. Lucile. e flaw in the planOf his life, that love faild to pass over. That childAlone did not fear him, nor shrink from him ; smiledTo his frown, and dispelld it. The sweet sportive elfSeemd the type of some joy lost, and missd, in welcome he sufferd her glad face to glideIn on hours when to others his door was denied :And many a time with a mute moody lookHe would watch her at prattle and play, like a brookWhose babble disturbs not the quietest spot,But soothes us because we need answer it not. But few years had passd oer that childhood beforeA change came among them. A letter,
. Lucile. e flaw in the planOf his life, that love faild to pass over. That childAlone did not fear him, nor shrink from him ; smiledTo his frown, and dispelld it. The sweet sportive elfSeemd the type of some joy lost, and missd, in welcome he sufferd her glad face to glideIn on hours when to others his door was denied :And many a time with a mute moody lookHe would watch her at prattle and play, like a brookWhose babble disturbs not the quietest spot,But soothes us because we need answer it not. But few years had passd oer that childhood beforeA change came among them. A letter, which boreSudden consequence with it, one morning was placedIn the hands of the lord of the chateau. He pacedTo and fro in his chamber a whole night aloneAfter reading that letter. At dawn he was passd. When he came back again he rcturndWith a tall ancient dame, from whose lips the child learndThat they were of the same race and name. With a faceSad and anxious, to this witherd stock of the race. CANTO VI LUCILE. 231 He confided the orphan, and left them aloneIn the old lonely house. In a few days twas known,To the angry surprise of half Paris, that oneOf the chiefs of that party which, still clinging onTo the banner that bears the white lilies of France,Will fight neath no other, nor yet for the chanceOf restoring their own, had renounced the watchwordAnd the creed of his youth in unsheathing his swordFor a Fatherland fatherd no more (such is fate!)By legitimate parents. And meanwhile, elateAnd in no wise disturbed by what Paris might new soldier thus wrote to a friend far away :— To the life of inaction farewell! After all, * Creeds the oldest may crumble, and dynasties fall, But the sole grand Legitimacy will endure, In whatever makes death noble, life strong and pure. Freedom ! action ! . . the desert to breathe in—the lance * Of the Arab to follow! I go! Vive la France! Few and rare were the meetings henceforth, as years fled, Twixt the child and the
Size: 1366px × 1829px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookidl00ucilelytt, bookyear1868
