Nightly 10 my Genii come and fill these urns 2).
Nay, drink in every drop life's essence burns 3);
"T will make that soul all fire, those eyes all light-
Come, come, I want thy loveliest smile to-night:
There is a youth why start? 4) thou saw'st him then;
Look'd he not nobly? such the god-like men 5)

Thou 'It have to woo thee 6) in the bowers above; Though he, I fear, hath thoughts too stern 7) for love, Too ruled by that cold enemy of bliss 8)

The world calls Virtue. we must conquer this;
Nay, shrink not, pretty sage 9); 't is not for thee 10)
To scan the mazes of Heaven's mystery 11).
The steel must pass through fire ere it can yield
Fit instruments for mighty hands to wield.
This very night I mean to try the art

Of powerful beauty on that warrior's heart.
All that my Haram boasts of bloom 12) and wit,
Of skill and charms, most rare and exquisite,
Shall tempt the boy; young Mirzala's blue eyes,
Whose sleepy lid 13) like snow on violets lies;
Arouya's cheeks, warm as a spring-day sun,
And lips that, like the seal of Solomon,
Have magic in their pressure; Zeba's lute,
And Lilla's dancing feet, that gleam and shoot 14)
Rapid and white as sea-birds o'er the deep 15)!
All shall combine their witching powers 16) to steep
My convert's spirit in that softening trance 17),
From which to Heaven is but the next advance 18);
That glowing, yielding fusion of the breast 19),
On which Religion stamps her image best 20).

1) allnächtlich; des Nachts. 2) Vasen; Krüge. 3) glüht Lebensstoff. 4) erschrecken. 5) göttergleich. 6) wirst du um dich werben sehen. ernst. 8) Lust. 9) schöne (liebliche Weise. 10) nicht ziemt's dir. 11) das Dunkel des himmlischen Mysteriums zu erforschen. 12) Anmuth. 13) müdes Lid. 14) der strahlt und flieht. 15) das Meer. 16) Zauberkräfte. 17) um meines Neubekehrten Geist in jenes mildernde Entzücken zu versetzen. 18) der nächste Schritt. 19) nachgebende Guss des Herzens (der Seele). 20) worein die Religion ihr Bild am besten prägt.

But hear me, Priestess! though each nymph of these
Hath some peculiar 1) practised 2) power to please,
Some glance or step which, at the mirror tried 3),
First charms herself, then all the world beside;
There still wants one, to make the victory sure,
One, who in every look joins every lure 4);
Through whom all beauty's beams concentred pass 5),
Dazzling and warm, as through love's burning-glass;
Whose gentle lips persuade without a word 6),
Whose words, even when unmeaning 7), are adored,
Like inarticulate breathings 8) from a shrine,
Which our faith takes for granted are divine!
Such is the nymph we want, all warmth and light,
To crown the rich temptations 9) of to-night;
Such the refined enchantress 10) that must be
This hero's vanquisher, and thou art she!"

With her hands clasp'd, her lips apart and pale,
The maid had stood, gazing upon the Veil

From which these words, like south-winds through a fence11)
Of Kerzrah flowers, came fill'd with pestilence 12):
So boldly 13) utter'd too! as if all dread

Of frowns 14) from her, of virtuous frowns 14), were fled,
And the wretch felt assured that, once plunged in,
Her woman's soul would know no pause 15) in sin!

At first, though mute she listen'd, like a dream Seem'd all he said; nor could her mind, whose beam As yet was weak, penetrate half his scheme.

But when, at length, he utter'd Thou art she!"
All flash'd at once 16), and shrieking piteously 17)

1) eigen. 2) eingeübt. 3) erprobt im Spiegel. *) Reiz. 5) vereint scheinen. 6) deren sanfte Lippen stumm schon überreden. *) sinnlos.us) unvernehmlich Flüstern. 9) starke Versuchung. 10) schlaue Zauberin. 11) Hag. 12) 'Man sagt in Persien allgemein, dass, wenn ein Mensch im heissen Südwinde athmet, der im Juni oder Juli über jene Blume, die Kerzerah, weht, es ihn tödtet.' Thevenot, " 13) frech. 14) Zorn. 15) Stillstand. 16) ward ihr auf einmal Alles klar. 17) kläglich.

38

Oh not for worlds!" she cried, Great God! to whom I once knelt innocent, is this my doom 1)?

Are all my dreams, my hopes of heavenly bliss,
My purity, my pride, then come to this, -
To live, the wanton of a fiend 2)! to be 201
The pander 3) of his guilt
guilt oh infamy!at
And sunk, myself, as low as hell can steep 4)
In its hod flood, drag others down as deep!!
Others? ha! yes that youth who came to-day
Not him I loved not him oh! do but say,
But swear to me this moment 't is not he,

And I will serve, dark fiend 5)! will worship even thee!"

Beware, young raving thing 6)! in time beware, Nor utter what I cannot, must not bear,

Even from thy lips. Go try thy lute, thy voice; The boy must feel their magic I rejoice

To see those fires, no matter whence they rise,

Once more illuming my fair Priestess' eyes;

And should the youth, whom soon those eyes shall warm,

Indeed resemble thy dead lover's form,

So much the happier wilt thou find thy doom,
As one warm lover, full of life and bloom,
Excels s ten thousand cold ones in the tomb.

Nay, nay, no frowning, sweet! those eyes were made
For love, not anger

Obey'd!

On me, on me

Too heavily;

And beautiful

I must be obey'd. "

't is well yes, I deserve it all
Heaven's vengeance cannot fall
but Azim, brave and true

must he be ruin'd 7) too?

Must he too, glorious as he is, be driven

A renegade like me from Love and Heaven?.

Like me! weak wretch, I wrong him not like me; No he's all truth and strength and purity!

1) Loos. stauchen.

*) untergehen.

2) als eines Teufels Buhlerin. * Kupplerin. 5) finstrer Feind, 6) junges, tolles Ding.

Fill up your maddening hell-cup 1) to the brim,
Its witchery 2), fiends, will have no charm 3) for him.
Let loose your glowing wantons 4) from their bowers,
He loves, he loves, and can defy their powers!

Wretch as I am, in his heart still I reign

Pure as when first we met, without a stain!

Though ruin'd 5)

lost

my memory, like a charm 6) Left by the dead, still keeps his soul from harm. Oh! never let him know how deep the brow He kiss'd at parting is dishonour'd now

Ne'er tell him how debased, how sunk is she,

Whom once he loved once! still loves dotingly 7)!
Thou laugh'st, tormentor, what! thou'lt brand 8) my name?
Do, do in vain he'll not believe my shame;
He thinks me true 9), that nought beneath God's sky
Could tempt or change me, and so once thought I.
But this is past though worse than death my lot,
Than hell 't is nothing, while he knows it not.
Far off to some benighted land I'll fly 10),
Where sunbeam ne'er shall enter till I die;

Where none will ask the lost one whence she came, But I may fade and fall without a name!

And thou

curst man or fiend, whate'er thou art, Who found'st this burning plague-spot 11) in my heart, And spread'st it — oh, so quick!-through soul and frame, With more than demon's art, till I became

A loathsome thing 12), all pestilence, all flame!

If, when I'm gone 13) - "

"Hold, fearless maniac 14), hold, Nor tempt 12) my rage by Heaven, not half so bold The puny 16) bird that dares with teasing hum 17

1) des Wahnsinns Höllenbecher. 2).Zauber. 3) Reiz. 4) glühende Dirnen. 5) gestürzt. 6) Zaubermittel. 7) schwärmerisch.8) brandmarken. Er glaubt mich treu. 10) Fern in ein dunkles Land will ich entfliehen. (1) heisse Pestfleck. 12) ekles Ding. 1813) fort, 14) kühne Rasende. 15) reiz nicht. 16) klein. 17) neckisch summend, bujo

40%

AROUK LALLA ROOKH. 117 NAT

Within the crocodile's stretch'd jaws 1) to come 2)! [36]
And so thou 'lt fly, forsooth! what! give up all
Thy chaste dominion in the Haram Hall,
Where, now to Love and now to Alla given 3),
Half mistress and half saint, thou hang'st as even
As doth Medina's tomb, 'twixt hell and heaven!
Thou 'lt fly? as easily may reptiles 4) run 5)
The gaunt 6) snake once hath fix'd his eyes upon;
As easily, when caught, the prey may be na
Pluck'd from his loving folds 8), as thou from me.
No, no, 't is fix'd let good or ill betide 9),

-

Thou 'rt mine till death, till death Mokanna's bride!
Hast thou forgot thy oath?"

At this dread word,

The maid, whose spirit his rude taunts 10). had stirr'd Through all its depths, and roused an anger there 11). That burst and lighten'd even through her despair, T Shrunk back 12), as if a blight 13) were in the breath That spoke that word, and stagger'd 14), pale as death.

"Yes, my sworn bride, let others seek in bowers Their bridal-place 15) the charnel-vault was ours! Instead of scents 16) and balms, for thee and me Rose the rich steams of sweet mortality 17);

Gay flickering death-lights 18) shone while we were wed 19), And, for our guests, a row of goodly dead 20) (Immortal spirits in their time no doubt),

From reeking shrouds 21) upon the rite 22) look'd out!

bigd) offener Schlund.

2) Die alte Geschichte vom Trochilus, oder Kolibri, der sich ungestraft in den Rachen des Krokodils begiebt, wird auf Java fest geglaubt. Cochin-China. « 3) ergeben; hingegeben.

Barrow's 4) Gewürm. ") entfliehen. 6) hager. entrissen. 8) zärtliche Umschlingungen. 9) sich ereignen. 10) roher Hohn. 11) in allen Tiefen aufgeregt, und dort einen Zorn entzündet hatte. 12) bebte zurück. 13) Gift. 14) wankte; taumelte. 15) Brautgemach. 16) Wohlgeruch. 17) erhoben sich die reichen Dünste süsser Sterblichkeit. 18) munter flackernde Todtenlichter. 19) während wir uns vermählten. 20) eine Reihe schöner Todten. pfige Leichentücher, 22) Feierlichkeit; Ritus.

21) dam