With desperate earnestness; and staying even
Her breath, that nothing may disturb the hush,
Lays her wan cheek still closer to his heart,
And listens, as its varying pulses move,-

Haply to catch a sound betokening life.
It beats-again-another-and another,-
And, now, hath ceased for ever! What a shriek-
A shrill and soul-appalling shriek peals forth,
Now the full truth hath rushed upon her brain!
Who may describe the rigidness of frame,-
The stony look of anguish and despair,

With which she bends o'er that unmoving clay?
Not I,-my pencil hath no further power:-
So here I'll drop the Grecian painter's veil!

I THINK OF THEE!

In alto poggio, in vall' im' e palustre :
Libero Spirito, od a' suoi membri afflisso:
Pommi con Fama oscura ò non illustre :
Sarà qual fui; vivro com' io son visso
Continuando il mio sospir trilustre.

PETRARCA.

I.

I THINK of thee-I think of thee,And all that thou hast borne for me;In hours of gloom, or heartless glee,

I think of thee-I think of thee!

II.

When fiercest rage the storms of Fate,

And all around is desolate,

I pour on Life's tempestuous sea

The oil of peace, with thoughts of thee!

D

III.

When Fortune frowns, and Hope deceives me, And summer-friendship veers and leaves me, A Timon-from the world I flee ;

My wreck of wealth-sweet dreams of thee!

IV.

Or if I join the careless crowd,

Where laughter peals, and mirth grows loud, Even in my hours of revelry

I think of thee,—I think of thee!

I think of thee,-I think and sigh

O'er blighted years and bliss gone by ;

And mourn the stern, severe decree

That hath but left me-thoughts of thee!

VI.

In youth's gay hours, 'mid Pleasure's bowers,

When all was sunshine, mirth, and flowers,
We met-I bent the adoring knee,

And told a tender tale to thee!

VII.

'Twas summer's eve, the Heavens above

Earth-ocean-air, were full of love;

Nature around kept jubilee,

When first I breathed that tale to thee!

VIII.

The crystal clouds that hung on high
Were blue as thy delicious eye;-
The stirless shore, and sleeping sea,

Seemed emblems of repose and thee!

IX.

I spoke of hope;-I spoke of fear ;—
Thy answer was a blush and tear;

But this was eloquence to me,

And more than I had asked of thee!

X.

I looked into thy dewy eye,

And echoed thy half stifled sigh;--
I clasped thy hand, and vowed to be

The soul of love and truth to thee!

XI.

The scene and hour are past; yet still
Remains a deep impassioned thrill,—
A sun-set glow on memory,

Which kindles at a thought of thee!

XII.

We loved :-how wildly, and how well, 'Twere worse than idle now to tell!

From love and life alike thou 'rt free,

And I am left-to think of thee!

XIII.

Though years-long years-have darkly sped Since thou wert numbered with the dead,

In fancy oft thy form I see,—

In dreams, at least, I'm still with thee!

XIV.

Thy beauty-helplessness and youth,—
Thy hapless fate-untiring truth,——

Are spells that often touch the key

Of sweet but mournful thoughts of thee!