"Think, think how lost, how madden'd I must be, "To hope that guilt could lead to God or thee! "Thou weep'st for me-do, "Kiss off that tear! but, no weep-oh! that I durst - these lips are curst, "They must not touch thee; one divine caress, "One blessed moment of forgetfulness "I've had within those arms, and that shall lie, "Shrin'd 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, 66 My heart has treasur'd 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! oh no, "Enough, that Guilt reigns here > that hearts, once "Now tainted, chill'd and broken, are his food. 66 Enough, that we are parted that there rolls "A flood of headlong fate between cur souls, "Whose darkness severs me as wide from thee "As hell from heav'n, to all eternity!"— "ZELICA! ZELICA!" the youth exclaim'd, In all the tortures of a mind inflam'd Almost to madness" by that sacred Heav'n, "Where yet, if pray'rs can move, thou❜lt be forgiven, "As thou art here - here, in this writhing heart, "All sinful, wild and ruin'd as thou art! "By the remembrance of our once pure love, "Which, like a church-yard 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, 66 " 'Tis worth whole years of torment to hear this. "What! take the lost one with thee?-let her rove 66 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 "To hear thy angel eloquence to see "Those virtuous eyes for ever turn'd on me; "And in their light re-chasten'd silently, "Like the stain'd 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 "Shall for thy sake pronounce my soul forgiven, 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!" 1 Oh Heav'n, the ghastliness' of that Maid's look! " "Tis he, and I am his-all, all is o'er "Go-fly this instant, or thou'rt ruin'd too — My oath, my oath, oh God! 'tis all too true, "True as the worm in this cold heart it is "I am MOKANNA's bride-his, AzIM, his"The Dead stood round us, while I spoke that vow, "Their blue lips echoed it - I hear them now! "Their eyes glar'd on me, while I pledg'd that bowl, "'Twas burning blood - I feel it in my soul! "And the Veil'd Bridegroom—hist! I've seen to-night "What angels know not of-so foul a sight, "So horrible-oh! never may'st thou see "What there lies hid from all but hell and me! "But I must hence - off, off I am not thine, "Nor Heav'n's, nor Love's, nor aught that is divine"Hold me not — ha! think'st thou the fiends that "Hearts, cannot sunder hands?—thus, then-for ever!" G With all that strength, which madness lends the weak, She flung away his arm; and, with a shriek, Whose sound, though he should linger out more years Than wretch e'er told, can never leave his ears, Fleetly as some dark, ominous bird of night } |