The treacherous ocean, suddenly a storm
Wrecked our frail bark; within my arms I clasped
My hapless wife, and ploughed the weltering wave:
Stunned by a blow, all power forsook my limbs,
And she was lost; but, by a miracle,
A fishing vessel that outlived the gale,
Espied me ere the vital spark had fled,
And called me back to life. I sought my home,
And hid my secret in my breast—
Helena.
Yet still
Cherished thine early love, thy first, first love?
Giovanni.
No—'twas a boyish fancy. I have learned
The lesson since. My Helen, whilst thine heart
Beats against mine, I feel that I adore
The mother of my child. Come, dry those tears,
Thou never had'st a rival. Garcia now
Will claim thy pity; think what he hath lost,
What he hath suffered.
