The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-04-17
THE LADY MARY'S TAI
BY ALBERT sUTLIFFE.

The Lady Mary tells tale
To her fairer sister, Alice
She tells ii in the jessamne bower,
In the shadow of the palace.
The garden wall is dark behind,
In the night Of the grapevine shadow,
A path leadeth down TO wicket blind,
And through it 10 the meadow.
IT'S the yellow autumn time,
Family the winds are signing, signing;
OF from the golden crests of the trees
The sunset is dying.
'Twixt the glow and 'twixt the gloom,
The castle, solid, and tail, and roomy,
Ready for peace, or ready for war;
Stands spectral and gloomy.
And the Lady Mary tells her tale
To her fairer sister, Alice;
She tells it in the jessamine bower,
In the shadow of the palace.
" In those far-off times of helm and plume,
When knights were fond and ladies fair
The lhnces CLEAN lit the nations gloom,
With beauty true and
"Then the eyes that shone brghtes, tourney days.
Were the lamps of love at night
And the forms that rode safest in fitting trays
Knelt down beneath their light"
Still the night is settling down,
Bringing wind from the distant mountains;
Sullen the FLASHING fall,
In the gurgling fountains
And bank Of mist is edging up,
Not as high as the garden wall;
And il hides the that going to set,
Like a funeral pail.
"Then pair OF fine blue maiden eyes,
And a crown of golden hair,
Did win the knight of the silver helm,
To woo him lady fair.
"Then he wooed and won as a bold knight should
And many a tung day,
The golden tress that he wore OH his breast,
], bore him through the fray.
" But a younger sister, with bluer eyes,
And locks of yellower gold
As a rose unfoldeth leaf by Leaf,
Did gradually unfold"
IT'S the winds that affair,
Sweeping under the wildwood arches;
Borderers crossing with haste and hate
The north country marches.
One by the stars go out,
Drowned under a of vapor;
Now the moon, with grde of pearl,
Pales like taper.
"Then the knight he changed as a base knight should
And with shippers, and jewels, and signs,
He wooed the sister of fairer curls,
With the love deeps in her eyes
"Bu the elder maiden burned with hate
And when the solemn fall
Swept into heaps the hueless leaves
In the hooks of the garden wall,
"Deep in the shadow of the vine,
With words and kisses kind
She gave 10 her sister, for true-love boon,
Apeach with golden rnd."
Ave Maria, Mother of God,
Listen, and guard from every danger
The flock on the hill and on the moor,
The benighted stranger!
Ancient pines in the castle yard,
Mournfnlly signing and mournfuly surging;
And the moon, like a ship in a raging sea-
Her pathway is urging.
" But the younger, dazed with a sudden dark,
Swooned dead in the very place;
And the elder smiled as she stopped TO mark
The death hues OH her face.
" But thou sweet Alice, my love, my pearl,
Thou seest the glad stars fail;
Now tell me, ere the deep dark comes.
What thmkest thou of my tale,"
Il think, )" the Lady Alice said,
With voice of faintest sound,
az think a sisters best life-blood,
Poor balm for a trueove wourd.
For sore strokes in the daylight given.
And dagger-thrusts are keen;
But sorer and keener, in the dark,
Falls sisters hand, ween"
The Lady Mary's face grew dark,
AS the flying clouds above her;
@Thou art the sister with fairer hair
And the false knight is thy lover
81 But would not strike in the dark like her,
Without warning given;
SO I sonened the pains Of death with a tale
And smoothed thy pathway to Heaven
"And thus I strike with golden blade,
And soothe thee with a kiss;
And, like q shadow track thy steps,
To the upper realms of bliss
"Thou wilt leave the peary gates siar,
But shall not goin
shall only spy the golden streets,
And the angels free from sin"
Now through the wicket there comeih enc,
With heedful step and eye;