“WATCH no more the twinkling stars;
Watch no more the chalky bourne;
Lady ! from the Holy wars,
Never will thy Love return !
Cease to watch, and cease to mourn,
Thy Lover never will return !
2.
“Watch no more the yellow moon,
Peering o’er the mountain’s head;
Rosy day, returning soon,
Will see thy Lover, pale and dead !
Cease to weep, and cease to mourn,
Thy Lover will no more return !
3.
“Lady, in the Holy wars,
Fighting for the Cross, he died;
Low he lies, and many scars
Mark his cold and mangled side;
In his winding-sheet he lies,
Lady ! check those rending sighs.
4.
“Hark ! the hollow sounding gale
Seems to sweep in murmurs by,
Sinking slowly down the vale;
Wherefore, gentle Lady, sigh ?
Wherefore moan, and wherefore sigh ?
Lady ! all that live must die.
5.
“Now the stars are fading fast:
Swift their brilliant course are run;
Soon shall dreary night be past:
Soon shall rise the cheering sun !
The sun will rise to gladden thee;
Lady, Lady, cheerful be.”
6.
So spake a voice ! While sad, and lone,
Upon a lofty tower, reclin’d,
A Lady sat: the pale moon shone,
And sweetly blew the summer wind;
Yet still, disconsolate in mind,
The lovely Lady sat reclin’d.
7.
The lofty tow’r was ivy clad;
And round a dreary forest rose;
The midnight bell was tolling sad;
‘Twas tolling for a soul’s repose !
The Lady heard the gates unclose,
And, from her seat, in terror, rose.
8.
The summer moon shone bright and clear;
She saw the castle gates unclose;
And now she saw four monks appear,
Loud chanting for a soul’s repose.
Forbear, oh, lady ! look no more:–
They pass’d–a livid corpse they bore.
9.
They pass’d, and all was silent now:
The breeze upon the forest slept;
The moon stole o’er the mountain’s brow;
Again the Lady sigh’d, and wept:
She watch’d the holy fathers go
Along the forest path below.
10.
And now the dawn was bright, the dew
Upon the yellow heath was seen;
The clouds were of a rosy hue,
The sunny lustre shone between:
The Lady to the chapel ran,
While the slow matin prayer began.
11.
And then, once more, the fathers grey
She mark’d, employ’d in holy prayer:
Her heart was full, she cou’d not pray,
For love and fear were masters there !
Ah, Lady ! thou wilt pray ere long
To sleep those lonely aisles among !
12.
And now the matin prayers were o’er;
The barefoot monks, of order grey,
Were thronging to the chapel door,
When there the Lady stopp’d the way:
“Tell me,” she cried, “whose corpse, so pale,
“Last night ye bore along the vale ?”
13.
“Oh Lady ! question us no more:
“No corpse did we bear down the dale !”
The lady sunk upon the floor,
Her quivering lip was deathly pale !
The barefoot monks now whisper’d, sad,
“God grant our Lady be not mad.”
14.
The monks departing, one by one,
The chapel gates in silence close;
When from the altar steps, of stone,
The trembling lady feebly goes:
While the morning sheds a ruby light,
The painted windows glowing bright.
15.
And now she heard a hollow sound;
It seem’d to come from graves below;
And now again she look’d around,
A voice came murm’ring sad and slow;
And now she heard it feebly cry,
“Lady ! all that live must die !
16.
“Watch no more from yonder tow’r,
“Watch no more the star of day !
“Watch no more the dawning hour,
“That chases sullen night away !
“Cease to watch, and cease to mourn,
“Thy lover will no more return !”
17.
She look’d around, and now she view’d,
Clad in a doublet gold and green,
A youthful knight: he frowning stood
And noble was his mournful mien;
And now he said, with heaving sigh
“Lady, all that live must die.”
18.
She rose to quit the altar’s stone,
She cast a look to heaven and sigh’d,
When lo ! the youthful knight was gone;
And, scowling by the lady’s side,
With sightless skull and bony hand:
She saw a giant spectre stand !
19.
His flowing robe was long and clear,
His ribs were white, as drifted snow:
The Lady’s heart was chill’d with fear;
She rose, but scarce had power to go:
The spectre grinn’d a dreadful smile,
And walked beside her down the aisle.
20.
And now he wav’d his rattling hand;
And now they reached the chapel door,
And there the spectre took his stand;
While, rising from the marble floor,
A hollow voice was heard to cry,
“Lady, all that live must die.
21.
“Watch no more the evening star !
“Watch no more the glimpse of morn !
“Never from the Holy War.
“Lady, will thy love return !
“See this bloody cross; and, see,
“His bloody scarf he sends to thee !”
22.
And now again the youthful knight
Stood smiling by the Lady’s side !
His helmet shone with crimson light,
His sword with drops of blood was dy’d:
And now a soft and mournful song
Stole the chapel aisles among.
23.
Now from the spectre’s paley cheek
The flesh began to waste away;
The vaulted doors were heard to creek ,
And dark became the Summer day !
The spectre’s eyes were sunk, but he
Seem’d with their sockets still to see !
24.
The second bell is heard to ring:
Four barefoot monks, of orders grey,
Again their holy service sing;
And round the chapel altar pray:
The Lady counted o’er and o’er,
And shudder’d while she counted–four !
25.
“Oh ! Fathers, who was he, so gay,
“That stood beside the chapel door ?
“Oh ! Tell me fathers, tell me pray.”
The monks replied, “We fathers four:
“Lady, no other have we seen,
“Since in this holy place we’ve been !”
PART SECOND.
1.
NOW the merry bugle horn
Thro’ the forest sounded far;
When on the lofty tow’r, forlorn,
The Lady watch’d the evening star;
The evening star that seem’d to be
Rising from the dark’ned sea !
2.
The Summer sea was dark and still,
The sky was streak’d with lines of gold,
The mist rose grey above the hill,
And low the clouds of amber roll’d:
The Lady on the lofty tow’r
Watch’d the calm and silent hour.
3.
And, while she watch’d, she saw advance
A ship, with painted streamers gay:
She saw it on the green wave dance,
And plunge amid the silver spray;
While from the forest’s haunts, forlorn,
Again she heard the bugle-horn:
4.
The sails were full; the breezes rose;
The billows curl’d along the shore;
And now the day began to close;–
The bugle-horn was heard no more,
But, rising from the wat’ry way,
An airy voice was heard to say:
5.
“Watch no more the evening star;
“Watch no more the billowy sea;
“Lady, from the Holy War
“Thy lover hastes to comfort thee:
“Lady, Lady, cease to mourn;
“Soon thy lover will return.”
6.
Now she hastens to the bay:
Now the rising storm she hears:
Now the sailors smiling say,
“Lady, Lady, check your fears:
“Trust us, Lady; we will be
“Your pilots o’er the stormy sea.”
7.
Now the little bark she view’d,
Moor’d beside the flinty steep;
And now, upon the foamy flood,
The tranquil breezes seem’d to sleep.
The moon arose; her silver ray
Seem’d on the silent deep to play.
8.
Now music stole across the main:
It was a sweet but mournful tone;
It came a slow and dulcet strain;
It came from where the pale moon shone:
And, while it pass’d across the sea,
More soft, and soft, it seem’d to be.
9.
Now on the deck the Lady stands.
The vessel steers across the main;
It steers towards the Holy Land,
Never to return again:
Still the sailors cry, “We’ll be
Your Pilots o’er the stormy sea.”
10.
Now she hears a low voice say,
“Deeper, deeper, deeper still;
“Hark ! the black’ning billows play;
“Hark ! the waves the vessel fill:
“Lower, lower, down we go;
“All is dark and still below.
11.
Now a flash of livid light,
On the rolling deep, was seen !
And now the Lady saw the Knight,
With doublet rich of gold and green:
From the sockets of his eyes,
A pale and streaming light she spies !
12.
And now his form transparent stood,
Smiling with a ghastly mien;–
And now the calm and boundless flood
Was, like the emerald, bright and green;
And now ’twas of a troubled hue,
While “Deeper, deeper,” sang the crew.
13.
Slow advanced the morning-light,
Slow they plough’d the wavy tide;
When, on a cliff of dreadful height,
A castle’s lofty tow’rs they spied:
The Lady heard the sailor-band,
Cry, “Lady, this is Holy Land.
14.
“Watch no more the glitt’ring spray;
“Watch no more the weedy sand;
“Watch no more the star of day;
“Lady, this is Holy Land:
“This castle’s lord shall welcome thee;
“Then Lady, Lady, cheerful be !”
15.
Now the castle-gates they pass;
Now across the spacious square,
Cover’d high with dewy grass,
Trembling steals the Lady fair:
And now the castle’s lord was seen,
Clad in a doublet gold and green.
16.
He led her thro’ the gothic hall,
With bones and skulls encircled ’round;
Oh, let not this thy soul appal !”
He cried, “for this is Holy Ground.”
He led her thro’ the chambers lone,
‘Mid many a shriek, and many a groan.
17.
Now to the banquet-room they came:
Around a table of black stone
She mark’d a faint and vapoury flame;
Upon the horrid feast it shone–
And there, to close the madd’ning sight,
Unnumber’d spectres met the light.
18.
Their teeth were like the brilliant, bright;
Their eyes were blue as saphire clear;
Their bones were of a polish’d white;
Gigantic did their ribs appear !–
And now the Knight the Lady led,
And plac’d her at the table’s head !—-
19.
Just now the Lady WOKE :–for she
Had slept upon the lofty tow’r,
And dreams of dreadful phantasie
Had fill’d the lonely moon-light hour:
Her pillow was the turret-stone,
And on her breast the pale moon shone:
20.
But now a real voice she hears:
It was her lover’s voice;–for he,
To calm her bosom’s rending fears,
That night had cross’d the stormy sea:
“I come,” said he, “from Palestine,
“To prove myself, sweet Lady , THINE .
(Mary Elizabeth Robinson)
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Based on Topics: Love Poems, Night Poems, Light Poems, Mind Poems, Sadness Poems, Soul Poems, War & Peace Poems, Joy & Excitement Poems, Fairness Poems, Sense & Perception Poems, Cry PoemsBased on Keywords: vapoury, bugle-horn, grinn, d-a, paley, morning-light, phantasie, castle-gates, saphire, banquet-room
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