# The Earliest English Translations of Bürger's Lenore: a Study in English and German Romanticism/Chapter 8/Leonora by J. T. Stanley

LEONORA
By J. T. Stanley.
* ↑ First edition,As Leonora left her bed, "Wiliam," she cried, "art false or dead! I dreamt thou'd ne'er return." Slight differences in punctuation are not noted, and two or three misprints are corrected. The stanzas in both editions are numbered with Roman numerals above.
* ↑ Second line, Wearied with their long bickering; fourth, no and; sixth, cymbal.
* ↑ Second line, Heaven's; fifth line, God hath no Mercy.
* ↑ First line, "Oh! mercy, mercy, Lord above!
* ↑ First line, Forbear—forbear—in God believe; fifth, No trust.
* ↑ First line, My child, who knows, he yet survives.
* ↑ Fourth and fifth lines, Would that this hated loathsome light Could.
* ↑ Sixth line, There.
* ↑ The stanza reads:"Oh! mother, mother, Hell or Heaven Woe or joy, are now all even: William was Heaven alone. Fade from my eyes, thou hated light, Descend, my soul, to endless night, For love and hope are flown." In his manuscript corrections the second line reads, would be; the fourth and fifth,"Come friendly Death, I hate the light, Bear me away to endless night."
* ↑ Second line, What trampling hears she on the ground; manuscript corrects what of first line to a.
* ↑ First two lines,"Awake! awake! arise my dear. Can Leonora sleep? I'm here. Fourth line, thou; last lines,"What joy? But whence, and why, ah! tell At night—so late— you come?" Manuscript correction of first lines,"Rise, Leonora, dost thou sleep, Or laughs my love, or doth she weep; with further variant of the second line, Or wake, or doth she laugh or weep.
* ↑ Fifth line, an hundred.
* ↑ Second line, this night.
* ↑ Fourth line, from here.
* ↑ Last lines,In thund'ring gallop off they flew While streams of fire their heels pursue, And soon they pant for breath. Manuscript correction of next to last line, while sparks of fire.
* ↑ Fourth line, and a bier; fifth line, While priests.
* ↑ Manuscript, first line, Thus sad.
* ↑ Manuscript has two variations of last three lines:"Let midnight pass, the rites delay, All follow where I lead the way, To grace our marriage, Priest." and in another place,""Mourners, away, we want a song, And quickly, as we haste along, Give us your blessing, Priest."
* ↑ For the three stanzas preceding the first edition has only,I am carrying home a beauteous bride." In voice imperious, William cried: "Quick, priests, your service read; And, mourners, chaunt a wedding song, For yet to-night we haste along, To reach our marriage bed." In manuscript the third and following were changed to,"The service must be read; You, mourners, chaunt a wedding song, And follow as we haste along.
* ↑ The first lines read,The dirges stopp'd, the priests obey'd: As William bad, they sang and pray'd. And on, with furious bound, The breathless courser forward flew. Manuscript corrections not used are second line, And following close; third line, desperate bound.
* ↑ First line, and left and right; third line, As on the courser prest, the manuscript correcting to, As on they furious prest.
* ↑ Third line and following,Thundering o'er the ground, Swift as a shaft, or as the wind, While streams of fire he left behind. And dash'd the stones around. Manuscript, last two lines,While streams of fire were left behind, Like lightning in the air.
* ↑ Third line, no Whil'st.
* ↑ Fifth line, William turned round, and clasp'd the fair.
* ↑ Second and third lines,"Ask Heaven for mercy on her soul, "Thy earthly course is done. Manuscript of same lines,"Let Heaven have mercy on thy soul, The destin'd course is done.
* ↑ The stanza reads:"Who call on God, when press'd with grief, Who trust his love for kind relief, Ally his heart to his: When Man will bear, and be resign'd, God ever soothes his suffering mind, And grants him future bliss." This stanza closes the poem in the first and second editions. The remaining stanzas appeared first in the third, or "new" edition only.
* ↑ Manuscript version of last three lines,"God only soothes the patient mind, And grants him bliss, when Man's resign'd," Again a voice replied.
* ↑ Manuscript, in fourth line, life for warmth.
* ↑ Manuscript, first line, their power; second line, When Bliss awaits.
* ↑ The manuscript alterations of the first edition would seem to indicate that the two stanzas preceding the last were not at first intended to be a part of the poem. The last, as we have it above, immediately followed that beginning, No more are dreadful phantoms near. Later the following stanza was pencilled after that beginning, "Wake, Leonora":Lo, when from far a youth returns, Led by your charms his bosom burns, Sweet spirit, wave your wands; Can heaven a purer bliss bestow, Than when with shar'd affection's glow The panting heart expands? Still later this was expanded into two stanzas, and they were placed before that which now closes the poem.