Our days are covered o'er with grief, Left desolate of real good, Within this cheerless solitude No pleasures bloom. Thy pilgrimage begins in tears, Midway so many toils appear, Thy goods are bought with many a groan, And weary hearts; Fleet-footed is the approach of woe, And he, the good man's shield and shade, Roderic Manrique,-he whose name Is written on the scroll of Fame, Spain's champion; His signal deeds and prowess high Ye saw his deeds! Why should their praise in verse be sung? The name, that dwells on every tongue, No minstrel needs. To friends a friend;-how kind to all The vassals of this ancient hall And feudal fief! To foes how stern a foe was he! And to the valiant and the free How brave a chief! What prudence with the old and wise: In all how sage! Benignant to the serf and slave, He showed the base and falsely brave rage. His was Octavian's prosperous star, His, Scipio's virtue; his, the skill His was a Trajan's goodness,-his And righteous laws; The arm of Hector, and the might The clemency of Antonine, The eloquence of Adrian, In tented field and bloody fray, The faith of Constantine; ay, more, The fervent love Camillus bore His native land. He left no well-filled treasury, He heaped no pile of riches high, Nor massive plate; He fought the Moors,-and, in their fall, Upon the hard-fought battle-ground, And there the warrior's hand did gain And if, of old, his halls displayed The honoured and exalted grade His worth had gained, So, in the dark, disastrous hour, Brothers and bondsmen of his power After high deeds, not left untold, 'Twas his to share, Such noble leagues he made, that more These are the records, half-effaced, Which, with the hand of youth, he traced On history's page; But with fresh victories he drew Each fading character anew By his unrivalled skill, by great He stood, in his high dignity, He found his cities and domains But by fierce battle and blockade, By the tried valour of his hand, Were nobly served ; Let Portugal repeat the story, And proud Castille, who shared the glory His arms deserved. And when so oft, for weal or woe, His life upon the fatal throw Had been cast down; When he had served with patriot zeal Beneath the banner of Castile, His sovereign's crown; And done such deeds of valour strong That neither history nor song Can count them all; Then, on Ocaña's castled rock, Death at his portal came to knock, With sudden call, Saying, "Good Cavalier, prepare To leave this world of toil and care With joyful mien; Let thy strong heart of steel this day Put on its armour for the fray, The closing scene. "Since thou hast been in battle-strife, Let virtue nerve thy heart again, "Think not the struggle that draws near Nor let thy noble spirit grieve, Its life of glorious fame to leave On earth below. "A life of honour and of worth Has no eternity on earth, 'Tis but a name; And yet its glory far exceeds That base and sensual life, which leads "The eternal life, beyond the sky, The soul in dalliance laid, -the spirit "But the good monk, in cloistered cell, Shall gain it by his book and bell, His prayers and tears; And the brave knight, whose arm endures Fierce battle, and against the Moors His standard rears. "And thou, brave knight, whose hand has poured The life-blood of the Pagan horde O'er all the land, In heaven shalt thou receive, at length, The guerdon of thine earthly strength "Cheered onward by this promise sure, Depart,--thy hope is certainty,— The third-the better life on high Shalt thou possess." The will of Heaven my will shall be,— To God's behest. 86 My soul is ready to depart, No thought rebels, the obedient heart The wish on earth to linger still Were vain, when 'tis God's sovereign will "O Thou, that for our sins didst take A human form, and humbly make Thy home on earth; Thou, that to thy divinity A human nature didst ally "And in that form didst suffer here Torment, and agony, and fear, By thy redeeming grace alone, As thus the dying warrior prayed, Encircled by his family, Watched by affection's gentle eye His soul to Him, who gave it, rose; Its glorious rest! And though the warrior's sun has set, THE BROOK. FROM THE SPANISH. LAUGH of the mountain !-lyre of bird and tree! Thy secrets scan, thy smooth, round pebbles count! Thou shun'st the haunts of man, to dwell in limpid fount ! D |