The damned arrow glanced aside,
And pierced thy heart, my love, my bride,
Oriana!

Thy heart, my life, my love, my bride,
Oriana!

O! narrow, narrow was the space,
Oriana.

Loud, loud rung out the bugle's brays,
Oriana.

O! deathful stabs were dealt apace,

The battle deepened in its place,

Oriana;

But I was down upon my face,

Oriana.

They should have stabbed me where I lay,

Oriana!

How could I rise and come away,

Oriana?

How could I look upon the day?

They should have stabbed me where I lay, Oriana,

They should have trod me into clay,

Oriana.

O! breaking heart that will not break,

Oriana;

O! pale, pale face so sweet and meek,

Oriana.

Thou smilest, but thou dost not speak,
And then the tears run down my cheek,

Oriana:

What wantest thou? whom dost thou seek,

Oriana?

THE BALLAD OF ORIANA.

I cry aloud: none hear my cries,

Oriana.

Thou comest atween me and the skies,

Oriana.

I feel the tears of blood arise

Up from my heart unto my eyes,
Oriana.

Within thy heart my arrow lies,
Oriana.

O cursed hand! O cursed blow!
Oriana!

O happy thou that liest low,

Oriana!

All night the silence seems to flow
Beside me in my utter woe,

Oriana.

A weary, weary way I go,

Oriana.

When Norland winds pipe down the sea,
Oriana,

I walk, I dare not think of thee,

Oriana.

Thou liest beneath the greenwood tree,

I dare not die and come to thee,

Oriana.

I hear the roaring of the sea,
Oriana.

3

33

IT

And she is grown so dear, so dear,

That I would be the jewel

That trembles at her ear:

THE MERMAN.

For, hid in ringlets day and night,

I'd touch her neck so warm and white.

And I would be the girdle

About her dainty, dainty waist,
And her heart would beat against me
In sorrow and in rest:

And I should know if it beat right,

I'd clasp it round so close and tight.

And I would be the necklace,

And all day long to fall and rise
Upon her balmy bosom,

With her laughter or her sighs,
And I would lie so light, so light,

I scarce should be unclasped at night.

35

I would be a merman bold;

I would sit and sing the whole of the day;
I would fill the sea-halls with a voice of power,
But at night I would roam abroad, and play

With the mermaids in and out of the rocks,
Dressing their hair with the white sea-flower;
And holding them back by their flowing locks,
I would kiss them often under the sea,
And kiss them again till they kissed me
Laughingly, laughingly;

And then we would wander away, away

To the pale-green sea-groves straight and high,
Chasing each other merrily.

There would be neither moon nor star;

But the wave would make music above us afar, — Low thunder and light in the magic night,

Neither moon nor star.

We would call aloud in the dreamy dells,

Call to each other and whoop and cry

All night, merrily, merrily;

They would pelt me with starry spangles and shells, Laughing and clapping their hands between,

All night, merrily, merrily;

But I would throw them back in mine

Turkis and agate and almondine :
Then leaping out upon them unseen,
I would kiss them often under the sea,
And kiss them again till they kissed me
Laughingly, laughingly.

O! what a happy life were mine
Under the hollow-hung ocean green!
Soft are the moss-beds under the sea;
We would live merrily, merrily.