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A Fragment
BENEATH yon birch with silver bark, | |
| And boughs so pendulous and fair, | |
| The brook falls scatter’d down the rock: | |
| And all is mossy there! | |
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| And there upon the moss she sits, | 5 |
| The Dark Ladié in silent pain; | |
| The heavy tear is in her eye, | |
| And drops and swells again. | |
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| Three times she sends her little page | |
| Up the castled mountain’s breast, | 10 |
| If he might find the Knight that wears | |
| The Griffin for his crest. | |
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| The sun was sloping down the sky, | |
| And she had linger’d there all day, | |
| Counting moments, dreaming fears— | 15 |
| Oh wherefore can he stay? | |
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| She hears a rustling o’er the brook, | |
| She sees far off a swinging bough! | |
| ‘’Tis He! ’Tis my betrothèd knight! | |
| Lord Falkland, it is thou!’ | 20 |
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| She springs, she clasps him round the neck, | |
| She sobs a thousand hopes and fears, | |
| Her kisses glowing on his cheeks | |
| She quenches with her tears. | |
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| ‘My friends with rude ungentle words | 25 |
| They scoff and bid me fly to thee! | |
| O give me shelter in thy breast! | |
| O shield and shelter me! | |
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| ‘My Henry, I have given thee much, | |
| I gave what I can ne’er recall. | 30 |
| I gave my heart, I gave my peace, | |
| O Heaven! I gave thee all.’ | |
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| The Knight made answer to the Maid, | |
| While to his heart he held her hand, | |
| ‘Nine castles hath my noble sire, | 35 |
| None statelier in the land. | |
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| ‘The fairest one shall be my love’s, | |
| The fairest castle of the nine! | |
| Wait only till the stars peep out, | |
| The fairest shall be thine: | 40 |
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| ‘Wait only till the hand of eve | |
| Hath wholly closed yon western bars, | |
| And through the dark we two will steal | |
| Beneath the twinkling stars!’— | |
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| ‘The dark? the dark? No! not the dark! | 45 |
| The twinkling stars? How, Henry? How? | |
| O God! ’twas in the eye of noon | |
| He pledged his sacred vow! | |
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| ‘And in the eye of noon my love | |
| Shall lead me from my mother’s door, | 50 |
| Sweet boys and girls all clothed in white | |
| Strewing flowers before: | |
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| ‘But first the nodding minstrels go | |
| With music meet for lordly bowers, | |
| The children next in snow-white vests, | 55 |
| Strewing buds and flowers! | |
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| ‘And then my love and I shall pace, | |
| My jet black hair in pearly braids, | |
| Between our comely bachelors | |
| And blushing bridal maids.’ * * * * * | 60 |
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