Against an anchored vessel's side;
Even so, without distress, doth she-
Lie down in peace, and lovingly.

The day is placid in its going,
To a lingering motion bound,
Like the river in its flowing;
Can there be a softer sound?
So the balmy minutes pass,
While this radiant creature lies
Couched upon the dewy grass,
Pensively with downcast eyes.
-When now again the people rear
A voice of praise, with awful cheer!
It is the last, the parting song;

And from the temple forth they throng-
And quickly spread themselves abroad-
While each pursues his several road;
But some, a variegated band
Of middle-aged, and old, and young,
And little children by the hand
Upon their leading mothers hung,
Turn, with obeisance gladly paid,
Towards the spot, where, full in view,
The lovely Doe of whitest hue,
Her sabbath couch has made.

It was a solitary mound;

Which two spears' length of level ground
Did from all other graves divide:

As if in some respect of pride;

Or melancholy's sickly mood,

Still shy of human neighbourhood;

Or guilt, that humbly would express
A penitential loneliness.

"Look, there she is, my child! draw near;
She fears not, wherefore should we fear?
She means no harm;"-but still the boy,
To whom the words were softly said,
Hung back, and smiled, and blushed for joy,
A shame-faced blush of glowing red!
Again the mother whisper'd low,
"Now you have seen the famous Doe;
From Rylstone she hath found her way
Over the hills this sabbath day;
Her work, whate'er it be, is done,
And she will depart when we are gone;
Thus doth she keep, from year to year,
Her sabbath morning, foul or fair."

This whisper soft repeats what he
Had known from early infancy.
Bright is the creature-as in dreams
The boy had seen her-yea more bright-

But is she truly what she seems?—
He asks with insecure delight,

Asks of himself-and doubts-and still
The doubt returns against his will:
Though he, and all the standers-by,
Could tell a tragic history

Of facts divulged, wherein appear
Substantial motive, reason clear,
Why thus the milk-white Doe is found
Couchant beside that lonely mound;
And why she duly loves to pace
The circuit of this hallowed place.
Nor to the child's inquiring mind
Is such perplexity confined:
For, 'spite of sober truth, that sees
A world of fixed remembrances
Which to this mystery belong,
If, undeceived, my skill can trace
The characters of every face,
There lack not strange delusion here,
Conjecture vague, and idle fear,
And superstitious fancies strong,
Which do the gentle creature wrong.

That bearded, staff-supported Sire,
(Who in his youth had often fed
Full cheerily on convent-bread,
And heard old tales by the convent-fire,
And lately hath brought home the scars
Gathered in long and distant wars)
That old man-studious to expound
The spectacle-hath mounted high
To days of dim antiquity;
When Lady Aäliza mourned
Her son, and felt in her despair,
The pang of unavailing prayer;

Her son in Wharf's abysses drowned,

The noble Boy of Egremound.

From which affliction, when God's grace

At length had in her heart found place,
A pious structure, fair to see,

Rose up-this stately Priory!

The lady's work,-but now laid low;

To the grief of her soul that doth come and go,

In the beautiful form of this innocent Doe:

Which, though seemingly doomed in its breast to sustain

A softened remembrance of sorrow and pain,

Is spotless, and holy, and gentle, and bright.-
And glides o'er the earth like an angel of light.

Pass, pass who will, yon chantry door;
And, through the chink in the fractured floor
Look down, and see a grizzly sight;

A vault where the bodies were buried upright!

There face by face, and hand by hand,
The Claphams and Mauleverers stand;
And, in his place, among son and sire,
Is John de Clapham, that fierce esquire,
A valiant man, and a name of dread,

;

In the ruthless wars of the White and Red;-
Who dragged Earl Pembroke from Banbury Church,
And smote off his head on the stones of the porch!
Look down among them, if you dare;
Oft does the White Doe loiter there,
Prying into the darksome rent;
Nor can it be with good intent:-
So thinks that dame of haughty air,
Who hath a page her book to hold,
And wears a frontlet edged with gold.
Well may her thoughts be harsh; for she
Numbers among her ancestry

Earl Pembroke, slain so impiously!

That slender Youth, a scholar pale,
From Oxford come to his native vale,
He also hath his own conceit:
It is, thinks he, the gracious Fairy,
Who loved the Shepherd Lord to meet
In his wanderings solitary;

Wild notes she in his hearing sang,
A song of Nature's hidden powers;
That whistled like the wind, and rang
Among the rocks and holly bowers.

"Twas said that she all shapes could wear;
And oftentimes before him stood,
Amid the trees of some thick wood,

In semblance of a lady fair,

And taught him signs, and showed him sights,

In Craven's dens, on Cumbria's heights;

When under cloud of fear he lay,

A shepherd clad in homely gray,

Nor left him at his later day,

And hence, when he, with spear and shield,

Rode full of years to Flodden field,

His eye could see the hidden spring,

And how the current was to flow;
The fatal end of Scotland's King,
And all that hopeless overthrow.
But not in wars did he delight.

This Clifford wished for worthier might;
Nor in broad pomp, or courtly state;
Him his own thoughts did elevate,-
Most happy in the shy recess
Of Barden's humble quietness,
And choice of studious friends had he

Of Bolton's dear fraternity;

Who standing on this old church tower,
In many a calm propitious hour,
Perused, with him, the starry sky;-
Or in their cells with him did pry
For other lore,-through strong desire
Searching the heart with chemic fire:
But they and their good works are fled―
And all is now disquieted-

And peace is gone, for living or dead!

Ah, pensive Scholar! think not so,
But look again at the radiant Doe!
What quiet watch she seems to keep,
Alone, beside that grassy heap!

Why mention other thoughts unmeet
For vision so composed and sweet?
While stand the people in a ring,
Gazing, doubting, questioning:
Yea, many overcome in spite
Of recollections clear and bright;
Which yet do unto some impart
An undisturbed repose of heart.
And all the assembly own a law
Of orderly respect and awe;
And see-they vanish, one by one,
And last, the Doe herself is gone.

Harp! we have been full long beguiled
By busy dreams, and fancies wild;
To which, with no reluctant strings,
Thou hast attuned thy murmurings;
And now before this pile we stand
In solitude, and utter peace:

But, harp! thy murmurings may not cease,-
Thou hast breeze-like visitings;

For a Spirit with angel's wings

Hath touched thee, and a Spirit's hand:

A voice is with us-a command

To chant, in strains of heavenly glory,

A tale of tears, a mortal story!

CANTO SECOND.

THE Harp in lowliness obeyed:

And first we sang of the green-wood shade,
And a solitary Maid;

Beginning, where her song must end,
With her, and with her sylvan friend;
The friend who stood before her sight,
Her only unextinguished light,-
Her last companion in a dearth
Of love, upon a hopeless earth.

For she it was,-'twas she who wrought
Meekly, with foreboding thought,
In vermeil colours and in gold

An unblessed work; which, standing by,
Her father did with joy behold,—
Exulting in the imagery;

A banner, one that did fulfil
Too perfectly his headstrong will:
For on this banner had her hand
Embroidered, such was the command,
The Sacred Cross; and figured there
The five dear wounds our Lord did bear;
Full soon to be uplifted high,

And float in rueful company!

It was the time when England's Queen
Twelve years had reigned, a sovereign dread;
Nor yet the restless crown had been
Disturbed upon her virgin head;
But now the inly-working North
Was ripe to send its thousands forth,
A potent vassalage, to fight
In Percy's and in Neville's right,—
Two earls fast leagued in discontent,
Who gave their wishes open vent,
And boldly urged a general plea,
The rights of ancient piety,
To be by force of arms renewed;
Glad prospect for the multitude!

And that same banner, on whose breast
The blameless lady had exprest
Memorials chosen to give life,

And sunshine to a dangerous strife;
This banner, waiting for the call,
Stood quietly in Rylstone Hall.

It came,-and Francis Norton said,
"O father! rise not in this fray-
The hairs are white upon your head;
Dear father, hear me when I say
It is for you too late a day!
Bethink you of your own good name;
A just and gracious queen have we,
A pure religion, and the claim
Of peace on our humanity.

"Tis meet that I endure your scorn

I am your son, your eldest born;

But not for lordship or for land,
My father, do I clasp your knees-

The banner touch not, stay your hand,-
This multitude of men disband,

And live at home in blissful ease;

For these my brethren's sake, for me;
And, most of all, for Emily!"