Samuel Coleridge - The Complete Works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge (Illustrated Edition)

ceiling; and on its sides are innumerable cyphers, among which the

author discovered his own cypher and those of his brothers, cut by the

hand of their childhood. At the foot of the hill flows the river Otter.

To this place the Author, during the summer months of the year 1793,

conducted a party of young ladies; one of whom, of stature elegantly

small, and of complexion colourless yet clear, was proclaimed the Faery

Queen. On which occasion the following Irregular Ode was written.

I

Whom the untaught Shepherds call

Pixies in their madrigal,

Fancy’s children, here we dwell:

Welcome, Ladies! to our cell.

Here the wren of softest note 5

Builds its nest and warbles well;

Here the blackbird strains his throat;

Welcome, Ladies! to our cell.

II

When fades the moon to shadowy-pale,

And scuds the cloud before the gale, 10

Ere the Morn all gem-bedight

Hath streak’d the East with rosy light,

We sip the furze-flower’s fragrant dews

Clad in robes of rainbow hues;

Or sport amid the shooting gleams 15

To the tune of distant-tinkling teams,

While lusty Labour scouting sorrow

Bids the Dame a glad good-morrow,

Who jogs the accustom’d road along,

And paces cheery to her cheering song. 20

III

But not our filmy pinion

We scorch amid the blaze of day,

When Noontide’s fiery-tresséd minion

Flashes the fervid ray.

Aye from the sultry heat 25

We to the cave retreat

O’ercanopied by huge roots intertwin’d

With wildest texture, blacken’d o’er with age:

Round them their mantle green the ivies bind,

Beneath whose foliage pale 30

Fann’d by the unfrequent gale

We shield us from the Tyrant’s mid-day rage.

IV

Thither, while the murmuring throng

Of wild-bees hum their drowsy song,

By Indolence and Fancy brought, 35

A youthful Bard, ‘unknown to Fame,’

Wooes the Queen of Solemn Thought,

And heaves the gentle misery of a sigh

Gazing with tearful eye,

As round our sandy grot appear 40

Many a rudely-sculptur’d name

To pensive Memory dear!

Weaving gay dreams of sunny-tinctur’d hue,

We glance before his view:

O’er his hush’d soul our soothing witcheries shed 45

And twine the future garland round his head.

V

When Evening’s dusky car

Crown’d with her dewy star

Steals o’er the fading sky in shadowy flight;

On leaves of aspen trees 50

We tremble to the breeze

Veil’d from the grosser ken of mortal sight.

Or, haply, at the visionary hour,

Along our wildly-bower’d sequester’d walk,

We listen to the enamour’d rustic’s talk; 55

Heave with the heavings of the maiden’s breast,

Where young-eyed Loves have hid their turtle nest;

Or guide of soul-subduing power

The glance that from the half-confessing eye

Darts the fond question or the soft reply. 60

VI

Or through the mystic ringlets of the vale

We flash our faery feet in gamesome prank;

Or, silent-sandal’d, pay our defter court,

Circling the Spirit of the Western Gale,

Where wearied with his flower-caressing sport, 65

Supine he slumbers on a violet bank;

Then with quaint music hymn the parting gleam

By lonely Otter’s sleep-persuading stream;

Or where his wave with loud unquiet song

Dash’d o’er the rocky channel froths along; 70

Or where, his silver waters smooth’d to rest,

The tall tree’s shadow sleeps upon his breast.

VII

Hence thou lingerer, Light!

Eve saddens into Night.

Mother of wildly-working dreams! we view 75

The sombre hours, that round thee stand

With downcast eyes (a duteous band!)

Their dark robes dripping with the heavy dew.

Sorceress of the ebon throne!

Thy power the Pixies own, 80

When round thy raven brow

Heaven’s lucent roses glow,

And clouds in watery colours drest

Float in light drapery o’er thy sable vest:

What time the pale moon sheds a softer day 85

Mellowing the woods beneath its pensive beam:

For mid the quivering light ‘tis ours to play,

Aye dancing to the cadence of the stream.

VIII

Welcome, Ladies! to the cell

Where the blameless Pixies dwell: 90

But thou, Sweet Nymph! proclaim’d our Faery Queen,

With what obeisance meet

Thy presence shall we greet?

For lo! attendant on thy steps are seen

Graceful Ease in artless stole, 95

And white-robed Purity of soul,

With Honour’s softer mien;

Mirth of the loosely-flowing hair,

And meek-eyed Pity eloquently fair,

Whose tearful cheeks are lovely to the view, 100

As snow-drop wet with dew.

IX

Unboastful Maid! though now the Lily pale

Transparent grace thy beauties meek;

Yet ere again along the impurpling vale,

The purpling vale and elfin-haunted grove, 105

Young Zephyr his fresh flowers profusely throws,

We’ll tinge with livelier hues thy cheek;

And, haply, from the nectar-breathing Rose

Extract a Blush for Love!

THE ROSE

As late each flower that sweetest blows

I pluck’d, the Garden’s pride!

Within the petals of a Rose

A sleeping Love I spied.

Around his brows a beamy wreath 5

Of many a lucent hue;

All purple glow’d his cheek, beneath,

Inebriate with dew.

I softly seiz’d the unguarded Power,

Nor scared his balmy rest: 10

And placed him, caged within the flower,

On spotless Sara’s breast.

But when unweeting of the guile

Awoke the prisoner sweet,

He struggled to escape awhile 15

And stamp’d his faery feet.

Ah! soon the soul-entrancing sight

Subdued the impatient boy!

He gazed! he thrill’d with deep delight!

Then clapp’d his wings for joy. 20

‘And O!’ he cried—’Of magic kind

What charms this Throne endear!

Some other Love let Venus find —

I’ll fix my empire here.’

KISSES

Cupid, if storying Legends tell aright,

Once fram’d a rich Elixir of Delight.

A Chalice o’er love-kindled flames he fix’d,

And in it Nectar and Ambrosia mix’d:

With these the magic dews which Evening brings, 5

Brush’d from the Idalian star by faery wings:

Each tender pledge of sacred Faith he join’d,

Each gentler Pleasure of th’ unspotted mind —

Daydreams, whose tints with sportive brightness glow,

And Hope, the blameless parasite of Woe. 10

The eyeless Chemist heard the process rise,

The steamy Chalice bubbled up in sighs;

Sweet sounds transpired, as when the enamour’d Dove

Pours the soft murmuring of responsive Love.

The finish’d work might Envy vainly blame, 15

And ‘Kisses’ was the precious Compound’s name.

With half the God his Cyprian Mother blest,

And breath’d on Sara’s lovelier lips the rest.

THE GENTLE LOOK

Thou gentle Look, that didst my soul beguile,

Why hast thou left me? Still in some fond dream

Revisit my sad heart, auspicious Smile!

As falls on closing flowers the lunar beam:

What time, in sickly mood, at parting day 5

I lay me down and think of happier years;

Of joys, that glimmer’d in Hope’s twilight ray,

Then left me darkling in a vale of tears.

O pleasant days of Hope — for ever gone!

Could I recall you! — But that thought is vain. 10

Availeth not Persuasion’s sweetest tone

To lure the fleet-wing’d Travellers back again:

Yet fair, though faint, their images shall gleam

Like the bright Rainbow on a willowy stream.