Channel school

FAIR ELEANOR.

HE bell struck one, and shook the silent tower ;

TH

The graves gave up their dead: fair Eleanor
Walked by the castle-gate, and lookèd in :
A hollow groan ran through the dreary vaults

She shrieked aloud, and sunk upon the steps,
On the cold stone her pale cheek.
Of death issue as from a sepulchre,

Sickly smells

And all is silent but the sighing vaults.

Chill Death withdraws his hand, and she revives ;
Amazed she finds herself upon her feet,

And, like a ghost, through narrow passages
Walking, feeling the cold walls with her hands.

Fancy returns, and now she thinks of bones
And grinning skulls, and corruptible death
Wrapt in his shroud; and now fancies she hears
Deep sighs, and sees pale sickly ghosts gliding.

At length, no fancy but reality

Distracts her. A rushing sound, and the feet
Of one that fled, approaches.-Ellen stood,

Like a dumb statue, froze to stone with fear.

The wretch approaches, crying: "The deed is done!

Take this, and send it by whom thou wilt send;
It is my life-send it to Eleanor :-

He's dead, and howling after me for blood!

"Take this," he cried; and thrust into her arms A wet napkin, wrapt about; then rushed

Past, howling. She received into her arms

Pale death, and followed on the wings of fear.

They passed swift through the outer gate; the wretch,

Howling, leaped o'er the wall into the moat,
Stifling in mud. Fair Ellen passed the bridge,
And heard a gloomy voice cry, "Is it done?"

As the deer wounded, Ellen flew over
The pathless plain; as the arrows that fly
By night, destruction flies, and strikes in darkness.
She fled from fear, till at her house arrived.

Her maids await her; on her bed she falls,

That bed of joy where erst her lord hath pressed.

Ah, woman's fear!" she cried, "ah, cursed duke!

Ah, my dear lord! ah, wretched Eleanor !

My lord was like a flower upon the brows

Of lusty May! Ah, life as frail as flower!

O ghastly Death! withdraw thy cruel hand! Seek'st thou that flower to deck thy horrid temples:

"My lord was like a star in highest heaven
Drawn down to earth by spells and wickedness;
My lord was like the opening eyes of Day,
When western winds creep softly o'er the flowers

"But he is darkened; like the summer's noon
Clouded; fall'n like the stately tree, cut down;
The breath of heaven dwelt among his leaves.
O Eleanor, weak woman, filled with woe!"

Thus having spoke, she raisèd up her head,
And saw the bloody napkin by her side,

Which in her arms she brought; and now, tenfold More terrified, saw it unfold itself.

Her eyes were fixed; the bloody cloth unfolds,
Disclosing to her sight the murdered head

Of her dear lord, all ghastly pale, clotted
With gory blood; it groaned, and thus it spake :

"O Eleanor, behold thy husband's head,
Who, sleeping on the stones of yonder tower,

Was reft of life by the accursed duke :
A hired villain turned my sleep to death.

"O Eleanor, beware the cursed duke ;
Oh, give not him thy hand, now I am dead.
He seeks thy love; who, coward, in the night,
Hired a villain to bereave my life."

She sat with dead cold limbs, stiffened to stone; She took the gory head up in her arms;

She kissed the pale lips; she had no tears to shed; She hugged it to her breast, and groaned her last.

D

SONG.

How sweet I roamed from field to field,

And tasted all the summer's pride,

Till I the Prince of Love beheld
Who in the sunny beams did glide.

He showed me lilies for my hair,
And blushing roses for my brow:
He led me through his gardens fair
Where all his golden pleasures grow.

With sweet May-dews my wings were wet, And Phoebus fired my vocal rage;

He caught me in his silken net,

And shut me in his golden cage.

He loves to sit and hear ime sing,

Then laughing, sports and plays with me;

Then stretches out my golden wing,

And mocks my loss of liberty.