"And, all the long, long night of hope and fear,
"Thy voice and step still sounding in my ear—
"O God! thou wouldst not wonder that, at last,
"When every hope was all at once o'ercast,
"When I heard frightful voices round me say,
“Azim is dead!—this wretched brain gave way,
"And I became a wreck, at random driven,
"Without one glimpse of reason or of heaven-
"All wild-and ev'n this quenchless love within
"Turned to foul fires to light me into sin!—
"Thou pitiest me--I knew thou wouldst—that sky
"Hath naught beneath it half so lorn as I.
"The fiend, who lured me hither-hist! come near
"Or thou too, thou art lost, if he should hear—
"Told me such things-O! with such devilish art,
"As would have ruined ev'n a holier heart—
"Of thee, and of that ever-radiant sphere,
"Where blessed at length, if I but served him here,
"I should for ever live in thy dear sight,
"And drink from those pure eyes eternal light.
"Think, think how lost, how maddened I must be,
"To hope that guilt could lead to God or thee!
"Thou weep'st for me-do weep-O that I durst
"Kiss off that tear! but, no-these lips are cursed;

"They must not touch thee;-one divine caress,
"One blessed moment of forgetfulness

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"I've had within those arms, and that shall lie, "Shrined in my soul's deep memory till I die; "The last of joy's last relics here below, "The one sweet drop, in all this waste of woe, "My heart has treasured from affection's spring, "To soothe and cool its deadly withering! "But thou-yes, thou must go for ever go; "This place is not for thee-for thee! O, no; “Did I but tell thee half, thy tortured brain "Would burn like mine, and mine go wild again! “Enough, that Guilt reigns here—that hearts, once good, "Now tainted, chilled, and broken, are his food."Enough, that we are parted-that there rolls "A flood of headlong fate between our souls, "Whose darkness severs me as wide from thee "As hell from heaven, to all eternity!"

"ZELICA, ZELICA!" the youth exclaimed,

In all the tortures of a mind inflamed

Almost to madness-"by that sacred heaven, "Where yet, if prayers can move, thou❜lt be forgiven,

"As thou art here-here, in this writhing heart,

"All sinful, wild, and ruined as thou art!

"By the remembrance of our once pure love,

“Which, like a churchyard light, still burns above "The grave of our lost souls-which guilt in thee "Cannot extinguish, nor despair in me!—

"I do conjure, implore thee to fly hence; "If thou hast yet one spark of innocence,

"Fly with me from this place

"With thee! O bliss!

"'Tis worth whole years of torment to hear this. "What! take the lost one with thee?-let her rove

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By thy dear side, as in those days of love, "When we were both so happy, both so pure— "Too heavenly dream! if there's on earth a cure "For the sunk heart, 'tis this-day after day "To be the blest companion of thy way; "To hear thy angel eloquence-to see "Those virtuous eyes for ever turned on me; “And, in their light re-chastened silently, "Like the stained web that whitens in the sun, "Grow pure by being purely shone upon! "And thou wilt pray for me—I know thou wilt: "At the dim vesper hour, when thoughts of guilt "Come heaviest o'er the heart, thou❜lt lift thine eyes, "Full of sweet tears, unto the darkening skies, "And plead for me with Heaven, till I can dare "To fix my own weak, sinful glances there ; "Till the good angels, when they see me cling "For ever near thee, pale and sorrowing,

"Shall for thy sake pronounce my soul forgiven, “And bid thee take thy weeping slave to heaven! "O yes, I'll fly with thee

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thee—”

Scarce had she said

These breathless words, when a voice deep and dread

As that of MONKER, waking up the dead

From their first sleep-so startling 'twas to both

Rung through the casement near, "Thy oath! thy oath!"

O Heaven, the ghastliness of that Maid's look!—

""Tis he," faintly she cried, while terror shook Her inmost core, nor durst she lift her eyes,

Though through the casement, now, naught but the skies
And moonlight fields were seen, calm as before—
"'Tis he, and I am his-all, all is o'er!
"Go-fly this instant, or thou'rt ruined too-
"My oath, my oath, O God! 'tis all too true,
"True as the worm in this cold heart it is-

"I am MOKANNA's bride-his, Azım, his—
"The Dead stood round us, while I spoke that vow,

"Their blue lips echoed it—I hear them now!

"Their eyes glared on me, while I pledged that bowl

""Twas burning blood-I feel it in my soul!

"And the Veiled Bridegroom-hist! I've seen to-night "What angels know not of-so foul a sight, "So horrible-O! never mayst thou see "What there lies hid from all but hell and me!

"But I must hence-Off, off-I am not thine,

"Nor Heaven's, nor Love's, nor aught that is divine! "Hold me not-Ha! think'st thou the fiends that sever "Hearts, cannot sunder hands?—Thus, then-for ever!"