45 And something also did my worth obtain; For fearless virtue bringeth boundless gain. That the first Greek who touched the Should die; but me the threat could not A generous cause a victim did demand; 50 Thy matchless courage I bewail no more, Which then, when tens of thousands were deprest By doubt, propelled thee to the fatal shore; Thou found'st-and I forgive thee-here thou art A nobler counsellor than my poor heart. And he, whose power restores thee, hath decreed Thou shouldst elude the malice of the grave: Redundant are thy locks, thy lips as fair 60 As when their breath enriched Thessalian air. "No spectre greets me,-no vain shadow this; Come, blooming hero, place thee by my side! Give, on this well-known couch, one nuptial kiss To me, this day, a second time thy bride!" 65 Jove frowned in heaven: the conscious 100 Parcæ threw Upon those roseate lips a Stygian hue. "This visage tells thee that my doom is past: Nor should the change be mourned, even if the joys Of sense were able to return as fast 70 And surely as they vanish. Earth destroys Those raptures duly-Erebus disdains: Calm pleasures there abide-majestic pains. "Be taught, O faithful consort, to control Rebellious passion: for the gods approve 75 The depth, and not the tumult, of the soul; A fervent, not ungovernable, love. Thy transports moderate; and meekly mourn 105 110 When I depart, for brief is my sojourn—” "Ah wherefore?-Did not Hercules by 115 force 80 Wrest from the guardian Monster of the tomb1 Alcestis, a reanimated corse, bloom?2 Medea's spells dispersed the weight of years, And son stood a youth 'mid youthful peers.3 120 He spake of love, such love as Spirits feel In worlds whose course is equable and pure; No fears to beat away-no strife to heal- Of all that is most beauteous-imaged there What time the fleet at Aulis lay enchained. "The wished-for wind was given :- I then revolved The oracle, upon the silent sea; And, if no worthier led the way, resolved That, of a thousand vessels, mine should be 125 The foremost prow in pressing to the strand, Mine the first blood that tinged the Trojan sand. "Yet bitter, oft-times bitter, was the pang When of thy loss I thought, beloved wife! On thee too fondly did my memory hang, 130 And on the joys we shared in mortal life,The paths which we had trod-these fountains, flowers; My new-planned cities, and unfinished towers. Are mourned by man, and not by man alone, As fondly he believes.-Upon the side Of Hellespont (such faith was entertained) A knot of spiry trees1 for ages grew "But should suspense permit the foe to 170 From out the tomb of him for whom she cry, 'Behold they tremble!-haughty their array, 135 Yet of their number no one dares to die?' In soul I swept the indignity away: Old frailties then recurred:-but lofty thought, In act embodied, my deliverance wrought. "And thou, though strong in love, art all too weak 140 In reason, in self-government too slow; I counsel thee by fortitude to seek Our blest reunion in the shades below. The invisible world with thee hath sympathized; Be thy affections raised and solemnized. 145 Learn, by a mortal yearning, to ascendSeeking a higher object. Love was given, Encouraged, sanctioned, chiefly for that end; For this the passion to excess was driven— That self might be annulled: her bondage prove 150 The fetters of a dream opposed to love." 25 Where was it that the famous Flower His bed perchance was yon smooth mound 1 See Pliny's Natural History, 16, 44. 2 The Flower of Yarrow was Mary Scott of Dryhope; but Wordsworth is probably following Logan's Braes of Yarrow, in which the lady mourns over the lover whom she calls "the flower of Yarrow." 30 Now peaceful as the morning, The water-wraith' ascended thrice- Delicious is the lay that sings 35 The path that leads them to the grove, That paints, by strength of sorrow, The unconquerable strength of love; 40 Bear witness, rueful Yarrow! But thou, that didst appear so fair Dost rival in the light of day Her delicate creation: 45 Meek loveliness is round thee spread, The grace of forest charms decayed, That region left, the vale unfolds 50 Rich groves of lofty stature, With Yarrow winding through the pomp And, rising from those lofty groves, 55 The shattered front of Newark's Towers, Renowned in Border story. Fair scenes for childhood's opening bloom. For sportive youth to stray in: For manhood to enjoy his strength; 60 And age to wear away in! Yon cottage seems a bower of bliss, A covert for protection Of tender thoughts, that nestle there- 65 How sweet, on this autumnal day. I see-but not by sight alone, Had this effulgence disappeared 5 But 'tis endued with power to stay, 10 With modulated echoes rang, While choirs of fervent angels sang Or, crowning, star-like, each some sov- Warbled, from heaven above and earth 15 Strains suitable to both.-Such holy rite, Than doth this silent spectacle-the No sound is uttered,-but a deep And gladsome notes my lips can breathe, 25 Far-distant images draw nigh, 80 Accordant to the measure. 1 A spirit thought to preside over waters. Lines 31-32 are taken from Logan's poem. Called forth by wondrous potency And if there be whom broken ties 45 Climbing suffused with sunny air, On those bright steps that heavenward raise Their practicable way.1 Come forth, ye drooping old men, look abroad, And see to what fair countries ye are bound! 55 And if some traveller, weary of his road, Hath slept since noon-tide on the grassy ground, Ye Genii! to his covert speed; And wake him with such gentle heed As may attune his soul to meet the dower 60 Bestowed on this transcendent hour! Such hues from their celestial urn 65 This glimpse of glory, why renewed? serve 70 No less than Nature's threatening voice, If aught unworthy be my choice, From thee if I would swerve; Oh, let thy grace remind me of the light Full early lost, and fruitlessly deplored; 75 Which, at this moment, on my waking sight Appears to shine, by miracle restored; My soul, though yet confined to earth, Rejoices in a second birth! -Tis past, the visionary splendor fades; 80 And night approaches with her shades, 1 A ladder that may be climbed. Shall soon behold this border thickly set 10 With bright jonquils, their odors lavishing On the soft west-wind and his frolic |