Comic Tales and Lyrical Fancies including The Chessiad, a Mock-Heroic, in Five Cantos; and The Wreath of Love, in Four Cantos. By C. Dibdin, the Younger |
 |
 |
|
|
|
THE MANIAC'S FUNERAL,
Written upon seeing at Bethlem Hospital what the Poem describes. |
 | Comic Tales and Lyrical Fancies |  |
251
THE MANIAC'S FUNERAL, Written upon seeing at Bethlem Hospital what the Poem describes.
The portal open'd wide—where madness sits,“Bays to the moon,” or churns, in moody fits:—
A coffin came; age made the bearers slow;
One weeping woman all the train of woe!
Her pace and port like somewhat without breath;
Life's shadow walking in the vale of death.
The widow's weeds, all neat, though scant and poor,
Girt her thin, tottering, frame; her face, obscure,
Close-curtain'd by a hood; a 'kerchief old,
But white, of modest decency that told,
Clench'd in her hand, oft hast'ning to her eyes,
Publish'd her tears; her labouring breast with sighs
252
And seem'd half dying, while she mourn'd the dead!
Mourn'd?—'twas a maniac to the grave they bore;
And, sure, 'twas blessing that his life was o'er;
Joy should have hail'd it—joy?—the widow's tear
Gush'd for past days, when every hour was dear;
For their first love, and joys for ever flown—
And then, with horror, to his mind o'erthrown
Quick flew her thoughts, and half-o'erturn'd her own.
She saw him wooing her consenting smile;
Then heard him raving with demoniac bile—
Saw him a corpse, his madness all forgot,
Felt all her loss, and shudder'd at her lot:
A widow, desolate!—while life was his,
Hope to returning reason look'd, and bliss;
Each false remission of his mental strife
Rous'd fear to fortitude, gave hope new life;
And scarce a starting tear—for tears would start—
Could gush, ere check'd by Hope's officious art.
253
No kindly care her sinking heart sustains;
Dank, frigid, certainty has hope revers'd,
And fear has flown, and death has done his worst:
Herself, alone! her tears, entreating, fall
To Death, to take herself, and finish all!
| Comic Tales and Lyrical Fancies | |