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THE VESTAL.
A CANADIAN LEGEND.
[_]
[A young Chevalier, one of the gallants of the Court of Louis XIV., who, one hundred and fifty years ago, sought glory under the banners of Frontignac, in the wilds of America, is said, by Canadian tradition, to have been tenderly attached to a noble orphan, already destined by her friends and her own pious resolution, to take the veil in the Convent of Montreal. Tradition also says, that, in the simplicity of her heart, she permitted her lover to indulge her in one afternoon's excursion on Lake Champlain, ere she entered the cloister.]
I.
In Life's divine and wondrous song,Youth's invocation swells
To Manhood's warfare fierce and vain,
Which Age serenely tells;
Yet blissful moments intervene,
Where Eden's glory dwells.
II.
And these the bard should ever strive,By numbers sweet and terse,
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In his melodious verse;
Then list, while I, with humble zeal,
One episode rehearse.
III.
Two pilgrims—Nature's offspring brave,Had roamed the world apart,
And mingled gently with their kind,
Companionless in heart,
With longings for the unattained,
In home, and church, and mart.
IV.
The Autumn noon in golden warmth,Lay bright on hill and streams,
And round them, like a halo, threw
Its clear and mellow beams,
Until their spirits seemed to breathe
The atmosphere of dreams.
V.
Then from between his voice and mind,Passed off the chilling spell,
In that mild hour's kind embrace,
He dared his love to tell;
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As from his lips they fell.
VI.
There flitted o'er her angel faceA shade of meek surprise,
And yet the hand was not withdrawn,
Nor turned aside the eyes;
He felt assurance blest and true
Within his bosom rise.
VII.
She looked upon the yellow maize,With thoughtfulness awhile,
Glanced upward to the peaceful sky,
Then bent on him a smile,
Whose mournful beauty evermore
Remembrance will beguile.
VIII.
“As thou dost love me,”—every wordWas stamped upon his brain—
“As thou dost love me, O speak not
Upon this theme again!
Unless thou wouldst complacently
Inflict a needless pain.
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IX.
“And look not with that tender gazeSo eloquently fond,
Nor murmur those devoted tones,
For on me there's a bond,—
A patient vestal here I wait,
And only hope beyond!
X.
“My path lies up the lonely steep,O tempt me not below!
Where herbage, air, and sunshine meet
In one transporting glow,
And Life's meandering waters yield
Wild music as they flow.
XI.
“Yet bitter days, methinks, have earnedA right to pluck with tears,
The flower that my rugged way
With God's own promise cheers;
And I will live one hour with thee,
To soothe my coming years.
XII.
“And if there be a future home,As saintly hearts believe,
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Earth's destinies retrieve,
By the delight that fills us now,
Thou shalt my troth receive!
XIII.
“Then pledge me by thine eyes of truth,And brow so nobly fair,
That, having at the fountain drank,
Thou wilt not linger there,
But henceforth silent hasten through
This valley of despair!”
XIV.
Far down upon the tufted shore,A silver inlet lay,
That winds capriciously along
Until it meets the bay,
And o'er it flocks of blackbirds scream,
And sedges wave alway.
XV.
He led her to a fragile barqueThat floated on the tide,
With the same hushed and fearful bliss
That to the altar-side,
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A lover leads his bride.
XVI.
They nestled in the open stern,The moorings off he cast,
And as the green, impending hills
Seemed drifting slowly past,
They felt the rapture of a mood
Too heavenly to last.
XVII.
Her head upon his bosom fell,Their pulses beat in time,
The balance of their restless hearts,
Like some exultant chime,
Then won from Earth's discordant tones,
An interlude sublime.
XVIII.
Now Sympathy's transcendent grace,Its latent worth reveals,
He whispered thoughts whose lofty scope
Truth's inmost fount unseals;
She breathed the music unwares
That Hope from Memory steals.
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XIX.
The lilies bowed their snowy cupsAs sped the light wind by,
The scarlet maples flushed around,
And pine-boughs quivered nigh,
While fleecy clouds like sapphire blazed
Athwart the evening sky.
XX.
Their touch, like an enchanter's wand,Each thrilled with glad alarm,
Their lips were rosy chalices
Yielding delicious balm,
And their pure eyes grew deep and still,
With Love's immortal calm.
XXI.
And as from chaos random starsInto their orbits roll,
Or weary eagles homeward sweep,
And flutter to their goal,
They felt a holy impulse blend
The senses and the soul.
XXII.
Years have gone by; those pilgrims nowLife's colder rules obey,
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But from that Autumn day,
The thirst of their divided hearts
Has never passed away.
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