And make my broth and wash my face And light my fire and, all the while, Bear with his old good-humored smile That I told him "Better have kept away Than come and kill me, night and day, With, worse than fever throbs and shoots, The creaking of his clumsy boots." I am as sure that this he would do, As that Saint Paul's is striking two. And I think I rather . . . woe is me!
Yes, rather would see him than not see, If lifting a hand could seat him there Before me in the empty chair To-night, when my head aches indeed, And I can neither think nor read, Nor make these purple fingers hold The pen; this garret's freezing cold!
And I've a Lady - there he wakes, The laughing fiend and prince of snakes Within me, at her name, to pray Fate send some creature in the way Of my love for her, to be down-torn, Upthrust and outward-borne,
So I might prove myself that sea Of passion which I needs must be !
Call my thoughts false and my fancies quaint And my style infirm and its figures faint, All the critics say, and more blame yet, And not one angry word you get. But, please you, wonder I would put My cheek beneath that lady's foot Rather than trample under mine The laurels of the Florentine,
And you shall see how the devil spends A fire God gave for other ends!
I tell you, I stride up and down
This garret, crowned with love's best crown, And feasted with love's perfect feast,
To think I kill for her, at least, Body and soul and peace and fame, Alike youth's end and manhood's aim, So is my spirit, as flesh with sin, Filled full, eaten out and in With the face of her, the eyes of her, The lips, the little chin, the stir
Of shadow round her mouth; and she
-I'll tell you calmly would decree That I should roast at a slow fire, If that would compass her desire And make her one whom they invite To the famous ball to-morrow night.
There may be heaven; there must be hell; Meantime, there is our earth here well!
That second time they hunted me From hill to plain, from shore to sea, And Austria, hounding far and wide Her blood-hounds through the country-side, Breathed hot and instant on my trace, - I made six days a hiding-place
Of that dry green old aqueduct
Where I and Charles, when boys, have plucked The fire-flies from the roof above,
Bright creeping through the moss they love:
How long it seems since Charles was lost! Six days the soldiers crossed and crossed
The country in my very sight; And when that peril ceased at night, The sky broke out in red dismay With signal fires; well, there I lay Close covered o'er in my recess, Up to the neck in ferns and cress, Thinking on Metternich our friend, And Charles's miserable end, And much beside, two days; the third, Hunger o'ercame me when I heard The peasants from the village go To work among the maize; you know, With us in Lombardy, they bring Provisions packed on mules, a string With little bells that cheer their task, And casks, and boughs on every cask To keep the sun's heat from the wine; These I let pass in jingling line, And, close on them, dear noisy crew, The peasants from the village, too;
For at the very rear would troop Their wives and sisters in a group
To help, I knew. When these had passed, I threw my glove to strike the last, Taking the chance: she did not start, Much less cry out, but stooped apart, One instant rapidly glanced round, And saw me beckon from the ground: A wild bush grows and hides my crypt; She picked my glove up while she stripped A branch off, then rejoined the rest With that; my glove lay in her breast. Then I drew breath; they disappeared: It was for Italy I feared.
An hour, and she returned alone Exactly where my glove was thrown. Meanwhile came many thoughts: on me Rested the hopes of Italy;
I had devised a certain tale
Which, when 't was told her, could not fail Persuade a peasant of its truth;
I meant to call a freak of youth This hiding, and give hopes of pay, And no temptation to betray. But when I saw that woman's face, Its calm simplicity of grace,
Our Italy's own attitude
In which she walked thus far, and stood, Planting each naked foot so firm,
To crush the snake and spare the wormAt first sight of her eyes, I said, "I am that man upon whose head They fix the price, because I hate The Austrians over us: the State Will give you gold-oh, gold so much!If you betray me to their clutch, And be your death, for aught I know, If once they find you saved their foe.
Now, you must bring me food and drink, And also paper, pen and ink,
And carry safe what I shall write To Padua, which you 'll reach at night Before the duomo shuts; go in, And wait till Tenebræ begin; Walk to the third confessional,
Between the pillar and the wall,
And kneeling whisper, Whence comes peace? Say it a second time, then cease;
And if the voice inside returns,
From Christ and Freedom; what concerns
Three mornings more, she took her stand In the same place, with the same eyes: I was no surer of sunrise
Than of her coming. We conferred Of her own prospects, and I heard She had a lover stout and tall,
She said — then let her eyelids fall, "He could do much " as if some doubt Entered her heart, then, passing out, "She could not speak for others, who Had other thoughts; herself she knew: And so she brought me drink and food. After four days, the scouts pursued Another path; at last arrived The help my Paduan friends contrived To furnish me: she brought the news. For the first time I could not choose But kiss her hand, and lay my own Upon her head "This faith was shown To Italy, our mother; she
hand and blesses thee."
She followed down to the sea-shore;
I left and never saw her more.
How very long since I have thought Concerning
much less wished for — aught
Beside the good of Italy,
For which I live and mean to die!
I never was in love; and since
Charles proved false, what shall now convince My inmost heart I have a friend?
However, if I pleased to spend
Real wishes on myself
I know at least what one should be.
I would grasp Metternich until
I felt his red wet throat distil
In blood through these two hands. And next, -Nor much for that am I perplexed — Charles, perjured traitor, for his part, Should die slow of a broken heart
Under his new employers.
-Ah, there, what should I wish? For fast
Do I grow old and out of strength.
If I resolved to seek at length My father's house again, how scared They all would look, and unprepared! My brothers live in Austria's pay -Disowned me long ago, men say; And all my early mates who used To praise me so- perhaps induced More than one early step of mine — Are turning wise: while some opine "Freedom grows license," some suspect "Haste breeds delay," and recollect They always said, such premature Beginnings never could endure ! So, with a sullen "All 's for best," The land seems settling to its rest. I think then, I should wish to stand This evening in that dear, lost land, Over the sea the thousand miles, And know if yet that woman smiles With the calm smile; some little farm She lives in there, no doubt: what harm If I sat on the door-side bench, And, while her spindle made a trench Fantastically in the dust,
Inquired of all her fortunes - just Her children's ages and their names, And what may be the husband's aims For each of them. I'd talk this out, And sit there, for an hour about, Then kiss her hand once more, and lay Mine on her head, and go my way.
So much for idle wishing - how It steals the time! To business now.
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