TRANSLATIONS OF BÜRGER'S LENORE
81
"O mother, mother! what is blisse,
And what the fiendis[1] celle?
With him 'tis heaven any where,
Without my William, helle.
And what the fiendis[1] celle?
With him 'tis heaven any where,
Without my William, helle.
"Go out, go out, my lamp of life;
In endless darkness die:
Without him I must loathe the earth,[2]
Without him scorne the skye."
In endless darkness die:
Without him I must loathe the earth,[2]
Without him scorne the skye."
And so despaire did rave and rage
Athwarte her boiling veins;
Against the Providence of God
She hurlde her impious strains.
Athwarte her boiling veins;
Against the Providence of God
She hurlde her impious strains.
She bet her breaste, and wrung her hands,
And rollde her tearlesse eye,
From rise of morne, till the pale stars
Again did freeke the skye.
And rollde her tearlesse eye,
From rise of morne, till the pale stars
Again did freeke the skye.
When harke! abroade she hearde the trampe
Of nimble-hoofed steed;
She hearde a knighte with clank alight,
And climb the staire in speede.
Of nimble-hoofed steed;
She hearde a knighte with clank alight,
And climb the staire in speede.
And soon she herde a tinkling hande,
That twirled at the pin;
And thro' her door, that open'd not,
These words were breathed in.
That twirled at the pin;
And thro' her door, that open'd not,
These words were breathed in.
"What ho! what ho! thy dore undoe;[3]
Art watching or asleepe?
My love, dost yet remember mee,
And dost thou laugh or weep?"
Art watching or asleepe?
My love, dost yet remember mee,
And dost thou laugh or weep?"
"Ah, William here so late at night!
Oh! I have wachte and wak'd:
Whence dost thou come? For thy return
My herte has sorely ak'd."
Oh! I have wachte and wak'd:
Whence dost thou come? For thy return
My herte has sorely ak'd."
"At midnight only we may ride;
I come o'er land and sea:
I mounted late, but soone I go;
Aryse, and come with me."
I come o'er land and sea:
I mounted late, but soone I go;
Aryse, and come with me."
- ↑ Misprinted fiend is in Monthly Magazine. Lewis, reprinting in Tales of Wonder, changed fiendis to infernal.
- ↑ In this line him is repeated by mistake. So in first line of next stanza despaise is printed for despaire.
- ↑ The line reads What! what ho! but as the reprint in Historic Survey repeats ho, presumably that was intended here. Otherwise the first what was intended to serve for the first iamb, not an impossibility.
