"From the war the knight was coming,

Broken all his armour there; Only in his right hand bore he

Now the remnant of his spear.

""T was the shaft alone was left him ; For the iron was sunk down

In the corpse of Albenzaidè,

A proud Moor, of high renown;

"And the Frank thus bore it with him,
That it as a staff might serve;
And his steed he therewith goaded,
Weary now and weak of nerve.

"On the grass he looked with wonder,
How it was all stained with blood;
Higher throbbed his head with sadness,
And his soul did ill forbode,

Thinking whether some companion, Friend of France, it might not be ; Pondering o'er this sad suspicion, Came he to a beechen tree.

"There he spied a knight extended,
Who to him did seem to cry,
Seemed to call that he come to him,
That his soul to death was nigh.

"But the Frank, he did not know him,
Though he gazed upon him right;
For the bars of the dark helmet
Hid his visage from the sight.

"From his steed he quick dismounted, From that face the helm removed; Then he knew his dearest cousin, Whom in life he most had loved.

"Now he must be present with him,
His last words to hear, alas !
Spake the wounded knight all faintly;
Him th' unwounded did embrace.

"Bear her too from me this message,
That I in this battle died;

And that dead I thus do send her
What I living ne'er denied.

"Give to her my wide possessions,
What I e'er mine own did call;
For the goods of every captive
To his lord at death must fall.'.
While he yet these words was speaking,
Fled his spirit, life, and all."

The contradictory reports in respect to the currency of the romantic ballads, can only refer to the romances relating to the Twelve Peers, or to those other ancient knights whose names, by length of time and change of circumstances, have become in a measure strangers to the present generation. Several ancient ballads are still current among the common people of Spain, which may rightfully be called romantic ballads; although they do not strictly belong to the descrip

tion of romances above designated. These may be included in the fourth class which we have distinguished above, namely, ballads of a miscellaneous character. Under this very general designation, we choose to comprise all that are not embraced in the other three classes. Many subdivisions might be made; such as Pastoral Romances, Sacramental Romances, Gipsey and Robber Ballads, and numerous others. But this would extend our essay beyond all due limits. The pastoral romances, moreover, were probably never popular ballads. The word romance, as we have seen, includes in Spanish all kinds of poetry.

We cannot, however, leave this part of our subject without speaking of the great number of "romances jocosos,' or burlesque ballads, which the Spaniards possess, partly narrative, partly merely lyric. We are accustomed to think of the Spaniards as a grave and sombre nation, always dignified and stately; or, when their passions are excited, prone to deeds of tragic violence. Those who are better acquainted with them know full well, that they are as loquacious and sarcastically sportive in their social meetings, as any nation; and many of their verses are redolent of these qualities. They display, indeed, all the gradations of the comic, from diverting simplicity in the innocent confession of an enamoured girl, and the ludicrous situation and disappointed vanity of a cheated lover, up to a strain of bitter satire and merciless irony, which even surpasses, sometimes, the limits of decency. The number of romances, marked by that simplicity which is between the touching and the ludicrous, is especially large, and the charm of many of these pieces is quite inexpressible. With all these multifarious evidences of the vigorous and productive imagination of the Spanish nation, we are struck with the singularity of the fact, that the world of fairies, whether Oriental or Northern, has had so slight an influence on their poetry. To account for it, would not be without difficulty. In one very ancient ballad, we meet with a bewitched princess, spell-bound to an oak, who asks deliverance of a knight-errant ; but he, not indeed in the true spirit of the age, is too prudent to act without the counsel of his mother, and thus loses his good fortune.

There is a threefold manner of epic representation, which is employed in all its forms in popular ballads. The first mode is merely narrative, like most of the English ballads of

the second period of minstrel song; for instance, Queen Elinor and Fair Rosamond, King Lear and his Daughters, &c. This style is almost necessarily connected with a certain diffuseness, which impairs the effect of the whole. Or, secondly, the poet places pictures before the mind of the hearer, perhaps single pictures, from which the hearer may infer the whole; or perhaps a series of pictures, tableaux mouvans, which it is left to the hearer's imagination to bring into immediate connexion. This more powerful style is the favorite manner of the Servian, the Modern Greek, and the Spanish poets; although they all manage it in very different ways. It will be found, that this style admits the greatest variety and richness of imagery and description; while, however, a more powerful and immediate effect will always be produced. by the third manner of representation, which we have frequently called the dramatic; namely, where the dialogues and speeches introduced are characteristic, and so highly animated as to supply to the reader at once, pictures, descriptions, and narrative. Many of the Teutonic ballads are composed in this style; for example the ancient English Minstrel ballads, and the Scotch, Scandinavian, and German ballads.

Not unfrequently, also, we find these different elements united in the Spanish ballads, as well as in those of other nations. But, from the prevalence of the second mode among the Spaniards, with which more of the first or narrative manner is combined, than of the third or dramatic, it may easily be comprehended, that the distinction between epic and lyric, or between romance and song, disappears of itself. The only species of dramatic form which we often meet with, is the dialogue; oftener still the monologue; but such ballads have not the least action. They are mostly descriptions of feelings and sensations; like the duo and solo in the opera. Thus they approach likewise the lyric; while in the narrative Spanish romance, the lyric element is so prevalent, that it occupies in poetry the same place, which in music is occupied by the recitative.

Although we cannot state with certainty, in what degree ancient poetry is still preserved in the different parts of Spain, yet we cannot doubt that the poetical productiveness of the people is still the same. Romances are daily made and sung to the guitar. But the favorite poetry of modern times are those numerous dancing songs, called seguidillas. These

pretty little songs are frequently uttered extempc ant lads, journeymen, soldiers, young women, &c them are helped out by a kind of burden, called others consist only of four lines; and these are ei ed, or the song is supplied from other seguidillas ed with the former, until the dance, which bears name, is finished. When we observe how shor guidillas are, and consider the poetico-musical na Spanish language, our astonishment at the frequen ical talent in this nation, must greatly diminish. not, however, but admire the quickness of mind which furnishes thoughts and expressions in a ma premeditated, even if neither are of much value are we pleased with the delicacy, the absence of which prevails in these verses. We owe the re specimens; but we cannot acquit ourselves of this out feeling anew, how utterly untranslatable are the love, or these flashes of wit. They lose all their indeed all their character, in a translation. same time, that we should give quite a number of or none; for these little songs are like the warblin birds, a single voice would do scanty justice to The monotonous chirping of one little feathere tedious or burdensome; while we enjoy their f as the sweetest music of nature. *

Without a Burden.

I.

"Un paxarillo alegre
Picó en tu boca,

Pensando que sus labios

Eran das rosas."

Translation.

There came a little bird,

We

And at your mouth pecked he ;
Because he took your lips

For roses on the tree.

* All the specimens of modern Spanish popular poetry which taken from the very rare work entitled; "Coleccion de las me de Seguidillas, Tiranas, y Polos; por D. Preciso." The volum date.