 | Tales in Verse for Young People |  |
177
THE INDIAN BIRD.
A maiden had an Indian bird,
And she kept it in her bower;
The sweetest bird that e'er was seen—
Its feathers were of the light sea-green,
And its eye had a mild intelligence,
As if it were gifted with human sense:
In the English tongue it had no name,
But a gentle thing it was and tame,
And at the maiden's call it came;
And thus it sung one twilight hour,
In a wild tone so sweet and low,
As made a luxury of woe.
And she kept it in her bower;
The sweetest bird that e'er was seen—
Its feathers were of the light sea-green,
And its eye had a mild intelligence,
As if it were gifted with human sense:
In the English tongue it had no name,
But a gentle thing it was and tame,
And at the maiden's call it came;
And thus it sung one twilight hour,
In a wild tone so sweet and low,
As made a luxury of woe.
“The nest was made of the silver moss,
And was built in the nutmeg-tree,
Far in an ancient forest shade,
That sprung when the very world was made,
In an Indian isle beyond the sea.
And was built in the nutmeg-tree,
Far in an ancient forest shade,
That sprung when the very world was made,
In an Indian isle beyond the sea.
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“There were four of us in the little nest,
And under our mother's wings we lay;
And the father the nutmeg leaves among,
To the rising moon he sat and sung—
For he sung both night and day.
And under our mother's wings we lay;
And the father the nutmeg leaves among,
To the rising moon he sat and sung—
For he sung both night and day.
“And oh, he sung so sweetly,
The very winds were hushed!
And the elephant hunters all drew near,
In joy that wondrous song to hear,
That like wild waters gushed.
The very winds were hushed!
And the elephant hunters all drew near,
In joy that wondrous song to hear,
That like wild waters gushed.
“And the little creatures of the wood
To hear it had a great delight,
All but the wild wolf-cat, that prowls
To seek his prey at night.
To hear it had a great delight,
All but the wild wolf-cat, that prowls
To seek his prey at night.
“The wild wolf-cat of the mountains old,
He stole to that tree of ours—
All silently he stole at night,
Like the green snake 'mong the flowers.
He stole to that tree of ours—
All silently he stole at night,
Like the green snake 'mong the flowers.
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“His eyes were like two dismal fires,
His back was dusky gray;
And he seized our father while he sung,
Then bounded with him away.
His back was dusky gray;
And he seized our father while he sung,
Then bounded with him away.
“Wild was the cry the father gave,
Till the midnight forest rang;
And ‘Oh!’ said the kindly hunters then,
‘Some savage creature, from its den,
Hath pounced upon that gentle bird,
And seized it as it sang!’
Till the midnight forest rang;
And ‘Oh!’ said the kindly hunters then,
‘Some savage creature, from its den,
Hath pounced upon that gentle bird,
And seized it as it sang!’
“All wearily passed that woful night
With our poor mother's wail;
And we watched, from out our little nest,
The great round moon go down to rest,
And the little stars grow pale.
With our poor mother's wail;
And we watched, from out our little nest,
The great round moon go down to rest,
And the little stars grow pale.
“And then I felt our mother's heart
Flutter, as in a wild surprise;
And we saw from a leafy bough above,
The basilisk-snake, with its stony eyes.
Flutter, as in a wild surprise;
And we saw from a leafy bough above,
The basilisk-snake, with its stony eyes.
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“It lay on the bough like a bamboo rod,
All freckled and barred with green and brown;
And the terrible light of its freezing eyes
Through the nutmeg boughs came down.
All freckled and barred with green and brown;
And the terrible light of its freezing eyes
Through the nutmeg boughs came down.
“And lithely towards the little nest
It slid, and nearer it drew,
And its poisonous breath, like a stifling cloud,
'Mong the nutmeg leaves it threw.
It slid, and nearer it drew,
And its poisonous breath, like a stifling cloud,
'Mong the nutmeg leaves it threw.
“Ah me! and I felt our mother's heart,
As it beat in an awful fear,
And she gave a cry that any beast
But the basilisk-snake had been woe to hear.
As it beat in an awful fear,
And she gave a cry that any beast
But the basilisk-snake had been woe to hear.
“But he spared her not for her beautiful wings;
He spared her not for her cry;
And the silence of death came down on the woods,
That had rung with her agony.
He spared her not for her cry;
And the silence of death came down on the woods,
That had rung with her agony.
“And there we lay, four lonely ones!
That live-long day, and pined and pined;
And dismally through the forest trees
Went by the moaning wind.
That live-long day, and pined and pined;
And dismally through the forest trees
Went by the moaning wind.
181
“We watched the dreary stars come out,
And the pitiless moon come up the sky,
And many a dreadful sound we heard—
The serpent's hiss and the jackal's cry,
And then a hush of downy wings
The nutmeg-tree went by.
And the pitiless moon come up the sky,
And many a dreadful sound we heard—
The serpent's hiss and the jackal's cry,
And then a hush of downy wings
The nutmeg-tree went by.
“And ever and ever that dreamy sound,
For a long, long hour we heard;
And then the eyes so terrible,
And the hooked beak, we knew them well,
Of the cruel dragon-bird!
For a long, long hour we heard;
And then the eyes so terrible,
And the hooked beak, we knew them well,
Of the cruel dragon-bird!
“We were his prey; and then there came
In the light of the morning sun,
The giant eagle from the rock;
He swooped on the nest with a heavy shock,
And left but me, the lonely one!
In the light of the morning sun,
The giant eagle from the rock;
He swooped on the nest with a heavy shock,
And left but me, the lonely one!
“Oh sorrow comes to the feeble thing,
And I was feeble as could be!
And next the arrow lightning came,
And smote our nutmeg-tree.
And I was feeble as could be!
And next the arrow lightning came,
And smote our nutmeg-tree.
“Down went the tree; down went the nest,
And I had soon been dead of cold,
But that a Bramin, passing by,
Beheld me with his kindly eye:
He bore me thence, and for a space
He kept me in a holy place,
Within a little cage of gold.
And I had soon been dead of cold,
182
Beheld me with his kindly eye:
He bore me thence, and for a space
He kept me in a holy place,
Within a little cage of gold.
“The Bramin's daughter tended me,
A gentle maid and beautiful;
And all day long to me she sung,
And all around my cage she hung
The large white-lily fresh and cool.
A gentle maid and beautiful;
And all day long to me she sung,
And all around my cage she hung
The large white-lily fresh and cool.
“And so I lived—in joy I lived;
And when my wings were strong,
She placed me in a banyan-tree,
Of her sweet will to set me free,
For the Bramin doth no creature wrong.
And when my wings were strong,
She placed me in a banyan-tree,
Of her sweet will to set me free,
For the Bramin doth no creature wrong.
“But I could not leave that kind old man,
I could not leave that maiden bright;
And so my little nest I built
Beneath their temple's roof, and dwelt
Among sweet flowers and all fair things,
The Indian people's offerings;
And me she called her ‘soul's delight,’
In that land's speech a loving name;
And thenceforth it my name became.
I could not leave that maiden bright;
And so my little nest I built
Beneath their temple's roof, and dwelt
Among sweet flowers and all fair things,
The Indian people's offerings;
And me she called her ‘soul's delight,’
In that land's speech a loving name;
And thenceforth it my name became.
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“But bloody war was in the land;
The old man and the maid were slain;
The precious things were borne away—
A ruined heap the temple lay,
And I among the spoil was ta'en.
The old man and the maid were slain;
The precious things were borne away—
A ruined heap the temple lay,
And I among the spoil was ta'en.
“They said I was an idol bird,
That I had been enshrined there,
And that the people worshipped me,
And that my gentle maiden fair
Was priestess to the sea-green bird!
'Twas false!—yet thus they all averred,
And in the city I was sold
For a great price in counted gold.
Thy merchant-father purchased me,
And I was borne across the sea;
Thou know'st the rest—I am not sad:
With thee, sweet maiden, all are glad!”
That I had been enshrined there,
And that the people worshipped me,
And that my gentle maiden fair
Was priestess to the sea-green bird!
'Twas false!—yet thus they all averred,
And in the city I was sold
For a great price in counted gold.
Thy merchant-father purchased me,
And I was borne across the sea;
Thou know'st the rest—I am not sad:
With thee, sweet maiden, all are glad!”
| Tales in Verse for Young People | |