CONSALVO.Approaching now the end of his abodeOn earth, Consalvo lay; complaining once,Of his hard fate, but now quite reconciled,When, in the midst of his fifth lustre, o’erHis head oblivion, so longed-for, hung.As for some time, so, on his dying day,He lay, abandoned by his dearest friends:For in the world, few friends tohimwill cling,Who shows that he is weary of the world.Yetshewas at his side, by pity led,In his lone wretchedness to comfort him,Who was alone and ever in his thought;Elvira, for her loveliness renowned;And knowing well her power; that a look,A single sweet and gracious word fromher,A thousand-fold repeated in the heart,Devoted, of her hapless lover, stillHis consolation and support had been,Although no word of love had she from himE’er heard. For ever in his soul the powerOf great desire had been rebuked and crushedBy sovereign fear. So great a child and slaveHad he become, through his excess of love!But death at last the cruel silence broke;For being by sure signs convinced, that nowThe day of his deliverance had come,Her white hand taking, as she was aboutTo leave, and gently pressing it, he said:“Thou goest; it is time for thee to go;Farewell, Elvira! I shall never seeThee more; too well I know it; so, farewell!I thank thee for thy gentle sympathy,So far as my poor lips my thanks can speak.Hewill reward thee, who alone has power,If heaven e’er rewards the merciful.”Pale turned the fair one at these words; a sighHer bosom heaved; for e’en a stranger’s heartA throb responsive feels, when she departs,And says farewell forever. Fain would sheHave contradicted him, the near approachOf fate concealing from the dying man.But he, her thought anticipating, said:“Ah, much desired, as well thou knowest, death,Much prayed for, and not dreaded, comes to me;Nay, joyful seems to me this fatal day,Save for the thought of losing thee forever;Alas, forever do I part from thee!In saying this my heart is rent in twain.Those eyes I shall no more behold, nor hearThy voice. But, O Elvira, say, beforeThou leavest me forever, wilt thou notOne kiss bestow? A single kiss, in allMy life? A favor asked, who can denyUnto a dying man? Of the sweet giftI ne’er can boast, so near my end, whose lipsTo-day will by a stranger’s hand be closedForever.” Saying this, with a deep sigh,Her hand beloved he with his cold lips pressed.The lovely woman stood irresolute,And thoughtful, for a moment, with her look,In which a thousand charms were radiant,Intent on that of the unhappy man,Where the last tear was glittering. Nor wouldHer heart permit her to refuse with scornHis wish, and by refusal, make more sadThe sad farewell; but she compassion tookUpon his love, which she had known so long;And that celestial face, that mouth, which heSo long had coveted, which had, for years,The burden been of all his dreams and sighs,Close bringing unto his, so sad and wan,Discolored by his mortal agony,Kiss after kiss, all goodness, with a lookOf deep compassion, on the trembling lipsOf the enraptured lover she impressed.What didst thou then become? How in thy eyesAppeared life, death, and all thy suffering,Consalvo, in thy flight now pausing? HeThe hand, which still he held, of his belovedElvira, placing on his heart, whose lastPulsations love with death was sharing, said:“Elvira, my Elvira, am I stillOn earth? Those lips, were they thy lips? O, say!And do I press thy hand? Alas, it seemsA dead man’s vision, or a dream, or thingIncredible! How much, Elvira, O,How much I owe to death! Long has my loveBeen known to thee, and unto others, forTrue love cannot be hidden on the earth.Too manifest it was to thee, in looks,In acts, in my unhappy countenance,But never in my words. For then, and now,Forever would the passion infinite,That rules my heart, be silent, had not deathWith courage filled it. I shall die content;Henceforth, with destiny, no more regretThat I e’er saw the light. I have not livedIn vain, now that my lips have been allowedThy lips to press. Nay, happy I esteemMy lot. Two precious things the world still givesTo mortals, Love and Death. To one, heaven guidesMe now, in youth; and in the other, IAm fortunate. Ah, hadst thou once, but once,Responded to my long-enduring love,To my changed eyes this earth for evermoreHad been transformed into a Paradise.E’en to old age, detestable old age,Could I have been resigned and reconciled.To bear its heavy load, the memoryOf one transcendent moment had sufficed,When I was happier than the happiest,But, ah, such bliss supreme the envious godsTo earthly natures ne’er have given! LoveIn such excess ne’er leads to happiness.And yet, thy love to win, I would have borneThe tortures of the executioner;Have faced the rack and fagot, dauntlessly;Would from thy loving arms have rushed intoThe fearful flames of hell, with cheerfulness.“Elvira, O Elvira, happy he,Beyond all mortal happiness, on whomThou dost the smile of love bestow! And nextIs he, who can lay down his life for thee!Itispermitted, it is not a dream,As I, alas, have always fancied it,To man, on earth true happiness to find.I knew it well, the day I looked on thee.That look to me, indeed, has fatal been:And yet, I could not bring myself, midst allMy sufferings, that cruel day to blame.“Now live, Elvira, happy, and adornThe world with thy fair countenance. None e’erWill love thee as I loved thee. Such a loveWill ne’er be seen on earth. How much, alas,How long a time by poor Consalvo hastThou been with sighs and bitter tears invoked!How, when I heard thy name, have I turned pale!How have I trembled, and been sick at heart,As timidly thy threshold I approached,At that angelic voice, at sight of thatFair brow, I, who now tremble not at death!But breath and life no longer will respondUnto the voice of love. The time has passed;Nor can I e’er this happy day recall.Farewell, Elvira! With its vital sparkThy image so beloved is from my heartForever fading. Oh, farewell! If this,My love offend thee not, to-morrow eveOne sigh wilt thou bestow upon my bier.”He ceased; and soon he lost his consciousness:Ere evening came, his first, his only dayOf happiness had faded from his sight.
Approaching now the end of his abodeOn earth, Consalvo lay; complaining once,Of his hard fate, but now quite reconciled,When, in the midst of his fifth lustre, o’erHis head oblivion, so longed-for, hung.As for some time, so, on his dying day,He lay, abandoned by his dearest friends:For in the world, few friends tohimwill cling,Who shows that he is weary of the world.Yetshewas at his side, by pity led,In his lone wretchedness to comfort him,Who was alone and ever in his thought;Elvira, for her loveliness renowned;And knowing well her power; that a look,A single sweet and gracious word fromher,A thousand-fold repeated in the heart,Devoted, of her hapless lover, stillHis consolation and support had been,Although no word of love had she from himE’er heard. For ever in his soul the powerOf great desire had been rebuked and crushedBy sovereign fear. So great a child and slaveHad he become, through his excess of love!But death at last the cruel silence broke;For being by sure signs convinced, that nowThe day of his deliverance had come,Her white hand taking, as she was aboutTo leave, and gently pressing it, he said:“Thou goest; it is time for thee to go;Farewell, Elvira! I shall never seeThee more; too well I know it; so, farewell!I thank thee for thy gentle sympathy,So far as my poor lips my thanks can speak.Hewill reward thee, who alone has power,If heaven e’er rewards the merciful.”Pale turned the fair one at these words; a sighHer bosom heaved; for e’en a stranger’s heartA throb responsive feels, when she departs,And says farewell forever. Fain would sheHave contradicted him, the near approachOf fate concealing from the dying man.But he, her thought anticipating, said:“Ah, much desired, as well thou knowest, death,Much prayed for, and not dreaded, comes to me;Nay, joyful seems to me this fatal day,Save for the thought of losing thee forever;Alas, forever do I part from thee!In saying this my heart is rent in twain.Those eyes I shall no more behold, nor hearThy voice. But, O Elvira, say, beforeThou leavest me forever, wilt thou notOne kiss bestow? A single kiss, in allMy life? A favor asked, who can denyUnto a dying man? Of the sweet giftI ne’er can boast, so near my end, whose lipsTo-day will by a stranger’s hand be closedForever.” Saying this, with a deep sigh,Her hand beloved he with his cold lips pressed.
The lovely woman stood irresolute,And thoughtful, for a moment, with her look,In which a thousand charms were radiant,Intent on that of the unhappy man,Where the last tear was glittering. Nor wouldHer heart permit her to refuse with scornHis wish, and by refusal, make more sadThe sad farewell; but she compassion tookUpon his love, which she had known so long;And that celestial face, that mouth, which heSo long had coveted, which had, for years,The burden been of all his dreams and sighs,Close bringing unto his, so sad and wan,Discolored by his mortal agony,Kiss after kiss, all goodness, with a lookOf deep compassion, on the trembling lipsOf the enraptured lover she impressed.
What didst thou then become? How in thy eyesAppeared life, death, and all thy suffering,Consalvo, in thy flight now pausing? HeThe hand, which still he held, of his belovedElvira, placing on his heart, whose lastPulsations love with death was sharing, said:“Elvira, my Elvira, am I stillOn earth? Those lips, were they thy lips? O, say!And do I press thy hand? Alas, it seemsA dead man’s vision, or a dream, or thingIncredible! How much, Elvira, O,How much I owe to death! Long has my loveBeen known to thee, and unto others, forTrue love cannot be hidden on the earth.Too manifest it was to thee, in looks,In acts, in my unhappy countenance,But never in my words. For then, and now,Forever would the passion infinite,That rules my heart, be silent, had not deathWith courage filled it. I shall die content;Henceforth, with destiny, no more regretThat I e’er saw the light. I have not livedIn vain, now that my lips have been allowedThy lips to press. Nay, happy I esteemMy lot. Two precious things the world still givesTo mortals, Love and Death. To one, heaven guidesMe now, in youth; and in the other, IAm fortunate. Ah, hadst thou once, but once,Responded to my long-enduring love,To my changed eyes this earth for evermoreHad been transformed into a Paradise.E’en to old age, detestable old age,Could I have been resigned and reconciled.To bear its heavy load, the memoryOf one transcendent moment had sufficed,When I was happier than the happiest,But, ah, such bliss supreme the envious godsTo earthly natures ne’er have given! LoveIn such excess ne’er leads to happiness.And yet, thy love to win, I would have borneThe tortures of the executioner;Have faced the rack and fagot, dauntlessly;Would from thy loving arms have rushed intoThe fearful flames of hell, with cheerfulness.
“Elvira, O Elvira, happy he,Beyond all mortal happiness, on whomThou dost the smile of love bestow! And nextIs he, who can lay down his life for thee!Itispermitted, it is not a dream,As I, alas, have always fancied it,To man, on earth true happiness to find.I knew it well, the day I looked on thee.That look to me, indeed, has fatal been:And yet, I could not bring myself, midst allMy sufferings, that cruel day to blame.
“Now live, Elvira, happy, and adornThe world with thy fair countenance. None e’erWill love thee as I loved thee. Such a loveWill ne’er be seen on earth. How much, alas,How long a time by poor Consalvo hastThou been with sighs and bitter tears invoked!How, when I heard thy name, have I turned pale!How have I trembled, and been sick at heart,As timidly thy threshold I approached,At that angelic voice, at sight of thatFair brow, I, who now tremble not at death!But breath and life no longer will respondUnto the voice of love. The time has passed;Nor can I e’er this happy day recall.Farewell, Elvira! With its vital sparkThy image so beloved is from my heartForever fading. Oh, farewell! If this,My love offend thee not, to-morrow eveOne sigh wilt thou bestow upon my bier.”He ceased; and soon he lost his consciousness:Ere evening came, his first, his only dayOf happiness had faded from his sight.