THE CRUCIFIX. I. Thou whom from her expiring lips I mov'd, When past her last farewell, her latest sigh, Symbol twice blest-the gift of her I lov'd, And sign of God on high! II. How many tears have bath'd thy holy feet Since that sad hour when, from the arms of death, These trembling hands receiv'd thee, glowing Warm with her latest breath! III. [yet, The holy lights burn'd low amid the gloom: The priest sigh'd forth those death-psalms, soft and mild,. Sweet as the plaintive songs fond mothers hum To lull a sleepy child. I. Toi que j'ai recueilli sur sa bouche expirante, II. Que de pleurs ont coulé sur tes pieds que j'adore Depuis l'heure sacré, où, du sein d'un martyr, Dans mes tremblantes mains tu passas, tiède encore De son dernier soupir! III. Les saints flambeaux jetaient une dernière flamme Le prêtre murmurait ces doux chants de la mort, Pareils aux chants plaintifs que murmure une femme A l'enfant qui s'endort. IV. Her pious hope still mark'd her placid face; Strange beauty o'er each feature seem'd to lie, Where fleeting pain had mark'd its languid grace, And death its majesty. V. The wind that rustl'd 'mid her loosen'd hair Now show'd me, now conceal'd, her pallid brow; As fall, across a tomb of marble fair, VI. One arm beside her bed fell languidly; IV. De son pieux espoir son front gardait la trace; V. Le vent qui caressait sa tête échevelée Me montrait tour à tour ou me voilait ses traits, Comme l'on voit flotter sur un blanc mausolée L'ombre des noirs cyprès. VI. Un de ses bras pendait de la funèbre couche; VII. Her lips half op'd to press the image dear... But fled, in that blest kiss, her soul away; As some sweet perfume all too faint to bear The sun's meridian ray. VIII. Her icy mouth now slept without a moan; Her sleeping breast heav'd not another sigh; Her heavy darkling lid fell half way down Across her sightless eye. IX. And I-I stood o'erwhelmed with secret fear! VII. Ses lèvres s'entrouvraient pour l'embrasser encore; VIII. Maintenant tout dormait sur sa bouche glacée; IX. Et moi, debout, saisi d'une terreur secrète, L'eût déjà consacré. X. I dar'd not.... but the priest my feelings knew; And loos'ning, from her ice-cold hand, the Cross, "Keep this, my son," he said; "memorial true Of all thy hope and loss." XI. Yes, I will keep thee, sad heirloom of grief! Seven times, since then, the tree I planted near Her tomb without a name has chang'd its leaf: But thou, still thou art here. XII. Plac'd near this heart, whence grief all feeling wears, Time cannot win forgetfulness of thee; And, drop by drop, mine eyes have worn with The soften'd ivory. X. [tears Je n'osais....mais le prêtre entendit mon silence, Oui, tu me resteras, ô funèbre héritage! Sept fois depuis ce jour l'arbre que j'ai planté Sur sa tombe sans nom a changé son feuillage Tu ne m'as pas quitté. XII. Placé près de ce cœur, hélas! où tout s'efface, Sur l'ivoire amolli. P XIII. Oh, friend that made her parting soul rejoice, Come, rest upon my heart! speak; tell to me All that she told thee when her feeble voice Reach'd only unto thee. XIV. At that dread hour of doubt when inwardly The soul shrinks back thick-veil'd, and shuns our view, When less and less it heeds our useless sigh, Deaf to our last adieu;— XV. When hanging doubtfully 'twixt life and death, Like ripe fruit dropping when the branches wave, The anxious soul feels every flickering breath, Trembling above the grave;— XIII. O dernier confident de l'âme qui s'envole, N'arrivait plus qu'à toi. XIV. A cette heure douteuse où l'âme recueillie, Sourde aux derniers adieux. XV. Alors qu'entre la vie et la mort incertaine, Comme un fruit par son poid détaché du rameau, Notre âme est suspendue et tremble à chaque haleine Sur la nuit du tombeau; |