LIBRARY OT CONGRESS. PS %> i *Jl PRESENTED BY Ifc.kJ UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. THE SKELETON MONK; OTHER POEMS. FKANCIS DE HAES JANVIEB. PHILADELPHIA: J A M ES C HALLE N cV SON. 1861. No, /r Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1SC0. by FRANCIS DE IIAES JANVIER, 1 the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. T. ASHMEAD, PRINTER. CONTENTS. PAGE Tiik Skeleton More 9 TO Mm:v 26 Dream-L \nd 28 Life 82 Hubs 34 DEATH 37 Bi Think a Wreath 41 Two Little Stabs 42 Tiik Indian 45 •'Tiik Golden Bowl ts Broken!"' 47 Bfbihg 50 Ambition's Burial-Ground .32 Maid of the Forest-Land 58 - ill Live !"— w-««™. 60 Tin: Moth ' 62 Adieu G4 Shi is not Dead! 66 BlJBHfl 08 Tiik V<>ym.k of Life 71 vii VII 1 CONTENTS. PAGE Rebecca 84 A Faded Floweret ... 86 "Matches are Made in Heaven!" 89 Thou art not Just 92 The Palace of the Cesars 94 Maiden of the Azure Eye 103 God Save our President 105 "Left this World for a Better!" 107 Farewell 108 Arlington 110 Up Anchor for Home! 114 My Guardian Angel 116 Midnight 118 "Blessed are the Dead which Die in the Lord "... 120 We Met by Chance 128 Revenge ... 125 My Love 127 He was a Litte Captive here! 129 The Mimosa 133 The Dream has Vanished 134 The Union 136 The Hawthorn 140 The Death of the Year 144 When Fairer Chaplets Wreathe thy Brow 147 THE SKELETON MONK. <£hai ' ■ the man would die, m end : but now they rice again." — Shaki PART FIRST. Ix a Capucin convent, old and gray. On the brow of a cliff some leagues away From the walls of Home, lived Friar Frenaye ! Giuseppe Fren He was ruddy and s And yet, in his cowl, Be look< a an owl; And he carefully counted his beads every day ! 10 THE SKELETON MONK. He doated on beads, and on medals as well, On his brown woollen cloak, and his little square cell; And be worshipped Saint Francis, whose ghostly old head Looked down from a frame, at the top of his bed ! He had worm-eaten books Stowed in curious nooks, — ■ A jar full of relics, — some saintly old crooks, — With a table and chair, And a missal for prayer, And a crucifix, carved out of wood, very rare ! Nature made him a monk, — and he never appeared, With his shining bald head, and his flowing brown beard, With his twinkling gray eye, and his dimpled red cheek, And his fat little figure, so jolly and sleek, — But each stranger declared that he'd ne'er before seen A monk with so perfectly monkish a mien ! THE SKELETON MONK. 11 Nature made him a monk, — but uo hermit, — not be! He had forty fat brothers, each jovial and free, Who could doff, like a cassock, his sanctified air, And vary with wassail his penance and prayer! And no part of that cherished old convent, I ween, Had more loving attent than its ample cuisine! One could always find there An abundance of fare, — The most delicate viands, delicious and rare, — And. in certain deep vaults, stained with cobwebs and mould, Sparkled wines, red as rubies, and yellow T as gold, With numberless names, and exceedingly old ! But, though never averse to a private carouse, Every monk had the utmost respect for his vows; And whenever the knell Of the old convent bell Call':'! to matin, or vesper, or nocturn, as well, Each would promptly repair To a union in prayer; 12 < THE SKELETON MONK. Its silvery sound seemed a sanctified spell, — To the chapel it summoned, and all were found there ! The chapel ! It stood near the cloister, apart ; 'Twas the pride of that convent, — a wonder of art ! Its walls were adorned with the richest designs, Its alcoves were filled with elaborate shrines, And, glittering with gems, gleamed like Orient mines ! Its pavements were porphyry, its ceilings were gold, Its niches held statues of exquisite mould, And its treasury boasted of riches untold ! And beneath all this splendor, so vauntingly spread, In contrast most strange with the scene overhead, Under ponderous arches, shut out from the day, In silence, and darkness, and damp, and decay, Was a charnel-house, strewn with the dust of the dead ! Full of terror and gloom, 'Twas the convent's huge tomb, THE SKELETON MONK. 13 Where hundreds were buried, and yet there was room ! Every monk, from the time the fraternity rose, Had found in that chamber his final repose: Qtained no sepulchral inscriptions and stones, But the ceilings and walls were encrusted with bones ! Human bones ! set in columns, and altars, and shrines, And adjusted, with skill, in fantastical lines; In oblongs, and angles, and circles, and tiers, Forming arabesques, crosses, and great chandeliers; While erect, in each niche, grim, and ghastly, and shrunk, In his woollen capote, stood a skeleton monk ! Twas a horrible place, where one scarce drew a breath, But it seemed to come charged with corruption and ih; And yet good Giuseppe would oft deem ii right To pray, in that dreadful Golgotha, all night, With some ugly old skeleton holding the Lighl ! 14 THE SKELETON MONK. 'Twas a curious whim ; but lie really believed That a vow proffered there would be better received ; Perchance he supposed that contaminate air Might be a more perfect conductor for prayer : But ; whate'er his intent; He most certainly went, On all special occasions, to ruminate there ! ]STow, Giuseppe loved bones ; and it happened one day ; He had finished his prayers, and was coming away, When, in passing a niche, where a skeleton stood Peering stealthily out from the shade of his hood, Without any thought of maltreating the dead, He was seized with a fancy to borrow his head ! Perhaps it was wrong ; but Giuseppe had found Such devotional aid among skulls under ground, That he could not conceive it would seem an abuse To take one above, for more general use, And he knew his dead brother would thrive quite as well : So he carried it up to his little square cell ; And if the monk blamed him, could any one tell? THE SKELETON MONK. 15 PART SECOND. Twas the Feast of Saint Francis! a season of mirth! ved since his saintsliip took leave of the earth, And just three hundred years since the convent had birth ! " friar felt gay When the sun rose that day ; But, first, they all met in the chapel to pray : Then, the offices through, They had nothing to do But to fill the fleet hours with joy as they flew, And brimful of pleasure the time passed away ! 16 THE SKELETON MONK. For this festive occasion each brother had toiled : Every nook in the gardens was searched and de- spoiled, And the chambers and corridors, covered with flowers, Were blooming and fragrant as amaranth bowers ! Indeed, so intense was the flowery scent, That the old monks were sneezing wherever they went ! 'Twas a day of delight; but the mirth was not done When the shadows of evening had closed o'er the sun ; In fact, the enjoyment had then scarce begun ! In lieu of the daylight, a glittering sheen, From innumerous candles, illumined the scene, Filling every apartment, above and below, And flooding the air with its effluent glow, Till the convent, ablaze, from its towering height, Gleaming down, far away, through the valleys, that night, T1IK SKELETON MONK. I, Appeared to the sight Sumo great stellary light, As a comet, or meteor, or even more bright ! Of course, with this dazzling display everywhere, The chapel received most particular care ; And all that the taste of the monks could prepare, And all that the treasury held that was rare, And costly, and rich, was exhibited there ! The columns and arches were mantled with green, And, in every recess, rose a flowery screen, — A floral mosaic, — an intricate maze Of bright blooming garlands, festoons, and bouquets ! ." the high altar, a glittering woof, Interwoven with tinsel, drooped down from the roof, And, under this canopy, mitred and stoled, Stood the bust of Saint Francis, in silver and gold ! There were relics held consecrate time out of mind. In curious caskets of crystal confined ; 18 THE SKELETON MONK. There were sacred utensils with jewels inlaid, The pious purloinment of some old crusade ; There were crosses and coronals, girdles and rings, The votive oblations of pontiffs and kings, With a great many precious conventual things ! All beautiful, brilliant, and bathed in the blaze Of numberless wax lights, in multiplex rays, Overpowering the gaze, With a 'wildering daze, And filling the place with a prismatic haze ! But the good monks had deemed themselves greatly at fault, In this general joy, Had they failed to employ, With a hearty good will, A full share of their skill, For the dear defunct brotherhood down in the vault. So they hung in the gloom Of that terrible tomb Fresh flowerets, laden with dew and perfume ; THE SKELETON MONK.. 10 And they gave to each monk of that skeleton band A lighted wax candle to hold in his hand ; While round each chandelier an illumement was thrown From the candles which beamed in those sockets of bono ! But the flowerets grew pale, as with pestilent blight, And the candles burned dim, with a flickering light, And the dead monks gained naught from the festive array. Save a palpable darkness, and laureled decay ! 20 THE SKELETON MONK. PART THIRD. The bell tolled nine ! The bell tolled nine ! And a merrier set Had never yet On any anniversary met, Than, answering to its three times three, Entered the old refectory, And circled the oaken board to dine. And I fear I should fail, Did I strive to detail The delectable dishes which graced that regale ; But suffice it to say, 'Twas a sumptuous display, Of fish, and of flesh, and prepared every way : THE SKELETON MONK. 21 From the forest and field, from the ocean and air, All seasoned and sauced with most exquisite care; Fried, roasted, and broiled, Baked, basted, and boiled, With vegetive esculents, luscious and rare, In savory stews. And in racy ragouts, Which, however fastidious, none could refuse ! Then the dessert, — the pastry, fruits, jellies, and ices. — In pyramids, towers, and other devices, Italian, and Moorish, and Greek, and Egyptian, Delighted the eye, and surpassed all description ; While, sparkling like jewels, in luminous lines, Stood crystalline flagons of costly old wines ! A sumptuous display! And the guests grew more gay, :th feasting, and drinking, the hours rolled away. They drank to .Saint Peter, their glorified head ; They drank to Pope Leo, who reigned in his stead; 2 22 THE SKELETON MONK. They drank to Saint Francis ; the Martyrs who bled, And their Capucin brethren, departed and dead ; And they drank still more deeply, and jested, and sang, Till the stately old halls with the revelry rang ! Then Giuseppe arose, as the noise chanced to lull, And went out to his cell, and came in with a skull, — The same, I am sorry to say, which he bore From the niche in the grotto, a long while before ; And he filled it with wine, and there went up a shout, As he drank from the margin, and passed it about ! Then there suddenly fell On each heart, like a knell, The twelve midnight strokes of the old convent bell, And the wax lights burned low, and each monk gasped for breath, And the atmosphere seemed to be laden with death, And the door was flung open, and on, through the gloom, A procession of spectres stalked into the room ! THE SKELETON MONK. 23 A procession of spectres! — That skeleton band! And a lighted wax candle each held in his hand; And each, with his chaplet of flowerets bedight, Tale, sickly, and shrunk, as with pestilent blight ; And first of them all, with his cowl wide dispread, Came a skeleton figure, withouten a head ! Every monk held his place, and there rose not a sound, 'Mid their motionless horror, and silence profound. While, advancing, the solemn procession filed round ! But. on reaching Giuseppe, they came to a stand, — And the --host snatched the skull from his shivering hand, And he dashed out the wine, — and, oh ! sad to relate ! He a-suddenly seized poor Giuseppe's bald pate, And he twisted it off, and he left him stark dead. In his seat at the table, and lacking his head ! Then the spectres passed out, as they came, at the door, And i1 .d the wax lights burned bright as befoi 24 THE SKELETON MONK. Long years have rolled by since that scene of dismay, And the monks of that convent have all passed away ; And the convent, abandoned, remains to this day, But a ruin, — crushed, mouldering in dust and decay ! And yet, at the feast of Saint Francis, each year, Precisely at midnight, two spectres appear, — Two skeleton monks, as their garb would denote, For each folds about him a woollen capote, — And they traverse that ruin, nor slacken their pace, As the one hurries on, and the other gives chase ! And the first a wax candle bears, flickering and dull, And grasps, in his long bony fingers, a skull ; And the second, who goes with a wavering tread, And his skeleton hands in the darkness outspread, And his cowl floating free, is bereft of his head ! THE SKELETON MONK. J And still, as he follows, — in mischievous mood, The other poors back from the shade of his hood, And entices him on; — but, alas! nevermore Shall Giuseppe recover the skull he once wore ! TO MARY. As a pilgrim, worn and weary, Wandering o'er a desert dreary, Bowed beneath the sun's hot burning, For some shelter vainly yearning, Feeling each fond hope retiring, Sinking on the sand, expiring, — Pines to see his native mountains, Pants to quaff their cooling fountains,- So, a wanderer,— lost and lonely, Meeting disappointment only, Worn and weary, lorn and laden,— Pine I for thy love, sweet maiden ! As the pilgrim, sinking, sighing, Cast upon the desert, dying, — Ere life's latest link be riven, Lifts his weeping eyes to heaven, Pouring forth his plaintive story To some gentle saint, in glory, — .