SCENE FROM DON JUAN.

"Take, Freedom, take thy radiant round,
When dimm'd revive, when lost, return,
Till not a shrine through earth be found,
On which thy glories shall not burn.

315

SCENE FROM DON JUAN.

The following beautiful lines from Lord Byron have inspired a French artist, M. Dubufe, who has given life to the characters so feelingly described by the noble poet. M. Dubufe's picture attracted the universal admiration of the Parisians in the exhibition at the Louvre in 1833. The painter has chosen a most critical and interesting moment. Don Juan, after being shipwrecked, is thrown, almost lifeless, on a little Greek island inhabited by Lambro, an old pirate, whose daughter Haidee finds Juan on the shore, restores him to life, procures him a retreat in a cavern, and, unknown to her father, visits him daily with provisions.

Lambro goes out on a piratical excursion, and Haidee soon after hears that he has perished. She conducts Juan home, and he becomes master of the palace, where he and the beautiful Haidee live for some time in oriental splendour. One day, when Juan and his lovely spouse were taking the siesta, she had a frightful dream in which she saw several terrific figures; at last that of her father presents itself to her imagination; she starts, screams, wakes and beholds him absolutely contemplating them with a scrutinizing and terrible look. Her cry has awakened Juan, he snatches his sabre and prepares to rush on the intruder whom he does not know to be Haidee's father.

And starting she awoke, and what to view?

Oh! Powers of Heaven! what dark eye meets she there? "Tis-'tis her father's fix'd upon the pair!

Then shrieking (1) she arose, and shrieking fell,
With joy and sorrow, hope and fear, to see
Him whom she deem'd a habitant where dwell
The ocean-buried, risen from death to be
Perchance the death of one she lov'd, too well :
Dear as her father had been to Haidee,
It was a moment of that awful kind-

I have seen such, but must not call to mind.

Up Juan sprung (2) to Haidee's bitter shriek,
And caught her falling, and from off the wall
Snatch'd down his sabre, in hot haste to wreak (3)
Vengeance on him who was the cause of all:
Then Lambro, who till now forbore to speak,
Smiled scornfully, and said, "Within my call (4),
A thousand scimitars await the word;

Put up, young man, put up your silly sword."

And Haidee clung aroud him : “ Juan, 'tis—
Tis Lambro,-'tis my father! Kneel with me-
He will forgive us-yes-it must be-yes.
Oh! dearest father, in this agony

(1) Shrieking, en poussant un cri perçant. (2) To spring up, se lever en sursaut.

(3) To wreak vengeance, décharger sa vengeance. (4) Within call, à la portée de la voix.

SCENE FROM DON JUAN.

Of pleasure and of pain-even while I kiss
Thy garment's hem with transport, can it be
That doubt should mingle with my filial joy?
Deal with me as thou wilt, but spare this boy,"

High and inscrutable the old man stoop,
Calm in his voice and calm within his eye-
Not always signs with him of calmest mood:
He look'd upon her, but gave no reply;
Then turn'd to Juan, in whose cheek the blood
Oft came and went, as there resolved to die;
In arms, at least, he stood, in act to spring
On the first foe whom Lambro's call should bring.

317

"Young man, your sword? so Lambro once more Juan replied, "Not while this arm is free. "

[said: The old man's cheek grew pale, but not with dread, And drawing from his belt (1) a pistol, he Replied, "Your blood be then on your own head. Then look'd close to the flint (2), as if to see, 'Twas fresh-for he had lately used the lock (3)— And next proceeded quietly to cock (4).

Lambro presented (5), and one instant more

(1) Belt, ceinture.

(2). The flint, la pierre.

(3) The lock, la batterie.

(4) To cock, armer un pistolet, un fusil. La partie de la batterie qui tient la pierre s'appelle en anglais cock, coq ; les Français la nomment chien; elle avait souvent la forme de l'un ou l'autre de ces animaux.

(5) To present, viser, coucher en joue.

Had stopp'd this canto and Don Juan's breath,
When Haidee threw herself her boy before;
Stern as her sire: "On me,
" she cried, "let death

Descend-the fault is mine; this fatal shore

He found-but sought not. I have pledged (1) my faith;
I love him-I will die with him : I knew
Your nature's firmness-know your daughter's too.

A minute past, and she had been all tears,
And tenderness, and infancy: but now

She stood as one who champions (2) human fears-
Pale, statue-like, and stern, she woo'd (3) the blow;
And tall beyond her sex, and their compeers,
She drew up to her height, as if to show
A fairer mark, and with a fix'd eye scann'd (4)
Her father's face-but never stopp'd his hand.

BYRON.

CLEOPATRA SAILING DOWN THE CYDNUS TO MEET
MARK ANTONY.

The barge she sat in, like a burnish'd throne
Burnt on the water: the poop was beaten gold;
Purple the sails, and so perfumed, that

The winds were love-sick with them: the oars were silver,
Which to the tune of flutes kept stroke, and made

(1) To pledge, engager.

(2) To champion, défier, braver.

(5) To Woo,

inviter.

(4) To scan, scander, examiner avec attention.

BRUTUS TO CASSIUS.

The water, which they beat, to follow faster,
As amourous of their strokes. For her own person,
It beggar'd (1) all description: she did lie

In her pavilion, (cloth of gold, of tissue,)
O'erpicturing that Venus where we see
The fancy outwork nature: on each side her
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids,
With diverse-colour'd fans, whose wind did seem
To glow the delicate cheeks which they did cool,
And what they undid, did.

SHAKSPEARE.

319

BRUTUS TO CASSIUS.

There is no terror, Cassius, in your threats;
For I am armed so strong in honesty
That they pass by me, as the idle (2) wind,
Which I recpect not. I did send to you
For certain sums of gold, which you denied me;
For I can raise no money by vile means.

By heaven, I had rather coin (3) my heart,

And drop my blood for drachmas, than to wring (4) From the hard hands of peasants their vile trash (5), By any indirection. I did send

To you for gold to pay my legions,

(1) To beggar, appauvrir (être au delà de, etc.)

(2) Idle, vain, inutile.

(3) To coin, monnayer.

(4) To wring, extorquer, tordre.

(5) Vile trash, vil métal.