Canto VIII

Now the first range of cliffs was overpast,
And, like a rocky hall before him lay,
By fir-trees vaulted from the light of day,
A little dell with twilight shade o'ercast.
His wearied limbs with nameless shudders thrill,
Slow as he totters down the gloomy hill.
It seems as if terrestrial footsteps rude
On the dark shrine of loneliness intrude,
And dare invade the realm of lifeless shadows still.

Along a path, whose gentle windings steal
Down the low dell he finds a narrow bridge ;
And where it spans the rocks from ridge to ridge,
Hoarse waves beneath in eddying circles wheel ;
The changing scene his active spirits fir'd :
Up the steep mount, with nimble force inspir'd,
Gay springs Sir Huon where the pathway leads,
Then slowly sinks mid rocks whose height impedes
All hope of further flight beyond this spot retir'd.

And now the little path he long had trod
Is, as by magick, vanish'd from his eyes—
In vain to find its trace the wanderer tries —
At length, where mid the cliffs wild bushes nod,
A little opening indistinctly seen,
Leads where a path that steals the thorns between,
In narrow circles winding round and round,
Through the steep mountains to a dell profound,
Sinks down step after step — wild fairy work, I ween,

From the last step as Huon faint descends,
Gay smiles, like Paradise, the lovely scene :
A man before him stands of noble mien,
Below his breast his silver beard extends,
A girdle broad around his body roll'd,
Confines his russet mantle's simple fold,
And a long rosary at his girdle hung;
By such plain signs, these lonely rocks among,
All may aread his state without conjecture bold.

But weak with hunger, with fatigue o'erdone,
Amid these cliffs, beneath whose dreary height
No trace of man had ever cheer'd his sight,
That vainly watch'd each slow-returning sun ;
Where from the rocks that every way surround,
O'ershadowing fir-trees spread a gloom profound,
Huon, astonish'd at his beard of snow,
Deems the strange sight a shadowy spectre-show,
And prostrate at his feet falls breathless to the ground.

Nor less the hermit wond'ring than the knight,
Shrinks back a step — Peace sooths again his mien,
And a mild firmness marks his voice serene —
" If thou hast yet a hope, tormented spright !
" (Sure such thou art !) to free thee from thy pain,
" O speak ! to ears of flesh and blood explain,
" What pow'rful penitence, what healing pray'r,
" May snatch thee from the gulf of deep despair,
" And harbour thee in heaven, where joys eternal reign ?"

Worn out, exhausted, pale with ceaseless wo,
As Huon sunk, the father's erring mind
Had greeted him as one of ghostly kind,
Doom'd for his sins to wander to and fro :
But when at last recovering from surprise,
Each view'd the other with undazzled eyes,
And Huon tells his woes, and dangers run,
The father clasps him like a long-lost son,
And welcomes him to all his little cell supplies.

And leads him to a spring that playful burst,
Pure as the vernal air, as crystal clear,
Down a smooth rock that rose his cloister near :
And while the knight allays his burning thirst,
The hermit from his garden plucks in haste
Fruits of all kinds most tempting to the taste,
And in a basket plac'd his guest before :
Fruits, which a genial clime profusely bore,
And well repaid his toil, that till'd the lonely waste.

The hermit doubts with ever new surprise,
How man, ungifted with aetherial sail,
To cut the clouds, and dart before the gale,
Could overtop these crags that brave the skies ;
And reach the spot, where more than thirty years
He, far sequester'd from the world of tears,
Had dwelt in peace as in the silent grave —
" O'er you their wings protecting angels wave —
" But now the lovely bride our sole concern appears,

" A lonely way, secure, unknown to all,
" (None but myself can find its secret trace)
" In half the time that led thy wearied pace
" Across the barriers of yon rocky wall,
" Shall guide you both to this still haunt again.
" Share all I have, where peace and quiet reign —
" For thee my paradise its sweets bestows :
" Soft upon heath can innocence repose,
" And fed on pulse the blood flows pure through every vein."

Sir Huon warmly thanks the good old man,
Who takes himself his staff to show the way ;
And, for his safe return without delay,
Unpuzzled by the maze that round him ran,
Fresh twigs of fir along the pathway strows.
And ere the beams of day in ocean close,
Already Rezia on the mountain's head
Drinks the pure stream of health around her shed,
Where fresh from cloudless heaven the breezy fragrance flows.

In other worlds, in realms of fairy land
She seems to pass ; and sure had never seen
The heaven so blue, the lap of earth so green,
Or leaf so fresh on vernal bow'r expand ;
For where the mountains round in guardian rows
Shelter the bosom that their heights enclose,
And fence from blasts that on their summits beat,
Grapes richly clustering swell with genial heat,
Dark hangs the ripening fig, the golden orange glows.

Rezia at once entranced in holy bliss,
Aw'd by his look that beam'd celestial grace,
Bows, as before the genius of the place,
And prints his wrinkled hand with pious kiss.
Touched by his gracious mien and friendly air,
His beard that swept his breast, and silver hair,
Her soul the stranger as her sire reveres —
A second look has banish'd all her fears —
Each reads the other's heart, nor finds a stranger there.

Plain on his noble aspect shone confest,
Grandeur beneath a cowl that mildly gleam'd ;
His eye a smile on all creation beam'd :
And though the touch of time had gently prest
His neck, soft bow'd beneath the weight of years,
Sublimely rais'd to heaven, his brow appears
The shrine of peace ; and like a sun-gilt height,
Where never earthly mist obscured the light,
Above the stormy world its tranquil summit rears,

Time from his features long had worn away
The rust of earth, and passion's gloomy frown :
He would not stoop to grasp a falling crown,
Nor bend the sceptre of a world to sway.
Free from the vain desires that earth enthral,
Free from vain terrours that mankind appal,
Untouch'd by pain, and unassail'd by fear,
To truth alone he turn'd his mental ear :
Alone to nature turn'd, and her sweet simple call.

Ere from the storm of life to peace restored,
He call'd himself Alonzo. Leon bore
The noble infant on her pleasant shore,
And rear'd him for the service of her lord.
And there with thousands like himself deceiv'd,
He chas'd the shades, still cheating, still believ'd,
That tempt the sight, yet still the touch elude ;
And like the chemist's stone in vain pursu'd,
Leave the fond wretch they lur'd in hopeless misery griev'd.

And when he thus had wasted golden youth
Mid kingly smiles, and in the drunken mood
Of self-delusion drain'd his wealth and blood,
With zeal unthank'd, and unacknowledg'd truth,
In the fair morn of favour's roseate day,
By sudden fall his fetters drop away :
On the wide world's tempestuous ocean cast,
How happy from the storm escap'd at last,
To save the wreck of life, a want-devoted prey !

Yet still to cheer him in this wreck of life,
One treasure, source of soothing peace, remain'd :
In this he deems all happiness regain'd;
A friend, a cottage, and a faithful wife.
" O gracious Heaven ! but deign these blessings spare,
" Spare me but these !" was now his only prayer.
No other wish his happy spirit knew —
Heav'n heard — ten years like one too swiftly flew,
Then o'er their tomb he bow'd an image of despair !

Three sons, fair thriving in life's vernal bloom,
The image of his youth, and hope of age,
Are swept away by pestilential rage,
And grief soon lays their mother in the tomb.
Who now is left that sighs his sigh to hear,
Who, when he weeps, consoles with answ'ring tear ?
For, ah ! his only friend, he too is gone !
Bereft of all he lov'd, he pines alone ;
Lone, in a stranger world, bow'd down with wo severe !

He droops upon the desolated spot,
A lone and leafless tree mid stormy gales:
The fountain of his joy for ever fails-
How insupportable the friendless cot
Where happiness once fix'd her chosen place !
What is the world ? a vast and vacant space
For fortune's wheel to roll around at will !
His last lov'd prop now gone, why linger still ?
His sole sad wish a grave, to end his weary race.

Within this void inhospitable seat
Alphonso flew with wo-bewilder'd mind :
And found, what grief had never hop'd to find,
Peace and content as lingering years retreat.
Though worldlings from the wretch had basely flown,
One who Alphonso's prosperous days had known,
An old domestick, faithful to his lord,
Cleaves to his side in grief without reward—
And here their sole retreat, the rude o'erhanging stone.

And by degrees he struggled thro' the flood
That nigh o'erwhelm'd his soul in hopeless death-
Peace, stillness, temperance, zephyr's balmy breath,
His mind unclouded, purified his blood,
And bad new hope a gleam of joy restore.
And now he felt from heaven's exhaustless store
That e'en for wounds like his a balsam flow'd :
Felt, when the magick of a sun-beam glow'd,
That nature's charms had pow'r to sooth his soul once more.

And when at last this paradise he saw,
By some kind genius fenc'd with rocks around,
As if for him a consecrated ground,
He feels affliction from his soul withdraw :
He feels his spirit glowing with delight,
Hous'd from the tortures of a fev'rous night,
Soar to the twilight of eternal day —
" Here rest," he cries, " this paradise survey,
" Rest, where no worldly grief our souls shall rudely smite!"

Thus in enjoyment, and alternate toil,
He the late harvest of his life consum'd,
And till'd his little spot, where ever bloom'd
Luxuriant plenty from the grateful soil —
Labour was pleasure, labour sweeten'd rest :
Lost to the world, its miseries seem'd at best
A childish dream, whene'er he turn'd to trace
The wretched earnings of his earthly race :
Thus conscience, health, and peace, his spirit daily blest.

Now, bow'd with years, his lov'd companion died —
Alone remained the hermit, yet the more
His spirit turn'd to that celestial shore,
Where all he lov'd did with their God reside —
There dwelt his soul — a wandering stranger here-
Mid the still night when objects disappear,
And bodies, as external senses die,
In their first nothing seem again to lie,
Oft on his cheek he felt a breathing spirit near.

Then his half-slumbering ears in trance perceive,
With shuddering rapture heard, the groves among,
Angelic harmonies at distance sung,
For him the inexpressive chorus weave :
And as he lists he feels earth's slender wall,
That parts him from his friends, about to fall :
His spirit swells, a flame celestial bright
Burns in his breast, while rob'd in heavenly light
Shapes of the viewless world his soul responsive call.

These yet remain, when softly laid in sleep
His eyelids close, and in the morning rays
When the wide world its theatre displays,
Still o'er his sense the warbled echos sweep ;
A soul-felt glance of heavenly joy supreme
Gilds all around, the groves and mountains gleam ;
And, over all, he sees the form divine,
The Uncreated in his creatures shine,
Bright as in drops of dew the sun's reflected beam.

Thus imperceptibly did heaven and earth
United in his soul together run :
His spirit brightens like an inward sun :
Far from the dissonance of mortal birth,
From passion's turmoil, in this holy gloom
Joys that await the blest his soul illume.
Who locks my daring lip with viewless seal,
Lest aught ineffable its warmth reveal ?
Mute o'er th' abyss I bend — man dares no more presume.

Such was the pious man, before whose feet
Amanda sinks with filial fond delight :
And he, unwonted to the cheering sight,
Which oft his heart in secret sigh'd to meet,
With long-forgotten joys that life renew,
Welcomes this soul-felt unexpected view :
And as he clasps her hand with parent zeal,
And folds the youth with warmth that fathers feel,
Looks speechless thanks to Him who there the wanderers drew.

And leads them to his place of calm repose,
Leads to his garden bow'rs, his crystal stream,
Groves where ripe fruit, and purple clusters gleam,
And all his treasures on his guests bestows —
" Nature," he says, " my children, covets less
" Than man conceives : ye here enough possess —
" Realms cannot sate whom little fails to please :
" Long as your trials last here live at ease,
" Share all that nature claims, and want's keen sigh suppress."

He spoke : for plain at first their aspect show'd,
The truth as yet by Huon unreveal'd —
Though stern affliction had their features seal'd,
Both in their air and manner bore confest,
Grandeur by ceaseless sorrow undeprest :
A worth unvarying with the transient hour,
Worth unallay'd by fate's debasing pow'r,
By inborn virtue stampt, the treasure of the breast.

Thrice had the sun renew'd his golden light,
Since in the lap of paradise they lay :
Nor can they chase the pleasing thought away,
That the good hermit, such indeed in sight,
Is some kind genius whose protecting grace
Consoles their sorrow in this lonely place :
Perchance 'tis Oberon, who, kind at last,
Now every trial (so they think) o'erpast,
Will with reviving love his friends once more embrace.

But by degrees the sweet illusion flies,
And with it vanishes, O heavy grief !
The transient hope that gave awhile relief:
And now their souls with still-increasing ties
Around his kindred heart more closely twin'd.
Ah ! from a heart so warm, a soul so kind,
In sympathy so tender, pure in zeal,
Ah ! can his friends a thought, a wish conceal,
Or shed unpity'd tears to silent wo resign'd.

In boundless confidence the grateful youth,
While warmer feelings burnt within his breast,
The more his host each anxious wish supprest,
Unbosoms all his soul with artless truth ;
His rank, his name, each peril that ensued
Since the sad combat in the fatal wood,
When hasty rage reveng'd base Scharlot's deed :
How that the emperour had his death decreed,
And how by fairy aid his hand had all subdu'd.

How love did in a dream at first descend,
And with a look enchain him to his bride :
From Bagdad how he 'scap'd, a god his guide,
And, ah ! the warning of his fairy friend !
How, when resistless passion once prevail'd,
And he, frail mortal ! sunk, by love assail'd,
All nature seem'd that instant to conspire,
Heap'd on his head intolerable ire ;
And how all fairy aid sithence had ever fail'd !

" Blest," says the hermit, " blest the man, whom fate
" Guides with strict hand, but not unfriendly aim!
" How blest ! whose slightest fault is doom'd to shame.
" Him, trained to virtue, purest joys await—
" Earth's purest joys reward each trying pain !
" Think not the fairy will for aye remain
" Inexorable foe to hearts like thine :
" Still o'er you hangs his viewless hand divine :
" Do but deserve his grace, and ye his grace obtain."—

' And how deserve it ? how forgiveness gain ?'
With lip of fire impatient Huon cries —
' Lo ! I am ready — speak ! thy son advise —
' What can I do?'—" Ah! willingly abstain,
Alphonso says ; " be there repentance shown :
" Son ! by self-punishment thy guilt atone !"
Pale Huon thrills at every word he speaks—
" I feel it, says the sire, with glowing cheeks,
" But what high virtue claims, thy heart shall ne'er disown."

Firm self-conviction fires th' exalted youth :
' There is my hand ! ' — no other word they spoke :
And truly blest was he who never broke
The vow he swore, but held his plighted truth
More than an hundred weeks alone self-rein'd —
The noblest victory Huon ever gain'd.
Yet now and then the hermit drawing near,
Wakes on his glowing cheek a wholesome fear,
And Rezia's stedfast mind at times his wish restrain'd.

" Labour maintains each sense," the hermit says,
" In peace with duty, toil and ceaseless work
" Clear the foul dregs which in the body lurk :
" And what allures from virtue's rightful ways
" Like indolence, that feeds th' unholy dream ?—
" Wake with the day— prevent the sunny beam —
"Go forth where health and exercise conspire ;
" Mid yon deep grove thy limbs by labour tire,
" And fell the groaning wood till twilight's shadowy gleam."

And for Amanda's hut to form a roof,
With moss and loam the walls impervious frame,
And for the chimney's swift-devouring flame.
And for the craving hearth to pile aloof
The wintry store, where load on load, combine
Billets of cloven fir and unctuous pine :
These, and a thousand things by Huon done
Between the dawn of day and setting sun,
To soothing sleep at night his weary limbs resign.

Hands to rude toil unus'd but ill succeed ;
Tedious at first the sylvan axe to wield
For knightly falchion and emblazon'd shield ;
A hind accustom'd to the servile deed,
The task in half the time had better wrought —
The knight excels, by daily trial taught ;
And if at times his limbs and courage tire,
Amanda's image fans the drooping fire,
Strengthens his weary frame, and cheers desponding thought.

While Huon daily labours in the wood,
The hermit, in whose footstep scarce appears
The still-increasing load of fourscore years,
Yields not to sloth, nor sinks by age subdued.
Near his lov'd hermitage the holy sire
When smiles the sun, with ever new desire
Drinks the pure spirit of the balmy air,
And prunes the o'erloaded branch ; meanwhile, the fair
Prepares their evening meal, and trims the cheerful fire.

Here might be seen, (though from th' etherial seat
If angels, hovering o'er this hallow'd place,
View not in Rezia's charms a kindred grace,
No other eye beholds the still retreat,)
The caliph's child with tranquil smile serene,
While scarce a sorrow clouds her lovely mien,
Bow'd to low cares as one to labour born—
New duties, quickly learnt, the fair adorn,
And a new nameless grace in all exalts the queen.

She, too, unmindful of her tender charms,
Oft from the rill that near the cottage flows,
Draws the pure stream, and fears not to expose
The glossy polish of her swan-like arms—
Ah ! if one smile the toilsome duty bless,
Ah ! if from ills that most the poor oppress,
She free her honour'd sire, and virtuous lord,
This glorious recompense, this great reward,
Exalts each menial task, and dignifies distress.

And when the holy man (a saint of heaven)
Comes homeward from his garden, lov'd employ,
And blesses her, how pure her boundless joy :
Soul-felt, more priz'd than treasures tenfold given,
Whatever proud Bagdad's golden walls displayed—
How pure ! pale twilight stealing o'er the glade,
When round their hearth the cheerful guests unite;
And from the flame a soft reflected light
Plays o'er Amanda's charms, half hid in floating shade.

Then on those charms while Huon dares repose
Looks that imparadise his ravish'd soul,
Down his dark cheek still tears of rapture roll,
And not an earth-born wish impurely glows :
He sees an angel of the heavenly choir
Who comes to sooth his wo, and hope inspire-
Enough for him, above all mortals blest,
To dare to love her, and to view, exprest
In every chasten'd look, a gleam of fond desire.

And oft between them plac'd the father sits,
And to his wistful guests in lively strain,
(While scenes long past, in memory rise again,)
Through half the swift-wing'd nights, relates by fits
Some bold transaction of his days of yore:
And as they glow th' eventful story o'er,
Warm'd by their fire his spirit warmly glows ;
Swift through his veins the life-blood freshly flows,
Tale after tale runs on, and youth returns once more.

And oft the ghost of gloominess to lay,
That broods on owlet wing mid snowy clouds,
When silent meadows weep in misty shrouds,
The hero to some merry roundelay
Wakes up his lute, that wandering late he found,
Long time unus'd, untun'd, with chords half-bound :
Yet Orpheus' spirit seems to touch the wire,
And with the soul of melody inspire,
When lov'd Amanda's voice completes th' imperfect sound.

And oft entic'd by winter's scenery bright,
When ocean smok'd from far with icy cold,
And all the rocks were veil'd in snowy fold,
Then as at even-tide the lingering light
Hung on the mountain brow, in purple died ;
New beauties lur'd them from their chimney-side,
To bathe in aether's blue translucent flood-
How brac'd their limbs! how purified their blood !
New life, new soul they glow'd, all sorrow cast aside.

Thus imperceptibly the winter past —
And now awakening from her long repose,
Spring o'er the lap of earth gay verdure throws:
Mo more the forest bows before the blast,
A naked wreck — but where the pillars stand
Of arch'd embow'ring roofs that shade the land,
And nature's temple tow'rs sublime in air,
The pomp of foliage thickens full and fair,
And clustering leaves on leaves, religious gloom expand.

The earth is deck'd anew with flow'ry bloom,
Fair budding smile the garden, grove, and plain,
Charm'd echo swells the birds melodious strain,
And rocks are wreath'd with plants that breathe perfume.
From bubbling rills again clear currents stray
Down the green moss, and wind their silver way :
And through the night, from time to time renew'd,
The lonely bird amid the thickening wood
Trills to the silent moon her melancholy lay.

Rezia, whose time now ever nearer draws,
Seeks pathless solitudes, and deep alcoves,
Where branches thickly arch'd o'ershade the groves :
There loves to lean in still and solemn pause,
And mark with trembling joy the vernal strife,
The motion, murmur, universal life,
That teem around — in prescient rapture prest,
Clasps a sweet child in spirit to her breast-
New tie, that tenfold binds the husband and the wife.

Clasps a sweet infant, whom maternal love
Gifts, ere the time, with every winning grace ;
Bids her new hopes, and soft affections trace
That ever circling round that centre move ;
Note the first smile of infantine delight,
Smiles that at once the pangs of death requite,
Born for her babe with willing patience mild.
Now views the father's features in the child,
Which softening into hers, unfold befoie her sight.

But gradually th' enchanting dream subsides,
By shudd'ring apprehensions overpowered,
And pangs, which still in solitude devour'd,
She feign would hide, but scarce from Huon hides :
And oft she thinks, and meek to heaven uprears
Her eye that swims with uncomplaining tears—
" Might but my Fatraa sooth me in distress !"—
Peace ! Rezia ! peace ! though woes around thee press,
Fate, that still guides thy course, shall sooth these bitter fears.

Fate has prepar'd the way — the elfine queen
Since that detested hour, when sullen spite
Had robb'd her bosom of its sole delight,
Fed on lone grief in this sequester'd scene.
Alas ! with Oberon, who rashly swore
That dreadful oath, which none, who heav'n adore,
Who breathe beneath the canopy of light,
No, not the world of spirits dares to slight —
With Oberon, her peace is fled for evermore !

Too late, Titania mourns the hasty deed,
Fruit of one witless moment! — On her cheeks
Accusing guilt in burning blushes speaks :
To dreadful treason, dreadful pangs succeed,
Treason against herself, and wedded lord.
In vain stern pride yet struggles — self-abhorr'd,
Her spirit yields to tenderness alone.
Far as the heavens the penitent had flown,
And pardon at his feet with bitter tears implor'd.

Ah ! how had that availed ? — The monarch swore
Never in water, or in air, again,
Or flow'ry groves, whose branches balsam rain,
Or where in darkness, magick treasures o'er
The haggard griffin broods, his bride to meet —
He cannot with consoling pardon greet,
Bound by his oath in adamantine chains !—
To her no reconciling hope remains,
The sole sad hope yet left — avails it to repeat ?

Avails it to repeat ? — A loving pair,
Such as none is, none was, none e'er will be,
Alone can sooth stern fate's severe decree.
To hope for, truth from Adam's sinful heir,
Truth unimpair'd by fortune's veering blast,
Truth, which in weal or wo, fix'd ever fast,
No soft seduction lures, no trials bend—
— Impossible ! — Her tearful eyes descend
Down time's unfathom'd depth — thence, hopeless, shrink aghast !

Loath'd are the fairy sports — she turns in scorn
From dances glittering to the moonlight ray :
Loath'd in her rosy robes the bloom of May :
No myrtle wreaths her drooping brow adorn ;
The sight of pleasure opens every wound —
Through the vast void of air she flutters round,
Tost by the whirling tempest here and there,
And finds no rest, while sunk in deep despair.
She seeks some lonely spot, grief's consecrated ground.

Mid the wide circuit of the stormy deep
This lonely-tow'ring island strikes her sight,
Pil'd up with monstrous ruins height on height.
The gloomy clouds that round the desert sweep,
Lure her to steer amid the wild unknown
Her hov'ring flight — grief mark'd it for her own.
Downward she rushes in this dreary grave,
To mourn her being, and beneath the cave
Become? ah ! would to heav'n ! herself a senseless stone.

And since Titania to these mountains fled,
Far from all joy, sev'n times by her unseen
Gay spring had cloth'd the earth in cheerful green —
As on an altar lies her stone-propt head,
Expecting death — The seasons flourish fair :
Days rise and set — deep shade, and sunny glare,
Chequer the rocks, in vain, with magick gleams—
— Though joy should o'er her pour a thousand streams,
Her soul in lonely gloom would brood o'er dead despair.

One mournful thought, at times, with shadowy dream
Of consolation, seems to sweeten wo ;
Perchance her Oberon feels alike the blow !
Perchance his tears from equal penance stream !
He loves her yet, no doubt — Ah ! wo the day !
That he who loves her should her peace betray,
And be th' eternal murderer of his own !
How wretched ! wretchedness till now unknown !
Ah ! she would all forgive to chase such pangs away.

Yet since for every wound that racks the soul,
Time, best of soothers, o'er severest woes
Distils at last the balsam of repose :
Thus, o'er her misery, time assuasive stole,
And gradual lull'd the pang of ceaseless care —
She grieves, yet patient learns each grief to bear.
A ray, that darts the clouds of wo between,
Paints bright, at intervals, the distant scene.
Scenes, once all hopeless deem'd, now feed her day-dream fair.

Loath'd are the cliffs, and loath'd o'ershadowing height.
Where, prey of willing grief, she lonely lay —
Lo ! at her wish, as sink the rocks away,
A new Elysium opens on her sight.
Lonely no more — three lovely sylphs appear
Swift at her call, rejoic'd her voice to hear,
Three sister sylphs, rejoic'd to bring relief,
Gaily they come to dissipate her grief,
And love, not duty, hastes to check the gushing tear.

The paradise, which here the elfine queen
Form'd for herself, was, sure, the lonely place
That hid Alphonso in its lov'd embrace :
Unknown to him, the shelt'ring cliffs between
Stood the lov'd grotto, her sequester'd throne :
Whence, from the grove, by whispering night-winds blown,
Soft notes seraphick flow'd : and oft by night
O'er him at rest, she pois'd her viewless flight,
And breath'd upon his cheek pure airs to earth unknown.

And she had, anxious, mark'd the lovely pair
From day to day, since first the billows bore
The hapless exiles to this lonely shore ;
And caught from time to time, to sooth her care,
A transient gleam of their mysterious state :
And oft, herself, at dawn and evening late,
Watch'd them in lonely solitude unseen :
Each look, each word persuades the fairy queen,
That on their doom depends her interwoven fate.

The more she views, the more warm hopes prevail,
Each day reviving joy fresh ardour gains —
If these are not the pair whom fate ordains,
Alas ! if Huon and Amanda fail !
Illusive hope with them for ever dies.
She loves them as the light that cheers her eyes,
And guides with guardian vigilance their ways :
Resolv'd, unseen, with her assistant fays,
To sooth Amanda's wo when death-like pangs arise.

The hour was come : opprest with silent wo,
Amanda, lingering, near the cottage strays,
Mid fragrant shrubs that shade her secret ways,
Where opening flow'rs around profusely blow,
And breathe fresh incense on the gale of morn.
Down a small path she wanders on forlorn ;
Then stops before a grot, where ivy weaves
The rich luxuriance of thick clust'ring leaves,
"While day's resplendent beams their glossy tint adorn.

Oft had Alphonso wish'd to view the grot,
And tried to enter the forbidden place :
And venturous Huon, oft intent to trace
The wonders of the strange mysterious spot,
Had tried in vain the secret to explore ;
They stood with nameless terrour thrilling o'er,
And if they forward stept with daring force,
A strange resistance barr'd at once their course ;
Against them seem'd to rise a vast yet viewless door.

Their spirits sunk in deep mysterious gloom,
Their steps retiring slid with noiseless tread ;
And none again, so strong, so strange the dread,
To tempt the horrours of the place presume —
If till that time untry'd, 'tis all unknown ;
Enough, that now Amanda, fearless grown,
No longer can the bold attempt withstand :
Onward she calmly steps — with gentle hand
Removes the ivy web, and enters in alone.

At once, a secret shudder gently steals
Along her frame, upon a yielding seat
She sinks, where moss and blooming roses meet.
Now inly feels, through bone and marrow feels,
Thrill upon thrill swift-piercing anguish dart —
'Tis past — sweet languor steals upon the smart —
It seems, that o'er her eyes pale moon-beams glide,
Gradual, in deep and deeper shadow dy'd,
Till softly hush'd to sleep, oblivion stills her heart.

And from within her a confusion gleams
Of lovely shapes ; some o'er her sweep, some roll'd,
Each in the other floating, fold on fold ;
Mixture of wond'rous mood — and now it seems
Before her knees three lovely angels stand :
Clear to her gaze their mystick rites expand :
And, lo ! a woman veil'd in roseate ray,
Holds to her lips, as dies her breath away,
A wreath of roses fresh that bud beneath her hand.

For the last time her higher beating heart
Thrills with a short and softly-silenc'd pain —
The forms are fled away — she swoons again —
And now, without remembrance of a smart,
Wakes to soft notes, and seems afar to hear
Their low-lull'd echoes dying from the ear.
The sister forms are vanished from her view,
Alone before her, rob'd in roseate hue,
The gracious elfine queen soft-smiling deigns appear.

Within her arms repos'd a new-born child :
She gives it to Amanda — then, as blown
At distance, in a wink away is flown :
Sweet odours breathe where late the fairy smil'd —
The dreamer opes her disenchanted eyes,
And darts her hand, while now the vision flies,
To catch the hem that gilds her robe of light —
In vain — the whole is vanished from her sight—
Her hand but grasps the air — Amanda lonely lies !

One pulse-beat more — and how divinely great
At once her mingled wonder and delight —
She feels, she sees, yet trusts nor sense nor sight,
She feels herself delivered from her weight,
While in her lap a quivering infant lies,
More beauteous than e'er blest a mother's eyes;
Fresh as a morning rose, and fair as love—
And, oh ! what thrills her swelling bosom move,
While soft she feels her heart against him fondly rise.

She feels it — 'tis her son ! — with rapture wild,
Bath'd in warm tears from sweet sensations prest,
She clasps him to her cheek, her mouth, her breast,
And looks with eye unsated on her child.
He knows her, sure — sure answering rapture his,
Leave her at least the visionary bliss !
Lo ! his clear eye to her's responsive speaks,
And lo ! his little mouth that wistful seeks
Warm from her lip to suck the sweet overflowing kiss.

She hears the silent call — how quickly hears
A mother's heart ! and follows it untaught,
With such delight, such soul-transporting thought,
That, sure, if angels bending from their spheres
Could gaze on earthly scenes with envious eyes,
Envy, at such a sight, had reach'd the skies.
She lays the lovely suckling on her breast,
While tenderest sympathy, supremely blest,
Feels in her heart new springs of purest transport rise.

Meanwhile with ceaseless search the groves around,
Huon, two livelong hours had sought his bride!
But all in vain — his eye no trace descried :
As last he wanders to this holy ground :
He ventures near and nearer to the spot,
Tries, unresisted, the forbidden grot—
Oh ! heart-felt rapture ! how supremely blest !
Amanda with an infant at her breast,
Sunk in a flood of bliss, all else on earth forgot.

Ye, whom kind nature gifted at your birth
With that possession which outweighs all joys,
That endless treasure which no time destroys,
Not to be bought with all the wealth on earth ;
Which in this world of sin to God recalls,
And in another where no sin enthralls,
Follows our heavenly being unconfin'd,
Gift of a feeling heart, and virtuous mind !
Look, and behold that sight ! — the holy curtain falls