FRANCES

    She will not sleep, for fear of dreams, But, rising, quits her restless bed, And walks where some beclouded beams Of moonlight through the hall are shed.

    Obedient to the goad¹ of grief, Her steps, now fast, now lingering slow, In varying motion seek relief From the Eumenides of woe².

    Wringing³ her hands, at intervals—— But long as mute as phantom⁴ dim-She glides⁵ along the dusky walls, Under the black oak rafters grim.

    The close air of the grated tower Stifles⁶ a heart that scarce can beat, And, though so late and lone⁷ the hour, Forth⁸ pass her wandering, faltering⁹ feet；

    And on the pavement spread before The long front of the mansion¹⁰ grey, Her steps imprint¹¹ the night-frost hoar, Which pale on grass and granite¹² lay.

    Not long she stayed where misty¹³ moon And shimmering¹⁴ stars could on her look, But through the garden archway soon Her strange and gloomy path she took.

    Some firs, coeval¹⁵ with the tower, Their straight black boughs¹⁶ stretched o'er her head； Unseen, beneath this sable¹⁸ bower¹⁹, Rustled²⁰ her dress and rapid tread. There was an alcove²¹ in that shade, Screening a rustic²² seat and stand； Weary she sat her down, and laid Her hot brow on her burning hand.

    To solitude²³ and to the night, Some words she now, in murmurs²⁴, said； And trickling²⁵ through her fingers white, Some tears of misery²⁶ she shed.

    "God help me in my grievous need, God help me in my inward pain； Which cannot ask for pity's meed, Which has no licence to complain,

    "Which must be borne； yet who can bear, Hours long, days long, a constant weight—— The yoke²⁷ of absolute despair, A suffering wholly desolate²⁸？

    "Who can for ever crush the heart, Restrain its throbbing²⁹, curb³⁰ its life？ Dissemble truth with ceaseless art, With outward calm mask inward strife³¹？"

    She waited——as for some reply； The still and cloudy night gave none； Ere long, with deep-drawn, trembling sigh, Her heavy plaint again begun.

    "Unloved——I love； unwept——I weep； Grief I restrain——hope I repress： Vain is this anguish³²——fixed³³ and deep； Vainer, desires and dreams of bliss³⁴.

    "My love awakes no love again, My tears collect, and fall unfelt； My sorrow touches none with pain, My humble³⁵ hopes to nothing melt.

    "For me the universe is dumb, Stone-deaf, and blank, and wholly blind； Life I must bound, existence sum In the strait limits of one mind；

    "That mind my own. Oh！ narrow cell； Dark——imageless——a living tomb！ There must I sleep, there wake and dwell Content, with palsy, pain, and gloom."

    Again she paused； a moan of pain, A stifled³⁶ sob³⁷, alone was heard； Long silence followed——then again Her voice the stagnant³⁸ midnight stirred.

    "Must it be so？ Is this my fate？ Can I nor struggle, nor contend？ And am I doomed⁴⁰ for years to wait, Watching death's lingering axe⁴¹ descend⁴²？

    "And when it falls, and when I die, What follows？ Vacant nothingness？ The blank of lost identity？ Erasure⁴³ both of pain and bliss？

    "I've heard of heaven——I would believe； For if this earth indeed be all, Who longest lives may deepest grieve； Most blest, whom sorrows soonest call.

    "Oh！ leaving disappointment here, Will man find hope on yonder coast？ Hope, which, on earth, shines never clear, And oft in clouds is wholly lost.

    "Will he hope's source of light behold⁴⁴, Fruition's spring, where doubts expire, And drink, in waves of living gold, Contentment, full, for long desire？

    "Will he find bliss, which here he dreamed？ Rest, which was weariness on earth？ Knowledge, which, if o'er life it beamed, Served but to prove it void of worth？

    "Will he find love without lust's leaven⁴⁵, Love fearless, tearless, perfect, pure, To all with equal bounty⁴⁶ given； In all, unfeigned, unfailing, sure？

    "Will he, from penal⁴⁷ sufferings free, Released from shroud⁴⁸ and wormy clod, All calm and glorious, rise and see Creation's Sire——Existence' God？

    "Then, glancing back on Time's brief woes⁴⁹, Will he behold them, fading, fly； Swept from Eternity's repose⁵⁰, Like sullying cloud from pure blue sky？

    "If so, endure, my weary frame； And when thy anguish strikes too deep, And when all troubled burns life's flame, Think of the quiet, final sleep；

    "Think of the glorious waking-hour, Which will not dawn on grief and tears, But on a ransomed⁵¹ spirit's power, Certain, and free from mortal fears.

    "Seek now thy couch, and lie till morn, Then from thy chamber⁵², calm, descend, With mind nor tossed, nor anguish-torn, But tranquil⁵³, fixed, to wait the end.

    "And when thy opening eyes shall see Mementos⁵⁴, on the chamber wall, Of one who has forgotten thee, Shed not the tear of acrid⁵⁵ gall⁵⁶.

    "The tear which, welling from the heart, Burns where its drop corrosive⁵⁷ falls, And makes each nerve, in torture, start, At feelings it too well recalls：

    "When the sweet hope of being loved Threw Eden sunshine on life's way： When every sense and feeling proved Expectancy⁵⁸ of brightest day.

    "When the hand trembled to receive A thrilling clasp, which seemed so near, And the heart ventured to believe Another heart esteemed⁵⁹ it dear.

    "When words, half love, all tenderness, Were hourly heard, as hourly spoken, When the long, sunny days of bliss Only by moonlight nights were broken.

    "Till, drop by drop, the cup of joy Filled full, with purple light was glowing, And Faith, which watched it, sparkling high Still never dreamt the overflowing⁶¹.

    "It fell not with a sudden crashing, It poured not out like open sluice⁶²； No, sparkling still, and redly flashing, Drained, drop by drop, the generous juice.

    "I saw it sink, and strove to taste it, My eager lips approached the brim； The movement only seemed to waste it； It sank to dregs, all harsh and dim.

    "These I have drunk, and they for ever Have poisoned life and love for me； A draught⁶³ from Sodom's lake could never More fiery⁶⁴, salt, and bitter, be.

    "Oh！ Love was all a thin illusion Joy, but the desert's flying stream； And glancing back on long delusion⁶⁵, My memory grasps a hollow dream.

    "Yet whence that wondrous⁶⁶ change of feeling, I never knew, and cannot learn； Nor why my lover's eye, congealing⁶⁷, Grew cold and clouded, proud and stern.

    "Nor wherefore, friendship's forms forgetting, He careless left, and cool withdrew； Nor spoke⁶⁰ of grief, nor fond regretting, Nor ev'n one glance of comfort threw.

    "And neither word nor token sending, Of kindness, since the parting day, His course, for distant regions bending, Went, self-contained and calm, away.

    "Oh, bitter, blighting⁶⁸, keen sensation, Which will not weaken, cannot die, Hasten thy work of desolation, And let my tortured spirit fly！

    "Vain as the passing gale⁶⁹, my crying； Though lightning-struck, I must live on； I know, at heart, there is no dying Of love, and ruined hope, alone.

    "Still strong and young, and warm with vigour⁷⁰, Though scathed⁷¹, I long shall greenly grow； And many a storm of wildest rigour Shall yet break o'er my shivered bough¹⁷.

    "Rebellious⁷² now to blank inertion, My unused strength demands a task； Travel, and toil⁷³, and full exertion⁷⁴, Are the last, only boon⁷⁵ I ask.

    "Whence, then, this vain and barren dreaming Of death, and dubious⁷⁶ life to come？ I see a nearer beacon⁷⁷ gleaming Over dejection's sea of gloom.

    "The very wildness of my sorrow Tells me I yet have innate⁷⁸ force； My track of life has been too narrow, Effort shall trace a broader course.

    "The world is not in yonder tower, Earth is not prisoned in that room, 'Mid³⁹ whose dark panels, hour by hour, I've sat, the slave and prey⁷⁹ of gloom.

    "One feeling——turned to utter anguish, Is not my being's only aim； When, lorn and loveless, life will languish⁸⁰, But courage can revive the flame.

    "He, when he left me, went a roving To sunny climes, beyond the sea； And I, the weight of woe removing, Am free and fetterless as he.

    "New scenes, new language, skies less clouded, May once more wake the wish to live； Strange, foreign towns, astir, and crowded, New pictures to the mind may give.

    "New forms and faces, passing ever, May hide the one I still retain, Defined, and fixed, and fading never, Stamped deep on vision, heart, and brain.

    "And we might meet——time may have changed him； Chance may reveal the mystery, The secret influence which estranged⁸¹ him； Love may restore him yet to me.

    "False thought——false hope——in scorn be banished⁸²！ I am not loved——nor loved have been； Recall not, then, the dreams scarce vanished； Traitors⁸³！ mislead me not again！

    "To words like yours I bid defiance⁸⁴, 'Tis such my mental wreck⁸⁵ have made； Of God alone, and self-reliance, I ask for solace——hope for aid.

    "Morn comes——and ere meridian⁸⁶ glory O'er these, my natal⁸⁷ woods, shall smile, Both lonely wood and mansion hoary⁸⁸ I'll leave behind, full many a mile."