HUSH , see you not my true love sleeps,
Oh! cease that noisy bell:
For see you not how much my love
Doth other youths excel.
And know you not they seiz’d my love,
To send him o’er the main?
And heard you not they seiz’d on me,
And bound me with this chain.
Oh father! cruel and unkind,
Why said you, Henry died,
To triumph o’er the faded hopes
Of Henry’s destin’d bride?
But freshest flowers shall deck my love,
Sweet roses, mix’d with rue;
For bitter rue denotes my fate,
The rose my love so true.
But hush! make not the least reply,
With me let silence dwell;
For see you not how much my love
Doth other youths excel.
They heeded not his beauteous form,
His heart so good so brave;
But far away my Henry sent,
To find a wat’ry grave.
But when you told the fatal news
That Henry was dead;
Vain was your care, your wealth was vain,
For Rosa’s senses fled.
With wildest ravings for my love,
I rent the midnight air;
And when exhausted nature droop’d,
I sank in deep despair.
‘Twas then you said, that madness reign’d
Thro’ every vital part;
It was not so–but hopeless love,
Which broke poor Rosa’s heart.
Fierce gaolers now my limbs confine,
And cut my flowing hair;
Protect me from their horrid look,
See how their eye-balls glare.
But they shall not disturb my love,
Tho’ me their force compel;
For even they must own my love
Doth other youths excel.
Long pin’d I in this dismal cell,
To black-ey’d grief a prey;
Till Henry’s shadowy form appear’d,
And chas’d my cares away.
His icy arms have me embrac’d,
His pale cheek, mine hath press’d;
And he hath laid his weary head
To slumber on my breast.
And often hath this clay-cold hand,
My burning forehead bound;
And often hath he pac’d with me,
My dreary cell around.
And he hath promis’d to be mine,
When this frail life is o’er:
Full soon shall I be Henry’s bride,
And we shall part no more.
Thus the soft accents of his tongue,
Hath bless’d his Rosa’s ear;
And vows of tenderness and love,
Have sooth’d each anxious fear.
Ev’n now, he sleeps upon my straw,
Nor heeds yon dismal knell;
Then own you now, how much my love
Doth other youths excel.
(Caroline Maxwell)
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Based on Topics: Love Poems, Life Poems, Flowers Poems, Fear Poems, Money & Wealth Poems, Fate & Destiny Poems, Fathers Poems, Hair Poems, Courage PoemsBased on Keywords: pac, clay-cold, freshest, denotes, eye-balls, rosa, ravings, gaolers, so-but, black-ey