 | Poems Old and New by Charles D. Bell |  |
19
BERENICE'S HAIR.
The hour had come for them to part,
The king must leave for Syrian shore,
And so he caught her to his heart,
And kiss'd her sweet lips o'er and o'er.
The king must leave for Syrian shore,
And so he caught her to his heart,
And kiss'd her sweet lips o'er and o'er.
Her head within both hands he took,
With all its wealth of golden hair,
Bright as the ripened corn that shook
And rippled in the summer air:
With all its wealth of golden hair,
Bright as the ripened corn that shook
And rippled in the summer air:
“O love, dear love,” he fondly cried,
“'Tis death in life to part from thee!”
She, smiling through her tears, replied,
“My heart will follow after thee.
“'Tis death in life to part from thee!”
She, smiling through her tears, replied,
“My heart will follow after thee.
“Thou know'st full well it is not mine,
It left this bosom long ago,
'Tis thine, dear love, and only thine,
In life or death, in weal or woe.”
It left this bosom long ago,
'Tis thine, dear love, and only thine,
In life or death, in weal or woe.”
20
One last embrace, he left the room;
One lingering look, he passed away;
The sunlight darkened into gloom,
A cloud fell on the cloudless day.
One lingering look, he passed away;
The sunlight darkened into gloom,
A cloud fell on the cloudless day.
The court with armèd men was fill'd,
Glittered the spear and flashed the shield,
At sound of trump each heart was thrill'd,
And legions burned to take the field.
Glittered the spear and flashed the shield,
At sound of trump each heart was thrill'd,
And legions burned to take the field.
Before he crossed the palace gate
He raised a yearning look above,
Where Berenice lonely sat,
Dear as his life, his wife, his love.
He raised a yearning look above,
Where Berenice lonely sat,
Dear as his life, his wife, his love.
She sees him go; she bends her head,
From her sad eyes the big tears fall,
And with a faint, low voice she said,
“My love, my husband, and my all.
From her sad eyes the big tears fall,
And with a faint, low voice she said,
“My love, my husband, and my all.
“Ye Gods that dwell in yonder sky,
And o'er the earth and man hold reign,
Look down on him with pitying eye,
Oh bring him safely back again.
And o'er the earth and man hold reign,
Look down on him with pitying eye,
Oh bring him safely back again.
“Upon your altars will I lay
All that I have or hold most dear,
Will pour libations day by day,
Will slay for you the spotless steer.
All that I have or hold most dear,
Will pour libations day by day,
Will slay for you the spotless steer.
21
“Only bring back my lord in peace,
Victorious from this dreadful fight,
And prayers and incense shall not cease
To rise and burn by day and night.”
Victorious from this dreadful fight,
And prayers and incense shall not cease
To rise and burn by day and night.”
The months passed by—he came not yet;
Her heart was bowed with anxious fears,
Her sweet blue eyes were often wet
With sad and unavailing tears.
Her heart was bowed with anxious fears,
Her sweet blue eyes were often wet
With sad and unavailing tears.
Were the Gods deaf to all her prayers?
Regardless of her grief and woe?
Or did they mock her anxious cares,
The tears that from her eyes would flow?
Regardless of her grief and woe?
Or did they mock her anxious cares,
The tears that from her eyes would flow?
She sought once more the sacred fane,
Where priests in fair white robes were drest,
And there she knelt and vowed again
To sacrifice what she held best.
Where priests in fair white robes were drest,
And there she knelt and vowed again
To sacrifice what she held best.
She loosed the fillet from her hair,
Its fragrance made the day more sweet,
And sunshine seemed to fill the air,
As showered the ringlets to her feet.
Its fragrance made the day more sweet,
And sunshine seemed to fill the air,
As showered the ringlets to her feet.
“I dedicate the hair,” she said,
“Euergetes once praised as mine,
The glory of my woman's head,
And lay it on this holy shrine.”
“Euergetes once praised as mine,
The glory of my woman's head,
And lay it on this holy shrine.”
22
The priest took in his hand the knife,
The hair gleam'd brighter than the sun,
Up in his eyes then smiled the wife,
As fell the tresses one by one.
The hair gleam'd brighter than the sun,
Up in his eyes then smiled the wife,
As fell the tresses one by one.
She hung the votive offering fair
Within the inner sacred shrine;
The rippling coils of golden hair
Made all the temple walls to shine.
Within the inner sacred shrine;
The rippling coils of golden hair
Made all the temple walls to shine.
“Accept this offering,” she said,
Cast o'er Euergetes your shield,
Protect and guard his noble head,
Send him victorious from the field.”
Cast o'er Euergetes your shield,
Protect and guard his noble head,
Send him victorious from the field.”
The Gods smiled on her from above,
They listened to her pleading cry;
And, pleased with this new proof of love,
They took the tresses to the sky.
They listened to her pleading cry;
And, pleased with this new proof of love,
They took the tresses to the sky.
They placed them in the vaulted blue,
And when drew on the shades of even,
At once a constellation new
Flashed in the purple depths of heaven.
And when drew on the shades of even,
At once a constellation new
Flashed in the purple depths of heaven.
And ever now, when falls the night,
And cloudless are the depths of air,
Among the stars and planets bright
Shines brightest Berenice's hair.
And cloudless are the depths of air,
Among the stars and planets bright
Shines brightest Berenice's hair.
| Poems Old and New by Charles D. Bell | |