[[n]]

Ah, broken is the golden bowl! the spirit flown forever!

Let the bell toll! — a saintly soul floats on the Stygian river;

[[n]]

And, Guy De Vere, hast thou no tear? — weep now or never more!

See! on yon drear and rigid bier low lies thy love, Lenore! [page 69:]

5

[[v]]

Come! let the burial rite be read — the funeral song be sung! —

An anthem for the queenliest dead that ever died so young —

[[v]]

A dirge for her the doubly dead in that she died so young.

 

[[v]]

[[n]]

“Wretches! ye loved her for her wealth and hated her for her pride,

[[n]]

And when she fell in feeble health, ye blessed her — that she died!

10

[[n]]

How shall the ritual, then, be read? — the requiem how be sung

By you — by yours, the evil eye, — by yours, the slanderous tongue

That did to death the innocence that died, and died so young?” [page 70:]

 

[[v]]

[[n]]

Peccavimus; but rave not thus! and let a Sabbath song

Go up to God so solemnly the dead may feel no wrong!

15

[[n]]

The sweet Lenore hath “gone before,” with Hope, that flew beside,

Leaving thee wild for the dear child that should have been thy bride —

For her, the fair and debonair, that now so lowly lies,

The life upon her yellow hair but not within her eyes —

The life still there, upon her hair — the death upon her eyes. [page 71:]

 

20

[[v]]

[[n]]

“Avaunt! — avaunt! from fiends below, the indignant ghost is riven —

[[v]]

From Hell unto a high estate far up within the Heaven —

[[v]]

From moan and groan to a golden throne beside the King of Heaven: — [page 72:]

[[v]]

Let no bell toll, then! — lest her soul, amid its hallowed mirth,

Should catch the note as it doth float up from the damnéd Earth! —

25

[[v]]

[[n]]

And I! — to-night my heart is light! — No dirge will I upraise

[[n]]

But waft the angel on her flight with a Pæan of old days!”

(1831)

A PÆAN (1831)

I.

 

How shall the burial rite be read?

The solemn song be sung?

The requiem for the loveliest dead,

That ever died so young?

 

II.

 

5

Her friends are gazing on her,

And on her gaudy bier,

And weep! — oh! to dishonor

[[v]]

Dead beauty with a tear! [page 69:]

 

III.

 

They loved her for her wealth —

10

And they hated her for her pride —

But she grew in feeble health,

And they love her — that she died.

 

IV.

 

They tell me (while they speak

Of her “costly broider’d pall”)

15

That my voice is growing weak —

That I should not sing at all — [page 70:]

 

V.

 

Or that my tone should be

Tun’d to such solemn song

So mournfully — so mournfully,

20

That the dead may feel no wrong.

 

VI.

 

But she is gone above,

With young Hope at her side,

And I am drunk with love

Of the dead, who is my bride. —

 

VII.

 

25

Of the dead — dead who lies

[[v]]

All perfum’d there,

With the death upon her eyes,

[[v]]

And the life upon her hair.

 

VIII.

 

[[v]]

Thus on the coffin loud and long

30

I strike — the murmur sent

Through the grey chambers to my song,

Shall be the accompaniment. [page 71:]

 

IX.

 

[[v]]

Thou dieds’t in thy life's June —

But thou did'st not die too fair:

35

[[v]]

Thou did'st not die too soon,

Nor with too calm an air.

 

X.

 

From more than fiends on earth,

[[v]]

Thy life and love are riven,

[[v]]

To join the untainted mirth

40

Of more than thrones in heaven — [page 72:]

 

XI.

 

Therefore, to thee this night

I will no requiem raise,

But waft thee on thy flight,

With a Pæan of old days.

AH, broken is the golden bowl!

The spirit flown forever!

Let the bell toll! — A saintly soul

[[v]]

Glides down the Stygian river!

5

And let the burial rite be read —

The funeral song be sung —

A dirge for the most lovely dead

That ever died so young!

And, Guy De Vere,

10

Hast thou no tear?

Weep now or nevermore!

See, on yon drear

And rigid bier,

Low lies thy love Lenore! [page 69:]

 

15

“Yon heir, whose cheeks of pallid hue

With tears are streaming wet,

Sees only, through

Their crocodile dew,

A vacant coronet —

20

False friends! ye loved her for her wealth

And hated her for her pride,

And, when she fell in feeble health,

Ye blessed her — that she died.

How shall the ritual, then, be read?

25

The requiem how be sung

For her most wrong’d of all the dead

That ever died so young?” [page 70:]

 

Peccavimus!

But rave not thus!

30

And let the solemn song

Go up to God so mournfully that she may feel no wrong!

The sweet Lenore

Hath “gone before”

With young hope at her side,

35

And thou art wild

For the dear child

That should have been thy bride —

For her, the fair

And debonair,

40

That now so lowly lies —

The life still there

Upon her hair,

The death upon her eyes. [page 71:]

 

“Avaunt! — to-night

45

My heart is light —

No dirge will I upraise,

But waft the angel on her flight

With a Pæan of old days!

Let no bell toll!

50

Lest her sweet soul,

Amid its hallow’d mirth,

Should catch the note

As it doth float

Up from the damned earth —

55

[[n]]

To friends above, from fiends below,

th’ indignant ghost is riven —

From grief and moan

[[n]]

To a gold throne

Beside the King of Heaven!”