Poems (May)/Aline's choice
ALINE'S CHOICE.
Rudolph is a baron, He dreams till noon on a pillow fine; From the dusk of eve to the dusk of dawn, Drinking deep of the amber wine. But Ludovic, the peasant, Lies like a deer in the dewy brake; With his broad palm for a drinking cup, Stoops to a breezy lake.
Rudolph rides to the knightly chase With hawk, and pack, and a mounted train; Ludovic, with a single hound, Wanders afoot o'er the windy plain. The one will rest in a silken tent When the quarry has dropped, and the mort is played, The other lies in a cleft of rock Under a hemlock's shade.
Rudolph will give me a palfrey white, With silken saddle, and stirrup of gold, Ludovic in his arms of steel Has borne me far through the heat and cold. The noble has promised a chain of gems, Broidered kerchief, and mantle gay; The peasant will shear me a fleece to spin A gown for my wedding day.
What should I do with jewels On my neck that is brown with the sun and rain? How should I fasten my long, loose hair With a comb of pearl, or a golden chain? I'll crown it fair with a myrtle wreath, I'll gather it back with a riband gay,And I'll wrap myself in my peasant's cloak To keep the cold away.
I hold my breath in yon lone old halls; Echoes that lurk in the niches there Say over my words with a hollow laugh, Stealthily follow from stair to stair; Knights and dames on the pictured wall, Look, as I pass, with a steadfast frown,And the mastiff that's chained in the castle court Barks at my peasant gown.
I know a roof where the wild grass hangs From the moss and mould to the cabin door; I know a hound that will crouch and fawn At the sound of my step on the rush-strewn floor! Keep your gifts, oh Rudolph, The chain of pearls, and the golden band,To match the pride of a fairer neck, To shine on a whiter hand.