"My love, my all! My Angel—all!
Why did she fall before we met?
Why did my father cause her fall?
My curse—" But grief within him set
Stills further words—He stands erect,
The dangling chains ring in the dark,
While out the cell his roaming gaze
Wanders beyond where the waters spark.
Clouds hide the full moon's yellow blaze,
Where shadows mountain tops enwrap,
And stars arise upon night's lap.
Upon the lake, the twinkling stars
Flitter about like a liquid light.
He keeps these changing sparks in sight
While sorrow grates his soul's fresh scars.
"How fair the night! How fair the skies!
Behold the play of light and shade.
And when 'tis day, my lifeless eyes
Shall see no more this verdant glade.
Just as the grayish cloud and haze
Their darkened wings still further spread,
Thus—" The captive falters, drops his gaze,
The clanging chains new echoes raise,
And then all's quiet, as if dead.
By now, from mount to mount the cloud—
Spread like the wings of a giant bird—
Sheathed the night within this shroud
And darkness filled the wide, wide world.
List! Past the hill, tones sweet and clear
Rise through the darkness of the night;
A trumpet fills the air with cheer,
Bringing forth music's soft delight.
23
