She, as he gazed with grateful wonder, Her shelter'd love to her impassion'd breast; How, in some desperate feud of after-time, he led His island-clan to where the waters spread Their deep green shadow o'er the rocky door, Then dived-it seem'd as if to rise no more: His wondering mates, amazed within their bark, Or deem'd him mad,or prey to the blue shark, Row'd round in sorrow the sea-girded rock, Then paused upon their paddles from the shock, When, fresh and springing from the deep, they saw A Goddess rise-so deem'd they in their awe; With sounding conchs and joyous shouts Where Abelard, through twenty years of death, When Eloisa's form was lower'd beneath The waves without sang round their couch, their roar As much unheeded as if life were o'er: Within, their hearts made all their harmony, Love's broken murmur and more broken sigh. And they, the cause and sharers of the shock Which left them exiles of the hollow rock, Where were they? O'er the sea for life To seek from Heaven the shelter men denied. they plied, Another course had been their choice-but where? The wave which bore them still, their foes would bear. Who, disappointed of their former chase, In search of Christian now renew'd their race. Eager with anger, their strong arms made Like vultures baffled of their previous prey. way, They gain'd upon them, all whose safety lay In some bleak crag or deeply-hidden bay: No further chance or choice remain'd; and For the first further rock which met their right They steer'd, to take their latest view of land, sight And yield as victims, or die sword in hand; Would still have battled for that scanty Dismiss'd the natives and their shallop, who eye, Stern and sustain'd, of man's extremity, When Hope is gone, nor Glory's self remains To cheer resistance against death or chains,-They stood, the three, as the three hundred stood Who dyed Thermopyla with holy blood. Begun the praises of a thousand years; And this they knew and felt, at least the one, The leader of the band he had undone; Who,born perchance for better things, had set His life upon a cast which linger'd yet: But now the die was to be thrown, and all The chances were in favour of his fall: And such a fall! But still he faced the shock, Obdurate as a portion of the rock Whereon he stood,and fix'd his levell'd gun, Dark as a sullen cloud before the sun. The boat drew nigh, well arm'd, and firm the crew To act whatever Duty bade them do; They hail'd again no answer; yet once more And the smoke rose between them and their aim, While the rock rattled with the bullets' knell, Which peal'd in vain, and flatten'd as they fell; Then flew the only answer to be given But by a thread, like sharks who have Yet to the very last they battled well, once more Mercy was offer'd when they saw his gore; Too late for life, but not too late to die, With though a hostile hand to close his eye. A limb was broken, and he droop'd along The crag, as doth a falcon reft of young. The sound revived him, or appear'd to wake Some passion which a weakly gesture spake; He beckon'd to the foremost who drew nigh, But, as they near'd, he rear'd his weapon high His last ball had been aim'd, but from his breast He tore the topmost button of his vest, Down the tube dash'd it, levelled, fired, and smiled As his foe fell; then, like a serpent, coil'd His wounded, weary form, to where the steep Look'd desperate as himself along the deep; Cast one glance back, and clench'd his His last rage 'gainst Then plunged: the hand, and shook the earth which he forsook; rock below received like glass His body crush'd into one gory mass, With scarce a shred to tell of human form, Or fragment for the sea-bird or the worm; A fair-hair'd scalp, besmear'd with blood and weeds, Yet reek'd,the remnant of himself and deeds; Some splinters of his weapons (to the last, As long as hand could hold, he held them fast) Yet glitter'd, but at distance-hurl'd away To rust beneath the dew and dashing spray. The rest was nothing-save a life mis-spent, And soul - but who shall answer where it went? And ere the word upon the echo died, side, And, furious at the madness of their foes, Disdain'd all further efforts, save to close. But steep the crag, and all without a path, Each step opposed a bastion to their wrath; While, placed 'midst clefts the least accessible, Which Christian's eye was train'd to mark full well, The three maintain'd a strife which must not yield, In spots where eagles might have chosen to build. Their every shot told;while the assailant fell, Dash'd on the shingles like the limpet shell; But still enough survived, and mounted still, Scattering their numbers here and there, until Surrounded and commanded, though not nigh Enough for seizure, near enough to die, The desperate trio held aloof their fate And screaming high their harsh and hungry | Swam round the rock, to where a shallow dirge: cleft But calm and careless heaved the wave | Hid the canoe that Neuha there had left 'Twas morn; and Neuha, who by dawn of day Swam smoothly forth to catch the rising ray, And watch if aught approach'd the amphibious lair Where lay her lover, saw a sail in air: While yet a doubt sprung where its course might lie: But no! it came not; fast and far away The shadow lessen'd as it clear'd the bay. She gazed, and flung the sea-foam from her eyes, To watch as for a rainbow in the skies. On the horizon verged the distant deck, Diminish'd, dwindled to a very speckThen vanish'd. All was ocean, all was joy! Down plunged she through the cave to rouse her boy; Told all she had seen, and all she hoped, and all That happy Love could augur or recal; Sprung forth again, with Torquil following free His bounding Nereid over the broad sea; Drifting along the tide, without an oar, That eve the strangers chased them from the shore; But when these vanish'd, she pursued her prow, Regain'd, and urged to where they found it now: Nor ever did more Love and Joy embark, Than now was wafted in that slender ark. Again their own shore rises on the view, No more polluted with a hostile hue; No sullen ship lay bristling o'er the foam, A floating dungeon: all wasHope and Home! A thousand proas darted o'er the bay, With sounding shells, and heralded their way; The Chiefs came down, around the people pour'd, And welcomed Torquil as a son restored; The women throng'd, embracing and embraced By Neuha, asking where they had been chased, And how escaped? The tale was told; and then One acclamation rent the sky again; Blazed o'er the general revel of the night, ACT I. SCENE I.—MANFRED alone.—Scene, a Gothic Whom I have sought in darkness and in Ye, who do compass earth about, and dwell Manfred. THE It will not burn so long as I must watch: Sorrow is knowledge: they who know the Must mourn the deepest o'er the fatal truth; men But this avail'd not: I have had my foes, me But this avail'd not: - Good, or evil, life, And feel the curse to have no natural fear, Or lurking love of something on the earth.— things I call upon ye by the written charm, Who is undying,-Rise! appear!—Appear! If it be so.—Spirits of earth and air, I do compel ye to my will.- Appear! [A star is seen at the darker end Mortal! to thy bidding bow'd, Which is mix'd for my pavilion: Voice of the Second Spirit. Mont-Blanc is the monarch of mountains. They crowned him long ago On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds, Around his waist are forests braced, Could make the mountain bow Voice of the Third Spirit. In the blue depth of the waters, And the sea-snake hath life, Her green hair with shells; Fourth Spirit. Where the slumbering earthquake Rise boilingly higher; I'm the Rider of the wind, The hurricane I left behind Is yet with lightning warm; The fleet I met sail'd well, and yet My dwelling is the shadow of the night, The star which rules thy destiny, Space bosom'd not a lovelier star. And thou! beneath its influence born- Earth, ocean, air, night, mountains, winds, thy star, Are at thy beck and bidding, Child of Before thee, at thy quest, their spirits areWhat would'st thou with us,son of mortals -say? Manf. Forgetfulness First Spirit. Of what-of whom and why? Manf. Of that which is within me; read it there Ye know it, and I cannot utter it. Spirit. We can but give thee that which we possess: Ask of us subjects, sovereignty, the power O'er earth, the whole, or portion, or a sign Which shall control the elements, whereof We are the dominators, each and all, These shall be thine. Manf. Oblivion, self-oblivion Can ye not wring from out the hidden realms Ye offer so profusely what I ask? Spirit. It is not in our essence,in our skill; But-thou may'st die. Manf. Will death bestow it on me? Spirit. We are immortal,and do not forget; We are eternal; and to us the past Is, as the future, present. Art thou answered? Manf. Ye mock me-but the power which brought ye here Hath made you mine. Slaves, scoff not at my will! The mind, the spirit, the Promethean spark, The lightning of my being, is as bright, Pervading, and far-darting as your own, And shall not yield to yours, though coop'd in clay! Answer, or I will teach ye what I am. Spirit. We answer as we answer'd; our reply Is even in thine own words. Spirit. If, as thou say'st, thine essence be as ours, We have replied in telling thee, the thing Mortals call death hath nought to do with us. |