Land of Calm," He said, and at his words I started up, Exclaiming, " my master ! from that realm Am I ; point me the backward road, while I Direct you forward ; both are gainers thus." That night a tempest roused us from our rest : Storms had I known, on ocean and on land, But never such as that ; nor can again. In place of rustling sounds from bending woods, Harsh groanings and rough whistling voices strove In clamorous discords. As the winds waxed fierce, Some slighter boughs fell with a shivering crash, At which the gale shrieked louder, as in glee : But being resisted still with obstinate force, Its rage increased to madness, till the roar Convulsed the concave heavens and roused the glen With echoes as of all hell's battle-cries. And then the forces of the storm converged HASSAN OP ALEPPO. 335 In their full strength, with fiery swords that struck At all opponents, dazzling as they fell With flaming terror and a hissing sweep That tingled through the hoai'ser shouts and yells, Defying and defiant, surging round The hollow dell and sliaking the rough rocks. In stubborn hardihood that scorned to quail, Though red-hot darts fell crashing on their heads And deluge after deluge hurled the weight Of seas to crush them, still the gaunt old trunks And twisted boughs stood staunch in one firm mass Unflinching, indestructible, stone-bound. Then cloud on cloud, in pealing thunder called, Eallied from every side for one wild charge, And hurled from all their arsenals at once Eain-torrents, scathing fires, and bursting bolts, To beat down all resistance : but in vain. The forest giants swerved not from their posts, Though slashed and seared, protecting still the crowd Of weaker growth, as obdurate as before. The keen blasts raged around them, with loud shrieks And imprecations at their solid fronts ; The rushing currents failed to sap their roots Braced to foundations sturdier than themselves ; And all the furious onslaught was made null By resolute scorning of its wasted rage. So, at the last, the baffled breeze swept on, And with it bore the furies of the storm. Muttering and with their gleaming arms yet bared, To smite and slay in vulnerable lands. And well it w^as for us that our retreat Rose high above the level of the glen. For now a foaming stream, from side to side Extending, drove impetuous wave on wave, Thi'eatening to leap upon us where we stood. But when the day dawned, and the tide had shrunk, We sallied forth, and under boughs all hung With diamond drops, amid the shattered leaves And spikes of stone we made our careful way, And left the desolate region to its fate. 336 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. An undulating country lay beyond, Where not a human habitation stood On smooth slope, or beneath the clumps of trees That broke the long line of the verdant vales With shadowy patches ; many a flowering shrub Grew fair beneath the shining heavens, and all The tranquil prospect basked in golden light. Along its border slid a mighty flood ; No torrent hurled in foam from ledge to ledge, But a smooth sweep of dull green waters drawn Stealthily downward, till the distance closed Around it and it blended with the skies. There in a hollowed tree-trunk I was launched, And like a fly borne on a floating leaf, Forward I sped, a waif on that wide waste Hushed with an awful grandeur vast and vague. And many a day in burning splendour grew, And many a solemn night of starry calm. Around my steady course, and still the flood Seemed endless. Heavy forests scowded, at times, From high banks, and by night their depths sent forth A din of restless voices, fierce and keen, Which rang along the waters with a thrill Of dread no resolution could withstand. Or level tracts crept down to shores of mud, W^here hideous monsters lay like massive logs Unconscious, or swept slowly past the barque While I sat chilled and motionless with fear. But chiefly the clear dome of heaven, above, And shining waters, round me and beneath. Alone were visible, and my life seemed closed In a charmed circle, journeying round and round In constant movement, but without a goal. At length I saw, far off, a rugged isle — A mass of gaunt dark clifi's, wdthout a bush Uprising, and the white foam at its feet. HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 337 Abrupt and barren though it showed, I hailed The prospect with a throb akin to joy, And pulled with vigour till I grazed the beach, Leaped out and drew my barque above the tide. I wandered on by boulder, ledge and crag Wet with the waves, till, full in front, a line Of huge blocks clambered, stair-wise, to the point That raised its dominant and haughty brow, Black, bare, by lightnings blasted, drenched by storms. And lashed by stinging gales, age after age ; Scarred, furrowed, crownless, but defiant still ; Stern as a rebel angel cast from heaven. Fool that I was, I thought to scale the peak And view its wide surroundings, by those rocks. Some I surmounted ere I lost my hold. And, sorely bruised and buffeted, was stretched. Half swooning, by the side of the rude stair ; And then, I will not say I heard, I felt Some monstrous thing come down, step after step, And turn along the bank. My hair rose up And perspiration oozed from every pore. For now I saw the form — man, beast and fiend Joined in one hideous and appalling shape, That drew its overshadowing bulk along With stealthy movements, like a prowling fox. My lost home, all my wanderings' varied scenes. The strange still land, and him I left in peace, The radiant being in the clear City of Gold ; All passed before me in the moment's space While that embodied horror shuffled by. I could not dare to lose it from my sight ; And peering from an angle of the crags Bordering the path, beheld it raise a limb Like a huge cypress, smiting on the wall Of granite reaching halfway up to heaven ; A cavern gaped, and from its jaws a glare Of flame, strugghng through rolling smoke, burst forth • The shape of terror entered, the rocks closed, A sudden crash of thunder rumbled round z 338 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. The headlands, stole along the whispering waves, And faded in the distance ; the dense cloud Dispersed, and vanished in the sky's blue depths, And ominous silence settled back afresh. What tremor shook me as I gained my barque And pulled with all my strength from that dread scene. Keeping low down, with careful, stealthy strokes, And many a fearful glance athwart the flood, I toiled till, cramped and strained, my muscles failed ; But still I drifted onward, for the stream Was with me. Then the sun sank, and my pulse Grew steadier, with an ever- widening space Betwixt me and the demon of the crags. At last the moon rose, like a shining shield. High in the heavens, and mustered all the stars. Like glittering spears, not called for war, but grouped About a monarch in a time of peace. I turned my gaze upon the lessening isle. And, lo, upon its summit, clearly traced Against the background of the lighted skies, I saw the fearful figure, with one arm Uplifted, scanning the surrounding flood. New terror pounced upon me, and the sense Of utter isolation from the world Nigh overpowered me ; but I prayed the prayer For safety, then afresh bent to my toil. Yet, dimly dreading that tremendous shape Was following, still I turned an anxious ear To catch the long sweep of the mighty limbs Through parting waves : but only the soft sounds Of wandering air and lisping spray thrown back From my blunt prow stole through the solemn hush That bound both sky and flood as with a spell. When next the stars were stationed at their posts, A ruddy glow displayed the nearing shore, Whence a wild shouting, bursts of barbarous song, Eolling of drums, blown horns, and lances struck To a rude measure, boomed upon the breeze. HASSAN OF ALEPPO. 339 Aud later, as I softly paddled past, I saw demoniac figures in the light Thrown from enormous fires of blazing boughs. Leaping, with savage energy and fierce glee, About some wi-etched captives waiting death "When those abhorrent orgies reached their height. I glided by, unnoticed, though my heart Beat like their furious drums within my breast And every limb was paralysed with fear. The banks drew closer, making the pressed flood A rushing river, with a tangled growth On either side, in which I lurked by day To speed by stealth beneath the favouring nights, Till I had reached a lake of calm blue depths Dotted with isles of verdure, there three cones Eose up, the happy sign of friendly tribes. I watched them growing higher and nearer ; woods Developed, clambering halfway up the slopes And stretching in dark masses far away : And last, brown huts stood back from a smooth beach Of sand, with boats moored at the water's edge. Dark forms came hurrying down, and launched their barques, With shouts of greeting. When they heard my tale — For one who seemed their chief could speak our tongue — They marvelled at its strangeness, and renewed Their welcome with a child-like touch of awe. Fair was the land, and placid were the lives Of its mild children, save for one dark source Of terror, which I found they fain would quell, Not lacking courage, could they but be led. — Some monster, lurking in a craggy rift Hard by a cataract's constant foam and roar, So scared them that no hunter dared to range The neighbouring woods alone, not even by day. z 2 340 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. Through depths where solemn shades and soft green lights Conjointly ruled, and stillness ever dwelt, The river glided. Gazing from the bank Whose caverned side formed the grim monster's den, Where, just below the tumult of the fall, The waters swerved with an impetuous sweep Across whose curvature was clearly seen The low dark opening in the hollowed rock, A narrow track approaching it, the whirl Of ever-falling waters close beside, I marked how Nature might be won to join The might of the swift torrent with our cause. We framed, of rough-hewn logs by fibrous plants Held fast, what might be deemed two sturdy rafts With long ropes trailing from them : and at noon. In bands divided by the rushing stream. Crept up, to trap our victim while it slept. Some braced the twisted cords to trunks and boughs,- Holding our wattled handiwork midway ; Others detached a fragment from the cliff, Which fell before the cave with a dull thud ; And one threw down the carcase of a dog, Which struck upon the block and rolled within, Yet roused no answering movement, nor a sound. But when the guided barrier met the fall And turned a steady current on the lair With spluttering foam, I dimly could perceive A something stirring, still no cry broke through The ceaseless droning of the rushing waves. Soon a huge paw" was thrust above the stone, And in that very moment came a jar Of splintering boughs, and, lo, the raft was loosed. But what looked dire misfortune proved in truth Most fortunate, for, in a mass still braced Together, it was hurled behind the block With which the cleft was barred, and there wedged fast. What consternation now was in our ranks ! For, through the humming of the torrent's flow, HASSAN OP ALEPPO. 341 We heard the crash of timbers under blows Resounding hke a mallet as they fell. Already had we towed our second raft Across the waters. Scarce was it made fast When shouts announced the coming of the tribes From farthest villages ; before their rush A startled leopard bounded into view" And sped along the cliff, in its wild haste Wellnigh precipitated in our midst ; Swerving, bewildered by the ready darts Showered round its course, the violence of its pace Carried it on, till from the rock's bare edge Sheer down it fell, and lighted on the head Of the roused form of terror, just thrust forth. The mottled beast battled in frantic fear, W'rithed, bit, and tore at its opponent's eyes. With gasping shrieks that shuddered through the roar Of driving waters for a moment's space. Then lay in lifeless calm at the den's mouth. By this the fresh troops aided in the fight ; Armed with long spears, and practised in their use. Shaft after shaft struck full upon the mark, Galling the struggling monster, still pent in With tough logs and unyielding fibrous coils More mighty for resistance than a wall. Powerless to turn, or rise to its full height. Yet, with the sullen silence of disdain, The half-seen shape of dread still laboured hard To burst the barriers that confined its limbs. Meanwhile a second rivulet was forced Along the rocky passage ; ponderous stones, With burning brands, and javelins, were dashed down ; And one intrepid archer, lowered by ropes And steadied by his comrades, from a ledge So slight that he could barely rest his feet. Leaned forward, shooting w^ith unfaltering aim. Till through the monster's eye the brain was pierced. One furious yell burst forth ; we stayed our hands. And watched each others' looks amidst a hush Through which the hurrying streams alone were heard. 342 HASSAN OF ALEPPO. And now the waters rose within the cave And with their weight boi^e down the tangled mass Of wood and tendrils ; then the narrow path Was flooded, and the great stone disappeared ; Forthwith the buoyant fragments of the raft Were carried off, and on them we beheld The bodies of the leopard and the dog, Mauled out of shape ; and last, a mighty form Was jerked and lifted by the washing waves From the dark cave, most of its hideous bulk Submerged, but what was seen ungainly, huge, And terrible ; a black and battered wreck Borne slowly down the current. Then a cheer. Spontaneous, universal, and prolonged, Eousing the rocks and shaking the calm trees, Proclaimed, in language known through all the world. Not exultation only, but relief. Across his freed domain the chief himself Conducted me ;— an easy five days' march. We parted with unfeigned regret : a soul More purely noble Nature never knew. One of his sons, with spearmen of the guard. Led through the wilderness that lay beyond ; Nor left me till, once more, I saw green palms In clusters, trooping camels, walls and towers White as the spray tossed from a sea-bird's wing. No exclamation trembled on my lips, But, dumb and rigid as a sapless tree, I gazed, till warm tears softly trickled down From eyes long unaccustomed to grow dim. And now, ideal hues and magic glooms Involve, or variegate, those distant scenes ; When, looking back, as on a former life, I trace the strange paths of delight and dread. HASSAN OF ALEPPO. SiS^ The dark, like objects in a mist, more vague And shadowy still : the bright, more gorgeous far Thau clouds at suuset ; or, asleep in peace, Fair as a land of streams beneath the moon. " Here Hassan's tale, received from his oivii Ui)s, And hy the Sultan's edict turitten in gold, Is ended, my masters ! " All the tlironcj. As thus the Story-teller spoke, pressed round With gifts and ivords of ivondcr and delight. The ivater-carrier asked, " What else is known, Say, of liis later life, or of his death ? " And %con reply, " Traditions all agree That he became a merchant, like his sire, Collected wealtJi, and bore an honoured name : But ivhen the silent angel, with the sioord Invisible no armour can repel, Had smitten his parents ; and his own grey locks Admonished him Jiis turn iccts soon to come ; He sold all his 2^ossessions, then set forth Upon a journey and nevermore returned. Some think he sought afresh the City of Gold, Draivn by the ruler's daughter; but in sootli He must have known that Time, that alters all, Would change her likewise : many deem he icon The Land of Calm, resigned to stillness now And contemplation : others rather judge The kindly dwellers in the sylvan land Received Jiim — ivhere the monster had been slain. Choose as ye list, for nothing sure is known." With that he rose iip, and the croivd dispersed. EARLIER SKETCHES AND SONGS. 347 IN THE DESERT. AN OLD ARAB MERCHANT'S TALE. When this bent frame, now like a sapless tree, Owned the firm pulse and strength of early life. Glad from restraining walls to wander free, Unawed by toil, fearless of threatened strife, I joined my fortmies with a trading band, And faced, for the first time, the desert-land. Nor long we journeyed ere my latent taste For action was called forth to trial swift ; For in the night our camp w^as roused in haste, To fight a lawless horde that dared to lift Their red right hands against our numerous band ; But, as we kept good watch, they were outplanned So with small loss we foiled their ill intent ; Nor followed the survivors' hurried flight ; But with the dawn of day still forward went. And rested in our guarded camp at night ; And thus for some time naught of note befell. Till came the change which now I fain must tell. The thick air with oppressive weight I felt Bear on my throbbing temples, hot and dry ; My innate force seemed gradually to melt. And courage, like a failing stream, slipped by ; And then I saw a purple misty glow Approaching in the distance, faint and low : And as I looked, a voice in terror cried, " Lo, the simoom, fall on your faces all ! " 348 EARLIER SKETCHES AND SONGS. And hardly came the warning of the guide, Ere to the ground I felt my camel fall ; Hurled headlong down, beneath its neck I fell, And senseless lay, how long I cannot tell. But when I rose I found the poisonous blast Had wandered on, though still the sand-storm blew And in my face its prickling fragments cast, While through my lifted robe with pain I drew My laboured breath ; sinking by my dead beast I waited till the tempest had decreased. And now with raging thirst my Avhole frame burned, I grasped the cruise slung to my camel's side, But lo ! it had been burst and overturned And in hot sand long since its moisture dried ; I strode up to the next and won relief; But gazed on what a scene of awe and grief ! Camels and men in one dowm-stricken heap Lay lifeless, and the wind, half-pitying, sent The drifting sand to curtain their last sleep. And with a wail of lamentation, went To whisper to the shuddering moon a tale To turn her terror-smitten face more pale. I could not leave the spot that fearful night ; What horror haunted me no words can say : The plunderers had been w'elcome to my sight, Without a wish to hold them from their prey. But when the vultures hovered over head I rose, and strove to cover up the dead. This I perceived would prove a hopeless task ; By fierce disease I surely had been slain. Long ere the period such vast work would ask. Should I wathin that fatal place remain : So with the merchant-chiefs I did my best. And left the camels' forms to shield the rest. IX THE DESERT. 349 Then with a heavy necessary load Of food and drink for many a weary day, And some few coins and gems, T turned and strode, With sad thoughts, on my sohtary way. Three days I wandered thus, as though spell-bound, Before a sign of luunan-khid was found. On the fourth day my painful footsteps drew Nigh to a town magnificent and fair ; Sudden upon my sight its temples grew, Surmounting dazzling walls of structure rare ; I hurried forward, wondering in my thought By what chance I no earlier view had caught. Gates of strange workmanship stood open wide. And walking in, I trod cool grassy ground. Where a broad river rolled its crystal tide, With flowers and trees fruit-laden scattered round : Beyond rose domes, and minarets, and spires, Gleaming beneath the sun like golden fires. Sweet birds sang in a Paradise of shade. Through which the tempered dajdight greenly slid. Where fountains a soft murmuring cadence made, And falling, ran in gentle streams amid Thickets of roses, spicy shrubs in groves. And all the dainty cups the wild bee loves. These passed : threading a porphyry-pillared way. Into a wide quadrangle I was led ; Another garden cooled by silvery spray Of leaping jets, its blooms of beauty spread. Surrounded by a palace high and fair. With statue-guarded portals opening there. Unchallenged, through the yielding doors I passed ; Trod on mosaic floors by sculptured walls ; Admired the fretted roofs which spanned the vast Dimensions of deserted echoing halls. Adorned with gems in many a quaint device, Costly divans, and hangings past all price. 350 EAELIER SKETCHES AND SONGS. Then forth into the spacious streets I fared ; Majestic piles on either side arose ; Tall obelisks their graven forms upreared ; Colossal figures stood in grand repose ; And stately trees, green-leaved, amid them grew, With flowers of every fair or brilliant hue. And yet no single owner could I see For all the wealth and splendour gathered there ; Deserted as the loneliest wilds can be. Save that the warbling birds flooded the air With melodies that beat upon my brain With drowsy sweetness near akin to pain. Oh, how I longed to shout, to break the spell Of silence unapproached by earthly years ; Yet dared not ; even my stealthy footsteps fell Like sounds of profanation on shocked ears : And greatly fearing lest the coming night Should bring me mischief there, I took to flight. Turning to look when the sun's parting rays Bade mute farewell to silent wastes, behold, Tlie line of battlements athwart the blaze. Distinctly marked with turrets tipped with gold. Most like a vision in the skies, I saw ; And prayed the prayer, and wandered on in awe. Again I trod its paths, in dreams, that night : In many another too since then beside : But never after to my waking sight, Though ofttimes have I crossed those deserts wide With brave companions, has that marvellous place. Even in the distance, given the slightest trace. Yet sweet with fit associates would it be To dwell in such a Paradise of bliss : Like happy fate I trust may fall to me When I attain to higher life than this. — Extolled be the perfection and the name Of Him whose days are evermore the same. 351 AN AEAB'S RONG. When morn fi'om yonder mountain height Descends in rays of amber hght, I strike the chords with passion strong, And chant aloud my boldest song. "Whose praise I sing canst thou divine ; Or must I name it, dearest, thine? As flows the river to the sea, So ever flows my love to thee. But when bazaars and streets are gay In all the glare of busy day ; And mingling voices, loud and long, Incessant from the motley throng, Disturb my thoughts, I cannot sing; Yet, silent as a broken string, As flows the river to the sea. So ever flows my love to thee. At eve, when last the call to prayer Has trembled down the limpid air. And slowly through the deepening skies. One after one, the stars arise ; Then sing I, in my gentlest tone, The song I made for thee alone ; As flows the river to the sea. So ever flows my love to thee. 352 EARLIER SKETCHES AND SONGS. THE STOEY OF THE GIANT. In days of yore a dreadful giant dwelt lu a deep wood's impenetrable shade ; The neighbouring villagers for years had felt A shivering dread of him, for he had laid All sorts of traps about his secret lair, To catch unwary travellers passing there. And ever as some fresh man disappeared This ogre had the credit of his death, Till all who the suspected precincts neared Turned back aghast and fled with shortened breath ; And thus those simple peasants' lives were filled By one black shade which every prospect chilled. One day a wandering knight, all clad in steel, Bound by a vow to combat for the weak. Came to the place, and heard the wide appeal Of all the district round, that he would seek The dreaded fo6 in his impervious shade. And bring them freedom by his conquering blade. At once he drew his brand, and pushed along, Beneath the dark boughs, on his venturous way ; Unfollowed by the scared and trembling throng : How long he fought ere vanquished none can say ; But he and his bright armour seen no more The giant grew more dreadful than before. At last a peasant set his sturdy hand To clear the ground and fell the darkening trees ; Though jeered at first, ere long a little band Of neighbours joined him, till, by slow degrees. Behold, the ogre's wild retreat lay bare To the clear light and purifying air. KOLAND. 353 Then, piercing to his' den, a rapid fliglit Of feathered arrows roused him from his sleep ; And forth he came, hut unaccustomed hght Dazzled his eyes, used to the umbrage deep Of tangled leafy boughs, now hewn away. And blinded thus, he fell an easy prey. Then all the people of the country side Came flocking up, and raised a merry din ; Now every hand its willing aid applied. And digging a huge trench they turned him in ; And little children danced upon the mound, While the delighted parents smiled around. EOLAND. Young Eoland thus spoke to his love, " Now the flowers their sweet incense are flinging, Through the shady green wood let us rove. And list to the little birds' singing." She rose with a smile on her face. When a messenger hurriedly bringing Dark tidings, burst into the place, Nor thought of the little birds' singing. He said, " To swoop down on our coast. The ships of the robbers are winging Their way with a terrible host." Yet sweet was the little birds' singing. He mustered his men with all speed, And into the saddle-tree springing, Waved adieu, gave the reins to his steed ; Forgetting the little birds' singing. How" stubborn and fierce was the fight. Where the arrows w^ent whizzing and stinging ; And none, as the Danes took to flight. Gave heed to the little birds' singing. AA 354 EAELIEE SKETCHES AND SONGS. When Eoland rode back through the throng The bells in the steeples were ringmg, And the people with shouting and song Shut out all the little birds' singing. On the morrow, through diugle and glade, Under boughs to the gentle wind swinging. He strolled with his beautiful maid, And both heard the little birds' singing. A SONG OF THE SEA. Can aught of life more tranquil be Than when with flaccid sails we rest Becalmed upon a moonlit sea. With scarce a ripple silver drest ? But fuller, manlier joys are ours When danger stirs our latent powers. How grand to stem the mighty waves ; To see the severed foam fall back ; And while the furious tempest raves Above and all around our track. Secure in a staunch bark to ride Triumphant through the conquered tide. To hear the baffled billow^s dash In maddened conflict each with each ; The charging clouds in thunder crash. And we midway, yet out of reach ; While the good ship defies the strife. And combats like a thing of life. She still obeys her guiding helm ; The wind amid her cordage sings ; And we across the watery realm Scud on victorious ; more than kings- Brave souls, who glory war to wage With nature's forces stung to rage. THE KNIGHT. 355 WOMAN'S FATE. I LOOK on him but dare not speak, The flush of shame would dye my cheek To own I love : And yet I feel my will so weak, An angel's voice I fain would seek, From heaven above. Forlorn and sad is woman's part, Who must disguise her yearning heart, Nor tell of love. But smile although the venomed dart Has filled her with a burning smart All pain above. The sweetest lyrics ever sung By bards of most melodious tongue Have been of love ; Yet this has bitterest tear-drops wrung. And saddest wreaths of cypress hung The grave above. THE KNIGHT, Forth rode the redoubtable knight, For fame and his lady to fight ; He looked on the crystalline skies, And thought of the light in her eyes ; But hearing the trumpeters sound, He entered the lists at a bound, Alert to encounter the first Who offered himself, or the burst Of the full cavalcade at its worst. AA 2 356 EAKLIER SKETCHES AND SONGS. Alas, for that terrible day ! He fell in the furious fray ; For treacherous malice has clone What chivalry never had won. Thus courage and hope were cut down. And darkness wrapped up his renown. And she of the violet eyes No more saw the day-light arise ; And beside her slain lover she lies. THE BIRTH OF LOVE. When man was first created Alone he stood, And with a mind unsated, In eager mood Around the teeming prospect cast his eyes, With a vague hope that some new form would rise. The day was ever splendid In cloudless light ; The radiant stars ascended To bless the night ; Soft zephyrs blew, clear waters flowed along, And twined a thousand voices in their song : No beasts were then suspicious Of him, their lord ; With every fruit delicious The groves were stored ; And angel-presences beside him walked, And of ennobling subjects freely talked : But still his soul was aching For something yet ; Till, from deep sleep awaking, His eyes were set On his fair wife, his own true counterpart. Then love was his, and with it joy of heart. I NEED NO GIFT OP THINE." 357 THE EOBIN'S LAY. The robiu sits out on the spray, In the frost and the snow ; And gaily he warbles his lay ; For his heart is a-glow ; And this is the song that he sings — love is so sweet, When once in the bosom it springs Our bliss is complete. Though summer has gone like a dream. And the breath of chill air Has curdled the waves of the stream, And the woodlands are bare. Yet ever his carol he sings — love is so sweet. When once in the bosom it springs Our bliss is complete. O man, take the lesson to heart Which a bird can enforce ; Eemember that life will depart With the years in their course ; Then join in the strain that he sings — love is so sweet. When once in the bosom it springs Our bliss is complete. 'I NEED NO GIFT OF THINE." I NEED no gift of thine, my love, Above my heart to wear, To bid thy features shine, my love, In all their beauty there ; 358 EAELIEK SKETCHES AND SONGS. For power is ever mine, my love, In memory's hold to bear The radiance, half-divine, my love, Of thy perfections rare. And though between us now, my love, Eolls the dividing sea, I live for thee, and thou, my love, I know" wilt live for me ; And in our mutual vow, my love, And all the bliss to be. We gather strength to bow, my love, Unsoured by fate's decree. THE STOEY OF A STAE. A GOLDEN star, that many a year Had beamed upon the brow of night, And through the crystal atmosphere Sent down to earth its flashing hght ; Disconsolate, from its heavenly height Beheld how feebler orbs could run, Unfettered by superior might. Around the all-sustaining sun ; And grieved to think itself such freedom never won. A comet passed with furious pace And streaming hair far backward thrown, Which broke the barriers round the place. Freed from the laws it long had known, It wandered through the ethereal zone, Eejoicing in its altered fate ; But found, ere long, existence lone Would still a saddening mood create. Although it now had gained its sometime envied state. THE W.^BKIOR AND THE MAIDEX. 351> At length it met a sister sphere, That on the self-same orhit went ; Moved by one impulse, drawing near, Together their sweet rays they blent ; And now it tasted lull content. United in the skies they dwell. And down to earth one influence sent Displays their light and love as well ; But will this always last, or alter, who can tell? THE WAEEIOR AND THE MAIDEN. I SAW" a warrior hastening down The pathway from a captured town. Successful, sure of wide renown ; And looking round with wary eye, To note if any meddling spy Around his footsteps hovered nigh. Ah, Love ! Love ! Love ! I saw a maiden, fair and sweet. Who, watching from a green retreat Where myrtle-boughs and rosebuds meet, From wistful changed to rapturous look. As down the sward his way he took To join her in that Howery nook. Ah, Love ! Love ! Love ! The sun shone in the glad blue sky. The birds sang on the branches high, The laughing brook ran gaily by ; Through light and shade they roved away ) He quite forgot the recent fray ; And what she thought no tongue can say. Ah, Love ! Love ! Love ! 360 EARLIER SKETCHES AND SONGS. WAKING BLISS. My love is young, my love is lair, The sunlight nestles in her hair, The gentle blue of April skies Sits brooding in her dreamy eyes, From her bright lips the budding words Come sweeter than the song of birds, And to my wondering fancy seem Soft as an angel's through a dream. 0, waking bliss, What can I miss, Who own on earth a love like this ? My love is true, my love is kind, No jealous fear can cross my mind ; The pressure of her little hand Can speak, and my heart understand ; And her pure eyes can fondly shine. Worth a whole language, into mine, Aye, with their silent signals reach A point beyond all bounds of speech. O, waking bliss, What can I miss. Who own on eai'th a love like this? PAETING. Ah, why, my love, why leave me thus ? If all the world were culled for us Yet we were parted, could it give One joy to make life sweet to live ? LASTING LOVE. 361 But v.'liilo we nestle side by side Let earthly weal or woe betide : When I am thiue, aud thou art miue, Can any life be more divine ? Then why, my love, why wish to roam, When thou and I can find a home From all the jars of earth apart, Lip pressed to lip, heart answering heart ? Our hands no envious foes divide ; Let who list take the world beside : When I am thine, and thou art mine. Can any life be more divine ? LASTING LOVE. The air is warm, unclouded skies Receive the flowers' ambrosial sighs, And loud the woodland songsters sing ; But something yet my fancy deems More dear than songs of birds and streams, Or all the buds arid blooms of spring. For nature's beauties, one by one, Must fade when the declining sun, Wrapped in his cloudy cloak, departs ; But friendship knows no wintry blight. And Christmas fires will spread delight To keep the chills from loving hearts. By turns the seasons rule the year ; The Spring we hold most sweet and dear, The Summer full of glorious strength. The Autumn sad when leaves must fall, The Winter dreariest of them all ; But love lasts through the whole year's length. 362 EAELIEE SKETCHES AND SONGS. " SING ME A SONG OF OLDEN TIMES." Sing me a song of olden times, Of amorous knights and ladies fair ; Thy music and the poet's rhymes Can chase away all thoughts of care : Yes, sing for me an ancient lay Of love unconquered, brave and strong, Which, though the heroes' frames decay. Can still survive, embalmed in song. And while thou singest, let thy thought Still rest on me, thy chosen knight ; Although no tourney have I fought. To vindicate my lady's right ; Yet love is true and strong in me As that of any knight of yore ; And all my heart I give to thee — keep it, love, for evermore. ONWAED. " Now buds are on the spray And blossoms deck the tree, Thy ship at anchor stay. And wandering forth with me, A happier scene survey Than level wastes of sea." " The land is sweet and fair. And, like thy presence, bright. Yet I, in sooth, can spare No time for soft delight. But still must onward bear Ere day be lost in night." A wAi; SONG. 363 " Oue day is uaught to miss From all the lengthy year ; Occasions such as this But sekloiu rc-appear ; Be wise and take thy bliss, Una wed by craven fear." " An idler wins no prize ; Propitious breezes blow ; To-morrow changing skies A diflferent chance may show ; My way right onward lies, And forward I must go." A WAR SONG. Let the idle and weak stay at home, Content with a butterfly's life ; While the hardy ride over the foam, To court and rejoice in the strife, Where the foes of our country shall feel The revenge of our punishing steel. And the pennon that streams from our mast Shall ever wave stainless and free Over men who can baffle the blast And breast the invincible sea ; And our enemy's bravest we dare To dispute our supremacy there. So we sing, with unaltering voice, Hurrah for the storm of the war ! And our innermost towns shall rejoice To hear of our deeds from afar In defence of the trauquillised shore Which our fathers protected of yore. 364 EARLIER SKETCHES AND SONGS. ALICE. The lady Alice iu the shade, At noontide's sultry hour, Was roving down the forest glade To ■win her hidden bower ; Thinking of her affianced knight, Who long had crossed the sea Against the Moslem hordes to light, The Holy Laud to free. Her cheek was pale, for many a year Had slowly grown and failed ; And yet no tidings might she hear Of him since first he sailed. " Alas ! " she said, and in her eyes A gathering mist arose, " Perhaps in that far land he lies, Cut down by barbarous foes. " Why could not I have shared the strife? Had I adventured too The same keen blade that stole his life Had pierced my bosom through." A palmer iu a gown of grey, The hood drawn on his brow. Came wandering down that shady way And met the lady now. "Fair greeting," said a low-toned voice, " Good daughter unto thee : All Albion's faithful may rejoice At news brought home by me ; A PILGRIM AT JERUSALEM. 365 " For I beheld the crimson field Where Christian courage shone And forced the Soldan's hosts to yield ; The sacred shrines are won." " Count Edward of the burning brand, Eeturns he with the rest ? " " Amid the foe he took his stand, Who round liini thronged and pressed." " Fear not to tell me of his fate But say at once the word, That I may know' my wretched state By no vain hopes deferred." " Behold ! he lives." The palmer threw His cloak and hood aside ; More pale the lady Alice grew, Then blushing like a bride. " And thou art still my own," he said, And kissed her hapjpy face. Only the small birds overhead Beheld their close embrace. A PILGEIM AT JEEUSALEM. The blessings of preserving peace Be thine, fair city, evermore ; That year on year with sure increase May all thy ancient state restore ; While eager nations tribute pour To win those sacred haunts' release, Which gave the w^orld a loftier lore Than all the myths of Eome and Greece. I see thee bathed in lovelier light Than ever solar influence poured ; Eesplendent through the conquering might Of our divine- and-human Lord, 366 EARLIER SKETCHES AND SONGS. Who here fulfilled the Scriptural word, Defeating Death and Satan's spite ; And thus our ruined race restored To favour in His Father's sight. A PEISONEE'S LAMENT. Without, I know, the sun is bright, For from the high bars shadows fall, And taunt afresh my heavy sight With hideous crosses on the wall ; Fit emblems of my grief are they, More black across the brightening ray. Had never hope been mine, or gain. Misfortune's stroke I might have borne, Impervious to the slighter pain Had accident but bidden me mourn : But what can ease the gnawing sense Of suffering through our own offence ? The past, with all its love and hght. Is worse than if it had not been ; It gives to grief a deadlier might Which deepens all the darkening scene, Till wild Eegret weds gaunt Despair, And Madness proves their natural heir. THE WANDEEEE'S EETUEN. Sweetheart, come forth to greet Thy lover at the door. Who with repentant, hastening feet Eeturns to thee once more ; Come with thy starry smile. And eyes of heavenly blue. Assured that all this weary while His faith was fixed and true. A DIKOE. 367 Forgive the forced delay ; Let future care atone For many a cheerless, vacant day And twilight long and lone. Chide not, but yield thy love Fresh as in times gone by ; Thou like the polar-star above. The constant needle I. NEVEEMORE. No more for her shall Spring renew The forest's pride, the garden's bloom, A myriad points of diamond dew ]\Iay gleam about her lowly tomb, While feathered songsters sweetly sing Bright melodies above her head, And fair shapes hover nigh, or wing In flashing circles round her bed ; But nevermore her eyes shall see The beauties wrapped in flower, or tree, Or dew-drops clear as gems may be. Ah ! nevermore her ears can mark The sound of bee or mounting lark ; Those ears are closed for aye, those eyes for ever dark. A DIEGE. O HEAR me, winds that hoarsely blow" And with a hollow moaning go Across eternal wastes of snow\ Howl as ye list around the lair Of seal and walrus, wolf and bear, By icy crags in freezing air : 368 EAKLIER SKETCHES AND SONGS. But keep far off our island home, That here a gentler breeze may roam Touched with the warmth of tropic foam. Yet hold the scowling clouds at bay Which strive to hide the king of day And cheat us of his genial ray ; That so her favourite flowers may spread Their tender hues above her head And round her grave sw'eet odours shed. LYRICS FROM "THE FISHERS." A CANTATA. BB 371 A DESOLATE SHORE. The oceaD, so fair now the suu is on high, So angry and dai'k with the night in the sky, Is Hke a fierce tiger that shimbering Hes — A beautiful form, but a fiend in disguise. The spoils of all nations are spread on its floor ; Fresh navies are built to defy it once more ; It tempts its new victims with smiles on the face, And lures them to death with its yielding embrace. The wind may grow calm, and the tempest may cease, The treacherous waves wear an aspect of peace ; But nothing can alter the past, or restore The treasures of life to a desolate shore. SEPARATION. How bright and fair this earth would grow. If nevermore our lives could know The pain of separation : In clearer strains the birds would sing From groves resplendent with a Spring Of endless renovation. But clouds blot out the sunny skies ; The air is filled with weary sighs ; And tears are in our heavy eyes. How sweet and glad this life would grow. If Time's broad stream could backward flow, Restoring days departed ; Pale cheeks would flush with warm delight, The drooping eye wax bold and bright, BB 372 LYRICS FEOM " THE FISHERS. And all be happy-hearted. But Sorrow is the ruler now ; And Nature's law will not allow Fresh leaves to clothe a withered bough. PATIENCE. When flowers are dead, and woods are bare, And streams no longer flow. And softly through the chilling air Descends the feathery snow ; We rest in patience for the day When brooks again shall run. Through meadows green with blossoms gay. Beneath a radiant sun. When on the heart a shadow falls, The light is still behind ; And Hope across the darkness calls To calm and cheer the mind : Time brings afresh the birds and flowers, With clearer skies above ; And may fulfil, in happier hours, The deepest wish of love. BEITAIN'S DEFENCE. A BRITON must honour the sea. Whose waters have made him so free ; The winds as they blow, And the tides as they flow. Are not the less fettered than he. We ride on the crests of the sea, And glory in being so free ; If, over the foam. Others covet our home, We mock them, and shout in our glee. ON THE SEA. 373 Ho, tyrant ! from over the sea, Beware of the sons of the free ; Come out on the waves With thy legions of slaves — Defiance to them and to thee. Eemember that ever tlie sea Has been a true friend to the free ; The Spaniard of old, In his pride overbold, Was left but a remnant to llee. Each man in this isle of the sea Inherits the right to be free ; And rather would die Than surrender, or fl}^ From foemen, whoever they be. All praise to the glorious sea, Preserving our nation so free ; Let mountains or plains Divide other domains, The noblest of bulwarks have we. ON THE SEA. Over the waves the good ship flies, As freshly blows the morning breeze ; What light is in the sunny skies ! What glory on the furrowed seas ! Sons of a feeble race are they Who weakly choose an idle shore ; When life is in the dashing spraj^ The bracing air, the billows' roar. 374 LYRICS FEOM "THE FISHEES." Earth is our mother we are taught ; Then Ocean we will call our bride ; From her our strength of heart is caught, Our vigorous nerves, our manly pride. Nations that choose may boast on land Their marshalled hosts, their wide domains ; We own an empire far more grand Where British courage ever reigns. THOUGHTS OF HOME. How sweet to know, the while we roam, By sea or land, through calm or storm. One spot we still can claim as home, Where hearts are true and ever warm. Alone upon the silent sea, With starry night around, above. How longs my throbbing breast to be. For one short hour, with those I love. How sweet to know, the while we roam, By sea or land, through calm or storm. One spot we still can claim as home, Where hearts are true and ever warm. How sweet to feel that watchful eyes Are ever noting, day by day, The shifting vanes, the changing skies. With thoughts of us, so far away : Amid the roar of fiercest storms The gentle voices come to me ; Through darkest nights the radiant forms And lighted faces still I see. How sweet to know, the while we roam. By sea or land, through calm or storm, • One spot we still can claim as home. Where hearts are true and ever warm. 375 THE SEAMAN'S HOME. The soldier who glories in strife May leap to the fulness of life When the enemy comes With the rolling of drains And the call of the hugle and fife. But a nohler joy is ours To war with Nature's powers, To ride the waves When the tempest raves And heaven with blackness lowers. Then ho ! for the wind so free That sings to the freshening sea, A floating home On the world of foam Is the home of homes for me. The miser, with iufiuite pains. Will add to his niggardly gains, x\nd with gloating eyes pore On each coin of the store That deadens his heart and his brains. But what can coffers of gold, Or houses, or lands, unfold To match with the wealth Of redundant health And liberty uncontrolled ? Then ho ! for the wind so free That sings to the freshening sea, A floating home On the world of foam Is the home of homes for me. 376 LYKICS FKOM " THE FISHERS. The student grows pale and bright-eyed, Yet feels his pulse tingle with pride, In the hope that his name Shall be hfted by Fame Over Time's irresistible tide. But better to me it seems. Than ruling a land of dreams. With shifting sails To baffle the gales. And to trample the conquered streams. Then ho ! for the wind so free That sings to the freshening sea, A floating home On the world of foam Is the home of homes for me. LOVE'S INFLUENCE. Though freely we may roam, And cut through fields of foam Our forward track ; Though from the waves and wind Our strength of life we find, Our thoughts turn back, To catch once more the light of gentle eyes, And hear, through ocean's roar, love's tender sighs. To war against the breeze, To stem the hostile seas, Is more than grand ; Yet when the fight is won Our thoughts will backward run And leap to land. To greet again, with many a fond caress. The eager, happy forms that round us press. EEPOSE. 377 HEART TO HEART. LOVE ! the light that lies Within those gentle eyes Is fairer than a sunset on the sea. The beauty and the grace That fill thy radiant face Bring overflowing happiness to me. Forbear to think that we again shall part, For joy that we are now, love, heart to heart. O love ! thy softened speech The very soul can reach. Like music caught from far-off fairy land. A sweeter world is ours, A realm of birds and flowers, Where ocean mildly laves a golden strand. Forbear to think that we again shall part, For joy that we are now, love, heart to heart. EEPOSE. A CALM on the ocean, A hush in the air, A rest from commotion, A respite from care. A tempest may madden The waves for awhile. Yet blue skies shall gladden Again with their smile. A calm on the ocean, A hush in the air, A rest from commotion, A respite from care. 378 LYKICS FROM " THE FISHERS." Kepose for the seamen, x\nd peace for their brides, Where dwellings of free men Look out on the tides. When billows are beating, And fiercest winds sing, Eemember the greeting The morrow may bring. Eepose for the seamen, And peace for their brides, Where dwellings of free men Look out on the tides. JUBILEE PIECES, AND OTHETIS. 381 rOK THE FIFTIETH ANNIVEKSAEY OF HEK MAJESTY'S ACCESSION. ViCTOKiA, from hereditary right, Yet more in reverence and affection, Queen ; Whose sceptre reaches past the bounds of Night, Whose flag on every ocean floats, serene ; Through half a century's flow thy reign has shown How love consolidates a sovereign's throne. Our potentates of old have reaped renown And garnered realms for us and for our heirs, But thou hast added to the imperial crown Gems worthier winning, purelier won, than theirs. Be pastoral pipes or martial bugles blown, Love most endears, most dignifies, the throne. From dark pine-forests — in the Land of Snow, Eound glittering islands washed by Tropic seas. Across luxurious climes of Orient glow. And southward till Antarctic billows freeze, Prayers speed on all the winds from every zone To blend with ours for blessings on thy throne. And thus to know that all beneath thy sway With love and veneration breathe thy name In prayer and praise, this happiest festal day. Is more than empire, and the fleeting fame Of monumental brass or sculptured stone : Hearts shall preserve memorials of thy throne. May all the stars of heaven above thee shine Propitious still for many and many a year ; And every good and perfect gift be thine. Till earth's ephemeral glories disappear : Then, in the regions bright with Love alone. Be thou assigned an ever-during throne. 382 JUBILEE PIECES, AND OTHERS. " AWAKE, O HAPPY NATION ! " Awake, bappy nation ! From town to village-green. With songs of gratulation Salute our honoured Queen. For fifty years, unaltering, She well has filled the throne : Our reverence still unfaltering, And all our hearts her own. O Lord of all creation ! Our prayer with favour hear, And grant her preservation For many a coming year. Our ships on every ocean With gala-flags are hung, Beneath them, in emotion, What loyal lays are sung ! Then cheers, like rolling thunder, From deck to deck are hurled, That shake the skies with wonder And stir the watery world. Lord of all creation ! Our prayer with favour hear, And grant her preservation For many a coming year. From lands of torrid glory. To north and southern seas. The self-same joyous story Is borne on every breeze ; THE TWENTY-FIKST OF JUNE, 1887. 883 Till all the clanging steeples Of Christendom rejoice, And all the banded peoples Acclaim with one glad voice. Lord of all creation ! Our prayer with favour hear, And grant her preservation For many a coming year. THE TWENTY-FIEST OF JUNE, 1887. 1 Shine forth, resplendent sun ! Though dawn has scarce begun. Our grey old city grows a fairy scene ; With flags from masts and tow^ers. And wreaths from woodland bowers. Bedecked to grace the progress of the Queen. Swift as the daylight springs, Borne on electric wings. Warm messages of gratulation flash ; From fleet to fleet a roar Of greeting shakes the shore. From fort to fort responsive thunders crash. Then clangours from the rustic fanes are heard. Till all the country side's remotest depths are stirred. 2 Nor in these isles alone Is the rejoicing known. Beneath the gum-trees beckoning to the verge Of undiscovered lands The lonely shepherd stands, With head uncovered and uplifted hands, To mark the festal sounds emerge [surge. From homes of Britain's sons that face the southern 384 JUBILEE PIECES, AND OTHERS. Throughout the marvellous realms whose temples rise Like gorgeous visions under Orient skies, From sacred stream and thronged bazaar To those stupendous mountain-peaks afar, Eace calls to race, and tribe to tribe rephes. And where the wilder regions spread, Folded in mystery still and old-world dread, Amid the clamorous surf's incessant song The strains of gladness throng, And stir the tufted palms as they pursue Their course to thorny veld or waste karoo. Then in the brightening West, From realms of glittering lakes and fields of snow, Where many a pine-wood bends its haughty crest As blustering breezes blow, A sturdier echo }-umbles on the gale, From growing towns and huts amid the trees, Till Northland fishers send their answering hail Across the frozen seas. What means a rejoicing so wondrous It spans the whole breadth of the world ? The shouts of the peoples, the thunderous Salutes, the bright banners unfurled ? Because through the years of her reigning Our lives have been fearless and free ? Art, Science, and Letters attaining An amplitude vast as a sea ? All this ; but beyond it, and dearest, The knowledge, whatever was wrought. The love of her subjects stood nearest And moulded each action and thought : Alike with the noblest, the lowly Assured in their grief and their joy. She sympathised still with a holy Solicitude pure from alloy. THE TWENTY-FIKST OF JUNE, 1887. 385 II. As noon draws nigh the stir Of preparation ends ; The patient multitude, with no demur, Its marshalled mass extends In broad far-reaching variegated lines Of eager human life ; And fronting them the burnished armour shines Of stalwart warriors needed not for strife ; While higher, through the greenery and the glow Of trophies and festoons, row over row Of gazers crowd, and, fluttering to and fro, Emblazoned pennons toy with all the gusts that blow. But, hark ! the tramp As of a moving camp. And martial music mingling with the cries Of greeting which arise — A people's acclamation tingling to the skies. The princes, and the nobles, and a throng Of high-born dames and maidens pass along. Their shining chariots kept in order due By servitors in robes of gold and regal hue ; But every eye looks further still — At length a mighty thrill Euns through the dense assemblage, as the Queen Herself is seen, Imperial dignity with tenderest grace Benignant in her face. Queen ! on whom a Nation's eyes Are turned this day of days. Believe thy myriad subjects prize Thy rule beyond all praise ; cc 386 JUBILEE PIECES, AND OTHERS. And all the flags and wreaths ablaze Around thee and above, And all our cheers and loyal lays But feebly tell our love. For not alone the Power that sways Earth's widest realm we see ; The Nation's Mother meets our gaze, The People's Friend, in Thee. And still the pure domestic strength Thy royal heart has shown. Through half a century's changeful length. Shall bind us to the throne. In bonds which, though the choice be ours To clasp or loose, we bear — - Affection's fetters, twined with flowers. That are a joy to wear. INVOCATION TO HAEMONY. [An English version for the Music composed by H.R.H. The Prince CoivrsoiiT.) Chorus. Power harmonious, earthward bending, From thy star-home, high above, Let thy spirit, now descending, On our planet breathe with love. Heaven itself more brightly glowing, Earth becomes a vision fair, "When thy numbers, sweetly flowing, Hush the trees and charm the air. Soprano. Hearts benumbed by age, or sadness. Draw from thee a softened pain ; Those alive to youthful gladness Leap afresh and join thy strain. INVOCATION TO HARMONY. 387 Thine the pulse of each affection, Thine the spell, divinely given, To awaken recollection, Stir the soul, and point to heaven. Chokus. Heaven itself more brightly glowing, Earth becomes a vision fair, When thy numbers, sweetly flowing, Hush the trees and charm the air. Bass. Thou, amid majestic thunder, Liftest up thy voice aloud, While the lightning cleaves asunder Mountains built of blackening cloud. Tenor. Eain-drops pattering, waters falling. Bleating Hocks, and lowing herds, Waving branches, zephyrs calling, Humming bees, antl singing birds ; Echoes full of peace profound ; — • Thou the life of every sound. Chorus. Heaven itself more brightly glowing, Earth becomes a vision fair, When thy numbers, sweetly flowing. Hush the trees and charm the air. Soprano. In the church the choir is singing. Where the light streams richly dim ; Now the full thoughts, heavenward winging, Own the rapture of the hymn. Late before the altar bending. See the newly-wedded pair Down the flower-strewn pathway wending, Breathing love's delicious air. CO 2 388 JUBILEE PIECES, AND OTHEKS. Spring's delight is in thy measure, Summer's beauty of thy tone, Autumn's richness from thy treasure, Winter's grandeur tliine alone. Chobus. Heaven itself more brightly glowing, Earth becomes a vision fair, When thy numbers, sweetly flowing, Hush the trees and charm the air. DAMASCUS. Though the weak wan sun of the waning year Slips down through the mists of the brief blank day, I see, across dreamland, the skies grow clear, And my thoughts leap forward and soar away : The four firm walls of the chamber expand. Like columns of vapour blown back by a breeze, While murmurous messages breathe from the land And whispers of ecstasy steal from the seas, As forth, by the portals of fancy, we fly. Like caged birds loosened — my thoughts and I. With the glimmer of broad bland waters below And the vague vast firmament blue overhead. We speed, without effort, till green shores grow. And about them the surges like starlight are shed : Old forests where glory and gloom join hands, Great rivers, whose torrents of silver are rolled From cavernous mountains, hot crisp sands, And cities with domes of burning gold. Else, pass, and vanish, as on we fare Through limitless, fields of sun-bright air. Then softly we settle where gaunt grey rocks Throw stern black shadows on gorge and ravine ; And yonder are straggling herds and flocks With clusters of nomad tents between ; SPRING-TIDE. 389 Away to the west, where the deserts extend, A caravan shiggishly creeps along ; And eastward, the boughs of the woodland bend, Half hiding the course of a hunting throng : Towns sleep in the distance, and, rounding all, The far-oif gleam of the white sea-wall. But longest I linger with lover-like gaze On the spot where of old Eliezcr was born ; With its crystal rivers like light in the rays, Its thickets of roses, its reaches of corn ; The green of its groves, the bloom of its bowers ; Its minarets lifting their graceful heads To look over orchards and gardens of flowers, That nestle and cHng as the city spreads, With cupola, low flat roof, and gate, Eound the thin long line of the street called Straight. SPKING-TIDE. When the faint warm breath of awakening Spring Comes soft as the wave from a butterfly's wing ; Or ever the dews from the flowers be dried, Though day-beams glitter on every side, And droning bees are abroad, and throngs Of sylvan minstrels attune their songs, — While as yet the hamlet is scarce awake, My way, through winding lanes, I take To the shadowy woods I love so well ; And fall afresh in the power of the spell Of fairy glamour and old-world haze That enthralled and enchanted my childhood's days. Through spaces and rifts in the leafy screen I mark the glimmer of gold on the green ; And sauntering on, with a rustling tread. Where carpets of last-year's leaves are spread, 390 JUBILEE PIECES, AND OTHERS. With starry petals and cups of blue And vigorous verdure struggling through, — I come to the side of the loosened stream, "Where nestling shadow and furtive gleam Are rolled together, as boughs are swayed By rippling zephyrs from grove and glade ; And the gurgling songs of the waters grow Distinct, or fail, with their ebb and flow, Till murmurous music of olden times Seems floating down in liquid rhymes, — The voice of the joy of a world still young. And hope of a future by man unsung. The splendour of passing plumes that blaze With sudden lustre amid the rays. The furry forms that silently peer From parting leaves as my steps draw near, The hum of slumberous life, and the call Of unseen creatures, disturb not at all The spell of enchantment, but rather seem Harmonious parts of a ^vaking dream. The solemn calm of a starry night, Or the sea asleep in the moon's full light, May lift the soul from the track of time x\nd make humanity grow sublime ; But the fair green woods, albeit of earth, Where death, like a frost, but leads to new birth. Come closer to me ; for an old sweet strain, Like all true music, half pleasure half pain, Still lingers there, as I muse away The first fresh hours of the uew-boru day. — ¥:~¥: — ¥.-v'-:k — '-^ — '-^ — '•'Mr. Rose has a geimiue love of nature, ami ]iaints her beauties ■with grace ami feeling. There is a remarkable freslniess of impression in the charming poem ftnind in this volume under the name of //// the Stream. In the Kastern tale, Jfassaji, of A/r/ipo, the lanilseapes are vivitUy ]iainte(l, and tlie narrative, whicli slnnvs much resource of imagination, is faithfully Oriental as to colouring." — I'/ic Moniiiuj Post. "It will be seen that Mr. Rose cssaj's many styles, and it is mere justice to say that he excels in all. His verse is always admirably correct, and its cadences are agreeably varied. His diction is chaste, and his phrasing neatness itself. His work, too, is full of appropriate colour, as in Aziz and Hasnan; of qarefnl thought, as in Life's Mystery ; and of fancy, as in The Fairies' Strafar/em and The' Dryad's Destiny. The linstic Jlh;/mes serve specially to demonstrate the writer's keen syinjiathy with Nature and knowledge of its moods. Tliey have some particularly happy passages, as, for exam])le, the ])ersonification of the poet's 'two constant friends,' as he terms them — Xature and Poesy.— The Globe. "Mr. Henry Rose, in Three SheiJcs and othei' works, displayed the l")0wer of writing smooth and flowing verse, and investing an Oriental tale with the fervour and poetic charm necessary to awaken interest. In his new volume we are taken from scenes of rural simplicity to imaginative heights glowing with the warmth and colour of Eastern skies. Fancy, however, adorns sevei-al of the Ilusti<- lUqimes, a beauteous fairy abiding in "the dropping well," and Tlie Lord of Mantoiis Bride l)eing rescued by chivalry and daring from the blight- ing hand of a cruel magician. Of the village ballads the best is Old Mary teaching the great lesson of resignation. Tlie author shows at his best when he takes up such a subject as Life's Mystery, in wliich j\Ian is attended by Doubt, Hope, and Faith. It is the old story of tlie creature cra\'ing to know the secrets hid from mortal view, and being alternatelj' cast down by Doubt's chilling whispers, cheered by Hope's visions, and strengthened for time and eternity by the influence of Faith resting on love. The same spirit of trustfulness runs thi'ough all the poems, underlying Tlie Fairies' Stratarfem, and accomjianying Aziz, when he is driven from his throne, and becomes the sport of romantic adventures that belong to dreamland. Those who hold with Dryden that 'the moral is the first Inisiness of tlie poet,' will lind themselves able to express the most complete satisfaction with Mr. Rose, in whose writings pure thoughts are expressed with finished ease and dignified tenderness." — The Daily Chronicle. "A very pleasant book for all who can enjoy good stories, and poetic fancies clothed in graceful verse. Mr. Rose writes with scholarly ease, and with a decided amount of poetic ability, and has a fund of imagination which contributes materially to the success of those romantic and fanciful pieces in which he is seen at his best. Taken as a whole. From West to East deserves liigli praise, lioth for matter and manner." — Tlie Graphic. "Mr. Henry Rose's former volumes of jwems, Summer Dreams and the Three Sheiks, gained him many admirers. His new volume. From JFcst to East, should win him more. It has two long narrative poems on Oriental subjects, Avritten with a delicate and languorous .sweetness that fits the themes with ajipropriate nicety. The same qualities of delicacy and sweetness pervade the shorter lyrical pieces. . . . All the poems have the charm of finished workmanship." — The Scotsman. "An arabesque of grace. The peculiar charm of Katurc and Poesy , the artistic tinish of A Song of the Nortli JFind, and the stirring inter- est in The Lord of Mantuiis Bride, will be })atent to any reader. The ideas are so poetical, and the language so musical in itself, that the verses nearly sing without the aid of a composer." — The World. "S2)eaking generally, it may be said that liis gifts lie in the directiim of a graceful and melodious style, much i>oetic jtower of description, and a peculiarly refined imagination. His work is one of a nature to soothe the reader into a state of happy, dreamy enjoyment — to lull the mind into a pleasant repose after the worries and trials of the work-a- day world are over. There is comfort in its pages and high-souled intensity in its thoughts." — Tlic Publishrrs Circidar. "In his })resent volume, From West to East, the distinguishing characteristic is his extraordinary wealth and facility of rhyme. Mr. Rose has a singular gift of graceful, easy-flowing melody. But though lyrical pioetry is evidently his metier, he is ca})able of more substantial work, as may be seen from the poem entitled Aziz, a tale of magic well told and full of colour and fancy. The collection is, indeed, highly jioetical throughout, and we commend it to our readers." — Tltc Literary World. "Mr. Rose's poetic genius is of no common order, nor has he lost anything by the adoption of a style and language so fresh and pure that they come like a breath of cool, breezy air after a stifling atmo- sphere. Ai)art from the interest of the Three Sheiks as an ^Oriental story, the flow of the blank verse is rhythmic and sweet, and the appreciation of nature's beauties is sharp and keen. Some of the descriptions are strikingly picturesque — that, for instance, in the tale of the First Sheik, which tells of the downward passage through the dark river, that winds through a tunnel of gloom and horror until it emerges at last at the entrance of a 'sea of liraig fire.'" — The Glasgoxo Herald.. "Mr. Henry Rose, the author of Summer Dreams, Three Sheiks, &c., which were favourably noticed in this Journal, lias produced another charming volume of poems entitled From Jl'est to East. Unlike the plan usually adopted in works of the kind, the smaller pieces are placed at the beginning. They deal with various matters, mostly, however, of a rustic kind, in various easy-flowing measures, imbued with lyric grace. The longer poems, five in number — treating. of life's mystery, dryads, fairies, and Oriental subjects — are told in heroic couplets and other rhymed measures, except the last piece, named Hassan of Aleppo, which is written in flexible blank verse, and marked, as, indeed, are all the poems, with a vivid imagination, controlled liy good taste." — Tlie niustrated London News. "The book, which it is a real pleasure to take up, contains many pieces which show great descriptive powers, while every poem proves that Mr. Rose possesses the rare gift of gi-aceful, easy-flowing melody. Among so much that is good it is difficult to select any one piece for special praise ; of the shorter poems, however, we may say that Nature and Poesy, and A Song of the North Wincl, are, to our mind, the best ; while the tales, Hassan of Alrjrpo and Aziz, both admirably told, are intensely powerful, and will rivet the reader's attention and admiration throughout." — John Bull. " Mr. Rose has succeeded in i'nparting to the three stories told by the swarthy sons of the Orient a mellifluous warmth and readable interest, which is at once charming and real. There are, nowadays, so very many hard books issued from the press, books which deal \\-ith technicalities, fads, and terribly nasty realities, that one welcomes a work like the Three Sheiks, for its own sake, as a bright relief from the monotone of harsh, iron-bound homilies and other terrible calami- ties of a similar character." — The St. Stephen's Ecvicw. " The autlior possesses in no stinted nieasiue the poet's highest gift — iniaginiition. He lias, nioi-eover, a free and Hiient narrative stjde, and a niee sense of local propriety. AVe conuiiend the volume to lovers of natural and uiuiU'eeted verse, and especially to those who can appreciate art which dispenses with artifice, and vigour which owes nothing to vulgarity." — The County Gentleman. "The rule laid down by Jlr. Rose is to follow in the footsteps of nature, and not to seek for rejjutatiou by a visible straining after an inipossilile creation. The rhythm is remarkably i)crfect, and the Sheik stories are told in true Oriental style, and, unlike most writings of this kind, the plots are well kept in view. . . . 15ond)astic language is i-cmarkable by its absence, and in its place a simple style is adopted which rings with true sympathetic grace." — Fublic Opinion. "The i)resent collection is a varied one, and ranges from the romance of old world adventure to the simpler episodes of modern home life. But throughout the pastoral influence is felt, the music of the brooks and trees. The author revels in the country and observes nature closely, and there is freshness as well as ])icturesqne- ness in his descriptions. . . . There is none of the mechanism of the study. The reader knows that his author has felt the influences which he describes, and so in turn, without effort, rambles among the trees or dreams by the brookside in his company." — The Illiistrated Sporting and Dramatic News. " The author has great descriptive powers, is a master of style, and possesses in high degree the narrative faculty. . . . Appealing to sentiments and emotions by means of subjects possessing dignity, beauty, and freshness, never fails to exercise a potent influence over the spirit of man. Dugald Stewart said of Burns, that the general intellectual power of the bard inqiressed him as strongly as his jioetie faculty. Rarely, if ever, have we a poet of any mark respecting whom a similar observation might not be made. The author of the Three Sheiks has evidently brought to his task admirable intellectual endow- ment. His verse is resonant with the voice of melody, yet withal there is nothing turgitl or spasmodic. Mr. Henry Rose was already favourably known to the literary and jioetie world by Sumincr Dreams, and the present volume promises still further to enhance his fame." — The Newcastle Chronicle. " A[r. Rose's muse is vigorous, healthful, and chaste. He writes in an attractive and graceful style, which is sure to win and secure him a large circle of admirers. . . . The First Sheik's story abounds in the vague magnificence and rich changeful colour common to Eastern stories. An accoi;nt of a voyage down a river, \\hicli, like Bendemeer's stream, is edged with roses, brings out to the full .Mr. Rose's powers of description. Leaving the broad noonday, the boat takes a downward plunge through a cavern, gaining the land of subterraneous lire and primaeval night ; and through all the description the sense of movement is powerfully sustained by the presentment of a succession of animated and well-contrasted pictiu-es. The second ])oem deals with the old fascinating subject of treasure that is buried and recovered after much ]ierilous adventure. In the Third Sheik's story is less movement and colour, but poetry that is not less happily expressed, and even more distinct in quality. The speaker has grown tired of wandering, and determines to make his return to nature, to live a meditative life in the woods, and, like Thoreau, become absorbed in the beautv around him." — Tlie Pictorial World. " Hassan of Aleppo is the work of a genuine poet, and The Song of the Xorth JVind has the breath of the storm in it in every line. He is evidently as careful a student of nature as our Laureate himself." — England. " lu Life's ifijfifeyji, throucrh the medium of impersonations of Doubt, Fear, and Faitli, and the aid of a chorus, the inquiring soul of man is strengthened and consoled regarding the great unknown. This poem is a very beautiful one indeed — the best in the volume. It is of an elevated character, and the thoughts are clothed in fine poetic language. In Aziz Ave have a tale of a love quest, in which the hero and heroine pass through as many transmigrations as some of the ])ersons in the Arabian Nights. Hassan ofA/''ppo is an Eastern narrative of wonderful adventure, of a very fascinating character." — The Brighton Guardian. "Readers of Mr. Rose's previous publications will not need to be told that in him England possesses a poet of no mean order. He has imagination, feeling, sentiment, and thoughtfulness, and to these good gifts may be added a rare faculty for sweet and melodious versi- fication. In his present volume he is at his best ; most of the fugitive pieces classified as Eiisfic Rhymes are full of idyllic charm, wliile in the more ambitious efforts there is a breathing of genuine ])oetry through every line, coupled Avith exceptional descri^itivc power." — The People. Summer Dreams, a vacation reminiscence, is a volume of unques- tionable interest. Mr. Rose has a keen, bright eye for the quietly picturesque, and is evidently charmed witli all that is peaceful, simple, rustic, and calm ; and he knows how to sing his song so as to help his readers to love these things too." — The Christian World. " Whether it be in depicting the more homely of our English scenes or painting in glowing language the gorgeous scenery of the East, whether telling afresh the weird legends of the West, or reciting fairy stories of the Orient, he is equally at home, and the interest of the reader is retained throughout. At the Stile and The Lord of Manton's Bride are two excellent specimens of the more tragic verses, wliile the tumultuous character of ^ Song of the NoiiJi Wind, the tender strains about Old Mary, and the rich imaginativeness o^ By the Stream axchwt foretastes of the excellences of the more varied and more lengthy poems which occupy the rest of the book." — The Taunton Courier. "A book to take in one's hand in the course of an early spring ramble, when one is beginning again to hold communion with nature, and all things are getting ready for the coming glories of the summer. For Mr. Rose has studied nature in many of her moods, and has given us faithful and beautiful reflections of wliathis yioet'seye has observed. The fidelity of his descriptive passages is remarkable." — Tltc Glasgow Weekly Citizen. "Within the realms of ])oetic writing it is seldom so refreshing a book, and one of such charming variety, is |)erused. . . . The descriptive subjects bear the sta-mj) of true genius. Midst the vast desert of poetry given to the world this is indeed an oasis. . . . The writer tells of the beauties of nature as the always Aveleome story should be told, draAving his pictures in natural colour." — Tlie Yorkshire Gazette. "Mr. Rose interests Avithout lapsing into diff"useness, his style is natural and easy, his method clear and direct, and his verse is altogether free from the vice of pretentious phraseology so frequent in contemporaiy verse — an affectation AA'hich too often is the result of poverty of ideas, and is designed, like the cloak of charity, to cover a multitude of sins. What Mr. Rose has to say he says Avithout circumlocution and Avith excellent directness and force. One great charm of these poems consists in their genuine romantic tone and picturesque expression ; the unfamiliar and the remote are presented with vivid art, and scenes of truly Oriental splendour are depicted Avith a command of fancy and strength of illusion that arrest the reader and make him a participator in the story." — The Homeward Mail. " "Sir. Rose, whose Summer Dreams we had the jileasure of rcvicw- iiir; ill these eohnuns, now comes Ibnvard witli anothei- vohime, whicli in many respects is equal to, if not liigher than, its predecessor. . . Tliis time lie has cho-;en lilank verse; as his vehicle of expres- sion, and over tliat most dillieult of all forms he has gained a mastery whieli, with an imagination cipial to his subjects, has eualjied him to produce work of a very superior kind. . . . j\Ir. Rose displays a higli lyrical faculty, which he would do well to work. The songs liave the breath of the wind." — The Dundee Advertiser. " The Dryad's Destiny and Hassan of 'Aleppo may be mentioned as possessing a peculiar fascination. The rare faculty is throughout ex- hibited of being able to tell a story in poetry without allowing the thread of the narrative to lie lost or obscured in a mass of sentimental verbiage, as too many modern writers unfortunately do." — The Liver- pool Daily Post. ' ' In his rustic rhjnnes, he recalls to the imagination those scenes and ])leasing views of nature \\hicli commonly are the delight of our ■ childliood and youth, and to which in more advanced years the greatest part of human nature revert with pleasure. They exhibit to us a life with which are associated ideas of peace, of leisure, and of innocence, and therefore we would readily set open our heart to such representa- tions as banish from our thoughts the cares of the world and transport ■us into calm Elysian regions. All this, the very essence of true ]iastoral and rustic poetry, and more, does Mr. Rose afford us." — Tlie FeterboroiKjh Advertiser. "Mr. Rose is a poet, not a versifier, and is always graceful and melodious whether singing a simple Rastir Rlnime, or narrating some magic Eastern tale. . . . The wonderful imagery of A::iz would of itself entitle Mr. Rose to be numbered among the favourites of the Muses." — The Stirling Journal. " A collection of poems of great beautj', and exhibiting a mastery in the interpretation of nature whicli has scarcely been excelled in recent days. . . . There is a quaint mixture of antiquity and niodernness in his verses, and the author possesses the facility of ]\Ioore united to the passion of Byron, elevated by the nobleness of Spencer." — The Limerick Chronicle. " His language is invariably simple and clear, his vocabulary is abundant, his verse always flows easily, and his power of graceful de- scription is very great. . . . Themes as apjjarently contradictory as the (piiet charm of English country life and its natural beauties, and the stirring scenes of war and love in the East, are his favourite subjects, and in each he is at home. There is a freshness in his rustic sketches which brings, to use the well-worn phrase, " the scent of the liay " vividly to the reader." — The Bristol Mercury. ■'' Each story bears its own moral, and if it is not ([uite obvious on a first perusal, it will be a satisfaction to feel that the ])oeni will not suffer by repeated study. The prosody is good, and the rhythm ■well sustained ; but an especial feature is the adoption of the hexameter for an introduction, interludes, and conclusion to the three stories ; the flexibility of this metre for the jmrpose indicated, and the mastery of it which the writer shows himself to possess, deserve especial praise." — The Somerset Herald. " The author has great dramatic power, and so he keeps his stories well in haml, and he has a very rich vocabulary, and hence expresses himself elegantly and with marked appropriateness. This volume is delightful reading, and is just the thing to take with us while travelling or touring. There is not a dull line in all the book from beginning to end. It throbs with life, movement, power." — llic Oldham Chronicle, "The beauteous neatness of phrase, the delightful cadences, the rhythmical finish, the fanciful imagination, the intense fervoui' and the chastity of diction invest the poems with a great and an irresistible charm." — Tltc Lincolnshire Herald. "This small volume will commend itself to all who can appreciate refined language, flowing rhythm, and originality of thought. The author has full scope for his characteristic talent of word-painting, which constitutes the great' and enjoyable feature of the composition. . . . There is a freshness and vigour about the entire work which makes it eminently readable." — The Liverpool Courier. "The author slugs to purpose. He reaches the heart — he arrests the mind — he bends the will — and "he elevates the whole moral tone of his readers. His verses are as the breath of hea^'en to the weary, jaded, sad, and their iufluence is at once pleasing and profitable." — The Bailey News. "The author of Three Sheiks is a true poet, in the highest and noblest sense of the term. From JFcst to East is a collection of poems of such variety that every reader will be delighted by some choice specimen of beautiful versification." — The Sheffield Telegrnph. "A strong love of nature and a thorough appreciation of all her manifestations are the chief characteristics of tlie work. The versifica- tion is graceful and varied, and Mr. Rose is to be congratulated upon his very sparing irse of poetic licence ; there is none of that involving ami twisting under which many metrical pieces were puzzles. In TJie Dropping Well, and The DrycuVs Destiny, most successful use has been niade of the Spenserian Stanza. The shorter poems are the most satisfactory, and among them The Island the most dainty. The descriptive powers of the author are best shown in the longer poems, overtlowiug as they are with marvellous adventures and Oriental imagery. Altogether From JFe.st to Fast is a charming book." — The Boston (Massachusetts) Evening Journed. " His metres are as various as his themes : and these cuibrace the rural landscape scenery of England, and some of the more i)icturesque and romantic phases of Oriental life and character. He seems to be eqirally at home in narrative ])oems written in the Spenserian stanza as in lyrical compositions and in blank verse; and many of his descriptive passages are full of warmtli and colour. Perhaps the best of his work is to be found in the story entitled HKSsan of Alepjio, which relates the romantic adventures of a youth whom his father liad sent on a trading expeilition with a caravan, and who visited, in the course of his event- ful journey, the City of Gold and the Land of Calm. This is thoroughly Eastern in tone and feeling. — The Melbourne Argus. "From JFest to East is a series of poems by Henry Rose, a young English poet, who is beginning to draw much attention to his ^v'ork aljroad. The verses on pastoral subjects are in the spirit of true poetry. They have freshness and beauty of thought ; the language is ajipropriate and simple, while the rhythm is smooth and flowing. In his more ambitious attempts Mr. Rose meets equal success, although it would seem that doing so well in what is evidently his favourite field, he would care little about wondering from it." — The Sedurday Evening Post (Fhiladclphia). ' ' The author is known to fame by previous works, and especially by his .Jidjilee Anthem Awake, happy nation, quoted, and sung, and felt througliout the Queen's dominions on the occasion of her Jubilee festivities. . . . It is evident that he is wont to wander away from the busy haunts of man, and find inspiration and repose amid the flowers and dew-decked hedges of pastoral England. The poem Old Mary is an exquisite recital of a giief-touched life, worn but not wasted, refined and chastened by sorrow. . . . His poems demand something more than mere perusal. The style is pleasant and ea^y, quotable gems abound, and reflection is lu-ged on almost every I'age," — The Queens- toivn (South Africa) Free Press. RETURN CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT TO-i^ 202 Main Library v LOAN PERIOD 1 HOME USE 2 3 4 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS 1 -month loans may be renewed by calling 642-3405 6-month loons may be recharged by bringing books to Circulation Desk Renewals and recharges may be mode 4 days prior to due dote DUE AS STAMPED BELOW RECCIR-JUL 1*80 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY FORM NO. DD6, 60m, 3/80 BERKELEY, CA 94720 U.C.BERKELEY LIBRARIES CD^3b^^fl7D „ i