Or clutch'd the sacred crown of Prester | I swear to you I heard his voice between The thunders in the black Veragua John, And cast it to the Moor: but had I brought From Solomon's now-recover'd Ophir all The gold that Solomon's navies carried home, Would that have gilded me? Blue blood of Spain, Tho' quartering your own royal arms of Spain, I have not: blue blood and black blood of Spain, The noble and the convict of Castile, Howl'd me from Hispaniola; for you know The flies at home, that ever swarm about And cloud the highest heads, and murmur down Truth in the distance me so - these out-buzz'd My dwelling, seized upon my papers, loosed My captives, feed the rebels of the crown, Sold the crown-farms for all but nothing, gave And more than once in days Of doubt and cloud and storm, when drowning hope Sank all but out of sight, I heard his voice, "Be not cast down. I lead thee by the hand, Fear not." And I shall hear his voice again I know that he has lead me all my life, Still for all that, my lord, I lying here bedridden and alone, Cast off, put by, scouted by court and kingThe first discoverer starves ers, all his follow Flower into fortune — our world's way — and I, All but free leave for all to work the Without a roof that I can call mine own, yet Pardon too harsh, unjust. I am rack'd with pains. You see that I have hung them by my bed, And I will have them buried in my grave. Sir, in that flight of ages which are Own voice to justify the dead perchance Spain once the most chivalric race on earth, Spain then the mightiest, wealthiest realm on earth, So made by me, may seek to unbury me, To lay me in some shrine of this old Spain, Or in that vaster Spain I leave to Spain. Then some one standing by my grave will Who fain had pledged her jewels on my first voyage, Whose hope was mine to spread the Catholic faith, Who wept with me when I return'd in chains, Who sits beside the blessed Virgin now, that I, but you will tell the King, Rack'd as I am with gout, and wrench'd with pains Gain'd in the service of His Highness, yet Am ready to sail forth on one last voyage, And readier, if the King would hear, to lead One last crusade against the Saracen, And save the Holy Sepulchre from thrall. Going? I am old and slighted: you have dared Somewhat perhaps in coming? my poor thanks! I am but an alien and a Genovese. THE VOYAGE OF MAELDUNE. (Founded on an Irish Legend. A. D. 700.) I. I WAS the chief of the race he had stricken my father deadBut I gather'd my fellows together, I swore I would strike off his head. Each of them look'd like a king, and was noble in birth as in worth, And each of them boasted he sprang from the oldest race upon earth. Each was as brave in the fight as the bravest hero of song, And each of them liefer had died than have done one another a wrong. He lived on an isle in the ocean-we sail'd on a Friday morn — He that had slain my father the day be fore I was born. II. And we came to the Isle of Shouting, we landed, a score of wild birds Cried from the topmost summit with human voices and words; Once in an hour they cried, and wherever their voices peal'd The steer fell down at the plow and the harvest died from the field, And the men dropt dead in the valleys and half of the cattle went lame, And the roof sank in on the hearth, and the dwelling broke into flame; And the shouting of these wild birds ran into the hearts of my crew, And we came to the isle in the ocean, and Till they shouted along with the shouting there on the shore was he. But a sudden blast blew us out and away thro' a boundless sea. III. And we came to the Silent Isle that we never had touch'd at before, Where a silent ocean always broke on a silent shore, And the brooks glitter'd on in the light without sound, and the long waterfalls Pour'd in a thunderless plunge to the base of the mountain walls, And the poplar and cypress unshaken by storm flourish'd up beyond sight, And the pine shot aloft from the crag to an unbelievable height, And high in the heaven above there flicker'd a songless lark, And the cock could n't crow, and the bull could n't low, and the dog could n't bark. And round it we went, and thro' it, but never a murmur, a breath It was all of it fair as life, it was all of it quiet as death, And we hated the beautiful Isle, for whenever we strove to speak Our voices were thinner and fainter than any flitter-mouse shriek; and seized one another and slew; But I drew them the one from the other; I saw that we could not stay, And we left the dead to the birds and we sail'd with our wounded away. And the men that were mighty of tongue Till each like a golden image was pol and could raise such a battle-cry len'd from head to feet And each was as dry as a cricket, with | We were giddy besides with the fruits we thirst in the middle-day heat. we had gorged, and so crazed that Blossom and blossom, and promise of at last blossom, but never a fruit! And we hated the Flowering Isle, as we hated the isle that was mute, And we tore up the flowers by the million and flung them in bight and bay, And we left but a naked rock, and in anger we sail'd away. VI. And we came to the Isle of Fruits: all round from the cliffs and the capes, Purple or amber, dangled a hundred fathom of grapes, And the warm melon lay like a little sun on the tawny sand, There were some leap'd into the fire; and away we sail'd, and we past Over that undersea isle, where the water is clearer than air: Down we look'd: what a Garden! O bliss, what a Paradise there! Towers of a happier time, low down in a rainbow deep Silent palaces, quiet fields of eternal sleep! Plunged head down in the sea, and the And the fig ran up from the beach and And rioted over the land, And the mountain arose like a jewell'd throne thro' the fragrant air, Glowing with all-color'd plums and with golden masses of pear, And the crimson and scarlet of berries And all of them redder than rosiest And we stay'd three days, and we gorged drew His sword on his fellow to slay him, and ever they struck and they slew; And myself, I had eaten but sparely, and fought till I sunder'd the fray, Then I bade them remember my father's death, and we sail'd away. VII. And we came to the Isle of Fire: we scarcely could stand upright, VIII. we came to the Bounteous Isle, where the heavens lean low on the land, And ever at dawn from the cloud glitter'd o'er us a sunbright hand, Then it open'd and dropt at the side of each man, as he rose from his rest, Bread enough for his need till the labor- And we wander'd about it and thro' it. And we sang of the triumphs of Find, we sat by the gurgle of springs, And we chanted the songs of the Bards and the glories of fairy kings; But at length we began to be weary, to sigh, and to stretch and yawn, Till we hated the Bounteous Isle and the sunbright hand of the dawn, For there was not an enemy near, but the whole green Isle was our own, And we took to playing at ball, and we took to throwing the stone, And we took to playing at battle, but that was a perilous play, For the passion of battle was in us, we slew and we sail'd away. IX. And we came to the Isle of Witches and For a wild witch naked as heaven stood on each of the loftiest capes, And a hundred ranged on the rock like white sea-birds in a row, And a hundred gamboll'd and pranced on the wrecks in the sand below, And a hundred splash'd from the ledges, and bosom'd the burst of the spray. XI. And we came to the Isle of a Saint who had sail'd with St. Brendan of yore, He had lived ever since on the Isle and his winters were fifteen-score, And his voice was low as from other worlds, and his eyes were sweet, And his white hair sank to his heels and his white beard fell to his feet, But I knew we should fall on each other, And he spake to me, "O Maeldune, let and hastily sail'd away. be this purpose of thine! Remember the words of the Lord when PREFATORY SONNET. SONNETS. TO THE 66 NINETEENTH CENTURY." Our true co-mates regather round the mast; Of diverse tongue, but with a common will. THOSE that of late had fleeted far and Here, in this roaring moon of daffodil And crocus, to put forth and brave the blast; For some, decending from the sacred peak Of hoar high-templed Faith, have leagued again |