Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

Till the war-drum throbbed no longer, and the Woman is the lesser man, and all thy passions, battle-flags were furled matched with mine,

In the parliament of man, the federation of the Are as moonlight unto sunlight, and as water world. unto wine

There the common sense of most shall hold a Here at least, where nature sickens, nothing. fretful realm in awe, Ah for some retreat

And the kindly earth shall slumber, lapt in uni- Deep in yonder shining Orient, where my life versal law. began to beat!

So I triumphed ere my passion sweeping through Where in wild Mahratta-battle fell my father, me left me dry, evil-starred; Left me with a palsied heart, and left me with I was left a trampled orphan, and a selfish the jaundiced eye; uncle's ward.

Eye, to which all order festers, all things here Or to burst all links of habit, — there to wander are out of joint. far away,

Science moves, but slowly, slowly, creeping on On from island unto island at the gateways of from point to point :

the day,

Slowly comes a hungry people, as a lion, creep- Larger constellations burning, mellow moons and ing nigher, happy skies, Glares at one that nods and winks behind a Breadths of tropic shade and palms in cluster, slowly dying fire. knots of Paradise.

[ocr errors]

Yet I doubt not through the ages one increasing Never comes the trader, never floats an European flag, purpose runs, And the thoughts of men are widened with the Slides the bird o'er lustrous woodland, swings process of the suns.

What is that to him that reaps not harvest of his youthful joys,

hough the deep heart of existence beat forever like a boy's?

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers; and I linger on the shore,

And the individual withers, and the world is more and more.

the trailer from the crag,

[ocr errors]

Droops the heavy-blossomed bower, hangs the heavy-fruited tree,

Summer isles of Eden lying in dark-purple spheres of sea.

There, methinks, would be enjoyment more than in this march of mind

In the steamship, in the railway, in the thoughts

that shake mankind.

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers, and he There the passions, cramped no longer, shall

bears a laden breast,

have scope and breathing-space;

Full of sad experience moving toward the still- I will take some savage woman, she shall rear ness of his rest.

my dusky race.

Hark! my merry comrades call me, sounding on Iron-jointed, supple-sinewed, they shall dive, the bugle horn, and they shall run, They to whom my foolish passion were a target | Catch the wild goat by the hair, and hurl their for their scorn; lances in the sun,

Shall it not be scorn to me to harp on such a Whistle back the parrot's call, and leap the mouldered string? rainbows of the brooks,

I am shamed through all my nature to have loved Not with blinded eyesight poring over miserable so slight a thing.

books

Weakness to be wroth with weakness! woman's Fool, again the dream, the fancy! but I know my words are wild,

pleasure, woman's pain

Nature made them blinder motions bounded in But I count the gray barbarian lower than the

a shallower brain;

Christian child.

I, to herd with narrow foreheads, vacant of our | For his, too, somewhat. Let him stand unblamed; None say, he gave me less than honor claimed,

glorious gains,

Like a beast with lower pleasures, like a beast Except -one trifle scarcely worth being named — with lower pains!

Mated with a squalid savage, sun or clime?

what to me were

The heart. That's gone. The corrupt dead might

be

As easily raised up, breathing, - fair to see, I, the heir of all the ages, in the foremost files As he could bring his whole heart back to me. of time,

I never sought him in coquettish sport,

I, that rather held it better men should perish Or courted him as silly maidens court,

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

O, had he whispered, when his sweetest kiss
He had kissed another woman even as this,

O, I see the crescent promise of my spirit hath Was warm upon my mouth in fancied bliss,

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

Howsoever these things be, a long farewell to Were not my anguish far too dry and deep.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]
[ocr errors]

Let it fall on Locksley Hall, with rain or hail, or All, anything but him. It was to be
fire or snow;
The full draught others drink up carelessly
For the mighty wind arises, roaring seaward, and Was made this bitter Tantalus-cup for me.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Who killed thee. Thou ne'er didst, alive,
Them any harm; alas! nor could
Thy death yet do them any good.
I'm sure I never wished them ill,
Nor do I for all this, nor will ;
But if my simple prayers may yet
Prevail with Heaven to forget
Thy murder, I will join my tears,
Rather than fail. But, O my fears!
It cannot die so. Heaven's king

Keeps register of everything;
And nothing may we use in vain ;
Even beasts must be with justice slain, -
Else men are made their deodands.
Though they should wash their guilty hands
In this warm life-blood, which doth part
From thine and wound me to the heart,
Yet could they not be clean, - their stain
Is dyed in such a purple grain ;
There is not such another in
The world to offer for their sin.
Inconstant Sylvio, when yet
I had not found him counterfeit,

One morning (I remember well)
Tied in this silver chain and bell,
Gave it to me; nay, and I know
What he said then, I'm sure I do :
Said he, "Look how your huntsman here
Hath taught a fawn to hunt his dear!"
But Sylvio soon had me beguiled:
This waxed tame, while he grew wild;
And, quite regardless of my smart,
Left me his fawn, but took his heart.
Thenceforth I set myself to play
My solitary time away

With this; and, very well content,
Could so mine idle life have spent.
For it was full of sport, and light
Of foot and heart, and did invite

Me to its game. It seemed to bless

Itself in me; how could I less
Than love it? O, I cannot be
Unkind to a beast that loveth me!

Had it lived long, I do not know
Whether it, too, might have done so
As Sylvio did, his gifts might be
Perhaps as false, or more, than he.
For I am sure, for aught that I
Could in so short a time espy,
Thy love was far more better than
The love of false and cruel man.

With sweetest milk and sugar, first
I it at mine own fingers nursed;
And as it grew, so every day

It waxed more white and sweet than they.
It had so sweet a breath! and oft

I blushed to see its foot more soft

[ocr errors]

And white shall I say than my hand? Nay, any lady's of the land.

It is a wondrous thing how fleet
'T was on those little silver feet.
With what a pretty, skipping grace
It oft would challenge me the race;
And when 't had left me far away,
'T would stay, and run again, and stay;
For it was nimbler much than hinds,
And trod as if on the four winds.
I have a garden of my own,

But so with roses overgrown,
And lilies, that you would it guess

To be a little wilderness;

And all the springtime of the year
It only loved to be there.
Among the beds of lilies I

Have sought it oft, where it should lie;
Yet could not, till itself would rise,
Find it, although before mine eyes;
For in the flaxen lilies' shade

It like a bank of lilies laid.
Upon the roses it would feed,
Until its lips even seemed to bleed ;

And then to me 't would boldly trip,
And print those roses on my lip.
But all its chief delight was still
On roses thus itself to fill;

And its pure virgin limbs to fold
In whitest sheets of lilies cold.

Had it lived long, it would have been
Lilies without, roses within.

O, help! O, help! I see it faint,
And die as calmly as a saint!
See how it weeps! the tears do come,
Sad, slowly, dropping like a gum.
So weeps the wounded balsam; so
The holy frankincense doth flow;
The brotherless Heliades

Melt in such amber tears as these.

I in a golden phial will

Keep these two crystal tears, and fill
It, till it do o'erflow, with mine;
Then place it in Diana's shrine.

Now my sweet fawn is vanished to
Whither the swans and turtles go,
In fair Elysium to endure,
With milk-white lambs, and ermines pure.
O, do not run too fast! for I
Will but bespeak thy grave

and die.

First, my unhappy statue shall
Be cut in marble; and withal,
Let it be weeping too. But there
The engraver sure his art may spare;
For I so truly thee bemoan

That I shall weep, though I be stone,
Until my tears, still dropping, wear
My breast, themselves engraving there.
There at my feet shalt thou be laid,
Of purest alabaster made;

For I would have thine image be
White as I can, though not as thee.

ANDREW MARVELL.

THE MAID'S LAMENT.

I LOVED him not; and yet, now he is gone,

I feel I am alone.

I checked him while he spoke; yet could he speak,
Alas! I would not check.

For reasons not to love him once I sought,
And wearied all my thought

To vex myself and him I now would give
My love, could he but live

Who lately lived for me, and when he found
'T was vain, in holy ground

He hid his face amid the shades of death!
I waste for him my breath

Who wasted his for me; but mine returns,
And this lone bosom burns
With stifling heat, heaving it up in sleep,
And waking me to weep

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

ROBERT BROWNING.

BLIGHTED LOVE.

FLOWERS are fresh, and bushes green,
Cheerily the linnets sing;
Winds are soft, and skies serene ;
Time, however, soon shall throw
Winter's snow
O'er the buxom breast of Spring!

Hope, that buds in lover's heart,
Lives not through the scorn of years;

Time makes love itself depart;

Time and scorn congeal the mind,
Looks unkind

Freeze affection's warmest tears.

SHIPS AT SEA.

I HAVE ships that went to sea
More than fifty years ago;
None have yet come home to me,
But are sailing to and fro.

I have seen them in my sleep,
Plunging through the shoreless deep
With tattered sails and battered hulls,
While around them screamed the gulls.
Flying low, flying low.

I have wondered why they strayed From me, sailing round the world. And I've said, "I'm half afraid

That their sails will ne'er be furled.' Great the treasures that they hold, Silks, and plumes, and bars of gold; While the spices that they bear Fill with fragrance all the air,

As they sail, as they sail.

« AnteriorContinuar »