Had been remembered,-'till the grave had closed
Between him and mankind,—and then his name
Might ask the tribute of a tear, nor wrong
Those who possessed a title to her smiles!
Did he reproach her, even in thought ?-Ah, no!
She had not wronged him ;-she had vowed no truth
To him; and he had never sought to gain
Her pity or her love ;-nor even revealed
Aught that he felt for her;-unless, indeed,
In years long past, when-(though so brief the time
Relentless Fate allotted for such bliss)—
She sometimes leaned upon his arm, and held
Sweet converse on the mighty ones of old,
(The immortal poets of their native land)
With him-that wild enthusiast;-then the fire
She kindled in his soul would burst to light,
And each deep-rooted sentiment shine out
In glances, from his passion-darting eyes!
Yet, it may be, she marked them not, or deemed
The mention of their fadeless names who were
As stars of his idolatry, called up
The deep suffusion of his cheek, and lit
His eye with momentary brightness. Once,
Ay once, he fancied that the maiden gazed
As if she guessed the secret of his soul,
And pitied,—almost loved him ;—and he clasped The hand that she withheld not,-but was silent!Why was he mute at such an hour as this?
Ye to whom feeling is beyond a name,
Perchance, can answer for him!
Of Ormus or of Ind' been his, his love
Had surely found a tongue; but as it was,
be pride too-made him voiceless!
They parted, never more to meet, as once
They had been wont to meet;-yet glorious Hope,
That morning-star of Love, put forth its beams-
Its beautiful beams of promise,-and the youth,
Spite of the clouds that circled it, believed
The sun of Fortune, the deep noon of bliss,
And the calm evening of subdued delight,
Would follow their bright harbinger. But, ah!
How many a day of turbulence and gloom
Is ushered by the sweet and peaceful rays
Of fair Aurora's planet! So it was
Even with the minstrel's Lucifer ;-for soon
It shrouded its bright beams, and left his soul
To a dark day of ceaseless cloud and storm.
They parted; and, since then, his bark hath ridden The rough and roaring waters of the world;
Now whelmed beneath the billows of Despair,
Striving with Passion's whirlwind; and now dashed
With furious violence upon the rocks
Hate, and Oppression, and blind Chance have reared
Amid the waves of life's tumultuous sea.
The tempest hath subsided; and that bark
Sailless, not rudderless, with tremulous heave
(As mindful of the ills it hath sustained)
Now drifts before a mild and favouring gale
To its deep haven of repose-the grave!
Master of mortal bosoms, Love!—O, Love!
Thou art the essence of the universe!
Soul of the visible world! and canst create
Hope, joy, pain, passion, madness, or despair,
As suiteth thy high will! To some thou bringest
A balm, a lenitive for every wound
The unkind world inflicts on them; to others
Thy breath but breathes destruction, and thy smile
Scathes like the lightning !-Now a star of
Heralding sweet evening to our stormy day;
And now a meteor, with far scattering fire,
Shedding red ruin on our flowers of life!—
In all
Whether arrayed in hues of deep repose,
Or armed with burning vengeance to consume
Our yielding hearts,-alike OMNIPOTENT!
And all its aching joys are now no more,
And all its dizzy raptures! Not for this
Faint I, nor mourn, nor murmur. Other gifts
Have followed, for such loss, I would believe,
Abundant recompense.
EN years ago ten years ago
Life was to us a fairy scene;
And the keen blasts of worldly woe
Had sered not then its pathway green.
Youth and its thousand dreams were ours,-
Feelings we ne'er can know again,—
Unwithered hopes, unwasted powers,
And frames unworn by mortal pain:
Such was the bright and genial flow
Of life with us-ten years ago!
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