To Alfieri

Alfieri, thou art present in my sight
Tho' far removed from us, for thou alone
Hast toucht the inmost fibres of the breast,
Since Tasso's tears made damper the damp floor
Whereon one only light came thro' the bars ;
Love brought it, and stood mute, with broken wing.
The vision of Leonora could not raise
His heavy heart, and staid long nights in vain.
Thou scornedst thy own country, scorn thou wouldst
Many who dwell within it now her bonds
Are broken : adulation at all times
Was her besetting sin, nor leaves her yet.
But thou couldst tell her, and couldst make her hear.
That Corsic honey which attracts the hive
Is poison . . turn then from the mortal taste.