. The poetic and dramatic works of Alfred lord Tennyson. er the child ! O, if, I say, you keepOne pulse that beats true woman, if you lovedThe breast that fed or arm that dan-dled you,Or own one port of sense not flint to prayer,Give her the child ! or if you scorn to lay it,Yourself, in hands so lately claspt with yours,Or speak to her, your dearest, her one faultThe tenderness, not yours, that could not kill, 170 Give me it; /will give it her. He first her eye with slow dilation rolldDry flame, she listening; after sank and sankAnd, into mournful twilight mellow-ing, dweltFull on the
. The poetic and dramatic works of Alfred lord Tennyson. er the child ! O, if, I say, you keepOne pulse that beats true woman, if you lovedThe breast that fed or arm that dan-dled you,Or own one port of sense not flint to prayer,Give her the child ! or if you scorn to lay it,Yourself, in hands so lately claspt with yours,Or speak to her, your dearest, her one faultThe tenderness, not yours, that could not kill, 170 Give me it; /will give it her. He first her eye with slow dilation rolldDry flame, she listening; after sank and sankAnd, into mournful twilight mellow-ing, dweltFull on the child. She took it ? Pretty bud!Lily of the vale! half-opend bell of the woods !Sole comfort of my dark hour, when a worldOf traitorous friend and broken system madeNo purple in the distance, mystery,Pledge of a love not to be mine, fare-well ! 180These men are hard upon us as of two must part; and yet how fain was ITo dream thy cause embraced in mine, to thinkI might be something,to thee, when I feltThy helpless warmth about my barren breast. Then felt it sound andAnd huggd and never whole from head to foot,huggd it close enough In the dead prime; but may thy mo-ther prove As true to thee as false, false, false tome ! And, if thou needs must bear theyoke, I wish it Gentle as freedom — here she kissdit; then — All good go with thee! take it, sir,and so 190 Laid the soft babe in his hard-mailedhands, Who turnd half-round to Psyche asshe sprang To meet it, with an eye that swum inthanks; Then felt it sound and whole fromhead to foot, And huggd and never huggd it closeenough, And in her hunger mouthd and mum-bled it, And hid her bosom with it; after thatPut on more calm and added suppli- antly : 1 We two were friends : I go to mineown land For ever. Find some other; as forme 200 I scarce am fit for your great plans:yet speak to me, Say one soft word and let me part for-given. But Ida spoke not, rapt upon the : Ida —sdeath I you blame the man ;You wrong
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