Part II

Felicia Hemans (1793–1835) · 1808–1835

iambic tetrameter · octosyllabic couplets · 844 lines · from Poems

Sweet is the gloom of forest shades,Their pillar’d walks and dim arcades,With all the thousand flowers that blow,A waste of loveliness, below.To him whose soul the world would fly,For nature’s lonely majesty:To bard, when wrapt in mighty themes,To lover, lost in fairy dreams,To hermit, whose prophetic thoughtBy fits a gleam of heaven hath caught,And, in the visions of his rest,Held bright communion with the blest:’Tis sweet, but solemn! There alikeSilence and sound with awe can strike.The deep Eolian murmur madeBy sighing breeze and rustling shade,And cavern’d fountain gushing nigh,And wild-bee’s plaintive lullaby:Or the dead stillness of the bowers,When dark the summer-tempest lowers;When silent nature seems to waitThe gathering thunder’s voice of fate;When the aspen scarcely waves in air,And the clouds collect for the lightning’s glare--Each, each alike is awful there,And thrills the soul with feelings high,As some majestic harmony.

But she, the maid, whose footsteps tracedEach green retreat in breathless haste--Young Ella--linger’d not to hearThe wood-notes, lost on mourner’s ear.The shivering leaf, the breeze’s play,The fountain’s gush, the wild-bird’s lay--These charm not now; her sire she sought,With trembling frame, with anxious thought,And, starting if a forest deerBut moved the rustling branches near,First felt that innocence may fear.

She reach’d a lone and shadowy dell,Where the free sunbeam never fell;’Twas twilight there at summer noon,Deep night beneath the harvest moon,And scarce might one bright star be seenGleaming the tangled boughs between;For many a giant rock aroundDark in terrific grandeur frown’d,And the ancient oaks, that waved on high,Shut out each glimpse of the blessèd sky.There the cold spring, in its shadowy cave,Ne’er to heaven’s beam one sparkle gave,And the wild flower, on its brink that grew,Caught not from day one glowing hue.

’Twas said, some fearful deed untoldHad stain’d that scene in days of old;Tradition o’er the haunt had thrownA shade yet deeper than its own;And still, amidst th’ umbrageous gloom,Perchance above some victim’s tomb,O’ergrown with ivy and with moss,There stood a rudely-sculptured Cross,Which, haply, silent record boreOf guilt and penitence of yore.

Who by that holy sign was kneeling,With brow unutter’d pangs revealing,Hands clasp’d convulsively in prayer,And lifted eyes and streaming hair,And cheek, all pale as marble mould,Seen by the moonbeam’s radiance cold?Was it some image of despairStill fix’d that stamp of woe to bear?--Oh! ne’er could Art her forms have wroughtTo speak such agonies of thought!Those deathlike features gave to viewA mortal’s pangs too deep and true!Starting he rose, with frenzied eye,As Ella’s hurried step drew nigh;He turn’d, with aspect darkly wild,Trembling he stood--before his child!On, with a burst of tears, she sprung,And to her father’s bosom clung.

“Away! what seek’st thou here?” he cried,“Art thou not now thine Ulric’s bride?Hence, leave me--leave me to await,In solitude, the storm of Fate;Thou know’st not what my doom may be,Ere evening comes in peace to thee.”

“My father! shall the joyous throngSwell high for me the bridal song?Shall the gay nuptial board be spread,The festal garland bind my head,And thou in grief, in peril, roam,And make the wilderness thy home?No! I am here with thee to shareAll suffering mortal strength may bear;And, oh! whate’er thy foes decree,In life, in death, in chains, or free--Well, well I feel, in thee secure;Thy heart and hand alike are pure!”

Then was there meaning in his look,Which deep that trusting spirit shook;So wildly did each glance expressThe strife of shame and bitterness,--As thus he spoke: “Fond dreams, oh hence!Is this the mien of Innocence?This furrow’d brow, this restless eye--Read thou this fearful tale, and fly!Is it enough? or must I seekFor words, the tale of guilt to speak?Then be it so--I will not doomThy youth to wither in its bloom;I will not see thy tender frameBow’d to the earth with fear and shame.No! though I teach thee to abhorThe sire so fondly loved before;Though the dread effort rend my breast,Yet shalt thou leave me and be blest!Oh! bitter penance! thou wilt turnAway in horror and in scorn;Thy looks, that still through all the pastAffection’s gentlest beams have cast,As lightning on my heart will fall,And I must mark and bear it all!Yet though of life’s best ties bereaved,Thou shalt not, must not, be deceived!

“I linger--let me speed the taleEre voice, and thought, and memory fail.Why should I falter thus to tellWhat heaven so long hath known too well?Yes! though from mortal sight conceal’d,There hath a brother’s blood appeal’d!He died--’twas not where banners wave,And war-steeds trample on the brave;He died--it was in Holy Land--Yet fell he not by Paynim hand;He sleeps not with his sires at rest,With trophied shield and knightly crest;Unknown his grave to kindred eyes,--But I can tell thee where he lies!It was a wild and savage spot,But once beheld--and ne’er forgot!I see it now--that haunted sceneMy spirit’s dwelling still hath been;And he is there--I see him laidBeneath that palm-tree’s lonely shade.The fountain-wave that sparkles nighBears witness with its crimson dye!I see th’ accusing glance he raised,Ere that dim eye by death was glazed;--Ne’er will that parting look forgive!I still behold it--and I live!I live! from hope, from mercy driven,A mark for all the shafts of heaven!

“Yet had I wrongs. By fraud he wonMy birth-right; and my child, my son,Heir to high name, high fortune born,Was doom’d to penury and scorn,An alien midst his fathers’ halls,An exile from his native walls.Could I bear this? The rankling thought,Deep, dark, within my bosom wrought;Some serpent, kindling hate and guile,Lurk’d in my infant’s rosy smile,And when his accents lisp’d my name,They woke my inmost heart to flame!I struggled--are there evil powersThat claim their own ascendant hours?--Oh! what should thine unspotted soulOr know or fear of their control?Why on the fearful conflict dwell?Vainly I struggled, and I fell--Cast down from every hope of bliss--Too well thou know’st to what abyss!

“’Twas done!--that moment hurried byTo darken all eternity.Years roll’d away, long evil years,Of woes, of fetters, and of fears;Nor aught but vain remorse I gain’dBy the deep guilt my soul which stain’d.For, long a captive in the landsWhere Arabs tread their burning sands,The haunted midnight of the mindWas round me while in chains I pined,By all forgotten, save by oneDread presence--which I could not shun.--How oft, when o’er the silent wasteNor path nor landmark might be traced,When slumbering by the watch-fire’s ray,The Wanderers of the Desert lay,And stars, as o’er an ocean shone,Vigil I kept--but not alone!That form, that image, from the dead,Still walk’d the wild with soundless tread!I’ve seen it in the fiery blast,I’ve seen it where the sand-storms pass’d;Beside the Desert’s fount it stood,Tinging the clear cold wave with blood;And e’en when viewless, by the fearCurdling my veins, I knew ’twas near!--Was near!--I feel th’ unearthly thrill,Its power is on my spirit still!A mystic influence, undefined,The spell, the shadow of my mind!

“Wilt thou yet linger? Time speeds on;One last farewell, and then begone!Unclasp the hands that shade thy brow,And let me read thine aspect now!No! stay thee yet, and learn the meedHeaven’s justice to my crime decreed.Slow came the day that broke my chain,But I at length was free again;And freedom brings a burst of joy,E’en guilt itself can scarce destroy.I thought upon my own fair towers,My native Rhine’s gay vineyard bowers,And in a father’s visions, press’dThee and thy brother to my breast.--’Twas but in visions. Canst thou yetRecall the moment when we met?Thy step to greet me lightly sprung,Thy arms around me fondly clung;Scarce aught than infant seraph lessSeem’d thy pure childhood’s loveliness.But he was gone--that son for whomI rush’d on guilt’s eternal doom;He for whose sake alone were givenMy peace on earth, my hope in heaven--He met me not. A ruthless band,Whose name with terror fill’d the land,Fierce outlaws of the wood and wildHad reft the father of his child.Foes to my race, the hate they nursed,Full on that cherish’d scion burst.Unknown his fate.--No parent nigh,My boy! my first-born! didst thou die?Or did they spare thee for a lifeOf shame, of rapine, and of strife?Livest thou, unfriended, unallied,A wanderer lost, without a guide?Oh! to thy fate’s mysterious gloomBlest were the darkness of the tomb!

“Ella! ’tis done--my guilty heartBefore thee all unveil’d--depart!Few pangs ’twill cost thee now to flyFrom one so stain’d, so lost as I;Yet peace to thine untainted breast,E’en though it hate me!--be thou blest!Farewell! thou shalt not linger here--E’en now th’ avenger may be near:Where’er I turn, the foe, the snare,The dagger, may be ambush’d there;One hour--and haply all is o’er,And we must meet on earth no more.No, nor beyond!--to those pure skiesWhere thou shalt be, I may not rise;Heaven’s will for ever parts our lot,Yet, oh! my child! abhor me not!Speak once! to soothe this broken heart,Speak to me once! and then depart!”

But still--as if each pulse were dead,Mute--as the power of speech were fled,Pale--as if life-blood ceased to warmThe marble beauty of her form;On the dark rock she lean’d her head,That seem’d as there ’twere riveted,And dropt the hands, till then which press’dHer burning brow, or throbbing breast.There beam’d no tear-drop in her eye,And from her lip there breathed no sigh,And on her brow no trace there dweltThat told she suffer’d or she felt.All that once glow’d, or smiled, or beam’d,Now fix’d, and quench’d, and frozen seem’d;And long her sire, in wild dismay,Deem’d her pure spirit pass’d away.

But life return’d. O’er that cold frameOne deep convulsive shudder came;And a faint light her eye relumed,And sad resolve her mien assumed.But there was horror in the gaze,Which yet to his she dared not raise;And her sad accents, wild and low,As rising from a depth of woe,At first with hurried trembling broke,But gather’d firmness as she spoke.--“I leave thee not--whate’er betide,My footsteps shall not quit thy side;Pangs, keen as death my soul may thrill,But yet thou art my father still!And, oh! if stain’d by guilty deed,For some kind spirit, tenfold need,To speak of heaven’s absolving love,And waft desponding thought above.Is there not power in mercy’s waveThe blood-stain from thy soul to lave?Is there not balm to heal despair,In tears, in penitence, in prayer?My father! kneel at His pure shrineWho died to expiate guilt like thine,Weep--and my tears with thine shall blend,Pray--while my prayers with thine ascend,And, as our mingling sorrows rise,Heaven will relent, though earth despise!”

“My child, my child! these bursting tears,The first mine eyes have shed for years,Though deepest conflicts they express,Yet flow not all in bitterness!Oh! thou hast bid a wither’d heartFrom desolation’s slumber start;Thy voice of pity and of loveSeems o’er its icy depths to moveE’en as a breeze of health, which bringsLife, hope, and healing, on its wings.And there is mercy yet! I feelIts influence o’er my spirit steal;How welcome were each pang below,If guilt might be atoned by woe!Think’st thou I yet may be forgiven?Shall prayers unclose the gate of heaven?Oh! if it yet avail to plead,If judgment be not yet decreed,Our hearts shall blend their suppliant cry,Till pardon shall be seal’d on high!Yet, yet I shrink!--Will Mercy shedHer dews upon this fallen head?--Kneel, Ella, kneel! till full and freeDescend forgiveness, won by thee!”

They knelt--before the Cross, that signOf love eternal and divine;That symbol, which so long hath stoodA rock of strength, on time’s dark flood,Clasp’d by despairing hands, and lavedBy the warm tears of nations saved.In one deep prayer their spirits blent,The guilty and the innocent;Youth, pure as if from heaven its birth,Age, soil’d with every stain of earth,Knelt, offering up one heart, one cry,One sacrifice of agony.--Oh! blest, though bitter be their source--Though dark the fountain of remorse,Blest are the tears which pour from thence,Th’ atoning stream of penitence!And let not pity check the tideBy which the heart is purified;Let not vain comfort turn its course,Or timid love repress its force!Go! bind the flood, whose waves expand,To bear luxuriance o’er the land;Forbid the life-restoring rainsTo fall on Afric’s burning plains;Close up the fount that gush’d to cheerThe pilgrim o’er the waste who trode;But check thou not one holy tearWhich Penitence devotes to God!

Through scenes so lone the wild-deer ne’erWas roused by huntsman’s bugle there--So rude, that scarce might human eyeSustain their dread sublimity--So awful, that the timid swain,Nurtured amidst their dark domain,Had peopled with unearthly formsTheir mists, their forests, and their storms,--She, whose blue eye of laughing lightOnce made each festal scene more bright;Whose voice in song of joy was sweetest,Whose step in dance of mirth was fleetest,By torrent wave and mountain brow,Is wandering as an outcast now,To share with Lindheim’s fallen chiefHis shame, his terror, and his grief.

Hast thou not mark’d the ruin’s flower,That blooms in solitary grace,And, faithful to its mouldering tower,Waves in the banner’s place?From those gray haunts renown hath pass’d,Time wins his heritage at last;The day of glory hath gone by,With all its pomp and minstrelsy:Yet still the flower of golden huesThere loves its fragrance to diffuse,To fallen and forsaken thingsWith constancy unalter’d clings,And, smiling o’er the wreck of state,With beauty clothes the desolate.--E’en such was she, the fair-hair’d maid,In all her light of youth array’d,Forsaking every joy belowTo soothe a guilty parent’s woe,And clinging thus, in beauty’s prime,To the dark ruin made by crime.Oh! ne’er did heaven’s propitious eyesSmile on a purer sacrifice;Ne’er did young love, at duty’s shrine,More nobly brighter hopes resign!O’er her own pangs she brooded not,Nor sank beneath her bitter lot;No! that pure spirit’s lofty worthStill rose more buoyantly from earth,And drew from an eternal sourceIts gentle, yet triumphant force:Roused by affliction’s chastening mightTo energies more calmly bright,Like the wild harp of airy sigh,Woke by the storm to harmony!He that in mountain-holds hath soughtA refuge for unconquer’d thought,A charter’d home, where Freedom’s childMight rear her altars in the wild,And fix her quenchless torch on high,A beacon for Eternity;Or they, whose martyr spirits wageProud war with Persecution’s rage,And to the deserts bear the faithThat bids them smile on chains and death;Well may they draw, from all around,Of grandeur clothed in form and sound,From the deep power of earth and sky,Wild nature’s might of majesty,Strong energies, immortal fires,High hopes, magnificent desires!

But dark, terrific, and austere,To him doth nature’s mien appear,Who midst her wilds would seek reposeFrom guilty pangs and vengeful foes!For him the wind hath music dread,A dirge-like voice that mourns the dead;The forest’s whisper breathes a toneAppalling, as from worlds unknown;The mystic gloom of wood and caveIs fill’d with shadow’s of the grave;In noon’s deep calm the sunbeams dartA blaze that seems to search his heart;The pure, eternal stars of nightUpbraid him with their silent light;And the dread spirit, which pervadesAnd hallows earth’s most lonely shades,In every scene, in every hour,Surrounds him with chastising power--With nameless fear his soul to thrill,Heard, felt, acknowledged, present still!

’Twas the chilly close of an autumn day,And the leaves fell thick o’er the wanderers’ way;The rustling pines, with a hollow sound,Foretold the tempest gathering round;And the skirts of the western clouds were spreadWith a tinge of wild and stormy red,That seem’d, through the twilight forest bowersLike the glare of a city’s blazing towers.But they, who far from cities fled,And shrunk from the print of human tread,Had reach’d a desert scene unknown,So strangely wild, so deeply lone,That a nameless feeling, unconfess’dAnd undefined, their souls oppress’d.Rocks piled on rocks, around them hurl’d,Lay like the ruins of a world,Left by an earthquake’s final throesIn deep and desolate repose--Things of eternity whose formsBore record of ten thousand storms!While, rearing its colossal crestIn sullen grandeur o’er the rest,One, like a pillar, vast and rude,Stood monarch of the solitude.Perchance by Roman conqueror’s handTh’ enduring monument was plann’d;Or Odin’s sons, in days gone by,Had shaped its rough immensity,To rear, midst mountain, rock, and wood,A temple meet for rites of blood.But they were gone, who might have toldThat secret of the times of old;And there, in silent scorn it frown’d,O’er all its vast coevals round.Darkly those giant masses lower’d,Countless and motionless they tower’d;No wild-flower o’er their summits hung,No fountain from their caverns sprung;Yet ever on the wanderers’ earMurmur’d a sound of waters near,With music deep of lulling falls,And louder gush, at intervals.Unknown its source--nor spring nor streamCaught the red sunset’s lingering gleam,But ceaseless, from its hidden caves,Arose that mystic voice of waves.Yet bosom’d midst that savage scene,One chosen spot of gentler mienGave promise to the pilgrim’s eyeOf shelter from the tempest nigh.Glad sight! the ivied cross it bore,The sculptured saint that crown’d its door:Less welcome now were monarch’s dome,Than that low cell, some hermit’s home.Thither the outcasts bent their way,By the last lingering gleam of day;When from a cavern’d rock, which castDeep shadows o’er them as they pass’d,A form, a warrior form of might,As from earth’s bosom, sprang to sight.His port was lofty--yet the heartShrunk from him with recoiling start;His mien was youthful--yet his faceHad nought of youth’s ingenuous grace;Nor chivalrous nor tender thoughtIts traces on his brow had wroughtYet dwelt no fierceness in his eye,But calm and cold severity,A spirit haughtily austere,Stranger to pity as to fear.It seem’d as pride had thrown a veilO’er that dark brow and visage pale,Leaving the searcher nought to guess,All was so fix’d and passionless.

He spoke--and they who heard the toneFelt, deeply felt, all hope was flown.“I’ve sought thee far in forest bowers,I’ve sought thee long in peopled towers,I’ve borne th’ dagger of th’ UnknownThrough scenes explored by me alone;My search is closed--nor toils nor fearsRepel the servant of the Seers;We meet--’tis vain to strive or fly:Albert of Lindheim, thou must die!”

Then with clasp’d hands the fair-hair’d maidSank at his feet, and wildly pray’d:--“Stay, stay thee! sheath that lifted steel!Oh! thou art human, and canst feel!Hear me! if e’er ’twas thine to proveThe blessing of a parent’s love;By thine own father’s hoary hair,By her who gave thee being, spare!Did they not, o’er thy infant years,Keep watch, in sleepless hopes and fears!Young warrior! thou wilt heed my prayers,As thou wouldst hope for grace to theirs!”

But cold th’ Avenger’s look remain’d,His brow its rigid calm maintain’d:“Maiden! ’tis vain--my bosom ne’erWas conscious of a parent’s care;The nurture of my infant yearsFroze in my soul the source of tears;’Tis not for me to pause or melt,Or feel as happier hearts have felt.Away! the hour of fate goes by:Thy prayers are fruitless--he must die!”

“Rise, Ella! rise!” with steadfast browThe father spoke--unshrinking now,As if from heaven a martyr’s strengthHad settled on his soul at length:“Kneel thou no more, my noble child,Thou by no taint of guilt defiled;Kneel not to man!--for mortal prayer,Oh! when did mortal vengeance spare?Since hope of earthly aid is flown,Lift thy pure hands to heaven alone,And know, to calm thy suffering heart,My spirit is resign’d to part.Trusting in Him who reads and knowsThis guilty breast, with all its woes.Rise! I would bless thee once again,Be still, be firm--for all is vain!”

And she was still. She heard him not--Her prayers were hush’d, her pangs forgot;All thought, all memory pass’d away,Silent and motionless she lay,In a brief death, a blest suspenseAlike of agony and sense.She saw not when the dagger gleam’dIn the last red light from the west that stream’d;She mark’d not when the life-blood’s flowCame rushing to the mortal blow;While, unresisting, sank her sire,Yet gather’d firmness to expire,Mingling a warrior’s courage highWith a penitent’s humility.And o’er him there th’ Avenger stood,And watch’d the victim’s ebbing blood,Still calm, as if his faithful handHad but obey’d some just command,Some power whose stern, yet righteous willHe deem’d it virtue to fulfil,And triumph’d, when the palm was won,For duty’s task austerely done.

But a feeling dread and undefined,A mystic presage of the mind,With strange and sudden impulse ranChill through the heart of the dying man;And his thoughts found voice, and his bosom breath,And it seem’d as fear suspended death,And nature from her terrors drewFresh energy and vigour new.

“Thou saidst thy lonely bosom ne’erWas conscious of a parent’s care;Thou saidst thy lot, in childhood’s years,Froze in thy soul the source of tears:The time will come, when thou, with me,The judgment throne of God wilt see--Oh! by thy hopes of mercy, then,By His blest love who died for men,By each dread rite, and shrine, and vow,Avenger! I adjure thee now!To him who bleeds beneath thy steel,Thy lineage and thy name reveal.And haste thee! for his closing earHath little more on earth to hear--Haste! for the spirit, almost flown,Is lingering for thy words alone.”

Then first a shade, resembling fear,Pass’d o’er th’ Avenger’s mien austere;A nameless awe his features cross’d,Soon in their haughty coldness lost.

“What wouldst thou? Ask the rock and wild,And bid them tell thee of their child!Ask the rude winds, and angry skies,Whose tempests were his lullabies!His chambers were the cave and wood,His fosterers men of wrath and blood;Outcasts alike of earth and heaven,By wrongs to desperation driven!Who, in their pupil, now could traceThe features of a nobler race?Yet such was mine!--if one who castA look of anguish o’er the past,Bore faithful record on the dayWhen penitent in death he lay.But still deep shades my prospects veil;He died--and told but half the tale.With him it sleeps--I only knowEnough for stern and silent woe,For vain ambition’s deep regret,For hopes deceived, deceiving yet,For dreams of pride, that vainly tellHow high a lot had suited wellThe heir of some illustrious line,Heroes and chieftains of the Rhine!”

Then swift through Albert’s bosom pass’dOne pang, the keenest and the last,Ere with his spirit fled the fears,The sorrows, and the pangs of years;And, while his gray hairs swept the dust,Faltering he murmur’d, “Heaven is just!For thee that deed of guilt was done,By thee avenged, my son! my son!”--The day was closed--the moonbeam shedLight on the living and the dead,And as through rolling clouds it broke,Young Ella from her trance awoke--Awoke to bear, to feel, to knowE’en more than all an orphan’s woe.Oh! ne’er did moonbeam’s light sereneWith beauty clothe a sadder scene!There, cold in death, the father slept--There, pale in woe, the daughter wept!Yes! she might weep--but one stood nigh,With horror in his tearless eye,That eye which ne’er again shall closeIn the deep quiet of repose;No more on earth beholding aughtSave one dread vision, stamp’d on thought.But, lost in grief, the Orphan MaidHis deeper woe had scarce survey’d,Till his wild voice reveal’d a taleWhich seem’d to bid the heavens turn pale!He call’d her, “Sister!” and the wordIn anguish breathed, in terror heard,Reveal’d enough: all else were weak--That sound a thousand pangs could speak.He knelt beside that breathless clay,Which, fix’d in utter stillness, lay--Knelt till his soul imbibed each trace,Each line of that unconscious face;Knelt, till his eye could bear no moreThose marble features to explore;Then, starting, turning, as to shunThe image thus by Memory won,A wild farewell to her he bade,Who by the dead in silence pray’d;And, frenzied by his bitter doom,Fled thence--to find all earth a tomb!

Days pass’d away--and Rhine’s fair shoreIn the light of summer smiled once more;The vines were purpling on the hill,And the corn-fields waved in the sunshine still.There came a bark up the noble stream,With pennons that shed a golden gleam,With the flash of arms, and the voice of song,Gliding triumphantly along;For warrior-forms were glittering there,Whose plumes waved light in the whispering air;And as the tones of oar and waveTheir measured cadence mingling gave,’Twas thus th’ exulting chorus rose,While many an echo swell’d the close:--

“From the fields where dead and dyingOn their battle-bier are lying,Where the blood unstanch’d is gushing,Where the steed uncheck’d is rushing,Trampling o’er the noble-hearted,Ere the spirit yet be parted;Where each breath of heaven is swayingKnightly plumes and banners playing,And the clarion’s music swellingCalls the vulture from his dwelling;He comes, with trophies worthy of his line,The son of heroes, Ulric of the Rhine!To his own fair woods, enclosingVales in sunny peace reposing,Where his native stream is lavingBanks, with golden harvests waving,And the summer light is sleepingOn the grape, through tendrils peeping;To the halls where harps are ringing,Bards the praise of warriors singing,Graceful footsteps bounding fleetly,Joyous voices mingling sweetly;Where the cheek of mirth is glowing,And the wine-cup brightly flowing,He comes, with trophies worthy of his line,The son of heroes, Ulric of the Rhine!”

He came--he sought his Ella’s bowers,He traversed Lindheim’s lonely towers;But voice and footstep thence had fled,As from the dwellings of the dead,And the sounds of human joy and woeGave place to the moan of the wave below.The banner still the rampart crown’d,But the tall rank grass waved thick aroundStill hung the arms of a race gone byIn the blazon’d halls of their ancestry,But they caught no more, at fall of night,The wavering flash of the torch’s light,And they sent their echoes forth no moreTo the Minnesinger’s tuneful lore,For the hands that touch’d the harp were gone,And the hearts were cold that loved its tone;And the soul of the chord lay mute and still,Save when the wild wind bade it thrill,And woke from its depths a dream-like moan,For life, and power, and beauty gone.

The warrior turn’d from that silent scene,Where a voice of woe had welcome been;And his heart was heavy with boding thought,As the forest-paths alone he sought.He reach’d a convent’s fane, that stoodDeep bosom’d in luxuriant wood;Still, solemn, fair--it seem’d a spotWhere earthly care might be all forgot,And sounds and dreams of heaven aloneTo musing spirit might be known.

And sweet e’en then were the sounds that roseOn the holy and profound repose.Oh! they came o’er the warrior’s breastLike a glorious anthem of the blest;And fear and sorrow died awayBefore the full majestic lay.He enter’d the secluded fane,Which sent forth that inspiring strain;He gazed--the hallow’d pile’s arrayWas that of some high festal day;Wreaths of all hues its pillars bound,Flowers of all scents were strew’d around;The rose exhaled its fragrant sigh,Blest on the altar to smile and die;And a fragrant cloud from the censer’s breathHalf hid the sacred pomp beneath;And still the peal of choral songSwell’d the resounding aisles along;Wakening, in its triumphant flow,Deep echoes from the graves below.

Why, from its woodland birthplace torn,Doth summer’s rose that scene adorn?Why breathes the incense to the sky?Why swells th’ exulting harmony?--And see’st thou not yon form, so lightIt seems half floating on the sight,As if the whisper of a gale,That did but wave its snowy veil,Might bear it from the earth afar,A lovely but receding star?Know that devotion’s shrine e’en nowReceives that youthful vestal’s vow--For this, high hymns, sweet odours rise,A jubilee of sacrifice!Mark yet a moment! from her browYon priest shall lift the veil of snow,Ere yet a darker mantle hideThe charms to heaven thus sanctified:Stay thee! and catch their parting gleam,That ne’er shall fade from memory’s dream.A moment! oh! to Ulric’s soul,Poised between hope and fear’s control,What slow, unmeasured hours went by,Ere yet suspense grew certainty.It came at length. Once more that faceReveal’d to man its mournful grace;A sunbeam on its features fell,As if to bear the world’s farewell;And doubt was o’er. His heart grew chill:’Twas she--though changed--’twas Ella still!Though now her once-rejoicing mienWas deeply, mournfully serene;Though clouds her eye’s blue lustre shaded,And the young cheek beneath had faded,Well, well he knew the form, which castLight on his soul through all the past!’Twas with him on the battle-plain,’Twas with him on the stormy main:’Twas in his visions, when the shieldPillow’d his head on tented field;’Twas a bright beam that led him onWhere’er a triumph might be won--In danger as in glory nigh,An angel-guide to victory!

She caught his pale bewilder’d gazeOf grief half lost in fix’d amaze.Was it some vain illusion, wroughtBy frenzy of impassion’d thought?Some phantom, such as Grief hath powerTo summon in her wandering hour?No! it was he! the lost, the mourn’d--Too deeply loved, too late return’d!--A fever’d blush, a sudden start,Spoke the last weakness of her heart;’Twas vanquish’d soon--the hectic redA moment flush’d her check, and fled.Once more serene--her steadfast eyeLook’d up as to Eternity;Then gazed on Ulric with an air,That said--the home of Love is there!

Yes! there alone it smiled for him,Whose eye before that look grew dim.Not long ’twas his e’en thus to viewThe beauty of its calm adieu;Soon o’er those features, brightly pale,Was cast th’ impenetrable veil;And, if one human sigh were givenBy the pure bosom vow’d to heaven,’Twas lost, as many a murmur’d soundOf grief, “not loud, but deep,” is drown’d,In hymns of joy, which proudly riseTo tell the calm untroubled skiesThat earth hath banish’d care and woe,And man holds festivals below!

Words in this poem 143

loveliness n.: The state or quality of being lovely. [From Lovely.]
lullaby n.: A song to quiet babes or lull them to sleep; that which quiets. [From Lull, v. t.]
stillness n.: The quality or state of being still; quietness; silence; calmness; inactivity.
glare v. i.: To shine with a bright, dazzling light. [OE. glaren, gloren; cf. AS. glær amber, LG. glaren to glow or burn like coals, D. gloren to glimmer; prob. akin to E. glass.]
breathless a.: Spent with labor or violent action; out of breath.
mourner n.: One who mourns or is grieved at any misfortune, as the death of a friend.
sire n.: A lord, master, or other person in authority. See Sir. [F. sire, originally, an older person. See Sir.]
lone n.: A lane. See Loanin.
dell n.: A small, retired valley; a ravine. [AS. del, akin to E. dale; cf. D. delle, del, low ground. See Dale.]
sunbeam n.: A beam or ray of the sun. [AS. sunnebeam.]
scarce a.: Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
brink n.: The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border; as, the brink of a chasm. Also Fig. [Dan. brink edge, verge; akin to Sw. brink declivity, hill, Icel. brekka; cf. LG. brink a grassy hill, W. bryn hill, bryncyn hillock.]
untold a.: Not told; not related; not revealed; as, untold secrets.
amidst prep.: In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
umbrageous a.: Forming or affording a shade; shady; shaded; as, umbrageous trees or foliage. [Cf. F. ombraqeux shy, skittish, suspicious, in OF. also, shady. See Umbrage.]
haply adv.: By hap, chance, luck, or accident; perhaps; it may be.
yore adv.: In time long past; in old time; long since. [OE. , yare, , AS. geára;akin to geár a year, E. year. Year.]
convulsively adv.: in a convulsive manner.
streaming a.: Sending forth streams.
mould n.: Crumbling, soft, friable earth; esp., earth containing the remains or constituents of organic matter, and suited to the growth of plants; soil. [OE. molde, AS. molde; akin to D. mul, G. mull, mulm, OHG. molt, molta, Icel. mold, Dan. muld, Sw. mull, Goth. mulda, and E. meal flour. See Meal, and cf. Mole a]
moonbeam n.: A ray of light from the moon.
clung a.: Wasted away; shrunken. [Prop. p. p. fr. OE. clingen to wither. See Cling, v. i.]
await v. t.: To watch for; to look out for. [OF. awaitier, agaitier; (L. ad) + waitier, gaitier to watch, F. guetter. See Wait.]
shall v. i.: To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
festal a.: Of or pertaining to a holiday or a feast; joyous; festive. [L. festum holiday, feast. See feast.]
shook v. t.: To pack, as staves, in a shook.
strife n.: The act of striving; earnest endeavor. [OF. estrif. See Strive.]
spoke n.: The radius or ray of a wheel; one of the small bars which are inserted in the hub, or nave, and which serve to support the rim or felly. [OE. spoke, spake, AS, spaca; akin to D. speek, LG. speke, OHG. speihha, G. speiche. sq. root170. Cf. Spike a nail.]
abhor v. i.: To shrink back with horror, disgust, or dislike; to be contrary or averse; -- with from.
fondly adv.: Foolishly. Verstegan (1673).
shalt: 2d per. sing. of Shall.
falter v. t.: To thrash in the chaff; also, to cleanse or sift, as barley.
trophied a.: Adorned with trophies.
knightly a.: Of or pertaining to a knight; becoming a knight; chivalrous; as, a knightly combat; a knightly spirit. [AS. cnihtlic boyish.]
haunted a.: Inhabited by, or subject to the visits of, apparitions; frequented by a ghost.
penury n.: Absence of resources; want; privation; indigence; extreme poverty; destitution. [L. penuria; cf. Gr. pénurie.]
inmost a.: Deepest within; farthest from the surface or external part; innermost. [OE. innemest, AS. innemest, a double superlative form fr. inne within, fr. in in. The modern form is due to confusion with most. See In, and cf. Aftermost, Fore]
ascendant n.: Ascent; height; elevation. [F. ascendant, L. ascendens; p. pr. of ascendere.]
unspotted a.: Not spotted; free from spot or stain; especially, free from moral stain; unblemished; immaculate; as, an unspotted reputation.
dwell v. i.: To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
aught n.: Property; possession. [AS. , fr. agan to own, p. p. ahte.]
vigil n.: Abstinence from sleep, whether at a time when sleep is customary or not; the act of keeping awake, or the state of being awake, or the state of being awake; sleeplessness; wakefulness; watch. [OE. vigile, L. vigilia, from vigil awake, watchful, probably akin to E. wake: cf. F. vigile. See Wake, v. i., and cf. Reveille, Surveillance, Vedette, Vegetable]
soundless a.: Not capable of being sounded or fathomed; unfathomable.
viewless a.: Not perceivable by the eye; invisible; unseen.
unearthly a.: Not terrestrial; supernatural; preternatural; hence, weird; appalling; terrific; as, an unearthly sight or sound.
unclasp v. t.: To loose the clasp of; to open, as something that is fastened, or as with, a clasp; as, to unclasp a book; to unclasp one's heart. [1st pref. un- + clasp.]
meed v. t.: To reward; to repay. Waytt.
broke v. i.: To transact business for another. Brome. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
vineyard n.: An inclosure or yard for grapevines; a plantation of vines producing grapes. [For OE. winyard, AS. wingeard; influenced by E. vine. See Wine, and Yard an inclosure.]
childhood n.: The state of being a child; the time in which persons are children; the condition or time from infancy to puberty. [AS. cildhad; cild child + -had. See Child, and hood.]
ruthless a.: Having no ruth; cruel; pitiless.
reft n.: A chink; a rift. See Rift. Rom. of R.
didst: , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
unfriended a.: Wanting friends; not befriended; not countenanced or supported.
unallied a.: Not allied; having no ally; having no connection or relation; as, unallied species or genera.
unveil v. t.: To remove a veil from; to divest of a veil; to uncover; to disclose to view; to reveal; as, she unveiled her face. [1st pref. un- + veil.]
depart v. i.: To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
twill v. i.: To weave, as cloth, so as to produce the appearance of diagonal lines or ribs on the surface. [Scotch tweel; probably from LG. twillen to make double, from twi- two; akin to AS. twi-, E. twi- in twilight. See Twice, and cf. Tweed, Tweel.]
soothe v. t.: To assent to as true. Testament of Love. [Originally, to assent to as true; OE. so to verify, AS. ges to prove the truth of, to bear witness. See Sooth, a.]
deem v. t.: To decide; to judge; to sentence; to condemn. [OE. demen to judge, condemn, AS. d, fr. d doom; akin to OFries. d, OS. ad, D. doemen, OHG. tuommen, Icel. dæma, Sw. dömma, Dan. dömme, Goth. d. See Doom, n., an]
betide v. t.: To happen to; to befall; to come to ; as, woe betide the wanderer. [OE. bitiden; pref. bi-, be- + tiden, fr. AS. tidan, to happen, fr. tid time. See Tide.]
waft v. t.: To give notice to by waving something; to wave the hand to; to beckon. [Prob. originally imp. & p. p. of wave, v. t. See Wave to waver.]
lave v. t.: To lade, dip, or pour out. [OE. laven. See Lavish.]
kneel v. i.: To bend the knee; to fall or rest on the knees; -- sometimes with down. [OE. knelen, cneolien; akin to D. knielen, Dan. knæle. See Knee.]
relent v. i.: To become less rigid or hard; to yield; to dissolve; to melt; to deliquesce. [F. ralentir, fr. L. pref. re- re- + ad to + lentus pliant, flexible, slow. See Lithe.]
despise v. t.: To look down upon with disfavor or contempt; to contemn; to scorn; to disdain; to have a low opinion or contemptuous dislike of. [OF. despis-, in some forms of despire to despise, fr. L. despicere, despectum, to look down upon, despise; de- + spicere, specere, to look. See Spy, and cf. Des]
hast: , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
desolation n.: The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation. [F. désolation, L. desolatio.]
suppliant a.: Asking earnestly and submissively; entreating; beseeching; supplicating. [F., p.pr. of supplier to entreat, L. supplicare. See Supplicate, and cf. Supplicant.]
despairing a.: Feeling or expressing despair; hopeless.
blent p. p.: Blinded. Also (Chaucer), 3d sing. pres. Blindeth.
luxuriance n.: The state or quality of being luxuriant; rank, vigorous growth; excessive abundance produced by rank growth. [Cf. F. luxuriance.]
trode n.: Tread; footing. [AS. trod, fr. tredan to tread. See Tread.]
huntsman n.: One who hunts, or who practices hunting.
sublimity n.: The quality or state of being sublime (in any sense of the adjective). [L. sublimitas: cf. F. sublimité.]
peopled a.: Stocked with, or as with, people; inhabited.
outcast a.: Cast out; degraded. [Cf. Sw. utkasta to cast out.]
heritage a.: That which is inherited, or passes from heir to heir; inheritance. [OE. heritage, eritage, OF. heritage, eritage, F. héritage, fr. hériter to inherit, LL. heriditare. See Hereditable.]
minstrelsy n.: The arts and occupation of minstrels; the singing and playing of a minstrel.
nobly adv.: Of noble extraction; as, nobly born or descended.
quenchless a.: Incapable of being quenched; inextinguishable; as, quenchless fire or fury.
wage v. i.: To bind one's self; to engage.
vengeful a.: Vindictive; retributive; revengeful.
dirge n.: A piece of music of a mournful character, to accompany funeral rites; a funeral hymn. [Contraction of Lat. dirige, direct thou (imperative of dirigere), the first word of a funeral hymn (Lat. transl. of Psalm v. 8) beginning, "Dirige, Domine, in c]
appalling a.: Such as to appall; as, an appalling accident.
upbraid n.: The act of reproaching; contumely.
nameless a.: Without a name; not having been given a name; as, a nameless star.
strangely adv.: As something foreign, or not one's own; in a manner adapted to something foreign and strange.
piled a.: Having a pile or point; pointed. [From 2d Pile.]
colossal a.: Of enormous size; gigantic; huge; as, a colossal statue. [Cf. F. cossal, L. colosseus. See Colossus.]
sullen a.: Lonely; solitary; desolate. Wyclif (Job iii. 14). [OE. solein, solain, lonely, sullen; through Old French fr. (assumed) LL. solanus solitary, fr. L. solus alone. See Sole, a.]
immensity n.: The state or quality of being immense; inlimited or immeasurable extension; infinity; vastness in extent or bulk; greatness. [L. immensitas: cf. F. immensité.]
countless a.: Incapable of being counted; not ascertainable; innumerable.
ceaseless a.: Without pause or end; incessant.
ivied a.: Overgrown with ivy. [From Ivy.]
ingenuous a.: Of honorable extraction; freeborn; noble; as, ingenuous blood of birth. [L. ingenuus inborn, innate, freeborn, noble, frank; pref. in- in + the root of gignere to beget. See Genius, and cf. Ingenious.]
haughtily adv.: In a haughty manner; arrogantly. [From Haughty.]
visage n.: The face, countenance, or look of a person or an animal; -- chiefly applied to the human face. [F. visage, from L. visus a seeing, a look, fr. videre, visum, to see. See Vision.]
passionless a.: Void of passion; without anger or emotion; not easily excited; calm.
flown a.: Flushed, inflated.
hoary a.: White or whitish."The hoary willows."
sleepless a.: Having no sleep; wakeful.
fruitless a.: Lacking, or not bearing, fruit; barren; destitute of offspring; as, a fruitless tree or shrub; a fruitless marriage.
austerely adv.: Severely; rigidly; sternly.
vigour v. t.: To invigorate. Feltham.
adjure v. t.: To charge, bind, or command, solemnly, as if under oath, or under the penalty of a curse; to appeal to in the most solemn or impressive manner; to entreat earnestly. [L. adjurare, adjurdium, to swear to; later, to adjure: cf. F. adjurer. See Jury.]
haughty a.: High; lofty; bold. [OE. hautein, F. hautain, fr. haut high, OF. also halt, fr. L. altus. See Altitude.]
angry a.: Troublesome; vexatious; rigorous. [See Anger.]
desperation n.: The act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope. [L. desperatio: cf. OF. desperation.]
faltering a.: Hesitating; trembling.
tearless a.: Shedding no tears; free from tears; unfeeling.
beholding a.: Obliged; beholden.
explore v. t.: To seek for or after; to strive to attain by search; to look wisely and carefully for. [L. explorare to explore; ex out+plorare to cry out aloud,prob. orig., to cause to flow; perh. akin to E. flow: cf. F. explorer.]
bade: A form of the pat tense of Bid.
sunshine n.: The light of the sun, or the place where it shines; the direct rays of the sun, the place where they fall, or the warmth and light which they give.
triumphantly adv.: In a triumphant manner.
exulting a.: Rejoicing triumphantly or exceedingly; exultant.
bier n.: A handbarrow or portable frame on which a corpse is placed or borne to the grave. [OE. bæe, beere, AS. b, b; akin to D. baar, OHG. bara, G. bahre, Icel barar, Dbaare, L. feretrum, Gr. , from the same bear to produce. See 1st Bear, and cf. Barr]
steed n.: A horse, especially a spirited horse for state of war; -- used chiefly in poetry or stately prose. [OE. stede, AS. steda a stud-horse, war horse, fr. stod a stud of breeding steeds; akin to G. stute a mare, Icel. stedda, sto, a stud. *163. See Stud of horses.]
clarion n.: A kind of trumpet, whose note is clear and shrill. [OE. clarioun, OF. clarion, F. clairon, LL. clario, claro; so called from its clear tone, fr. L. clarus clear. See Clear.]
sunny a.: Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
fleetly adv.: In a fleet manner; rapidly.
blazon v. t.: To depict in colors; to display; to exhibit conspicuously; to publish or make public far and wide. [From blazon, n.; confused with 4th blaze: cf. F. blasonner.]
tuneful a.: Harmonious; melodious; musical; as, tuneful notes.
boding a.: Foreshowing; presaging; ominous.
fane n.: A temple; a place consecrated to religion; a church. [L. fanum a place dedicated to some deity, a sanctuary, fr. fari to speak. See Fame.]
glorious a.: Exhibiting attributes, qualities, or acts that are worthy of or receive glory; noble; praiseworthy; excellent; splendid; illustrious; inspiring admiration; as, glorious deeds. [OF. glorios, glorious, F. glorieux, fr. L. gloriosus. See Glory, n.]
anthem v. t.: To celebrate with anthems.
hallow v. t.: To make holy; to set apart for holy or religious use; to consecrate; to treat or keep as sacred; to reverence. [OE. halowen, halwien, halgien, AS. halgian, fr. halig holy. See Holy.]
censer n.: A vessel for perfumes; esp. one in which incense is burned. [For incenser, fr. OF. encensier, F. encensoir, fr. LL. incensarium, incensorium, fr. L. incensum incense. See Incense, and cf. Incensory.]
peal v. i.: To appeal. Spencer.
choral a.: Of or pertaining to a choir or chorus; singing, sung, or adapted to be sung, in chorus or harmony. Choral service, a service of song. [LL. choralis, fr. L. chorus. See Chorus.]
wakening n.: The act of one who wakens; esp., the act of ceasing to sleep; an awakening.
birthplace n.: The town, city, or country, where a person is born; place of origin or birth, in its more general sense.
snowy a.: White like snow.
afar adv.: At, to, or from a great distance; far away; -- often used with from preceding, or off following; as, he was seen from afar; I saw him afar off. [Pref. a-.(for on or of) + far.]
vestal a.: Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth; hence, pure; chaste. [L. Vestalis belonging to Vesta, vestal. See Vesta.]
sanctified a.: Made holy; also, made to have the air of sanctity; sanctimonious.
went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.
lustre n.: A period of five years; a lustrum. [L. lustrum: cf. F. lustre.]
tented a.: Covered with tents.
amaze v. t.: To bewilder; to stupefy; to bring into a maze. [Pref. a- + maze.]
hectic a.: Habitual; constitutional; pertaining especially to slow waste of animal tissue, as in consumption; as, a hectic type in disease; a hectic flush. [F. hectique, Gr. sah to overpower, endure; cf. AS. sige, sigor, victory, G. sieg, Goth. sigis. Cf. Scheme.]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Part II is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Felicia Hemans, Project Gutenberg ebook #66785; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: Felicia Hemans, Part II, in Poems (1808–1835), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hemans-poems/part-ii-2.html, id L19276.

Form and metre

Part II is 844 lines in 39 verse paragraphs. It is in rhyming couplets, 88% of the lines: octosyllabic couplets. The metre is iambic tetrameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 90%).

See other poems in octosyllabic couplets, other poems in iambic tetrameter.

Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.

Rhyme words, stanza by stanza

The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.

1 AABBC-DDEEFFGGHHCC--IIJJJC- shades^A · arcades^A · blow^B · below^B · fly^C · majesty · themes^D · dreams^D · thought^E · caught^E · rest^F · blest^F · alike^G · strike^G · made^H · shade^H · nigh^C · lullaby^C · bowers · lowers · wait^I · fate^I · air^J · glare^J · there^J · high^C · harmony
2 AABBCCDDBBB traced^A · haste^A · hear^B · ear^B · play^C · lay^C · sought^D · thought^D · deer^B · near^B · fear^B
3 AABBCCDDEEFFGG dell^A · fell^A · noon^B · moon^B · seen^C · between^C · around^D · frown'd^D · high^E · sky^E · cave^F · gave^F · grew^G · hue^G
4 AABBCCDDEE untold^A · old^A · thrown^B · own^B · gloom^C · tomb^C · moss^D · cross^D · bore^E · yore^E
5 AABBCCBBDDEEFFGGHH kneeling^A · revealing^A · prayer^B · hair^B · mould^C · cold^C · despair^B · bear^B · wrought^D · thought^D · view^E · true^E · eye^F · nigh^F · wild^G · child^G · sprung^H · clung^H
6 AABBCC cried^A · bride^A · await^B · fate^B · be^C · thee^C
7 AABBCCDDEEFF throng^A · song^A · spread^B · head^B · roam^C · home^C · share^D · bear^D · decree^E · free^E · secure^F · pure^F
8 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHII--JJKKLL look^A · shook^A · express^B · bitterness^B · hence^C · innocence^C · eye^D · fly^D · seek^E · speak^E · doom^F · bloom^F · frame^G · shame^G · abhor^H · before^H · breast^I · blest^I · turn · scorn · past^J · cast^J · fall^K · all^K · bereaved^L · deceived^L
9 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHH--IIJJKKLL-- tale^A · fail^A · tell^B · well^B · conceal'd^C · appeal'd^C · wave^D · brave^D · land^E · hand^E · rest^F · crest^F · eyes^G · lies^G · spot^H · forgot^H · scene · been · laid^I · shade^I · nigh^J · dye^J · raised^K · glazed^K · forgive^L · live^L · driven · heaven
10 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ won^A · son^A · born^B · scorn^B · halls^C · walls^C · thought^D · wrought^D · guile^E · smile^E · name^F · flame^F · powers^G · hours^G · soul^H · control^H · dwell^I · fell^I · bliss^J · abyss^J
11 --AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMDD by · eternity · years^A · fears^A · gain'd^B · stain'd^B · lands^C · sands^C · mind^D · pined^D · one^E · shun^E · waste^F · traced^F · ray^G · lay^G · shone^H · alone^H · dead^I · tread^I · blast^J · pass'd^J · stood^K · blood^K · fear^L · near^L · thrill^M · still^M · undefined^D · mind^D
12 --AABB--CCDDEEFFGGHHII--JJKKLLMMNN--OO on · begone · brow^A · now^A · meed^B · decreed^B · chain · again · joy^C · destroy^C · towers^D · bowers^D · press'd^E · breast^E · yet^F · met^F · sprung^G · clung^G · less^H · loveliness^H · whom^I · doom^I · given · heaven · band^J · land^J · wild^K · child^K · nursed^L · burst^L · nigh^M · die^M · life^N · strife^N · unallied · guide · gloom^O · tomb^O
13 AABBCCDDEE--FFGGAA heart^A · depart^A · fly^B · i^B · breast^C · blest^C · here^D · near^D · snare^E · there^E · o'er · more · skies^F · rise^F · lot^G · not^G · heart^A · depart^A
14 AABBAACCDDEEFFGG dead^A · fled^A · warm^B · form^B · head^A · riveted^A · press'd^C · breast^C · eye^D · sigh^D · dwelt^E · felt^E · beam'd^F · seem'd^F · dismay^G · away^G
15 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLMMNN frame^A · came^A · relumed^B · assumed^B · gaze^C · raise^C · low^D · woe^D · broke^E · spoke^E · betide^F · side^F · thrill^G · still^G · deed^H · need^H · love^I · above^I · wave^J · lave^J · despair^K · prayer^K · shrine^L · thine^L · blend^M · ascend^M · rise^N · despise^N
16 AABBCCDDEEFFGG--HHIIJJKK tears^A · years^A · express^B · bitterness^B · heart^C · start^C · love^D · move^D · brings^E · wings^E · feel^F · steal^F · below^G · woe^G · forgiven · heaven · plead^H · decreed^H · cry^I · high^I · shed^J · head^J · free^K · thee^K
17 AABBCCDDEE--FFGGHHFFIIJJK-K- sign^A · divine^A · stood^B · flood^B · laved^C · saved^C · blent^D · innocent^D · birth^E · earth^E · cry · agony · source^F · remorse^F · thence^G · penitence^G · tide^H · purified^H · course^F · force^F · expand^I · land^I · rains^J · plains^J · cheer^K · trode · tear^K · god
18 AA--BBCCDD--EEFF ne'er^A · there^A · eye · sublimity · swain^B · domain^B · forms^C · storms^C · light^D · bright^D · sweetest · fleetest · brow^E · now^E · chief^F · grief^F
19 ABABCC----DDEEFFGGHH--IIJJKKLLMM--NNOO--PP--QQ--RR flower^A · grace^B · tower^A · place^B · pass'd^C · last^C · by · minstrelsy · hues · diffuse · things^D · clings^D · state^E · desolate^E · maid^F · array'd^F · below^G · woe^G · prime^H · crime^H · eyes · sacrifice · shrine^I · resign^I · not^J · lot^J · worth^K · earth^K · source^L · force^L · might^M · bright^M · sigh · harmony · sought^N · thought^N · child^O · wild^O · high · eternity · wage^P · rage^P · faith · death · around^Q · sound^Q · sky · majesty · fires^R · desires^R
20 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ austere^A · appear^A · repose^B · foes^B · dread^C · dead^C · tone^D · unknown^D · cave^E · grave^E · dart^F · heart^F · night^G · light^G · pervades^H · shades^H · hour^I · power^I · thrill^J · still^J
21 AABBCCDDCCEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLL--MMNNOO--PPQQRRSSTTUUVVWWXXYYZZaabbccdd--eeff-- day^A · way^A · sound^B · round^B · spread^C · red^C · bowers^D · towers^D · fled^C · tread^C · unknown^E · lone^E · unconfess'd^F · oppress'd^F · hurl'd^G · world^G · throes^H · repose^H · forms^I · storms^I · crest^J · rest^J · rude^K · solitude^K · hand^L · plann'd^L · by · immensity · wood^M · blood^M · told^N · old^N · frown'd^O · round^O · lower'd · tower'd · hung^P · sprung^P · ear^Q · near^Q · falls^R · intervals^R · stream^S · gleam^S · caves^T · waves^T · scene^U · mien^U · eye^V · nigh^V · bore^W · door^W · dome^X · home^X · way^Y · day^Y · cast^Z · pass'd^Z · might^a · sight^a · heart^b · start^b · face^c · grace^c · thought^d · wrought^d · eye · severity · austere^e · fear^e · veil^f · pale^f · guess · passionless
22 AABBAACCDD tone^A · flown^A · bowers^B · towers^B · unknown^A · alone^A · fears^C · seers^C · fly^D · die^D
23 AABBCCDDEEFF maid^A · pray'd^A · steel^B · feel^B · prove^C · love^C · hair^D · spare^D · years^E · fears^E · prayers^F · theirs^F
24 AABBCCDDEE remain'd^A · maintain'd^A · ne'er^B · care^B · years^C · tears^C · melt^D · felt^D · by^E · die^E
25 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHH brow^A · now^A · strength^B · length^B · child^C · defiled^C · prayer^D · spare^D · flown^E · alone^E · heart^F · part^F · knows^G · woes^G · again^H · vain^H
26 AABBCCDDEE----FFGG--HH not^A · forgot^A · away^B · lay^B · suspense^C · sense^C · gleam'd^D · stream'd^D · flow^E · blow^E · sire · expire · high · humility · stood^F · blood^F · hand^G · command^G · will · fulfil · won^H · done^H
27 AABBCCDD undefined^A · mind^A · ran^B · man^B · breath^C · death^C · drew^D · new^D
28 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHH ne'er^A · care^A · years^B · tears^B · me^C · see^C · then^D · men^D · vow^E · now^E · steel^F · reveal^F · ear^G · hear^G · flown^H · alone^H
29 AABB fear^A · austere^A · cross'd^B · lost^B
30 AABBCC--DDEEFFGGHHIIJJKK wild^A · child^A · skies^B · lullabies^B · wood^C · blood^C · heaven · driven · trace^D · race^D · cast^E · past^E · day^F · lay^F · veil^G · tale^G · know^H · woe^H · regret^I · yet^I · tell^J · well^J · line^K · rhine^K
31 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ--KKLLMMNNOOPPQQRRSSTTUU pass'd^A · last^A · fears^B · years^B · dust^C · just^C · done^D · son^D · shed^E · dead^E · broke^F · awoke^F · know^G · woe^G · serene^H · scene^H · slept^I · wept^I · nigh^J · eye^J · close · repose · aught^K · thought^K · maid^L · survey'd^L · tale^M · pale^M · word^N · heard^N · weak^O · speak^O · clay^P · lay^P · trace^Q · face^Q · more^R · explore^R · shun^S · won^S · bade^T · pray'd^T · doom^U · tomb^U
32 AABBCCDDEEFFGG shore^A · more^A · hill^B · still^B · stream^C · gleam^C · song^D · along^D · there^E · air^E · wave^F · gave^F · rose^G · close^G
33 AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJKKLLFF dying^A · lying^A · gushing^B · rushing^B · hearted^C · parted^C · swaying^D · playing^D · swelling^E · dwelling^E · line^F · rhine^F · enclosing^G · reposing^G · laving^H · waving^H · sleeping^I · peeping^I · ringing^J · singing^J · fleetly^K · sweetly^K · glowing^L · flowing^L · line^F · rhine^F
34 AABBCCDD--EEFFGHIIHG bowers^A · towers^A · fled^B · dead^B · woe^C · below^C · crown'd^D · around^D · by · ancestry · night^E · light^E · more^F · lore^F · gone^G · tone^H · still^I · thrill^I · moan^H · gone^G
35 --AABBCCDD scene · been · thought^A · sought^A · stood^B · wood^B · spot^C · forgot^C · alone^D · known^D
36 AABBCCDDCCEEFF--GGHH rose^A · repose^A · breast^B · blest^B · away^C · lay^C · fane^D · strain^D · array^C · day^C · bound^E · around^E · sigh^F · die^F · breath · beneath · song^G · along^G · flow^H · below^H
37 AA--BBCCDDEE--E-FFGGHH--IIJJKKLL--MMNNOO---- torn^A · adorn^A · sky · harmony · light^B · sight^B · gale^C · veil^C · afar^D · star^D · now^E · vow^E · rise · sacrifice · brow^E · snow · hide^F · sanctified^F · gleam^G · dream^G · soul^H · control^H · by · certainty · face^I · grace^I · fell^J · farewell^J · chill^K · still^K · mien^L · serene^L · shaded · faded · cast^M · past^M · plain^N · main^N · shield^O · field^O · on · won · nigh · victory
38 AABBCC--DDEE--FF gaze^A · amaze^A · wrought^B · thought^B · power^C · hour^C · mourn'd · return'd · start^D · heart^D · red^E · fled^E · eye · eternity · air^F · there^F
39 AABBCC--DDEEFF him^A · dim^A · view^B · adieu^B · pale^C · veil^C · given · heaven · sound^D · drown'd^D · rise^E · skies^E · woe^F · below^F

Scansion, line by line

Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic tetrameter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
Sweet is the gloom of forest shades,	8	·····/˘·
Their pillar’d walks and dim arcades,	8	·/˘···˘/
With all the thousand flowers that blow,	8	···/˘/··
A waste of loveliness, below.	8	···/˘˘··
To him whose soul the world would fly,	8	········
For nature’s lonely majesty:	8	·/˘/˘/˘˘
To bard, when wrapt in mighty themes,	8	·····/˘·
To lover, lost in fairy dreams,	8	·/˘··/˘·
To hermit, whose prophetic thought	8	·/˘·˘/˘·
By fits a gleam of heaven hath caught,	8	·····/··
And, in the visions of his rest,	8	···/˘···
Held bright communion with the blest:	8	··˘/˘···
’Tis sweet, but solemn! There alike	8	···/˘·˘/
Silence and sound with awe can strike.	8	/˘······
The deep Eolian murmur made	9	··˘/˘˘/˘·
By sighing breeze and rustling shade,	8	·/˘··/˘·
And cavern’d fountain gushing nigh,	8	···/˘/˘·
And wild-bee’s plaintive lullaby:	8	···/˘/˘·
Or the dead stillness of the bowers,	9	···/˘··/˘
When dark the summer-tempest lowers;	9	···/˘/˘/˘
When silent nature seems to wait	8	·/˘/˘···
The gathering thunder’s voice of fate;	8	·/˘/˘···
When the aspen scarcely waves in air,	9	··/˘/˘···
And the clouds collect for the lightning’s glare--	10	···˘/··/˘·
Each, each alike is awful there,	8	··˘/·/˘·
And thrills the soul with feelings high,	8	·····/˘·
As some majestic harmony.	8	··˘/˘/˘˘
But she, the maid, whose footsteps traced	8	·····/··
Each green retreat in breathless haste--	8	··˘/·/˘·
Young Ella--linger’d not to hear	8	·/˘/˘···
The wood-notes, lost on mourner’s ear.	8	·····/˘·
The shivering leaf, the breeze’s play,	8	·/˘··/˘·
The fountain’s gush, the wild-bird’s lay--	8	·/˘·····
These charm not now; her sire she sought,	8	·····/··
With trembling frame, with anxious thought,	8	·/˘··/˘·
And, starting if a forest deer	8	·/˘··/˘·
But moved the rustling branches near,	8	···/˘/˘·
First felt that innocence may fear.	8	···/˘˘··
She reach’d a lone and shadowy dell,	8	·····/˘·
Where the free sunbeam never fell;	8	···/·/˘·
’Twas twilight there at summer noon,	8	·/···/˘·
Deep night beneath the harvest moon,	8	·····/˘·
And scarce might one bright star be seen	8	········
Gleaming the tangled boughs between;	8	/˘·/˘···
For many a giant rock around	8	·/·/˘···
Dark in terrific grandeur frown’d,	8	··˘/˘˘/·
And the ancient oaks, that waved on high,	9	··/˘·····
Shut out each glimpse of the blessèd sky.	8	········
There the cold spring, in its shadowy cave,	9	······/˘·
Ne’er to heaven’s beam one sparkle gave,	9	··/˘··/˘·
And the wild flower, on its brink that grew,	9	···/·····
Caught not from day one glowing hue.	8	·····/˘·
’Twas said, some fearful deed untold	8	···/˘·˘/
Had stain’d that scene in days of old;	8	········
Tradition o’er the haunt had thrown	8	˘/˘·····
A shade yet deeper than its own;	8	···/˘···
And still, amidst th’ umbrageous gloom,	8	··˘/˘/˘·
Perchance above some victim’s tomb,	8	˘/···/˘·
O’ergrown with ivy and with moss,	8	···/˘···
There stood a rudely-sculptured Cross,	8	···/˘/˘·
Which, haply, silent record bore	8	·/˘/˘/˘·
Of guilt and penitence of yore.	8	···/˘˘··
Who by that holy sign was kneeling,	9	···/˘··/˘
With brow unutter’d pangs revealing,	9	······˘/˘
Hands clasp’d convulsively in prayer,	8	··˘/˘˘··
And lifted eyes and streaming hair,	8	·/˘··/˘·
And cheek, all pale as marble mould,	8	·····/˘·
Seen by the moonbeam’s radiance cold?	8	···/·/˘·
Was it some image of despair	8	···/˘·˘/
Still fix’d that stamp of woe to bear?	8	········
--Oh! ne’er could Art her forms have wrought	8	········
To speak such agonies of thought!	8	···/˘˘··
Those deathlike features gave to view	8	·/˘/˘···
A mortal’s pangs too deep and true!	8	·/˘·····
Starting he rose, with frenzied eye,	8	/˘···/˘·
As Ella’s hurried step drew nigh;	8	·/˘/˘···
He turn’d, with aspect darkly wild,	8	···/·/˘·
Trembling he stood--before his child!	8	/˘······
On, with a burst of tears, she sprung,	8	········
And to her father’s bosom clung.	8	···/˘/˘·
“Away! what seek’st thou here?” he cried,	8	˘/······
“Art thou not now thine Ulric’s bride?	8	·····/˘·
Hence, leave me--leave me to await,	8	······˘/
In solitude, the storm of Fate;	8	·/˘·····
Thou know’st not what my doom may be,	8	········
Ere evening comes in peace to thee.”	8	·/˘·····
“My father! shall the joyous throng	8	·/˘··/˘·
Swell high for me the bridal song?	8	·····/˘·
Shall the gay nuptial board be spread,	8	···/˘···
The festal garland bind my head,	8	·/˘/˘···
And thou in grief, in peril, roam,	8	·····/˘·
And make the wilderness thy home?	8	···/˘˘··
No! I am here with thee to share	8	········
All suffering mortal strength may bear;	8	·/˘/˘···
And, oh! whate’er thy foes decree,	9	··˘˘/··˘/
In life, in death, in chains, or free--	8	········
Well, well I feel, in thee secure;	8	······˘/
Thy heart and hand alike are pure!”	8	····˘/··
Then was there meaning in his look,	8	···/˘···
Which deep that trusting spirit shook;	8	···/˘/˘·
So wildly did each glance express	8	·/˘···˘/
The strife of shame and bitterness,--	8	·····/˘˘
As thus he spoke: “Fond dreams, oh hence!	8	········
Is this the mien of Innocence?	8	·····/˘˘
This furrow’d brow, this restless eye--	8	·/˘··/˘·
Read thou this fearful tale, and fly!	8	···/˘···
Is it enough? or must I seek	8	··˘/····
For words, the tale of guilt to speak?	8	········
Then be it so--I will not doom	8	········
Thy youth to wither in its bloom;	8	···/˘···
I will not see thy tender frame	8	·····/˘·
Bow’d to the earth with fear and shame.	8	········
No! though I teach thee to abhor	8	······˘/
The sire so fondly loved before;	8	·/·/˘···
Though the dread effort rend my breast,	8	···/˘···
Yet shalt thou leave me and be blest!	8	········
Oh! bitter penance! thou wilt turn	8	·/˘/˘···
Away in horror and in scorn;	8	˘/·/˘···
Thy looks, that still through all the past	8	········
Affection’s gentlest beams have cast,	8	˘/˘/˘···
As lightning on my heart will fall,	8	·/˘·····
And I must mark and bear it all!	8	········
Yet though of life’s best ties bereaved,	8	······˘/
Thou shalt not, must not, be deceived!	8	······˘/
“I linger--let me speed the tale	8	·/˘·····
Ere voice, and thought, and memory fail.	8	·····/˘·
Why should I falter thus to tell	8	···/˘···
What heaven so long hath known too well?	8	·/······
Yes! though from mortal sight conceal’d,	8	···/˘·˘/
There hath a brother’s blood appeal’d!	8	···/˘·˘/
He died--’twas not where banners wave,	8	·····/˘·
And war-steeds trample on the brave;	8	···/˘···
He died--it was in Holy Land--	8	·····/˘·
Yet fell he not by Paynim hand;	8	·····/˘·
He sleeps not with his sires at rest,	8	········
With trophied shield and knightly crest;	8	·/˘··/˘·
Unknown his grave to kindred eyes,	8	˘/···/˘·
--But I can tell thee where he lies!	8	········
It was a wild and savage spot,	8	·····/˘·
But once beheld--and ne’er forgot!	8	··˘/··˘/
I see it now--that haunted scene	8	·····/˘·
My spirit’s dwelling still hath been;	8	·/˘/˘···
And he is there--I see him laid	8	········
Beneath that palm-tree’s lonely shade.	8	·····/˘·
The fountain-wave that sparkles nigh	8	·/˘··/˘·
Bears witness with its crimson dye!	8	·/˘··/˘·
I see th’ accusing glance he raised,	8	··˘/˘···
Ere that dim eye by death was glazed;	8	········
--Ne’er will that parting look forgive!	8	···/˘·˘/
I still behold it--and I live!	8	··˘/····
I live! from hope, from mercy driven,	9	·····/˘/˘
A mark for all the shafts of heaven!	9	·······/˘
“Yet had I wrongs. By fraud he won	8	········
My birth-right; and my child, my son,	8	········
Heir to high name, high fortune born,	8	·····/˘·
Was doom’d to penury and scorn,	8	···/˘˘··
An alien midst his fathers’ halls,	8	·/˘··/˘·
An exile from his native walls.	8	·/···/˘·
Could I bear this? The rankling thought,	8	·····/˘·
Deep, dark, within my bosom wrought;	8	·····/˘·
Some serpent, kindling hate and guile,	8	·/˘/˘···
Lurk’d in my infant’s rosy smile,	8	···/˘/˘·
And when his accents lisp’d my name,	8	···/˘···
They woke my inmost heart to flame!	8	···/˘···
I struggled--are there evil powers	9	·/˘··/˘/˘
That claim their own ascendant hours?	9	····˘/˘/˘
--Oh! what should thine unspotted soul	8	····˘/˘·
Or know or fear of their control?	8	······˘/
Why on the fearful conflict dwell?	8	···/˘/˘·
Vainly I struggled, and I fell--	8	/˘·/˘···
Cast down from every hope of bliss--	8	···/˘···
Too well thou know’st to what abyss!	8	······˘/
“’Twas done!--that moment hurried by	8	···/˘/˘·
To darken all eternity.	8	·/˘·˘/˘˘
Years roll’d away, long evil years,	8	··˘/·/˘·
Of woes, of fetters, and of fears;	8	···/˘···
Nor aught but vain remorse I gain’d	8	····˘/··
By the deep guilt my soul which stain’d.	8	········
For, long a captive in the lands	8	···/˘···
Where Arabs tread their burning sands,	8	·/˘··/˘·
The haunted midnight of the mind	8	·/˘/····
Was round me while in chains I pined,	8	········
By all forgotten, save by one	8	··˘/˘···
Dread presence--which I could not shun.	8	·/˘·····
--How oft, when o’er the silent waste	8	·····/˘·
Nor path nor landmark might be traced,	8	···/····
When slumbering by the watch-fire’s ray,	8	·/˘···/·
The Wanderers of the Desert lay,	8	·/˘··/˘·
And stars, as o’er an ocean shone,	8	·····/˘·
Vigil I kept--but not alone!	8	/˘····˘/
That form, that image, from the dead,	8	···/˘···
Still walk’d the wild with soundless tread!	8	·····/˘·
I’ve seen it in the fiery blast,	8	·····/˘·
I’ve seen it where the sand-storms pass’d;	8	········
Beside the Desert’s fount it stood,	8	˘/·/˘···
Tinging the clear cold wave with blood;	8	/˘······
And e’en when viewless, by the fear	8	···/˘···
Curdling my veins, I knew ’twas near!	8	········
--Was near!--I feel th’ unearthly thrill,	8	····˘/˘·
Its power is on my spirit still!	8	·/···/˘·
A mystic influence, undefined,	8	·/˘/˘·˘/
The spell, the shadow of my mind!	8	···/····
“Wilt thou yet linger? Time speeds on;	8	···/˘···
One last farewell, and then begone!	8	···/··˘/
Unclasp the hands that shade thy brow,	8	˘/······
And let me read thine aspect now!	8	·····/··
No! stay thee yet, and learn the meed	8	········
Heaven’s justice to my crime decreed.	9	/˘/˘···˘/
Slow came the day that broke my chain,	8	········
But I at length was free again;	8	······˘/
And freedom brings a burst of joy,	8	·/˘·····
E’en guilt itself can scarce destroy.	8	··˘/··˘/
I thought upon my own fair towers,	9	·······/˘
My native Rhine’s gay vineyard bowers,	9	·/˘··/˘/˘
And in a father’s visions, press’d	8	···/˘/˘·
Thee and thy brother to my breast.	8	···/˘···
--’Twas but in visions. Canst thou yet	8	···/˘···
Recall the moment when we met?	8	˘/·/˘···
Thy step to greet me lightly sprung,	8	·····/˘·
Thy arms around me fondly clung;	8	·····/˘·
Scarce aught than infant seraph less	8	···/˘/˘·
Seem’d thy pure childhood’s loveliness.	8	···/·/˘˘
But he was gone--that son for whom	8	········
I rush’d on guilt’s eternal doom;	8	····˘/˘·
He for whose sake alone were given	9	····˘/·/˘
My peace on earth, my hope in heaven--	9	·······/˘
He met me not. A ruthless band,	8	·····/˘·
Whose name with terror fill’d the land,	8	···/˘···
Fierce outlaws of the wood and wild	8	·/······
Had reft the father of his child.	8	···/˘···
Foes to my race, the hate they nursed,	8	········
Full on that cherish’d scion burst.	8	···/˘/˘·
Unknown his fate.--No parent nigh,	8	˘/···/˘·
My boy! my first-born! didst thou die?	8	········
Or did they spare thee for a life	8	········
Of shame, of rapine, and of strife?	8	···/˘···
Livest thou, unfriended, unallied,	8	···˘/˘··
A wanderer lost, without a guide?	8	·/˘·····
Oh! to thy fate’s mysterious gloom	8	····˘/˘·
Blest were the darkness of the tomb!	8	···/˘···
“Ella! ’tis done--my guilty heart	8	/˘···/˘·
Before thee all unveil’d--depart!	8	····˘/˘/
Few pangs ’twill cost thee now to fly	8	········
From one so stain’d, so lost as I;	8	········
Yet peace to thine untainted breast,	8	····˘/˘·
E’en though it hate me!--be thou blest!	8	········
Farewell! thou shalt not linger here--	8	·/···/˘·
E’en now th’ avenger may be near:	8	··˘/˘···
Where’er I turn, the foe, the snare,	9	˘˘/······
The dagger, may be ambush’d there;	8	·/˘··/··
One hour--and haply all is o’er,	8	·/·/˘···
And we must meet on earth no more.	8	········
No, nor beyond!--to those pure skies	8	········
Where thou shalt be, I may not rise;	8	········
Heaven’s will for ever parts our lot,	8	/˘··/·/·
Yet, oh! my child! abhor me not!	8	····˘/··
Speak once! to soothe this broken heart,	8	·····/˘·
Speak to me once! and then depart!”	8	······˘/
But still--as if each pulse were dead,	8	········
Mute--as the power of speech were fled,	8	···/····
Pale--as if life-blood ceased to warm	8	········
The marble beauty of her form;	8	·/˘/˘···
On the dark rock she lean’d her head,	8	········
That seem’d as there ’twere riveted,	8	·····/˘˘
And dropt the hands, till then which press’d	8	········
Her burning brow, or throbbing breast.	8	·/˘··/˘·
There beam’d no tear-drop in her eye,	8	········
And from her lip there breathed no sigh,	8	········
And on her brow no trace there dwelt	8	········
That told she suffer’d or she felt.	8	···/˘···
All that once glow’d, or smiled, or beam’d,	8	········
Now fix’d, and quench’d, and frozen seem’d;	8	·····/˘·
And long her sire, in wild dismay,	8	···/··˘/
Deem’d her pure spirit pass’d away.	8	···/˘·˘/
But life return’d. O’er that cold frame	8	··˘/····
One deep convulsive shudder came;	8	··˘/˘/˘·
And a faint light her eye relumed,	8	········
And sad resolve her mien assumed.	8	··˘/··˘/
But there was horror in the gaze,	8	···/˘···
Which yet to his she dared not raise;	8	········
And her sad accents, wild and low,	8	···/˘···
As rising from a depth of woe,	8	·/˘·····
At first with hurried trembling broke,	8	···/˘/˘·
But gather’d firmness as she spoke.	8	·/˘/˘···
--“I leave thee not--whate’er betide,	9	····˘˘/˘/
My footsteps shall not quit thy side;	8	·/······
Pangs, keen as death my soul may thrill,	8	········
But yet thou art my father still!	8	·····/˘·
And, oh! if stain’d by guilty deed,	8	·····/˘·
For some kind spirit, tenfold need,	8	···/˘/··
To speak of heaven’s absolving love,	9	···/˘˘/˘·
And waft desponding thought above.	8	········
Is there not power in mercy’s wave	8	···/·/˘·
The blood-stain from thy soul to lave?	8	········
Is there not balm to heal despair,	8	······˘/
In tears, in penitence, in prayer?	8	···/˘˘··
My father! kneel at His pure shrine	8	·/˘·····
Who died to expiate guilt like thine,	9	···/˘····
Weep--and my tears with thine shall blend,	8	········
Pray--while my prayers with thine ascend,	8	······˘/
And, as our mingling sorrows rise,	8	··//˘/˘·
Heaven will relent, though earth despise!”	8	/·˘/··˘/
“My child, my child! these bursting tears,	8	·····/˘·
The first mine eyes have shed for years,	8	········
Though deepest conflicts they express,	8	·/˘/˘·˘/
Yet flow not all in bitterness!	8	·····/˘˘
Oh! thou hast bid a wither’d heart	8	·····/˘·
From desolation’s slumber start;	8	··˘/˘/˘·
Thy voice of pity and of love	8	···/˘···
Seems o’er its icy depths to move	8	···/˘···
E’en as a breeze of health, which brings	8	········
Life, hope, and healing, on its wings.	8	···/˘···
And there is mercy yet! I feel	8	···/˘···
Its influence o’er my spirit steal;	8	·/˘··/˘·
How welcome were each pang below,	8	·/˘·····
If guilt might be atoned by woe!	8	····˘/··
Think’st thou I yet may be forgiven?	9	······˘/˘
Shall prayers unclose the gate of heaven?	9	··˘/···/˘
Oh! if it yet avail to plead,	8	····˘/··
If judgment be not yet decreed,	8	·/˘···˘/
Our hearts shall blend their suppliant cry,	9	/····/˘˘·
Till pardon shall be seal’d on high!	8	·/˘·····
Yet, yet I shrink!--Will Mercy shed	8	·····/˘·
Her dews upon this fallen head?	8	·····/˘·
--Kneel, Ella, kneel! till full and free	8	·/˘·····
Descend forgiveness, won by thee!”	8	˘/˘/˘···
They knelt--before the Cross, that sign	8	········
Of love eternal and divine;	8	··˘/˘·˘/
That symbol, which so long hath stood	8	·/˘·····
A rock of strength, on time’s dark flood,	8	········
Clasp’d by despairing hands, and laved	8	··˘/˘···
By the warm tears of nations saved.	8	·····/˘·
In one deep prayer their spirits blent,	8	·····/˘·
The guilty and the innocent;	8	·/˘··/˘˘
Youth, pure as if from heaven its birth,	8	·····/··
Age, soil’d with every stain of earth,	8	···/˘···
Knelt, offering up one heart, one cry,	8	·/˘·····
One sacrifice of agony.	8	·/˘··/˘˘
--Oh! blest, though bitter be their source--	8	···/˘···
Though dark the fountain of remorse,	8	···/˘·˘/
Blest are the tears which pour from thence,	8	········
Th’ atoning stream of penitence!	8	˘/˘··/˘˘
And let not pity check the tide	8	···/˘···
By which the heart is purified;	8	·····/˘·
Let not vain comfort turn its course,	8	···/˘···
Or timid love repress its force!	8	·/˘·˘/··
Go! bind the flood, whose waves expand,	8	······˘/
To bear luxuriance o’er the land;	9	··˘/˘˘···
Forbid the life-restoring rains	8	˘/··˘/˘·
To fall on Afric’s burning plains;	8	·····/˘·
Close up the fount that gush’d to cheer	8	········
The pilgrim o’er the waste who trode;	8	·/˘·····
But check thou not one holy tear	8	·····/˘·
Which Penitence devotes to God!	8	·/˘˘˘/··
Through scenes so lone the wild-deer ne’er	8	········
Was roused by huntsman’s bugle there--	8	···/˘/˘·
So rude, that scarce might human eye	8	·····/˘·
Sustain their dread sublimity--	8	˘/··˘/˘˘
So awful, that the timid swain,	8	·/˘··/˘·
Nurtured amidst their dark domain,	8	/˘˘/··˘/
Had peopled with unearthly forms	8	·/˘·˘/˘·
Their mists, their forests, and their storms,--	8	···/˘···
She, whose blue eye of laughing light	8	·····/˘·
Once made each festal scene more bright;	8	···/˘···
Whose voice in song of joy was sweetest,	9	·······/˘
Whose step in dance of mirth was fleetest,	9	·······/˘
By torrent wave and mountain brow,	8	·/˘··/˘·
Is wandering as an outcast now,	8	·/˘··/··
To share with Lindheim’s fallen chief	8	·····/˘·
His shame, his terror, and his grief.	8	···/˘···
Hast thou not mark’d the ruin’s flower,	9	·····/˘/˘
That blooms in solitary grace,	8	···/˘·˘·
And, faithful to its mouldering tower,	8	·/˘··/˘/
Waves in the banner’s place?	6	···/˘·
From those gray haunts renown hath pass’d,	8	····˘/··
Time wins his heritage at last;	8	···/˘˘··
The day of glory hath gone by,	8	···/˘···
With all its pomp and minstrelsy:	8	·····/˘˘
Yet still the flower of golden hues	8	···/·/˘·
There loves its fragrance to diffuse,	8	···/˘·˘/
To fallen and forsaken things	8	·/˘·˘/˘·
With constancy unalter’d clings,	8	·/˘˘˘/˘·
And, smiling o’er the wreck of state,	8	·/˘·····
With beauty clothes the desolate.	8	·/˘··/˘·
--E’en such was she, the fair-hair’d maid,	8	········
In all her light of youth array’d,	8	······˘/
Forsaking every joy below	8	˘/˘/˘···
To soothe a guilty parent’s woe,	8	···/˘/˘·
And clinging thus, in beauty’s prime,	8	·/˘··/˘·
To the dark ruin made by crime.	8	···/˘···
Oh! ne’er did heaven’s propitious eyes	9	···/˘˘/˘·
Smile on a purer sacrifice;	8	···/˘/˘·
Ne’er did young love, at duty’s shrine,	8	·····/˘·
More nobly brighter hopes resign!	8	·/˘/˘·˘/
O’er her own pangs she brooded not,	8	·····/˘·
Nor sank beneath her bitter lot;	8	·····/˘·
No! that pure spirit’s lofty worth	8	···/˘/˘·
Still rose more buoyantly from earth,	7	·······
And drew from an eternal source	8	····˘/˘·
Its gentle, yet triumphant force:	8	·/˘·˘/˘·

The first 400 of 844 lines; the reader marks them all.

Notes from the edition 2

Notes from The Poems of Felicia Hemans (Project Gutenberg #66785), largely Mrs Hemans's own.

Stanza 21, line 46 The original of the scene here described is presented by the mountain called the Feldberg, in the Bergstrasse:--“Des masses énormes de rochers, entassées l’une sur l’autre depuis le sommet de la montagne jusqu’à son pied, viennent y présenter un aspect superbe qu’ aucune description ne saurait rendre. Ce furent, dit-on, des géans, qui en se livrant un combat du haut des montagnes, lancèrent les uns sur les autres ces énormes masses de rochers. On arrive, avec beaucoup de peine, jusqu’au sommet du Feldberg, en suivant un sentier qui passe à côté de cette chaine de rochers. On entend continuellement un bruit sourd, qui parait venir d’un ruisseau au dessous des rochers; mais on a beau descendre, on se glissant à travers les ouvertures qui s’y trouvent, on ne découvrira jamais le ruisseau. La colonne, dite Riesensäule, se trouve un peu plus haut qu’à la moitié de la montagne; c’est un bloc de granit taillé, d’une longueur de 30 pieds et d’un diamétre de 4 pieds. Il y a plus de probabilité de croire que les anciens Germains voulaient faire de ce bloc une colonne pour l’ériger en l’honneur de leur dieu Odin, que de prétendre, comme le fort plusieurs auteurs, que les Romains aient eu le dessein de la transporter dans leur capitale. On voit un peu plus haut un autre bloc d’une forme presque carrée, qu’ on appelle Riesenaltar, (autel du géant,) qui, à en juger par sa grosseur et sa forme, était destiné à servir de piédestal à la colonnade susdite.”--Manuel pour les Voyageurs sur le Rhin.
Stanza 34, line 14 Minnesingers, (bards of love,) the appellation of the German minstrels in the Middle Ages.

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