And earth's green grass beneath his feet;
Nor did he fail ere long to hear
A sound of military cheer,
Faint, but it reach'd that shelter'd spot;
He heard, and it disturb'd him not.
There stood he, leaning on a lance
Which he had grasp'd unknowingly,
Had blindly grasp'd, in that strong trance,
That dimness of heart agony ;
There stood he, cleansed from the despair
And sorrow of his fruitless prayer.
The past he calmly hath review'd;
But where will be the fortitude
Of this brave man, when he shall see
That form beneath the spreading tree,
And know that it is Emily?
Oh! hide them from each other, — hide,
Kind Heaven, this pair severely tried!
He saw her, where in open view
She sate, beneath the spreading yew,
Her head upon her lap, concealing
In solitude her bitter feeling:
How could he choose but shrink or sigh;
He shrunk, and mutter'd inwardly,
'Might ever son command a sire.
The act were justified to-day.'
This to himself- and to the maid,
Whom now he had approach'd, he said,
'Gone are they, - they have their desire; And I with thee one hour will stay,
To give thee comfort if I may.'
He paused, her silence to partake,
And long it was before he spake :
Then, all at once, his thoughts turn'd round,
And fervent words a passage found.
Gone are they, bravely, though misled,
With a dear father at their head!
The sons obey a natural lord;
The father had given a solemn word
To Noble Percy, and a force
Still stronger bends him to his course.
This said, our tears to-day may fall
As at an innocent funeral.
In deep and awful channel runs
This sympathy of sire and sons;
Untried our brothers were beloved,
And now their faithfulness is proved;
For faithful we must call them, bearing
That soul of conscientious daring.
There were they all in circle - there
Stood Richard, Ambrose, Christopher,
John with a sword that will not fail,
And Marmaduke in fearless mail,
And those bright twins were side by side;
And there, by fresh hopes beautified,
Was he, whose arm yet lacks the power
Of man, our youngest, fairest flower!
I, in the right of eldest-born
And in a second father's place,
Presumed to stand against their scorn,
And meet their pity face to face;
Yea, trusting to God's holy aid,
I to my father knelt and pray'd;
And one, the pensive Marmaduke,
Methought, was yielding inwardly,
And would have laid his purpose by,
But for a glance of his father's eye,
Which I myself could scarcely brook.
'Then be we, each, and all, forgiven ! Thee, chiefly thee, my sister dear, Whose pangs are register'd in heaven, The stifled sigh, the hidden tear,
And smiles, that dared to take their place,
Meek filial smiles, upon thy face,
As that unhallow'd banner grew
Beneath a loving old man's view.
Thy part is done thy painful part;
Be thou then satisfied in heart!
A further, though far easier task
Than thine hath been, my duties ask;
With theirs my efforts cannot blend,
I cannot for such cause contend;
Their aims I utterly forswear;
But I in body will be there.
Unarm'd and naked will I go,
Be at their side, come weal or woe:
On kind occasions I may wait,
See, hear, obstruct, or mitigate.
Bare breast I take and an empty hand.'.
Therewith he threw away the lance
Which he had grasp'd in that strong trance. Spurn'd it like something that would stand Between him and the pure intent
Of love on which his soul was bent.
'For thee, for thee, is left the sense
Of trial past without offence
To God or man; such innocence,
Such consolation, and the excess
Of an unmerited distress;
In that thy very strength must lie.
O sister, I could prophesy !
The time is come that rings the knell
Of all we loved, and loved so well.
Hope nothing, if I thus may speak
To thee a woman, and thence weak;
Hope nothing, I repeat; for we
Are doom'd to perish utterly:
'Tis meet that thou with me divide
The thought while I am by thy side,
Acknowledging a grace in this,
A comfort in the dark abyss:
But look not for me when I'm gone,
And be no further wrought upon.
Farewell all wishes, all debate,
All prayers for this cause, or for that!
Weep, if that aid thee; but depend
Upon no help of outward-friend;
Espouse thy doom at once, and cleave
To fortitude without reprieve,
For we must fall, both we and ours,
This mansion and these pleasant bowers,
Walks, pools, and arbours, homestead, hall,-
Our fate is theirs, will reach them all;
The young horse must forsake his manger,
And learn to glory in a stranger;
The hawk forget his perch,
Be parted from his ancient ground:
The blast will sweep us all away,
One desolation, one decay!
And even this creature!'- which words saying He pointed to a lovely doe,
A few steps distant, feeding, straying,
Fair creature, and more white than snow;
'Even she will to her peaceful woods
Return, and to her murmuring floods,
And be in heart and soul the same
She was before she hither came,
Ere she had learn'd to love us all,
Herself beloved in Rylstone Hall.
But, thou, my sister, doom'd to be
The last leaf which by Heaven's decree
Must hang upon a blasted tree;
If not in vain we have breathed the breath
Together of a purer faith
If hand in hand we have been led
And thou, (O happy thought this day !)
Not seldom foremost in the way
If on one thought our minds have fed,
And we have in one meaning read
If, when at home, our private weal
Hath suffer'd from the shock of zeal,
Together we have learn'd to prize
Forbearance and self-sacrifice
If we like combatants have fared,
And for this issue been prepared-
If thou art beautiful, and youth
And thought endue thee with all truth,
Be strong be worthy of the grace
Of God, and fill thy destined place;
A soul, by force of sorrows high,
Uplifted to the purest sky
Of undisturb'd humanity!'
He ended, --or she heard no more:
He led her from the yew-tree shade,
And at the mansion's silent door,
He kiss'd the consecrated maid;
And down the valley he pursued,
Alone, the armèd multitude.
Now joy for you and sudden cheer, Ye watchmen upon Brancepeth Towers; Looking forth in doubt and fear,
Telling melancholy hours!
Proclaim it! let your masters hear
That Norton with his band is near.
The watchmen from their station high Pronounced the word, and the earls descry,
Forthwith, the armèd company
Marching down the banks of Were.
Said fearless Norton to the pair
Gone forth to hail him on the plain
This meeting, noble lords, looks fair;
I bring with me a goodly train;
Their hearts are with you :- hill and dale
Have help'd us: Ure we cross'd and Swale, And horse and harness follow'd - see
The best part of their yeomanry!
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