Eonchs of ruby. A Gift of Love :: :: University of Virginia Library

ISABEL;

BALLAD OF LOVE

“The modest maid decked with the blush of honor,
Whose feet did tread green paths of youth and love.”—
Daniel.

I.

Saintly lilies mixed with roses
Were thy cheeks, dear Isabel!
Where my memory now reposes—
Fare-thee-well!
Like the Dawn when it is snowing,
Was thy lily-breast to me,
On my soul its sweets bestowing,
Full of love—farewell to thee!

II.

Sorrow never—always pleasure
Thou didst give me, Isabel!
Poured upon me without measure—
Fare-thee-well!
For thy soul it was the spirit
Of the bliss that dwelt in me,
Such as those in Heaven inherit
After death—farewell to thee!

III.

Sweeter than Hope's lute replying
Unto Doubt, dear Isabel!
Was thy voice to me when sighing—
“Fare-thee-well!”
Sweeter far than Swan left wailing—
Dying on some Summer Sea—
Was thy song to me, foretelling
This deep grief—farewell to thee!

IV.

When my head lay on the pillow
Of thy breast, dear Isabel!
Heaving like some milky billow—
Fare-thee-well!
Then thy heart gushed overflowing
From thine eyes too blind to see—
Washing out the roses blowing
On thy cheeks—farewell to thee!

V.

Then thy heart to mine was beating,
Full of pain, dear Isabel!
Each fond pulse of mine repeating—
Fare-thee-well!
Like the Moon through cloudy weather,
Beamed thy countenance on me,
Through thy tears, as we together
Wailed aloud—farewell to thee!

VI.

Then thine arms securely placing
Round my neck, dear Isabel!
Looked we not, when thus embracing—
Fare-thee-well?

Thou didst look the agonizing
Felt, I thought, by none but me,
When thy heart in tears gushed rising
To thine eyes—farewell to thee!

VII.

Then in one long trance of feeling,
Deep as Heaven, dear Isabel!
All our love—our grief—revealing—
Fare-thee-well!
There we clung—had clung forever,
Had not Hope thus whispered me—
Thus to part is not to sever—
Both are one—farewell to thee!

VIII.

Lonely, like the first-sent Raven
From the Ark, dear Isabel!
Wandered we from our soul's Haven—
Fare-thee-well!
Then like our first parents driven
Out of Eden, so were we—
Having now no home but Heaven—
So we went—farewell to thee!

IX.

Though our bodies here are parted—
Mine from thine, dear Isabel!
Our two hearts are single-hearted—
Fare-thee-well!
Farther we are separated,
Nearer shall our spirits be—
Leaving space annihilated
By our love—farewell to thee!

X.

Though we have been doomed to sever
Here on earth, dear Isabel!
Yet, it shall not be forever—
Fare-thee-well!
Let us, then, some solace borrow
From the thought that we shall be
Re-united, free from sorrow,
After death—farewell to thee!

XI.

Though our hopes have all been blighted
Here on earth, dear Isabel!
We shall be in Heaven united—
Fare-thee-well!
Budding joys, that blossom never
Here on earth, in Heaven shall be
Made to flourish there forever,
When we meet—farewell to thee!

XII.

Sweeter far than our first meeting
Here on earth, dear Isabel!
Shall be our eternal greeting—
Fare-thee-well!
Parted is not disunited—
Severed we can never be—
Thus in grief we are requited
By our love—farewell to thee

XIII.

Flowery Islands stud the river
Where we met, dear Isabel!
There our aspen lips did quiver—
“Fare-thee-well!”

Nightly through the months of Summer,
Keeping tryste, dear love! for me,
Thou didst wait to hear me murmur
My true love—farewell to thee!

XIV.

But you dared not show your sorrow
To your friends, dear Isabel!
Nor from Hope one solace borrow—
Fare-thee-well!
When they told thee I had perished,
But to win thy soul from me,
All thy precious hopes, long cherished,
Died away—farewell to thee!

XV.

All the solace you could borrow
For your grief, dear Isabel!
Was to wail aloud in sorrow—
“Fare-thee-well!”
From the rosy river-Islands
Thou didst swim at night to see
If, by moonlight, on the Highlands,
I had died—farewell to thee!

XVI.

On the name of thy true lover
Thou didst call, dear Isabel!
But thou couldst not him discover—
Fare-thee-well!
There thy violet-eyes, all clouded
With their tears, did seem to see
On the ground thy lover shrouded—
Lying dead—farewell to thee!

XVII.

Wailing thus his name, distracted,
Every night, dear Isabel!
Friends were to the spot attracted—
Fare-thee-well!
There they found thy body lying
On the ground, when, suddenly,
Up they saw thy spirit flying
Into Heaven—farewell to thee!

XVIII.

There thy body still kept lying
On the ground, dear Isabel!
While thy soul soared upward crying—
“Fare-thee-well!”
For thy voice grew shriller, shriller,
Soaring up to Heaven for me;
Then, at length, grew stiller—stiller—
Silent now—farewell to thee!

XIX.

Every night they hear the wailing
Of thy voice, dear Isabel!
All their future grief foretelling—
Fare-thee-well!
Still pursued—forever flying—
Nothing of thy form they see;
But they hear the bitter crying
Of thy soul—farewell to thee!

XX.

Nightly, through the months of Summer,
Thou dost come, dear Isabel!
To their tortured souls to murmur—
“Fare-thee-well!”

Haunted by the Heavenly Spirit—
Tortured here on earth—they see
Hell through life—Hell shall inherit
After death—farewell to thee!

XXI.

When thy mother wanders crying—
“Where is my dear Isabel?”
Echo comes to her replying—
“Fare-thee-well!”
All her joy is turned to sorrow,
Thinking how she tortured me—
Solace none from Hope to borrow—
All is Hell—farewell to thee!

XXII.

Underneath the Weeping Willow
Thou dost sleep, dear Isabel!
Lying on thy satin pillow—
Fare-thee-well!
When thy saintly soul was ferried
Over Death's dark, dismal sea,
Thy dear lily-form was buried
In this grave—farewell to thee!

XXIII.

Flowers are blooming without number
On thy grave, dear Isabel!
Calling me to peaceful slumber—
Fare-thee-well!
Angels from the shining Portal
Of the Golden City, see
How we mourn the Young Immortal
Gone to God—farewell to thee!

XXIV.

Last night, while my soul was talking
To itself, dear Isabel!
By my side came Memory walking—
Fare-thee-well!
Back we wandered through the Wildwood,
Where thy soul first came to me,
In the innocence of childhood,
Full of love—farewell to thee!

XXV.

There we heard the joyful laughter
Of the Youths, dear Isabel!
Which my soul goes sighing after—
Fare-thee-well!
Where the fairest of Earth's daughters
Golden sands of Truth, with me,
Gathered from the shining waters
Of our souls—farewell to thee!

XXVI.

Angel Days, in Heavenly Chorus,
By us flew, dear Isabel!
Singing of the joys before us—
Fare-thee-well!
Joyful Birds, forever singing,
Sported there from tree to tree,
While the woods were loudly ringing
With their song—farewell to thee!

XXVII.

Like an Angel sweetly smiling
On the earth, dear Isabel!
All the night of care beguiling—
Fare-thee-well!

Silver twilight softly snowing
On the earth and on the sea,
All the darkness overflowing—
Rode the Moon—farewell to thee!

XXVIII.

Velvet moss of emerald lustre
Laced the Rocks, dear Isabel!
Where the Golden Grapes did cluster—
Fare-thee-well!
While the dazzling emerald-glowing
Of the leaves upon each tree,
Verdant twilight there bestowing—
Soothed the soul—farewell to thee!

XXIX.

Eden-flowers of richest odor,
Just in bloom, dear Isabel!
Made Mosaic all the border—
Fare-thee-well!
Languid Lilies, newly blowing,
Lolled upon the emerald lea,
All their virgin beauty showing
To the Moon—farewell to thee!

XXX.

Thus we wandered through the Wildwood
Where we roved, dear Isabel!
In the innocence of childhood—
Fare-thee-well!
All our talk had sunk to silence,
Angel's language, when, to me,
Music came, as from the Highlands
Up in Heaven—farewell to thee!

XXXI.

Listening, rapt with wonder, sighing,
For the Voice, dear Isabel!
I beheld an angel flying—
Fare-thee-well!
It was thy dear, Heavenly Spirit
Coming down to say to me,
“Thou shalt Heaven above inherit
After Death”—farewell to thee!