 | Paulina |  |
BOOK I.
Where o'er the Russian plain the star of day
Sends 'midst long-ling'ring frost a feeble ray,
And scarce the peasant's ceaseless toil can find
A doubtful shelter from th' inclement wind;
Where hungry babes in dreary caverns weep,
And mirth is drunkenness, and bliss is sleep;
Where prowling wolves on icy desarts roar,
Or in starv'd troops surround the wretch's door;
And nought is heard at Winter's midnight hour,
But the sharp patt'ring of the hail-stone show'r,
Or some lost trav'ller shrieking from afar,
Or the fleet hurricane's tumultuous war;
While o'er the scene incumbent Horror flings
The hov'ring darkness of his dragon wings:
There, amongst uncouth wilds and cheerless snows,
An ancient, solitary mansion rose,
Remote from Petersburg, where lux'ry reigns,
And far from stately Moscow's num'rous fanes.
Severe with threat'ning battlements it frown'd,
The pride, the terror of the country round;
Beside the ruin'd gate, that sadly sung
In ev'ry passing gale with iron tongue,
A grisly wolf-dog, furious as the pard,
To seize the beggar stood, a dreadful guard.
Here no society with converse gay
Beguil'd the tardy Winter's mournful day,
But in dun robes, and wreath funereal drest,
Eye-sunken Melancholy smote her breast.
Near the breach'd wall that seem'd a garden's bound,
No woven bow'r, nor od'rous shrub was found,
But all was waste, and desolate, and drear,
And famine scowl'd, and sorrow triumph'd here:
Far from these time-worn tow'rs, with scornful eye
Warm Hospitality was forc'd to fly,
Fond to bestow beneath some humble shed,
The scanty morsel, and the stony bed.
Sends 'midst long-ling'ring frost a feeble ray,
And scarce the peasant's ceaseless toil can find
A doubtful shelter from th' inclement wind;
Where hungry babes in dreary caverns weep,
And mirth is drunkenness, and bliss is sleep;
Where prowling wolves on icy desarts roar,
Or in starv'd troops surround the wretch's door;
2
But the sharp patt'ring of the hail-stone show'r,
Or some lost trav'ller shrieking from afar,
Or the fleet hurricane's tumultuous war;
While o'er the scene incumbent Horror flings
The hov'ring darkness of his dragon wings:
There, amongst uncouth wilds and cheerless snows,
An ancient, solitary mansion rose,
Remote from Petersburg, where lux'ry reigns,
And far from stately Moscow's num'rous fanes.
Severe with threat'ning battlements it frown'd,
The pride, the terror of the country round;
Beside the ruin'd gate, that sadly sung
In ev'ry passing gale with iron tongue,
A grisly wolf-dog, furious as the pard,
To seize the beggar stood, a dreadful guard.
Here no society with converse gay
Beguil'd the tardy Winter's mournful day,
But in dun robes, and wreath funereal drest,
Eye-sunken Melancholy smote her breast.
3
No woven bow'r, nor od'rous shrub was found,
But all was waste, and desolate, and drear,
And famine scowl'd, and sorrow triumph'd here:
Far from these time-worn tow'rs, with scornful eye
Warm Hospitality was forc'd to fly,
Fond to bestow beneath some humble shed,
The scanty morsel, and the stony bed.
Here dwelt in haughty wretchedness a Lord,
Whose rage was justice, and whose law his word,
Whose wealth enormous swell'd from day to day,
Scourge of the poor, his mind more poor than they;
He saw, unmov'd, the vassal perish near,
The widow's anguish, and the orphan's tear;
Insensible to pity stern he stood,
Like some rude rock amid the Caspian flood,
Where shipwreck'd sailors unassisted lie,
And as they curse its barren bosom, die.
For baffled once when mad ambition fir'd,
Hither in shame, and sullen grief retir'd,
He strove by tyrant vengeance to assuage
The secret tortures of unsated rage.
Whose rage was justice, and whose law his word,
Whose wealth enormous swell'd from day to day,
Scourge of the poor, his mind more poor than they;
He saw, unmov'd, the vassal perish near,
The widow's anguish, and the orphan's tear;
Insensible to pity stern he stood,
Like some rude rock amid the Caspian flood,
Where shipwreck'd sailors unassisted lie,
And as they curse its barren bosom, die.
4
Hither in shame, and sullen grief retir'd,
He strove by tyrant vengeance to assuage
The secret tortures of unsated rage.
One beauteous daughter crown'd his youthful flame,
Sole nuptial pledge, Paulina was her name;
Bright as the rising morn that proudly shows
Tresses of wavy fire, and lips of rose;
Yes—she was fair beyond th' enchanting grace
That ancient poets feign of Helen's face;
Like Guido's angel beaming on the eye,
She seemed a meek descendant of the sky,
And her delicious forehead's narrow bound
Soft ringlets cast a playful shade around,
While oft her locks, too carelessly confin'd,
Loos'd by the wanton fury of the wind,
Would fall luxuriant o'er her milk-white vest,
Like Jove in golden show'r on Danae's breast.
Where'er she turn'd her soul-subduing gaze,
Th' observer faulter'd, but he faulter'd praise;
Her form was perfect as the finish'd piece,
The boast of Florence now, as once of Greece:
Each charm resistless innocence supplied,
No mock humility had she, nor pride,
No smiles affected, and no well-feign'd fears,
No fabricated sighs, fictitious tears;
But warm simplicity's unconscious glow
Ting'd her fresh cheek amid contrasting snow.
In scenes of splendor was Paulina rear'd,
Her infant days maternal fondness cheer'd;
For twice nine summers had the matron's care,
To ev'ry virtue train'd the pliant fair;
Taught her each gentle mystery to please
The songster's magic, and the dancer's ease,
T' enrich the canvass with the bold design,
And touch the mellow harp with force divine;
These by parental tenderness were given,
But sense and feeling she receiv'd from heaven.
Alas! twelve moons had sadly waned away,
Since in the tomb that friend, that mother lay;
While time, that brings to mem'ry's pangs relief,
Had only temper'd, not subdued her grief.
Nor felt the maid her private woes alone,
But ev'ry other's suff'rings were her own;
Whene'er she view'd th' imploring train around,
Moist on her breast the lucid tear was found;
As from the weeping willow dew-drops flow
Upon the lily of the wave below.
And still her bounty cheer'd the dull abode,
Where sickness sunk beneath affliction's load;
She bade mute anguish smiles of transport wear,
And rous'd to hope the slumber of despair.
What tho' she seem'd, if wand'ring on the plain,
A guardian Genius of some happier reign,
Or blue-ey'd Peace, 'midst olive groves of France
When hand in hand with Spring she leads the dance;
Yet far from social scenes condemn'd to stray,
And waste the sweetness of life's vernal day,
Known chiefly to the sad, Paulina sigh'd,
Her grief unmark'd, and lost her beauty's pride.
So the lone nightingale at twilight's close,
From mournful spray the luring measure throws,
But what avails the plaintive song, if near
No am'rous shepherd stop awhile to hear?
The class superior too was form'd of those,
Whose hearts were frigid as their native snows,
Who never sought to meet the fragrant gale,
While short-liv'd Summer sooth'd the weeping dale;
Nor prov'd the bliss that lulls Italia's breast,
When red-brow'd Evening calmly sinks to rest;
They ne'er had sported in the wanton bow'r,
That leering Mirth bedecks with many a flow'r,
In painted halls had never pass'd the day,
Amid the pleasures of the great and gay;
Nor in convivial elegance combin'd
By glowing sentiment t'exalt the mind,
Known not the rapture virtuous love bestows,
Nor caught the silent sympathy of woes;
But as the pines on some bleak mountain's height,
Which long have stood the Winter's stormy night,
Frown o'er the verdure of the cultur'd heath,
Nor bend before the Zephyr's balmy breath,
Such was the brutal band whom fate severe
Had doom'd to dwell in native exile here:
For as the unrelenting seasons roll,
The frozen influence chill'd their shrinking soul.
But when intoxication's furyfir'd
Their fev'rish veins, and desp'rate lust inspir'd,
They to the peasants dark abode would roam,
And bear the shrieking virgins to their home,
By forc'd embraces savage joy to prove,
And deem the russian violation love.
Sole nuptial pledge, Paulina was her name;
Bright as the rising morn that proudly shows
Tresses of wavy fire, and lips of rose;
Yes—she was fair beyond th' enchanting grace
That ancient poets feign of Helen's face;
Like Guido's angel beaming on the eye,
She seemed a meek descendant of the sky,
And her delicious forehead's narrow bound
Soft ringlets cast a playful shade around,
While oft her locks, too carelessly confin'd,
Loos'd by the wanton fury of the wind,
Would fall luxuriant o'er her milk-white vest,
Like Jove in golden show'r on Danae's breast.
5
Th' observer faulter'd, but he faulter'd praise;
Her form was perfect as the finish'd piece,
The boast of Florence now, as once of Greece:
Each charm resistless innocence supplied,
No mock humility had she, nor pride,
No smiles affected, and no well-feign'd fears,
No fabricated sighs, fictitious tears;
But warm simplicity's unconscious glow
Ting'd her fresh cheek amid contrasting snow.
In scenes of splendor was Paulina rear'd,
Her infant days maternal fondness cheer'd;
For twice nine summers had the matron's care,
To ev'ry virtue train'd the pliant fair;
Taught her each gentle mystery to please
The songster's magic, and the dancer's ease,
6
And touch the mellow harp with force divine;
These by parental tenderness were given,
But sense and feeling she receiv'd from heaven.
Alas! twelve moons had sadly waned away,
Since in the tomb that friend, that mother lay;
While time, that brings to mem'ry's pangs relief,
Had only temper'd, not subdued her grief.
Nor felt the maid her private woes alone,
But ev'ry other's suff'rings were her own;
Whene'er she view'd th' imploring train around,
Moist on her breast the lucid tear was found;
As from the weeping willow dew-drops flow
Upon the lily of the wave below.
And still her bounty cheer'd the dull abode,
Where sickness sunk beneath affliction's load;
She bade mute anguish smiles of transport wear,
And rous'd to hope the slumber of despair.
What tho' she seem'd, if wand'ring on the plain,
A guardian Genius of some happier reign,
7
When hand in hand with Spring she leads the dance;
Yet far from social scenes condemn'd to stray,
And waste the sweetness of life's vernal day,
Known chiefly to the sad, Paulina sigh'd,
Her grief unmark'd, and lost her beauty's pride.
So the lone nightingale at twilight's close,
From mournful spray the luring measure throws,
But what avails the plaintive song, if near
No am'rous shepherd stop awhile to hear?
The class superior too was form'd of those,
Whose hearts were frigid as their native snows,
Who never sought to meet the fragrant gale,
While short-liv'd Summer sooth'd the weeping dale;
Nor prov'd the bliss that lulls Italia's breast,
When red-brow'd Evening calmly sinks to rest;
They ne'er had sported in the wanton bow'r,
That leering Mirth bedecks with many a flow'r,
In painted halls had never pass'd the day,
Amid the pleasures of the great and gay;
8
By glowing sentiment t'exalt the mind,
Known not the rapture virtuous love bestows,
Nor caught the silent sympathy of woes;
But as the pines on some bleak mountain's height,
Which long have stood the Winter's stormy night,
Frown o'er the verdure of the cultur'd heath,
Nor bend before the Zephyr's balmy breath,
Such was the brutal band whom fate severe
Had doom'd to dwell in native exile here:
For as the unrelenting seasons roll,
The frozen influence chill'd their shrinking soul.
But when intoxication's furyfir'd
Their fev'rish veins, and desp'rate lust inspir'd,
They to the peasants dark abode would roam,
And bear the shrieking virgins to their home,
By forc'd embraces savage joy to prove,
And deem the russian violation love.
Mid such a race Paulina's bosom heav'd,
Mid such a race she trembled while she griev'd,
And shunn'd the fearful narratives to hear,
That on her warm cheek caus'd the useless tear,
But sought for refuge in her chamber rude,
Where the dull hour-bell mark'd her solitude;
No female friend had she, with converse kind,
To hush the doleful howling of the wind;
To cheer her heart amid the lonely night,
And combat sorrow by describ'd delight;
No female servant with assiduous care
The secret sufferings of her soul to share;
No tender parent now with asking eye,
Watch'd the weak heaving of th' unfinished sigh;
But sad she sunk, unable to sustain
The hopeless burthen of her daily pain.
E'en so some timid rose on Alpine height,
That faintly blushes 'midst a world of white,
By many a chilling blast its honors torn,
Slow-drooping withers on its inmate thorn.
Mid such a race she trembled while she griev'd,
9
That on her warm cheek caus'd the useless tear,
But sought for refuge in her chamber rude,
Where the dull hour-bell mark'd her solitude;
No female friend had she, with converse kind,
To hush the doleful howling of the wind;
To cheer her heart amid the lonely night,
And combat sorrow by describ'd delight;
No female servant with assiduous care
The secret sufferings of her soul to share;
No tender parent now with asking eye,
Watch'd the weak heaving of th' unfinished sigh;
But sad she sunk, unable to sustain
The hopeless burthen of her daily pain.
E'en so some timid rose on Alpine height,
That faintly blushes 'midst a world of white,
By many a chilling blast its honors torn,
Slow-drooping withers on its inmate thorn.
Whene'er she meekly courts her father's gaze,
No welcome word her filial warmth repays;
But oft he mocks her with insulting smiles,
And tells with shrewd remark of maiden wiles,
Enquires if fate has doom'd her yet to prove
The keen commotion of tyrannic love,
If much she dread, but more desire the day,
When nuptial bliss shall all her cares repay,
And some fond youth caressing and carest,
Shall strain her yielding to his raptur'd breast?
Then with ironic caution bids her show,
To mask each passion'd wish, a seeming woe.
Back to her couch Paulina would repair,
T'indulge the solemn luxury of despair,
To list the raven flap her fun'ral wing,
And round his boding notes the Kwakwa fling,
Or on the mountain's summit far away,
Hear the loud wolf exulting seize his prey.
No welcome word her filial warmth repays;
10
And tells with shrewd remark of maiden wiles,
Enquires if fate has doom'd her yet to prove
The keen commotion of tyrannic love,
If much she dread, but more desire the day,
When nuptial bliss shall all her cares repay,
And some fond youth caressing and carest,
Shall strain her yielding to his raptur'd breast?
Then with ironic caution bids her show,
To mask each passion'd wish, a seeming woe.
Back to her couch Paulina would repair,
T'indulge the solemn luxury of despair,
To list the raven flap her fun'ral wing,
And round his boding notes the Kwakwa fling,
Or on the mountain's summit far away,
Hear the loud wolf exulting seize his prey.
11
It chanc'd one eve ere slow-pac'd Spring appear'd,
Or softer gales relenting nature cheer'd,
The clouds before the driving north-wind flew,
And the sky brightened with expansive blue;
To view the wan moon lose her languid ray
Where whiter still th'extending desarts lay,
To view the stars their mingling beams bestow,
And muse on other worlds, perhaps of woe,
Awhile the maiden at her terrace stood,
Fair as the fabled daughter of the flood.
And now in wild amaze she starts to hear
A plaintive song, that prov'd the songster near,
From manly voice th' expressive numbers rose,
And thus the sorrows tremulantly close,
“Alas! why sink'st thou blooming maid to rest,
“While here thy lover comes with care opprest,
“Yet sure for thee 'tis solace to complain,
“Tho' Hope refuse to animate the strain.
“Long have I wander'd and pour'd forth my woes
“To dark'ning forests, and surrounding snows,
“To sandy wastes, and the tempestuous sea,
“In distant regions, still unheard by thee.
“Thou, thou, bright gem of Nature! wast alone
“Free from the pathos of my constant moan.
“Then come my fair! and as the rising day
“Drives from the smoky lawn the mists away,
“When bashful April breathes her parting gale,
“And Winter loiters in the plashy vale;
“So shalt thou bid these mental clouds depart,
“And pour a dazzling transport on my heart.
Or softer gales relenting nature cheer'd,
The clouds before the driving north-wind flew,
And the sky brightened with expansive blue;
To view the wan moon lose her languid ray
Where whiter still th'extending desarts lay,
To view the stars their mingling beams bestow,
And muse on other worlds, perhaps of woe,
Awhile the maiden at her terrace stood,
Fair as the fabled daughter of the flood.
And now in wild amaze she starts to hear
A plaintive song, that prov'd the songster near,
From manly voice th' expressive numbers rose,
And thus the sorrows tremulantly close,
“Alas! why sink'st thou blooming maid to rest,
“While here thy lover comes with care opprest,
“Yet sure for thee 'tis solace to complain,
“Tho' Hope refuse to animate the strain.
“Long have I wander'd and pour'd forth my woes
“To dark'ning forests, and surrounding snows,
12
“In distant regions, still unheard by thee.
“Thou, thou, bright gem of Nature! wast alone
“Free from the pathos of my constant moan.
“Then come my fair! and as the rising day
“Drives from the smoky lawn the mists away,
“When bashful April breathes her parting gale,
“And Winter loiters in the plashy vale;
“So shalt thou bid these mental clouds depart,
“And pour a dazzling transport on my heart.
Paulina heard the suppliant accents rise,
With all the sweet disorder of surprize;
When from an aged tower's adjoining shade,
The youth advanc'd before th' astonish'd maid;
Around his limbs no wintry robe was cast,
T' oppose the fury of the searching blast,
But in despite of cold, his bosom bare
Betray'd a careless desolation there.
Tall was his stature, and his air was bold,
Erect of form, and graceful to behold,
Strong as the bounding elk he seem'd to move,
And ev'ry gesture spoke the force of love.
Such was the youth who met Paulina's sight,
Thro' the weak lustre of the lunar light,
Such when more near, her chamber tapers show,
As soft they shed the quiv'ring beam below.
With all the sweet disorder of surprize;
When from an aged tower's adjoining shade,
The youth advanc'd before th' astonish'd maid;
Around his limbs no wintry robe was cast,
T' oppose the fury of the searching blast,
But in despite of cold, his bosom bare
Betray'd a careless desolation there.
13
Erect of form, and graceful to behold,
Strong as the bounding elk he seem'd to move,
And ev'ry gesture spoke the force of love.
Such was the youth who met Paulina's sight,
Thro' the weak lustre of the lunar light,
Such when more near, her chamber tapers show,
As soft they shed the quiv'ring beam below.
Again he cries, “My best belov'd appear,
“And rouse to joy the melancholy year,
“At thy approach dissolving streams shall creep,
“And vegetation quit her frozen sleep;
“Where'er thy devious steps may chance to go,
“Shall lillies open, and shall roses blow,
“The struggling grass shall shoot the blade around,
“And the brown throstle trill a softer sound,
“While the rathe cuckow, unconnected bird!
“Shall in the concert of the groves be heard;
“Each wilderness shall smile to mark thy range,
“And ev'ry sadness, with my own, shall change.
“But sure, tis thou, who smiling com'st to hear
“The genuine sorrows of a heart sincere;
“O! may my tongue at least have pow'r to prove
“How much I suffer, and how much I love.
“And rouse to joy the melancholy year,
“At thy approach dissolving streams shall creep,
“And vegetation quit her frozen sleep;
“Where'er thy devious steps may chance to go,
“Shall lillies open, and shall roses blow,
“The struggling grass shall shoot the blade around,
“And the brown throstle trill a softer sound,
“While the rathe cuckow, unconnected bird!
“Shall in the concert of the groves be heard;
14
“And ev'ry sadness, with my own, shall change.
“But sure, tis thou, who smiling com'st to hear
“The genuine sorrows of a heart sincere;
“O! may my tongue at least have pow'r to prove
“How much I suffer, and how much I love.
“Cease, cease, sad youth unknown! thy piteous strain,
(The maid replied) “for here all hope is vain;
“Here pale Suspicion keeps her watchful court,
“Of rage and misery, the fix'd resort;
“And far the tim'rous loves and graces fly,
“Where silent suff'rance lifts the streaming eye.
“But could this land become the liv'liest scene,
“Where Nature smil'd in all her tints of green;
“Should liberal Spring her flow'ry vest display,
“In bright diversity of mingled ray
“Should azure rivers, curl'd by fresh'ning gales,
“Steal winding on thro' odour-breathing vales;
“Tho' sportive youths and maidens on the plain
“Danc'd to the piping shepherd's jovial strain,
“This Castle chang'd into the fair abode,
“Where pleasure wanton'd, and where freedom glow'd:
“Tho' the gay young with polish'd arts combin'd,
“And rival flatt'ry to subdue my mind,
“Yet would I still refuse each lover's pray'r,
“Save one, my faithful bosom's constant care;
“But he to chance of happier fortune known,
“Far distant roams, from me for ever gone;
“Nor thinks that here in solitude I weep,
“Recall his image at the hour of sleep!
“No—Markoff's son, in pow'r and wealth array'd,
“Forgets the fondness of a rural Maid.
“But why reproach?—I know not of his fate,
“Why dost thou, Love, usurp a seeming hate?
“Perhaps e'en now the fainting youth may stray
“Where with'ring suns dart fierce th' unslanting ray;
“Or, 'midst the horrors of some tangled wood,
“Meet the gaunt tyger keen for human blood;
“Or tug with weary toil the slavish oar
“Thro' the hot waves that beat on Afric's shore;
“Or else, more worthy of his gallant soul,
“Where ruthless battle's smoky volumes roll,
“He leads with valiant step his troops along,
“Himself the boast, the bravest of the throng
“But Oh! perhaps the leaden stroke is o'er,
“And I shall never, never see him more.
“Then why reproach?—go, rather go my sighs,
“Pant on his cheek, and sooth him ere he dies;
“Tell him, ye winds, this pitying show'r I shed,
“T' embalm his mem'ry, and to mourn him dead!
“Ah whither roves my troubled fancy's course,
“To real evils still connecting worse,
“While thou, lamented stranger, wait'st to find
“The soft condolence of a love-sick mind?
“Alas! no soft condolence I bestow,
“For sole Alexis can my bosom glow;
“Alike regardless of the world beside,
“My earliest hope shall be my latest pride.”
(The maid replied) “for here all hope is vain;
“Here pale Suspicion keeps her watchful court,
“Of rage and misery, the fix'd resort;
“And far the tim'rous loves and graces fly,
“Where silent suff'rance lifts the streaming eye.
“But could this land become the liv'liest scene,
“Where Nature smil'd in all her tints of green;
“Should liberal Spring her flow'ry vest display,
“In bright diversity of mingled ray
“Should azure rivers, curl'd by fresh'ning gales,
“Steal winding on thro' odour-breathing vales;
“Tho' sportive youths and maidens on the plain
“Danc'd to the piping shepherd's jovial strain,
15
“Where pleasure wanton'd, and where freedom glow'd:
“Tho' the gay young with polish'd arts combin'd,
“And rival flatt'ry to subdue my mind,
“Yet would I still refuse each lover's pray'r,
“Save one, my faithful bosom's constant care;
“But he to chance of happier fortune known,
“Far distant roams, from me for ever gone;
“Nor thinks that here in solitude I weep,
“Recall his image at the hour of sleep!
“No—Markoff's son, in pow'r and wealth array'd,
“Forgets the fondness of a rural Maid.
“But why reproach?—I know not of his fate,
“Why dost thou, Love, usurp a seeming hate?
“Perhaps e'en now the fainting youth may stray
“Where with'ring suns dart fierce th' unslanting ray;
“Or, 'midst the horrors of some tangled wood,
“Meet the gaunt tyger keen for human blood;
“Or tug with weary toil the slavish oar
“Thro' the hot waves that beat on Afric's shore;
16
“Where ruthless battle's smoky volumes roll,
“He leads with valiant step his troops along,
“Himself the boast, the bravest of the throng
“But Oh! perhaps the leaden stroke is o'er,
“And I shall never, never see him more.
“Then why reproach?—go, rather go my sighs,
“Pant on his cheek, and sooth him ere he dies;
“Tell him, ye winds, this pitying show'r I shed,
“T' embalm his mem'ry, and to mourn him dead!
“Ah whither roves my troubled fancy's course,
“To real evils still connecting worse,
“While thou, lamented stranger, wait'st to find
“The soft condolence of a love-sick mind?
“Alas! no soft condolence I bestow,
“For sole Alexis can my bosom glow;
“Alike regardless of the world beside,
“My earliest hope shall be my latest pride.”
“Blest be that found” returns th' exulting youth,
“Those radiant eyes that throw the glance of truth;
“For blest are all who view thy peerless charms,
“Most blest am I whom most thy beauty warms:
“But know, sweet Maid, and banish ev'ry fear,
“It is thy faithful lover lingers here;
“Yes, 'tis thine own Alexis, Markoff's son,
“Long since by fair Paulina's merit won,
“Comes here to languish, here to breathe his pain,
“And tread with amorous step this joyless plain.”
“Those radiant eyes that throw the glance of truth;
17
“Most blest am I whom most thy beauty warms:
“But know, sweet Maid, and banish ev'ry fear,
“It is thy faithful lover lingers here;
“Yes, 'tis thine own Alexis, Markoff's son,
“Long since by fair Paulina's merit won,
“Comes here to languish, here to breathe his pain,
“And tread with amorous step this joyless plain.”
Thrice had he seen th' increasing orb of night
Dart thro' the opening clouds its casual light;
And thrice with blunted horns perceiv'd it fade,
Lost in the thickness of impervious shade,
While he with watchings had outmatch'd the bear,
And told the Northern gust his bosom's care.
For her he left proud Moscow's glitt'ring tow'rs,
The festive theatres and social hours;
Unfit the loud, the frantic race to join,
Who drain the poison of misused wine;
True to his cherish'd vow he scorn'd to rove
The wanton bow'rs of prostituted love,
Where the deep heart-ach is conceal'd by smiles,
And keen abhorrence hid in wanton wiles.
Far other thoughts his cheerless soul employ,
Than the gay goblet, or the purchas'd joy;
Still mindful of the day when first at pray'r,
In solemn dome, he saw th' enchanting fair,
Observ'd the pious pleading of her eye,
And fervent rapture of the guiltless sigh:
O then he felt th' insinuating smart
Steal with mute transport o'er his vanquish'd heart;
While each successive day the passion grew,
Whene'er her conscious blushes met his view.
Yet soon, alas! his beating bosom found
The cruel anguish of th' inflicted wound,
The rage of doubt, the mis'ry of delay,
The splendor hated of the garish day,
The pangs of jealousy that madly move,
And all the bitter agony of love.
But when the Maid had smil'd his soul to peace,
And answ'ring glances bade each trouble cease,
As chance he stray'd beside the branching wood,
That join'd the garden where her palace stood,
What time the Summer sun-beam gilt the brow
Of Moscow's turrets, with departing glow;
To mark meek Twilight spread her pinions gray,
And draw the curtains of the tent of day,
T' escape the tumult that each city knows,
And taste the pleasure of the mind's repose;
Paulina came, O how supremely fair,
How soft her eye, how innocent her air!
'Twas then with melting sympathy they swore,
Thro' time and absence but to love the more,
Till the wish'd hour, too long by fate deny'd,
When fond Alexis might demand his bride:
But soon, alas! her disappointed Sire,
Chose from the court imperial to retire.
Far from her sight no lenient could he find,
T' appease the sickness of his widow'd mind,
But vainly then by foreign toils he strove,
And other cares, to combat those of love.
For twice twelve months he fought the turban'd foe,
Where the broad Danube's hast'ning waters flow;
Each rolling month but more confirm'd his grief,
For Death, tho' courted, still refus'd relief.
At length fatigu'd with war, and fruitless toil,
He sought the solace of his native soil;
Convinc'd no difference of time or place
Can rooted passion from the mind efface;
And since the flame with added vigour burn'd,
Or to possess her, or to die return'd:
So the dejected bird when sadly torn
By the sharp anguish of some fest'ring thorn,
Flies to the distant groves in search of rest,
But hastens back to perish on her nest.
For not emphatic beauty's thrilling pow'r,
The breast of lily, fairer than the flow'r,
The stedfast eye, by Nature newly taught
To throw the sultry ray of amorous thought,
The wild enchantment of each motion's grace,
Nor all the wond'rous glories of the face,
Could e'er awhile his settled with controul,
To stray from her the mistress of his soul.
Soon as Paulina heard his well-known name,
Her bosom redden'd with a sudden flame,
Surprize awhile restrained her passion's force,
While thus the youth pursued the fond discourse.
Dart thro' the opening clouds its casual light;
And thrice with blunted horns perceiv'd it fade,
Lost in the thickness of impervious shade,
While he with watchings had outmatch'd the bear,
And told the Northern gust his bosom's care.
For her he left proud Moscow's glitt'ring tow'rs,
The festive theatres and social hours;
Unfit the loud, the frantic race to join,
Who drain the poison of misused wine;
18
The wanton bow'rs of prostituted love,
Where the deep heart-ach is conceal'd by smiles,
And keen abhorrence hid in wanton wiles.
Far other thoughts his cheerless soul employ,
Than the gay goblet, or the purchas'd joy;
Still mindful of the day when first at pray'r,
In solemn dome, he saw th' enchanting fair,
Observ'd the pious pleading of her eye,
And fervent rapture of the guiltless sigh:
O then he felt th' insinuating smart
Steal with mute transport o'er his vanquish'd heart;
While each successive day the passion grew,
Whene'er her conscious blushes met his view.
Yet soon, alas! his beating bosom found
The cruel anguish of th' inflicted wound,
The rage of doubt, the mis'ry of delay,
The splendor hated of the garish day,
The pangs of jealousy that madly move,
And all the bitter agony of love.
19
And answ'ring glances bade each trouble cease,
As chance he stray'd beside the branching wood,
That join'd the garden where her palace stood,
What time the Summer sun-beam gilt the brow
Of Moscow's turrets, with departing glow;
To mark meek Twilight spread her pinions gray,
And draw the curtains of the tent of day,
T' escape the tumult that each city knows,
And taste the pleasure of the mind's repose;
Paulina came, O how supremely fair,
How soft her eye, how innocent her air!
'Twas then with melting sympathy they swore,
Thro' time and absence but to love the more,
Till the wish'd hour, too long by fate deny'd,
When fond Alexis might demand his bride:
But soon, alas! her disappointed Sire,
Chose from the court imperial to retire.
Far from her sight no lenient could he find,
T' appease the sickness of his widow'd mind,
20
And other cares, to combat those of love.
For twice twelve months he fought the turban'd foe,
Where the broad Danube's hast'ning waters flow;
Each rolling month but more confirm'd his grief,
For Death, tho' courted, still refus'd relief.
At length fatigu'd with war, and fruitless toil,
He sought the solace of his native soil;
Convinc'd no difference of time or place
Can rooted passion from the mind efface;
And since the flame with added vigour burn'd,
Or to possess her, or to die return'd:
So the dejected bird when sadly torn
By the sharp anguish of some fest'ring thorn,
Flies to the distant groves in search of rest,
But hastens back to perish on her nest.
For not emphatic beauty's thrilling pow'r,
The breast of lily, fairer than the flow'r,
The stedfast eye, by Nature newly taught
To throw the sultry ray of amorous thought,
21
Nor all the wond'rous glories of the face,
Could e'er awhile his settled with controul,
To stray from her the mistress of his soul.
Soon as Paulina heard his well-known name,
Her bosom redden'd with a sudden flame,
Surprize awhile restrained her passion's force,
While thus the youth pursued the fond discourse.
“Since I have prov'd all other hope is vain,
“I come to woo thee on this doleful plain,
“With caution woo thee, for thy father's ire
“Is chiefly kindled 'gainst my honor'd sire,
“Successful rival of his pow'r and fame,
“He scorns our house and e'en abhors our name.
“What then awaits my duly-proffer'd hand?
“For me refusal, and for thee command.
“This to avoid, O let us quickly fly
“To happier regions, and a social sky,
“Where the grave priest, in sacred robe array'd,
“Shall join Alexis to his darling maid;
“So shall Alexis leave the cavern drear,
“Where he has sigh'd a portion of the year,
“So shall Paulina quit this mansion dread,
“Her sorrows vanish, and her fears be fled.
“And my fleet rein-deer's eager steps shall haste
“O'er the bright surface of the frozen waste,
“Secure from ev'ry harm my snow-car glide,
“For Love shall be our guardian, and our guide.
“I come to woo thee on this doleful plain,
“With caution woo thee, for thy father's ire
“Is chiefly kindled 'gainst my honor'd sire,
“Successful rival of his pow'r and fame,
“He scorns our house and e'en abhors our name.
“What then awaits my duly-proffer'd hand?
“For me refusal, and for thee command.
“This to avoid, O let us quickly fly
“To happier regions, and a social sky,
22
“Shall join Alexis to his darling maid;
“So shall Alexis leave the cavern drear,
“Where he has sigh'd a portion of the year,
“So shall Paulina quit this mansion dread,
“Her sorrows vanish, and her fears be fled.
“And my fleet rein-deer's eager steps shall haste
“O'er the bright surface of the frozen waste,
“Secure from ev'ry harm my snow-car glide,
“For Love shall be our guardian, and our guide.
“O gen'rous youth,” the blushing maid replies,
While grateful pleasure sparkles in her eyes,
“All that thy heart has felt, I too shall feel,
“Till death's oblivion o'er my senses steal;
“No chance can alter, time subdue the flame,
“And e'en when life shall cease 'twill glow the same,
“For since my soul's immortal, love shall be
“Its fix'd companion for eternity.
“And sure Alexis! sure thy voice has pow'r
“To charm the songsters of the woodland bow'r,
“T'attract with potent spell yon lamp on high,
“That hangs majestic in the vaulted sky,
“As Lapland witches, who by hidden force
“Of storied magic, check its gradual course.
“What tho enraptured, I could linger long,
“Gaze on thy form, and listen to thy tongue,
“Yet O reflect, more fierce than beasts of prey
“Which keep their vigils in the lunar ray,
“That thou ador'd Alexis! hast to fear
“The dreadful vengeance of my sire severe.
“Who, when corroding dreams disturb his rest,
“Comes here to vent the torture of his breast.
“Then hence awhile, but when to-morrow's sun
“With west'ring wheel shall down th'Horizon run,
“Soon as the evening star shall glimmering shed
“A paly glow on yonder mountain's head;
“Thy careful guidance shall direct my feet,
“To quit for e'er this desolate retreat.
While grateful pleasure sparkles in her eyes,
“All that thy heart has felt, I too shall feel,
“Till death's oblivion o'er my senses steal;
“No chance can alter, time subdue the flame,
“And e'en when life shall cease 'twill glow the same,
23
“Its fix'd companion for eternity.
“And sure Alexis! sure thy voice has pow'r
“To charm the songsters of the woodland bow'r,
“T'attract with potent spell yon lamp on high,
“That hangs majestic in the vaulted sky,
“As Lapland witches, who by hidden force
“Of storied magic, check its gradual course.
“What tho enraptured, I could linger long,
“Gaze on thy form, and listen to thy tongue,
“Yet O reflect, more fierce than beasts of prey
“Which keep their vigils in the lunar ray,
“That thou ador'd Alexis! hast to fear
“The dreadful vengeance of my sire severe.
“Who, when corroding dreams disturb his rest,
“Comes here to vent the torture of his breast.
“Then hence awhile, but when to-morrow's sun
“With west'ring wheel shall down th'Horizon run,
“Soon as the evening star shall glimmering shed
“A paly glow on yonder mountain's head;
24
“To quit for e'er this desolate retreat.
While thus she speaks the argent moon retires,
And in a cloud collects her mimic fires,
Confusion reigns, and Terror's monster form
Stalks in the uproar of the coming storm,
His arrowy sleet the Genius of the pole
Shoots furious forth, and mutt'ring thunders roll,
While with red glance his eye-balls flash around;
And the broad lustre glows upon the ground;
The forest groans, and every beast of prey
Hies to his wonted covert far away;
The startled peasant shudd'ring in his bed,
Doubts the weak structure of th' uncertain shed,
Fears for the sole-left solace of his life,
His helpless infants, and his faithful wife.
But calm Alexis stands, for what can move
The heart of him who only lives to love?
Love, if the muse sing true, absorbs the mind,
And scatters gen'ral suff'rings to the wind,
Alike leads careless on his vot'ries, where
The speedy tempest rends the fields of air,
Or wide-consuming War, in sanguin'd vest,
Points the fell cannon at their fearless breast;
Beneath the line, or in the polar breeze,
The wand'ring lovers neither faint, nor freeze,
To them the same, as are the temp'rate skies,
Where beck'ning Pleasure rolls her wanton eyes.
And in a cloud collects her mimic fires,
Confusion reigns, and Terror's monster form
Stalks in the uproar of the coming storm,
His arrowy sleet the Genius of the pole
Shoots furious forth, and mutt'ring thunders roll,
While with red glance his eye-balls flash around;
And the broad lustre glows upon the ground;
The forest groans, and every beast of prey
Hies to his wonted covert far away;
The startled peasant shudd'ring in his bed,
Doubts the weak structure of th' uncertain shed,
Fears for the sole-left solace of his life,
His helpless infants, and his faithful wife.
But calm Alexis stands, for what can move
The heart of him who only lives to love?
25
And scatters gen'ral suff'rings to the wind,
Alike leads careless on his vot'ries, where
The speedy tempest rends the fields of air,
Or wide-consuming War, in sanguin'd vest,
Points the fell cannon at their fearless breast;
Beneath the line, or in the polar breeze,
The wand'ring lovers neither faint, nor freeze,
To them the same, as are the temp'rate skies,
Where beck'ning Pleasure rolls her wanton eyes.
Now o'er the pale Paulina's alter'd cheeks
Descends the glist'ning tear, and thus she speaks.
“O haste beloved youth! thyself to save
“From this rough season in yon cov'ring cave—
“—Ah no! in yonder cave perchance is found
“The writhing snake that gives the venom'd wound,
“Nor there the viper, man's imagin'd friend,
“Shall from the fatal sting thy limbs defend.
“And some ferocious beast may haunt the place
“In lurking rage, to seize the houseless race.
“Then seek, in pity to a maiden's fear,
“Seek, if thou canst, a welcome shelter here,
“Nor shall to-night my father's steps invade
“The sacred transport of a faithful maid;
“Tir'd with a sportsman's toil amid the snows,
“He early sought refreshment from repose,
“And far, his chamber on the southern side,
“From mine long passages, and halls divide:
“Nor is the terrace high, and Love has wings,
“O'er ev'ry human boundary he springs,
“When 'cross the Hellespont th' enamour'd boy
“Swam to the bow'r of Hero, and of joy,
“'Twas Love sustain'd him on the dang'rous wave,
“And bad th' obedient billows cease to rave,
“But when his wav'ring breast more faintly sigh'd,
“The God forsook him, and the Lover dy'd.
“Then come—to reach this proffer'd shelter strive,
“And at my glowing hearth thy limbs revive;
“I'll wipe the frozen chrystal from thy brow,
“And kiss each drop might modesty allow,
“Chaff thy chill temples with the tend'rest care,
“And press the moisture from thy shining hair;
“Or while thy tongue each wand'ring toil shall tell,
“My ready eye shall stream, my bosom swell.”
It chanc'd a spreading fir that many a year
Had shed its shatter'd cones neglected here,
Around her terrace melancholy throws
Its green arms bending with a weight of snows.
Like circling ivy up the trunk he twines,
Mounts the firm branch that tow'rds the Maid inclines,
And as the Chamois from the icy brow,
Where bleak Helvetia shows th' abyss below,
Leaps o'er the gulph, and gains the dang'rous side,
To join his fav'rite female's airy pride:
The nimble Lover thus with measur'd bound,
Springs to Paulina's arms, and clasps her round,
Sooths with a fond respect her wak'ning fears,
And on her white hand melts in rapt'rous tears,
Tells of the long-felt pangs that tore his breast,
Days mark'd with woe, and nights unknown to rest;
His eyes o'er all her timid beauties rove
In sweet delirium of extatic love;
His plighted faith with solemn oaths he gives,
As solemn she his plighted faith receives.
In whisp'ring joy the rapid moments glide,
He looks the husband, and she smiles the bride;
To happier scenes their active fancies stray,
The hop'd Elysium of a future day.
Descends the glist'ning tear, and thus she speaks.
“O haste beloved youth! thyself to save
“From this rough season in yon cov'ring cave—
“—Ah no! in yonder cave perchance is found
“The writhing snake that gives the venom'd wound,
“Nor there the viper, man's imagin'd friend,
“Shall from the fatal sting thy limbs defend.
26
“In lurking rage, to seize the houseless race.
“Then seek, in pity to a maiden's fear,
“Seek, if thou canst, a welcome shelter here,
“Nor shall to-night my father's steps invade
“The sacred transport of a faithful maid;
“Tir'd with a sportsman's toil amid the snows,
“He early sought refreshment from repose,
“And far, his chamber on the southern side,
“From mine long passages, and halls divide:
“Nor is the terrace high, and Love has wings,
“O'er ev'ry human boundary he springs,
“When 'cross the Hellespont th' enamour'd boy
“Swam to the bow'r of Hero, and of joy,
“'Twas Love sustain'd him on the dang'rous wave,
“And bad th' obedient billows cease to rave,
27
“The God forsook him, and the Lover dy'd.
“Then come—to reach this proffer'd shelter strive,
“And at my glowing hearth thy limbs revive;
“I'll wipe the frozen chrystal from thy brow,
“And kiss each drop might modesty allow,
“Chaff thy chill temples with the tend'rest care,
“And press the moisture from thy shining hair;
“Or while thy tongue each wand'ring toil shall tell,
“My ready eye shall stream, my bosom swell.”
It chanc'd a spreading fir that many a year
Had shed its shatter'd cones neglected here,
Around her terrace melancholy throws
Its green arms bending with a weight of snows.
Like circling ivy up the trunk he twines,
Mounts the firm branch that tow'rds the Maid inclines,
And as the Chamois from the icy brow,
Where bleak Helvetia shows th' abyss below,
28
To join his fav'rite female's airy pride:
The nimble Lover thus with measur'd bound,
Springs to Paulina's arms, and clasps her round,
Sooths with a fond respect her wak'ning fears,
And on her white hand melts in rapt'rous tears,
Tells of the long-felt pangs that tore his breast,
Days mark'd with woe, and nights unknown to rest;
His eyes o'er all her timid beauties rove
In sweet delirium of extatic love;
His plighted faith with solemn oaths he gives,
As solemn she his plighted faith receives.
In whisp'ring joy the rapid moments glide,
He looks the husband, and she smiles the bride;
To happier scenes their active fancies stray,
The hop'd Elysium of a future day.
It may perhaps be almost needless to observe, that this passage alludes to that inimitable Grecian statue called the Venus of Medicis, which was discovered at Tivoli, and formerly stood in the Medici Palace on Mount Pincio at Rome; on which account it received its present name. It was brought to Florence by order of Cosmo III. Great Duke of Tuscany.
The Night-crow, Le Corbeau de Nuit, Ardea Nycticorax, is called in the Russian language Kwakwa, and that name says a French writer, well expresses the disagreeable cry of the bird, which is such, “qu'on croit entendre un homme qui vomit.” It is also supposed to be ominous.
The Snow-car, Traineau, or Sledge, in which the Inhabitants of most Northern nations traverse the snows, is drawn by Rein-deer throughout Lapland, and in some parts of Russia.
In some parts of Russia the viper is supposed to understand the language of men, and to prevent serpents from hurting the country people who may sleep in the open air.
Les Morduans de ces contrées se sont fait des idées tres-singuliéres de la Vipere ordinaire, Coluber Natrix, qui est assez commune dans ce pays; ils se font le plus grand scrupule de tuer un de ces animaux, & croyent qu'ils entendent le language humain, & empechent les autres serpens de nuire aux gens de la campagne, qui s'endorment en plein champ.
See Histoire des Decouvertes faites par divers savans voyageurs, dans plusieurs contrèes de la Russie & de la Perse. Vol. 1. page 149.Des précipices, parmi lesquels le plus hardi montagnard n'erre qu'en tremblant, sont la patrie du Chamois; il parcourt légérement leurs hauteurs et leurs abîmes, que l'homme ose à peine mesurer des yeux; l'animal a la plus juste idée des distances. Mr. Ramond Translator of the Letters of Mr. Coxe from Switzerland, vol. 1, page 272.
| Paulina | |