That, ere this frame be in the grave laid low, I may the guardian of my birthright know; That, ere I die, to soothe a parent's grief,
Thou mayst be hail'd in thine own home, the chief. 1640 Forbid it, Heaven, that when my hour is past, My house and home should to the winds be cast! That plundering strangers, with rapacious hand, Should waste my treasure and despoil my land! And Heaven forbid, that both at once should fall, (My greatest dread) and thus extinguish all! That when the summons reaches me to die,
Thy death should also swell the funeral cry!" These words sank deep in Majnún's breast: he seem'd Alter'd in mood, as through his senses stream'd 1650 The memory of his home, the fond regard Of his dear mother, and the joys he shared From her affection. Days and nights he tried, To banish from his thoughts another's bride: Repentance came, and oft the strife renew'd, But tyrant love that feeling soon subdued; (Love, a wild elephant in might, which grows More powerful when opposed by friends or foes ;) And the poor maniac thus his sire address'd :- "Thy counsel, father, is the wisest, best; And I would gladly to thy wish conform : But what am I? a helpless wretch, a worm, Without the power to do what I approve, Enslaved, the victim of almighty love.
To me the world is swallow'd up—I see
Nothing but Lailí-all is lost to me, Save her bright image-father, mother, home, All buried in impenetrable gloom,
Beyond my feeling;—yet I know thou'rt here, And I could weep;-but what avails the tear, Even were it at a father's funeral shed ? For human sorrows never reach the dead.
Thou say'st, the night of Death is on thee falling! Then must I weep, thy fostering care recalling;
But I shall die in utter misery,
And none be left in life to weep for me."
Syd Omri, with unutterable grief,
Gazed on his son, whose sorrows mock'd relief; And, hopeless, wretched, every thought resign'd That once was balm and comfort to his mind. Then, showering blessings o'er his offspring's head, Groaning, he parted from that dismal cave; And, wrapt in deepest anguish, homeward sped; But 'twas alas! to his expected grave. Gently he sank, by age and grief oppress'd, From this vain world, to that of endless rest. Vain world indeed! who ever rested here? The lustrous moon hath its eternal sphere;
But man, who in this mortal prison sighs, Appears like lightning, and like lightning flies. 1690
A pilgrim-step approach'd the wild retreat,
Where Majnún linger'd in his rocky seat,
And the sad tale was told. He fell Upon the earth insensible;
And, grovelling, with a frantic air,
His bosom beat-he tore his hair,
And never rested, night or day, Till he had, wandering far away,
Reach'd the sad spot where peaceful lay
His father's bones, now crumbling with decay. 1700 His arms around the grave he flung,
And to the earth delirious clung; Grasping the ashes of the dead,
He cast them o'er his prostrate head, And, with repentant tears, bedew'd The holy relics round him strew'd. O'erwhelming was the sharpen'd sense Of his contrition, deep, intense;
And sickness wrapp'd his shatter'd frame
In a slow fever's parching flame;
Still, ceaseless, 'twas his wont to rave Upon his father's sacred grave.
He felt the bitterness of fate;
He saw his folly now too late;
And worlds would give again to share His generous father's constant care; For he had oft, in wanton guise, Contemn'd the counsels of the wise; Had with a child's impatience burn'd, And scorn for sympathy return'd;
And now, like all of human mould, When the indulgent heart is cold, Which would have seal'd his happiness, He mourns-but mourns his own distress; For, when the diamond blazed like day, He cast it recklessly away.
Who wanders near that palmy glade,
Where the fresh breeze adds coolness to the shade? 'Tis Majnún;—he has left his father's tomb,
Again 'mid rocks and scorching plains to roam, 1730 Unmindful of the sun's meridian heat,
Or the damp dewy night, with unshod feet; Unmindful of the forest's savage brood, Howling on every side in quest of blood; No dread has he from aught of earth or air, From den or eyry, calm in his despair:
He seems to court new perils, and can view With unblench'd visage scenes of darkest hue;
Yet is be gentle, and his gracious mien
Checks the extended claw, where blood has been; 1740
For tiger, wolf, and panther, gather round
The maniac as their king, and lick the ground;
Fox and hyena fierce their snarling cease;
Lion and fawn familiar meet in peace;
Vulture and soaring eagle, on the wing,
Around his place of rest their shadows fling;
Like Suliman, o'er all extends his reign; His pillow is the lion's shaggy mane;
The wily leopard, on the herbage spread,
Forms like a carpet his romantic bed:
And lynx and wolf, in harmony combined,
Frisk o'er the sward, and gambol with the hind.
All pay their homage with respect profound,
As if in circles of enchantment bound.
Among the rest, one little fawn
Skipp'd nimbly o'er the flowery lawn ; And, beautifully delicate,
Sprang where the admiring maniac sate :
So soft, so meek, so sweetly mild,
So shy, so innocently wild,
And, ever playful in his sight,
The fondling grew his great delight ; He loved its pleasing form to trace, And kiss its full black eyes and face, Thinking of Lailí all the while; For fantasies the heart beguile; And with th' illusive dream impress'd, He hugg'd the favorite to his breast: With his own hand the fawn he fed, And choicest herbs before it spread; And all the beasts assembled there Partook of his indulgent care,
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