Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1849-05-03
Affecting Story of Genoveva.

IAhOOpAlAS hoCOIy w OOAhONS'o'
Genoveva of Brabant was young and
beautiful woman, and wife to Count Sieg-
fried, noble baron, whose castle stood in
the country which lies between those two
shining rivers, the Rhine and the Rhone.
lie had scarcely been married to her two
months, however, when he was called away
from her he so dearly loved, to Join the EN-
peror in beating back the Saracens, who
were making themselves formidable by their
conquests. Scarcely had Count Siegfried
departed when Colo, the steward, who had
been left in command of the castle, assumed
all the airs and authority of master, and
ever made infamous proposals to Genoveva
herself; and upon being repulsed with the
utmost adherence by the Countess, to re-
venge himself, he sent word secretly to the
Count that his wife had dshonored him.
An immediate order for her execution from
the too credulous and Infatuated husband
was the consequence. She was according
ly taken from the dungeon, in which she
had been confined for many months, togeth-
er with her little son. to whom she had Civ
Ell birth in darkness and cold, and led by
two of the retainers to the depths of great
forest, some distance from the castle. And
here the soldiers would have taken the
young child from Genoveva, before killing
her, but she implored so piteously, and so
clasped it with all the energy of maternal
love, that pity triumphed in their savage
breasts, and they determined not to kill her,
and to leave her the child, on condition that
she promised never to come again out of
the wood. And thus she was left in the
wide forest, with her poor naked infant, to
die. Wandering in search of some shelter,
she at length reached great cave here at
least was covering for her head but, alas
she was without food or water. But God
tempers the wind to the shorn lamb and as
she looked around in the agony of hunger,
the trailing stem of gourd seemed as if it
were creeping toward her, and her ear be-
came aware of the tricklng waters Of a
fountain. Then suddenly the dry leaves in
the neighborhood of the cave began to rus
tie, and presently a slender-limbed little doe
came trotting up to her, and nestled by her
side the doe readily gave up its milk for
Little Sorrowlul for so was the child called
by its mother. Genoveva and her boy re-
NAMED in the forest for seven years-the
bitter cold OF winter compensated by the
spIendor of the summer, aud all the beauties
which nature SO prodigally displays at that
glad season. The little child grew strong
and beautiful and blessed its mothers ear
by whispering her name: but GeDoveva
wasted fast away under the burden of her
great sorrow, that her husband thought OF
her with shame. In the meantime, the
Count Siegfried returned from the wars, and
the villany of Colo the false steward was
discovered and the remorse of the noble
Count for his too hasty order for his Geno-
veva's death was slowly consuming him,
when faithful friend, by way of diverting
him from his melancholy, induced him to
join a great hunting party. AS the Count
rode along in the forest he started young
doe, aud following its track, he was at last
led to cavern. The doe was the same
faithful doe that had nourishcd Genoveva
and her child And in the two human be.
ings clad in sheepskin he beheld his wife
and child They were restored amid the
rejoicing of the people to the castle home
from which they had been so cruelty ban
ished, the little doe accompanying them
and so good was the lady to the inhabitants
that after her death she was reverenced as a
saint, and for nearly hundred years after
wards, hoary-headed men prided themselves
on being able to say" When was lit
tie child | was taken to see Genoveva. -
The principal events of this story, accord
ing to all accounts, are founded upon facts
which have been moulded into poetic form
by their passage through many generation
, of dreamy Germans. until i'll our later time
comes the artist with his pencil, and embo
dies them all in charming picture. How
singularly some simple facts, such as these
r running their course through ages, gathe
fresh delights at every step, and at last burs
into perfect beauty under the inspiring
touch of the painter, poet and musician!