*

*

shines

stone,

*

from its like ness to the

the way ;

not to be

20

suitable.

“My, ear-rings ! my ear-rings ! he'll say they should

! have been Not of pearl and of silver, but of gold and glittering Glittering, sheen,*

showy.

Sheen, that 15 Of jasper* and of onyx* and of diamonds shining which clear,

brightly. Changing to the changing light, with radiance in

Jasper, a sincere

precious That changeful mind unchanging gems are not be

Onyx, a pre. fitting * well

cious stone, Thus will he think—and what to say, alas ! I cannot so called tell.

finger-nail. "He'll think when I to market went, I loitered * by Insincere,

trusted, deHe'll think a willing ear I lent to all the lads might ceitful. say ;

Befitting, He'll think some other lover's hand among my tresses

Loitered, lin noosed, *

gered, deFrom the ears where he had placed them, my rings layede

Tresses, curl of pearl unloosed ;

ing hair. He'll think when I was sporting so beside this marble Noose &

well,
My pearls fell in-and what to say, alas ! I cannot

tell.
25
" He'll

say I am a woman, and we are all the same; He'll say I loved when he was here to whisper of his

flameBut when he went to Tunis * my virgin troth had Tunis, a broken,

north of AfAnd thought no more of Muça, and cared not for his rica.

token. Myear-rings ! myear-rings ! Oluckless, * luckless well! Luckless,

without luck, 30 For what to say to Muça, alas ! I cannot tell.

unhappy, “I'll tell the truth to Muça, and I hope he will be

lieveThat I thought of him at morning, and thought of That musing * on my lover, when down the sun Musing,

thinking.

When down, His ear-rings in my hand I held, by the fountain &c., at sun.

all alone; 35 And that my mind was o'er the sea, when from my &c., she loves

, hand they fell, And that deep his love* lies in my heart, as they lie

state in the

unfortunate,

him at eve;

*

was gone,

set.

*

*

waves.

THE FORSAKEN MERMAN.*- Árnold. MATTHEW ARNOLD (1822– ), son of the celebrated Dr. Arnold, occupies an eminent position. His poems include several dramas after the antique, and a series of lyrics and sonnets of an emotional kind. Among his works may be mentioned Empedocles on Etna and The Merope.

COME, dear children, let us away ;

Down and away below. Bay, a bay is a broad Now my brothers call from the bay ;* arm of the sea running for a short dis- Now the great winds shorewards blow; tance into the land, Now the salt tides * seawards flow;

5 Tides, the flow and

Now the wild white horses play, ebb of the sea. Champ, to make a Champ* and chafe * and toss in the spray.* snapping noise with

Children dear, let us away. the jaws in chewing.

This way, this way.
Chafe, to rage or fret.
Spray, small particles

Call her once before you go, of water sprinkled or

1ο driven by the wind Call once yet, from the tops of the

In a voice that she will know :

“ Margaret! Margaret !”
Children's voices should be dear
(Call once more) to a mother's ear:

15 Children's voices, wild with pain.

Surely she will come again.
Call her once and come away.
This
way,
this

way,

“Mother dear, we cannot stay." Foam, to spit out The wild white horses foam * and fret. froth, to be in a rage. Margaret ! Margaret !

Come, dear children, come away down,

Call no more.
One last look at the white-walld town, 25
And the little grey church on the windy shore,

Then come down;
She will not come though you call all day,

Come away, come away.
Children dear, was it yesterday

We heard the sweet bells over the bay?
Caverns, deep hollow

* where we lay,

In the caverns places in the earth

Through the surf * and through the swell,

The far-off sound of a silver bell ? Surf, the foam made by the dashing of the Sand-strewn caverns, cool and deep, 35

Where the winds are all asleep;

20

30

*

or sea.

a

*

*

mud.

formation it resem. bles mail-armour.

water

50

the centre of it.

of it.

Where the spent lights quiver * and gleam ;* Quiver, to tremble.
Where the salt weed sways* in the stream ;

Gleam, to flash light.

Sway, to incline to Where the sea beasts * ranged all round

one side, to bend. 40 Feed in the ooze of their pasture-ground;

Sea beasts, animals Where the sea-snakes * coil and twine,

living in the sea.

Ooze, moisture, soft
Dry their mail * and bask in the brine ; *
Where great whales come sailing by,

Sea-snake, a fabulous

animal. Sail and sail, with unshut eye,

Mail, meaning the 45 Round the world for ever and aye ?

skin of the snake, so When did music come this way?

called, because in its Children dear, was it yesterday !

Brine, the sea, salt-
Children dear, was it yesterday
(Call yet once) that she went away?
Once she sate with you and me,
On a red gold throne in the heart of the sea,* Heart of the sea, se.

cret part of the sea;
And the youngest sate on her knee.
She combed its bright hair, and she tended it * Tended it, took care

well,
When down swung the sound of the far-off bell.
55 She sighed, she looked up through the clear

green sea,
She said ; "I'must go, for my

kinsfolk *

pray Kinsfolk, relations. In the little grey church on the shore to-day. 'Twill be Easter-time in the world—ah me! And I lose my poor soul, Merman, here with

thee.” 60 I said, “Go up, dear heart, through the waves. Say thy prayer, and come back to the kind sea

[the bay.
She smiled, she went up through the surf in

Children dear, was it yesterday?
Children dear, were we long alone ?

“The sea grows stormy, the little ones moan.
Long prayers,” I said, “in the world they say.
Come," I said, and we rose through the surf in

the bay. We went up the beach,* by the sandy down Beach, sea-shore. Where the sea-stocks bloom, to the white- Down, a hill.

Sea-stock, a flower, walled town. 70 Through the narrow paved streets, where all shore.

was still,
To the little grey church on the windy hill.
From the church came a murmur of folk * at Folk, people.

their prayers,
But we stood without in the cold blowing airs.

caves.

65

*

*

like an anemone, found near the sea *

church,

66

*

distance the noise of a town sounds like

in g live.

its toy,

We climbed on the graves, on the stones

worn with rains, Aisle, a passage in a And we gazed up the aisle * through the 75

small leaded panes.

She sate by the pillar; we saw her clear: Hist! hush, atten

Margaret, hist? come quick, we are here. tion, silence, listen.

Dear heart,” I said, “we are long alone.

The sea grows stormy, the little ones moan.”
But, ah, she gave me never a look,

80 Sealed, fixed with an For her eyes were sealed * to the holy book. attentive gaze.

“ Loud prays the priest ; shut stands the door.”
Come away, children, call no more.
Come away, come down, call no more.
Down, down, down,

85 Down to the depths of the sea. Humming town, at a She sits at her wheel in the humming town, *

Singing most joyfully. the humming of bees

Hark, what she sings : “Oh joy, oh joy,
For the humming street, and the child with 90
For the priest, and the bell, and the holy well.

For the wheel where I spun,

And the blessed light of the sun."
And so she sings her fiií,

Singing most joyfully,
Shuttle, an instru- Till the shuttle* falls from her hand,
ment used for shoot-
ing the thread of the

And the whizzing wheel stands still.

the She steals to the window, and looks at the sand ; threads of the warp And over the sand at the sea ; in weaving. And her eyes are set in a stare;

100 Anon, soon, quickly,

And anon there breaks a sigh, immediately.

And anon there drops a tear,

From a sorrow-clouded eye, Sorrow-laden, full of

And a heart sorrow-laden,* sorrow, weighed down A long, long sigh.

105 Mermaiden, maid of For the cold strange eyes of a little Mermaiden,* the sea, having the

And the gleam of her golden hair. upper part like woman and the lower like a fish, and sup

Come away, away, children. posed to have long

Come, children, come down. golden hair.

The hoarse * wind blows colder; Hoarse, harsh, disagreeable.

Lights shine in the town.

She will start from her slumber
Gusts, sudden blasts

When gusts * shake the door ;
She will hear the winds howling,
Will hear the waves roar.

115

woof

between

*

*

a

with sadness.

a

IIO

of wind.

Whirl, to go round and round, to toss about in a confused manner.

[20

*

Faithless, false, not true to her promise.

125

.

We shall see, while above us
The waves roar and whirl,*
A ceiling of amber,
A pavement of pearl.
Singing, “Here came a mortal,
But faithless * was she.
And alone dwell for ever
The kings of the sea.”
But, children, at midnight,
When soft the winds blow;
When clear falls the moonlight :
When spring-tides * are low :
When sweet airs come seaward
From heaths starred with broom ;
And high rocks throw mildly
On the blanched * sands a gloom :
Up the still, glistening beaches,
Up the creeks * we will hie;
Over banks of bright seaweed
The ebb-tide * leaves dry.
We will gaze, from the sand-hills,
At the white, sleeping town;
At the church on the hill-side-

And then come back down.
Singing, “There dwells a loved one,
But cruel is she.
She left lonely for ever
The kings of the sea.”

130

*

Spring - tides, those
which rise higher
than ordinary tides,
after new and full
moon,
Broom, a wild ever.
green shrub, with
leafless pointed twigs.
Blanched, made
white or whitened.
Creek, a small inlet
of the sea.
Hie, to hasten.
Ebb-tide, the going
back or retiring of the
tide.
Sleeping town, the in.
habitants had retired
to rest,

135

140

THE SKY-LARK.—Hogg. JAMES HOGG (1770-1835) was born in Ettrick Forest in Selkirkshire. He was a farmer and a shepherd, and hence called the “ Ettrick Shepherd,” but he was more successful as a poet. Chief work: The Queen's Wake, containing the beautiful fairy ballad Kilmeny: he also wrote songs and novels.

BIRD of the wilderness,
Blithesome* and cumberless,*

Blithesome, cheerful,
Sweet be thy matin * o'er moorland and lea ! * Cumberless, free from

Emblem * of happiness, 5 Blest is thy dwelling-place

Matin, morning song.

Lea, pasture land, a
Oh to abide * in the desert with thee!

Emblem, sign or
Wild is thy lay * and loud,

figure, á token.

Abide, to live.
Far in the downy cloud :

Lay, & song.

*

gay

*

care.

meadow.