University of Virginia Library

Well thou farest, gallant Count,
Foremost in the battle brunt,
Foremost on that famous field,
When to heaven two faiths appealed,
When seven times uprose the sun,
And the battle was not done,
And six times went down the day
On an undecided fray;
Well thou speedest; to thy king
No mean help thy hand did bring
On that last day, when he smote
Many a Moslem's mailëd coat,
When his ponderous blows so well
Like on ringing anvil fell,
That to him henceforth the name
Of ‘The Hammer’ justly came.
Well thou farest—better far
Than that sadly-gleaming star,
Thou didst leave to shine alone
In thy sphere, when thou wert gone—
Better than that lonely dove,
Fond of heart, and true of love,
Who within her widowed bowers
Counts the tardy-pacing hours.
What a mist of hell obscure
Gathers round thy planet pure!
What a serpent coils and clings
Round thy fair dove's silver wings!
What of hellish wiles are met
Round about her, to beset
First the honour, then the life
Of that ever-faithful wife!

Ill didst thou, O Count, provide,
Setting at thy lady's side,
For thine holy home to guard
And to keep due watch and ward,
One who there such watch doth keep
As the wolf on silly sheep:
Such a guard the kite would prove
To the weakness of the dove.
Evil man! who when there fell
On his bosom sparks of hell,
Did not, as alone was meet,
Stamp them underneath his feet,
With an indignation keen
That such thoughts should once have been;
But those sparks of foul desire
Left to kindle to a fire,
Fed and fanned them, till they grew
Such a mighty flame unto,
As will not be quenched, before
One it has consumed, or more.
—He has dared to tell his tale;
She, with fear and anger pale,
Twice must heart, but when the third
Time this suit of shame she heard,
Then exclaimed, ‘Thy lord shall know
Whom he has entrusted so:
Evil meed wilt thou have earned,
When thy lord has back returned;
Twice forgiven—but twice in vain —
Hence! nor see my face again.’
Forth the caitiff went, and told
To his mother, weird and old,
Full of evil plots and wiles,
Full of treacheries and guiles,
All his danger and his fear—
—‘Help me, or my death is near;
Give me counsel, or I die:
One must perish—she or I.’