UC-NRLF ■Ib.llBBlailb.fcifa ktaitotalbifal B 2 630 111 1IASAMIELL0 - 5 B m 5 5 i 5 5 S| E 5 g s 5 5 ^tototatatatolatolalatatatotofai KEfo ' ■' *< r - & *■' v \. r .' \ 1,iN:V'-r.V.'V OF j 4 t " Ai *° frf '' :A ^ M&tfra*3K K ■n n H W>~ ■ ^m ^^H MAS A NIELLO AND OTHER POEMS HENRY LOCKWOOD AUTHOR OF "SACRED LYRICS," "AXEL," ETC. ETC LONDON: KERBY & ENDEAN, 440 OXFORD STREET 1883. LOAN STACK <~S t+> ' v^ & PREFACE. fvnn T N offering this small collection to the reader, it is felt that some words of apology may be requisite for the unfinished condition of the poem which gives its name to the volume. The Editor can only state' in explanation, that the work was cut short by the sudden death of its much lamented author, and she feels sure that this circumstance — while investing it with an additional, if painful, interest to personal friends — will ensure the indulgence of the general reader. 498 IV PREFACE. The succession of the pieces, however, is the same as was intended had the interstices been filled up, and will, it is thought, suffice to give the leading ideas of the poem. Bournemouth, December 1882. CONTENTS. PAGE Masaniello : an Unfinished Poem ... i POEMS. Poetry and Love . . . . . . . 67 The Old Journal . 70 A Dream of a Lost Soul 73 War and Peace . 77 The Wreck . , " . 80 To M. L 82 To the Zither . . 85 Guardian Angels 87 The Christian Martyr 89 Farewell 93 VI CONTENTS. PAGE The Tournament 95 The Ministry of Angels 103 To M. B. . 105 The Waters' Meet 107 In Sorrow's Hour in The Zither 113 To Princess A M- 114 The Letter L' (an imitation) 115 In Memoriam 117 Summons to Heaven 119 Morning Hymn 121 Christmas Hymn 123 TRANSLATIONS. Amyntas 127 The Diver . .148 The Sword Song .... . . 161 The Fountain 167 Lutzow's Wild Chace : . ... . . .169 CONTENTS. Vll PAGE ILSANES . 173 The Watch by the Rhine 186 Soldier's Prayer 1 89 Founding of the Convent of Limburg . . . 191 The Crucifix 197 MASANIELLO. AN UNFINISHED POEM. Masaniello (Tommaso Aniello) a fisherman of Naples, was bom at Amalfi, 1623. He was the chief promoter and leader of the revolt of the Neapolitan people in 1647 against the grinding tyranny of the Spanish Viceroy, the Duke of A r cos, who had brought the exasperation of the populace to a climax by the heavy taxation of their principal articles of food. Masaniello, young, handsome, a7id very popular in his own class, fired with the thought of delivering his coitntrymen from the yoke of the oppressor, and also of avenging the unjust imprisonment of his yoting wife, put himself at the head of the insurgents, who were ready to obey his slightest word. Under his orders, they broke into and rifled the palace, in spite of the resistance of the guards, and, the Viceroy having fled, they proclaimed their idol Captain of the People and sole Ruler of Naples. After a few days, however 3 the excitement of brain caused by these events, pro- duced in Masaniello fits of frenzy or insanity, by some attributed to poison. During these, he was guilty of many acts of tyrannical cruelty and even of massacres, which quickly alienated his followers. The result was that, on the tenth day after his sudden elevation, he was treacherously assassinated in the convent to which he had retired for safety. MASANIELLCX M l^AR — far as the billows of ocean can roam, " To the confines of earth be found Liberty's home; " No limits for ever be set to her reign ; " O'er Italy's shore may her star never wane ! " When the wrath of the Tyrant our homes shall assail, " And his hirelings descend over mountain and vale, "May the Angel of Death mow their ranks on the field, " And Victory's laurels encircle our shield ! MASANIELLO, 5 '■ Yea ! the just God of battles will list to our cry, " For the sighs of the mourner are echoed on high ; " The dayspring must rise on our night of despair, u As the tempest is hushed by the spirits of air. "With the speed of the breakers that whiten the bay, 11 Let us marshal our forces in battle array, " Give for kindred and hearth the last drop of our blood, " And fall on the foe with the strength of a flood. " Then the voice of our sorrow and anguish shall cease, " As the war-cloud is chased by the sunshine of peace ; " And the standard of Freedom for ever shall wave " O'er the brows of the Free, in the hands of the Brave ! " MASANIELLO. Across that quiet sheltered bay, Whose waters flash the sapphire's ray And kiss the feet of Capri's isle, Whereon the skies e'er seem to smile, These stirring stanzas rose and fell In cadence clear, — a magic spell To flush the cheek and light the eye With fire that claims its birth on high, And move the soul to mightiest deed For which a patriot fain would bleed. And on those forms that lined the shore, Whose accents drowned the ocean's roar, The moon shed pale uncertain rays Like distant gleams of happier days, — Lit with her soft mysterious light The mountain's crest and Capri's height,- MASANIELLO. O'er the vined plains deep shadows threw, And bathed the waves in silvery hue, — Now gleamed with radiant floods of light, Now veiled her rays in darkest night, — Type of man's fortune here below : A shifting scene of joy and woe. And who those men whose wrath would vie With thunder crashing o'er the sky ? Their flashing eyes and knitted brows Foretell they came not to carouse ; If other signs were wanting still To prove their presence augurs ill To some oppressor's galling chain E'er e'en perchance yon moon should wane, The close-set lips, the livid cheek, And the clenched hand full well bespeak MASANIELLO. That foulest wrongs and darkest deeds In patriot breasts have sown their seeds. Ere the last notes had died away Borne by the breeze across the bay, Swift rushing breakers wreathed the sands With brightly gleaming silver bands, Till ocean's furrowed cheek grew pale Before the might of the rising gale ; And o'er the mountain's jagged crest, Where night's still shadow seemed to rest, The lightning shed a ghastly glow Like hues of death on face of woe, And earth the mirror of anger seemed, That on the brow of Heaven gleamed. MASANIELLO. From hill to hill, from vale to vale, Above the roar of tempest's wail, O'er the lashed waters deepest hold, In ceaseless peals the thunder rolled ; And fiery shafts were hurled around Till quivering boughs obscured the ground, 'Neath shattered trunks of shapeless form, The blackened harvest of the storm ; While shrillest shrieks of birds of prey Lent discord to that savage fray, That wildly raged o'er earth and sky As if God's trump were heard on high. IO MASANIELLO. The watch is set, the beacon gleams, And on each swarthy face there beams A glowing, weird, uncertain light, As meteors shed through mists of night. Muffled in cloaks, their couch the ground, Pillowed on rocks that lie around, They seek an hour's brief repose Ere the chief bids them meet their foes ; Perchance to dream their bonds cut free By the bright sword of liberty ; And he their Chief, Dictator, King, For whom the shouts so fiercely ring From Naples' sunny sheltered bay To Ischia's steepest rugged way, From Paestum's plain and Capri's isle To where Amalfi's headlands smile ! MASANIELLO. I I But who that Chief so firmly throned In hearts by wildest impulse owned, — Who knew no law save Passion's strife, No rule to guide a wayward life, But fickle as his changing clime Now clung to virtue, now to crime ? Unblessed by wealth and lowly born, He'd early learnt the rich to scorn As scorpions who, with deadly sting, The cruel shaft of poison wing ; And his pulse throbbed the chains to part That coiled around his country's heart. He saw the mother's glistening tear, The blanching cheek, the gaze of fear, The anxious start at every sound j That might reveal the menial's round To wrest the crust so hardly won 1 2 MASANIELLO. From earliest morn to setting sun. By many a cottage porch he saw The gathered vultures of the law- Seizing, as if their hearts were stone, The last the peasant called his own ; And this a tyrant's greed to sate Blinded with love of pomp and state. All this he saw, and cursed the hour That dawned upon that tyrant's power. Oft when he mingled in the dance, Mirrored in some dark beauty's glance, Unmindful of those orbs of light Sparkling like starry gems at night, His thoughts would wander far away, As if he spurned their softest ray ; The thrilling pressure, sunny smile Playing on lips that seemed the while MASANIELLO. To echo notes from Heaven above. All the mute eloquence of Love, That mighty lord of kings and slaves, — The golden sceptre beauty waves, — Howe'er, how oft these might essay, — Could not o'er him assert their sway ; But, as the phantoms of a dream When light and reason once more beam, They left no trace, no sign to tell Of efforts wrought to work their spell. As misers weigh a trifle's cost, He deemed each precious moment los-t, Spent in the gay and giddy throng 'Mid dance and music, jest and song ; And sought escape from human gaze In Nature's hidden, silent ways, Where brooding o'er his country's woes 14 MASANIELLO. He vowed revenge on all her foes. While with such thoughts his brain was rife He chose a fisher's hardy life, Free as the breeze he loved to court, Unfettered as the billow's sport O'er ocean's wide and pathless realm, Thro' which he fearless guides his helm, And nerves his arm and learns his pow'r To smile at danger's darkest hour. All of resolve and force of mind That in man's soul were e'er enshrined, — A strength to crush an iron will By every art those gifts instil, To bend men like the pliant steel, And teach them all that strength to feel, — Such arms were his,-^-and his to prize MASANIELLO. 1 5 More than all others 'neath the skies, — Till patriot bands from near and far Were pledged to freedom's holy war. Thus had he watched from bud to bloom, Thro' sunshine hours and days of gloom, And many a dreaded trial past, The blossom yield its fruit at last, And Liberty with strong mailed hand Sow her first seed throughout the land. And now the moon, as in past halcyon days, Sheds the full splendour of her glorious rays, Floods the broad heavens with a dazzling sheen, And o'er the waters sits enthroned as Queen, — Athwart each rock her silvery mantle throws, 1 6 MASANIELLO. While every leaf with slender fret-work glows, And thro* the vale mysterious shadows rise Like spirits lingering 'neath the midnight skies. Save for the sentry's firmly measured tread, The slumbering camp seems like a field of dead, Whereo'er the moonbeams, girt with fleecy clouds, Weave in the stillness their transparent shrouds. Led by the star of distant beacon's light, Like glow-worm glistening in the summer night, Through the lone valley Masaniello strode, By motives urged that heroes onward goad, Whate'er the shoals that bar their stormy way Till the morn heralds a more hopeful day. — His bourne was reached, — the password asked and said,— The outpost questioned and the orders read, — The signal given that the Chief is there MASANIELLO. I J The camp to cheer and all their hopes to share. A smile — a nod — a grasp for every hand — Thus Masaniello ever met his band ; And in that greeting was unbared the heart, The love that nought but death alone could part. But as he neared the torches burning low, And on his brow there shone a sudden glow, They marked depression's dark unwonted seal That some disaster might too soon reveal. Whate'er he felt, his eye, ne'er taught to quail, Surveyed them calmly as he told his tale, — The web unravelled of those meshes spread By Intrigue's hand to crush Rebellion's head, The hidden perils that their cause assailed, Before whose depths all other dangers paled, — And counselled caution, subtle, ripened schemes, Thoughts well matured, not evanescent dreams ; B 1 8 MASANIELLO. And then by gradual, faintly traced degrees, That keenest minds are often slow to seize, He changed his tone, and firmly took his stand On higher ground, to gain, enforce command. He spoke as leader, with uplifted arm Weighting his words, to bid them swift disarm, Till some more genial and auspicious hour Proclaimed the morn of their resistless pow'r. Deep were the murmurs, loud the curses breathed, Carbines unslung and poniards fast unsheathed, Hands raised to Heav'n with fierce unconscious grace, Brows tightly knit and scowls on every face. Clear signs were there that e'en their Leader's blood Might slake the fury of that human flood, That seemed to rage 'neath disappointment's blow Fiercely as breakers o'er their barriers flow. MASANIELLO. 1 9 Unmoved he stood amid that maddened band, Scarce touched his weapon with a careless hand ; But scans in silence and with saddened eyes The forms that round him wildly surge and rise. For well he knew that in those Southern veins A fevered current oft an entrance gains, To cool before the power enthroned above And lent to man, — the potent charm of love. No vain belief, — for, as in springtide days The clouds are chased by sunshine's cheering rays, They felt their love in all its strength return, Fresh forces gather, with fresh ardour burn, Till 'mid the vivas for his future fame They mingled blessings on their Captains name! 20 MASANIELLO. There is a passion sways the human breast, An ever present, tho' unbidden guest, Whose subtle fire every heart must feel, — Pure, strong, unchanging, stamp'd with Heaven's seal When most 'tis felt, as God Himself designed, — The hallowed link that should enchain mankind ; No rage nor clime can quench this mystic flame, The noblest title and the lowliest name Must bend before the universal shrine, Adore, confess it springs from source divine, And shall endure till Earth has passed away, And night is changed into eternal day. It was the eve's soft twilight hour, When dew-drops gem the drooping flow'r, And trees in darker vesture stand MASANIELLO. 2 1 Like phantoms in a fairy land, When silence steals o'er vale and hill And even Nature's heart seems still ; While floating in a sea of gold The clouds their opal hues unfold To tint the pure transparent sky And pass away like Summer's sigh,— Ere yet the silvery crescent's light Glistens on the brow of night, Or the first planet sheds her ray- To gladden the departing day. Another sun on Earth had set ; Another day of toil was o'er ; Dark passions had in tumult met Once more by Ischia's silent shore. And Masaniello paced the strand, 2 2 MASANIELLO. While rippling waves their music breathed To pebbles on the golden sand With Ocean's sapphire chaplet wreathed. Those echoes mocked his restless life, The deeds with which his brain o'erflowed : They spoke of peace, he thought of strife And death, the debt to Tyrants owed. But hark ! The Tarantella's dance Wafts its loved music to the shore, And sweetest smile and brightest glance O'er many a heart in triumph soar. As parched earth smiles again when rain Descends in cool, refreshing streams, Soothed by that sweet familiar strain His heated brow with pleasure beams. He pauses, listens, turns, and bends MASANIELLO. 23 Beneath an archway dark and low, Veiling a path that onward wends 'Mid tangled brake and berries' glow To where a streamlet murmurs by, Through the dark forest's colonnade Arching where nestling violets lie And light pale torches through the glade. Here maids and youths are grouped around, Or in the chequered shadows dance, Lightly as fairies skim the ground Beneath the moon's bewitching glance. And faster speed the dancer's feet, And castanets more wildly ring, Louder the silvery timbrels beat, Closer the arms of Beauty cling, More liquid grow those flashing eyes, 24 MASANIELLO. Deeper the rose on every cheek, While swifter yet the measure flies, And hearts their life-long secret speak. But one there was, whose slender form Seemed moulded of a finer clay, A flower unfit to face the storm That gathers o'er life's fev'rish day. Pensive that face, whose classic lines A Grecian statue might have graced, Stamped with the mind's immortal signs And all that beauty ever traced. Her eyes, soft, full, and darkly blue, Seemed lit at Passion's altar fires : Beneath their deep and tender hue There lurked Love's flame that ne'er expires. And like the spark that leaps to life, MASANIELLO. 2 5 Propelled by Nature's hidden force To swell the elemental strife Or speed the lava's fiery course, In Masaniello's heart arose A love he strove in vain to hide. He who had lived to hate his foes, And e'en the thought of love deride As some insidious, wily snare To lure him with a fatal shaft, Like Syren's smile or goblet fair That sparkles with a poisoned draught, — He who had sworn that life should wane Ere he forgot its only goal, To free his country from her chain, The iron that pierced her inmost soul, — Should lie, in one brief, sunny hour, Fling to the winds his cherished scheme 26 MASANIELLO. And bow, a slave to beauty's power As seen in some enchanting dream ? Keen was the struggle, loud the knell That conscience echoed in his breast, He yielded — triumphed — wavered — fell, For Love his final dart had pressed ! Drawn by that sweet, magnetic force, Whose sway no earthly limit knows, Howe'er we strive to shun its course And quench a flame that ever glows, — Nearer he stood, breathed Laura's name. And claimed her for the coming dance, Powerless now the love to tame Born of her tender, melting glance. And while the Tarantella's strains With all their sweetness fill the air, • While on her throne wild Pleasure reigns MASANIELLO. 2 7 And thrills through every bosom there, Her ear had caught a whispered word, Once said a lover ne'er recalls, Th' impassioned rapturous word she heard That every woman's heart enthralls. Pale grew her cheek and quivering met The lips, that would have sealed his bliss, But in their tremor faltered yet To echo language such as this. And yet her heart was full — of love She now first felt and could not paint, Such love, she deem'd, as reigns above, Pure and unsoiled by earthly taint. Swift as a meteor darts athwart the skies, He read the language of those gentle eyes; The moistened lashes and the flushing cheek, 2 8 MASANIELLO. The tremulous lips their sweet confession speak. Then in tumultuous, eager, wild embrace He clasped her form and raised her blushing face ; — The torturing doubt, the dread suspense was past, The tempest hushed, the haven found at last ! And now are forged, as moments swiftly roll, The golden rivets that link soul to soul, And there reechoed in those hearts again Love's sweetest song in one harmonious strain. MASANIELLO. 29 A happy presage for a marriage day, Morn's brightest smiles on fair Sorrento play. On each pine stem the sun's soft glances rest And crown with glory every plumed crest ; While o'er the vale, in deep and lingering gloom, The clust'ring grapes unfold their purple bloom. Thro' many a pathway fringed with myrtle wreaths, The tangled briar fragrant incense breathes, And lemon blossoms with the orange vie To charm the senses and enchant the eye. The village bells from yonder lofty tower, Nestled in ivy of their antique bower, O'er the fresh breeze a merrier greeting wave Than ever voice or magic music gave, As down the curves of a stone-cumbered way 30 MASANIELLO. A rustic gathering winds in garments gay, And sacred banners proudly soar on high In varied hues of many a brilliant dye ; On infant brows the festal garlands rest And new-born roses star each maiden's breast ; While nuptial hymn and slowly chaunted prayer Their notes unite and mingle in the air. And now they halt where glowing colours stain The time-worn threshold of the sacred fane. Then o'er the aisles, as if on seraph wings, Pure voices soar and heavenly music rings, Now soft and plaintive as a whispered prayer (The heart's sweet incense wafted on the air), Now grandly bursting as the torrents sweep Down the deep furrows of an Alpine steep. As the last echoes from the altar rise MASANIELLO. 3 I And melt away in long-drawn, trembling sighs, The vows are uttered. In that sunny hour Love opes the portals of his golden bower, And bids from morn to the decline of day Each fleeting moment breathe its tender lay. 32 MASANIELLO. O'er the smooth tide of Capri's Bay The moon sheds many a trembling ray, Like quivering pearls in silver bound, Or paths in some enchanted ground. The breath of summer's sweetest flowers In orange grove and myrtle bowers Seems fanned from Angel wings above, Like kisses on the lips of love. And onward floats the scented gale To every slow returning sail, While strains of Tasso's liquid song On the soft air are borne along. Yet in this hour of calm and peace When Nature's throes might seem to cease, Vesuvius crowned with wreaths of fire Mutters a warning note of ire ; — MASANIELLO. T>3 And soon, as if with whirlwinds sown, Echoes a deep sepulchral moan. Then, from the crater yawning wide, O'er the steep mountain's ebon side, Gathers a spiral stream of flame Beyond all power of man to tame. Swelling in volume, breadth and might, It seems to mock the veil of night, Illumines valley, hill and plain, Flashing its image o'er the main, And wraps the clouds in lurid glow, As if the Heavens were its foe, Or on the earth for aye accursed The very gates of hell had burst. Still onward sweeps the surging flood, A mighty river of seething blood, C 34 MASANIELLO. Breathing its fiery breath around With a wild, crashing, hissing sound,— Now rolling towards the leafy trees, Which bend as if they met the breeze, Or quailed before the lava's blast, And shivering felt their die was cast, — Now sealing on the golden grain The doom of Sodom's blasted plain, — Carrying its terrors far and wide In the full sway of strength and pride, Till nought but smouldering ashes fill The place where blushed the vine-clad hill, And all is silent, dark and drear, And only desolation near. ***** MASANIELLO. 35 The guards were won, — the drawbridge passed, — His hand no more the poniard clasped ; — The gateway gained, — the danger o'er, — He freely drew his breath once more. And bright flashed Masaniello's eye And every throbbing pulse rose high, For 'neath Anselmo's portal stood A form in sombre cape and hood, Whose stalwart limbs full well he knew ; 'Twas one of his own trusty crew, — And Heav'n itself had deigned to send, In hour of direst need, — a friend ! " How cam'st thou here, and wherefore ? Say ! " Speak low, — for careless tones betray. " 'Tis true the Castle guard is won, " But only till my task is done ; None else can pass, — and none must share 36 MASANIELLO. The peril I alone would bear. " 'Tis death to scale this prison wall ; " Can danger ne'er thy heart appal " That thou should'st risk the wheel, the rack, " Or even worse ? Gonsalvo, back ! — " Lest ere the stars have paled their light, " Thy head should crown yon turret's height." " Nay, Masaniello, we are bound " By stronger ties than kindred found ; " A country's love, — a country's woe, — " The mightiest links a heart can know. " Then hear me now. I learnt today " Thy bark had never skimmed the bay ; " 'Twas strange, — for that swift, fleecy sail " E'er graced the tide in calm or gale. " All day I scanned the busy streets MASANIELLO. 37 " Where thy tall form each passer greets ; " By tower gate, — in market place, " Vainly I sought thy friendly face. " What mission could'st thou now fulfil ? " I questioned closely, dreading ill ; " But each new search in vain was made ; " None knew where Masaniello strayed. " At dusk, by St. Antonio's shrine " I bent before the Form Divine, " But scarce had muttered half a prayer, " When the night-gun broke on the air ; " And, as I saw its flashes light " The arrow on Anselmo's height, " Swift as the sound was winged along, " My thoughts flew to our common wrong ; " An inner voice, — nay what you will, — " Filled me with fears of coming ill, 38 MASANIELLO. " Pointed my course, and seemed to say : " There's peril to the cause ! Away ! " Tonight by yonder castle wall " A noble patriot chief may fall ! — " Such is my tale, — the rest you know " Gonsalvo ne'er could shun a foe !" " Enough ! — Full well I've seen thy love for me, " Thy ardent thirst to set our country free, " And often prayed the time might not be long " Ere all, like thee, would hate the bitter wrong, " The crushing woes, the despot's iron heel, " With all the frenzy I myself can feel ; " For then alone I hoped to light the flame " And purge our annals of Oppression's name, " An altar raise round which our sons should stand " And bless the hands that had redeemed their land. MASANIELLO. 39 " But other purpose brings me here to-day: — " No plan to ripen and no foes to slay —