And Christabel saw the lady's eye, And nothing else saw she thereby Save the boss of the shield of Sir Leoline tall, My father seldom sleepeth well.” Geraldine, who affects to be weary, arrives at the chamber of Christabel--this room is beautifully ornamented, "Carved with figures strange and sweet, All made out of the carver's brain, For a lady's chamber meet: The lamp with twofold silver chain Such is the mysterious movement of this supernatural lady, that all this is visible, and when she passed the dying brands, there came a fit of flame, and Christabel saw the lady's eye. "The silver lamp burns dead and dim; But Christabel the lamp will trim. While Geraldine, in wretched plight, VOL. I. U O weary lady Geraldine, I pray you drink this cordial wine, The poet now introduces the real object of the supernatural transformation: the spirit of evil struggles with the deceased and sainted mother of Christabel for the possession of the lady. To render the scene more impressive, the mother instantly appears, though she is invisible to her daughter. Geraldine exclaims in a commanding voice: "Off, wandering mother! Peak and pine! Alas! what ails poor Geraldine ? Can she the bodiless dead espy ? 66 Though thou her guardian spirit be, "Off, woman, off! 'tis given to me." Here, Geraldine seems to be struggling with the spirit of Christabel's mother, over which for a time she obtains the mastery. Then Christabel knelt by the lady's side, Again the wild-flower wine she drank, And thus the lofty lady spake— And you love them, and for their sake Quoth Christabel, so let it be ! But all this had given rise to so many different thoughts and feelings, that she could not compose herself for sleep, so she sits up in her bed to look at Geraldine who drew in her breath aloud, and unbound her cincture. Her silken robe and inner vest then drop to her feet, and she discovers her hideous form A sight to dream of, not to tell! O shield her, shield sweet Christabel ! She then lies down by the side of Christabel, and takes her to her arms, saying in a low voice these words In the touch of this bosom there worketh a spell, For this is alone in Thy power to declare, That in the dim forest Thou heardst a low moaning, And found'st a bright lady, surpassingly fair: And didst bring her home with thee in love and in charity, The conclusion to part the first is a beautiful and well drawn picture, slightly recapitulating some of the circumstances of the opening of the poem. THE CONCLUSION TO PART THE FIRST. It was a lovely sight to see, The lady Christabel, when she Was praying at the old oak tree. Amid the jagged shadows Of mossy leafless boughs, And both blue eyes more bright than clear, With open eyes (ah woe is me !) O sorrow and shame! Can this be she, A star hath set, a star hath risen, At the ceasing of the spell, the joyousness of the birds is described, and also the awakening of Christabel as from a trance.-During this rest (her mother) the guardian angel is supposed to have been watching over her. But these passages could not escape coarse minded critics, who put a construction on them which never entered |