Author: Thomas Campbell
Hark! from the battlements of yonder tower The solemn bell has tolled the midnight hour! Roused from drear visions of distempered sleep, Poor Broderick wakesin solitude to weep! "Cease, Memory; cease (the friendless mourner cried) To probe the bosom too severely tried! Oh! ever cease, my pensive thoughts, to stray Through tie bright fields of Fortune's better day, When youthful Hope, the music of the mind, Tuned all its charms, and Errington was kind! Yet, can I cease, while glows this trembling frame, In sighs to speak thy melancholy name! I hear thy spirit wail in every storm! In midniglit shades I view thy passing form! Pale as in that sad hour when doomed to feel! Deep in thy perjured heart, the bloody steel! Demons of Vengeance! ye, at whose command I grasped the sword with more than woman's hand Say ye, did Pity's trembling voice control, Or horror damp the purpose of my soul? No! my wild heart sat smiling o'er the plan, 'Till Hate fulfilled what baffled love began! Yes ; let the clay-cold breast that never knew One tender pang to generous nature true, Half-mingling pity with the gall of scorn, Condemn this heart, that bled in love forlorn! And ye, proud fair, whose soul no gladness warms, Save Rapture's homage to your conscious charms! Delighted idols of a gaudy train, Ill can your blunter feelings guess the pain, When the fond, faithful heart, inspired to prove Friendship refined, the calm delight of Love, Feels all its tender strings with anguish torn, And bleeds at perjured Pride's inhuman scorn. Say, then, did pitying Heaven condemn the deed, When Vengeance bade thee, faithless lover! bleed? Long had I watched thy dark foreboding brow, What time thy bosom scorned its dearest vow! Sad, though I wept the friend, the lover changed, Still thy cold look was scornful and estranged, Till from thy pity, love, and shelter thrown, I wandered hopeless, friendless, and alone! Oh! righteous Heaven! 't was then my tortured soul First gave to wrath unlimited control! Adieu the silent look! the streaming eye! The murmured plaint! the deep heart-heaving sigh! Long-slumbering Vengeance wakes to better deeds ; He shrieks, he falls, the perjured lover bleeds! Now the last laugh of agony is o'er, And pale in blood he sleeps, to wake no more! 'T is done! the flame of hate no longer burns : Nature relents, but, ah! too late returns! Why does my soul this gush of fondness feel? Trembling and faint, I drop the guilty steel! Cold on my heart the hand of terror lies, And shades of horror close my languid eyes! Oh! 't was a deed of Murder's deepest grain! Could Broderick's soul so true to wrath remain? A friend long true, a once fond lover fell? Where Love was fostered could not Pity dwell? Unhappy youth! while you pale cresscent glows To watch on silent Nature's deep repose, Thy sleepless spirit, breathing from the tomb, Foretells my fate, and summons me to come! Once more I see thy sheeted spectre stand, Roll the dim eye, and wave the paly hand! Soon may this fluttering spark of vital flame Forsake its languid melancholy frame! Soon may these eyes their trembling lustre close, Welcome the dreamless night of long repose! Soon may this woe-worn spirit seek the bourne Where, lulled to slumber, Grief forgets to mourn!"
Type of Poem: Elegy
Date Written:
Date Published:
Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Publisher:
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Comments/Notes: This poem is a powerful exploration of themes of love, betrayal, vengeance, guilt, and mortality, coupled with a deep sense of melancholy and despair. The speaker, presumably Broderick, is haunted by memories and specters of a love lost and a deed done in vengeance. The narrative is dramatic and emotive, narrating a tale of a love betrayed, a lover murdered, and a soul in torment.
The poem’s structure follows a rhymed verse, which enhances the musicality of the piece, while its tone oscillates between lament, anger, and regret. The poet uses vivid and emotive language to delineate the protagonist's emotional turmoil. The use of exclamation marks and questioning throughout the poem adds an element of emotional intensity and introspection, and the imagery of night, death, and the supernatural imbues the text with a sense of impending doom and melancholy.
In terms of standout literary devices, the poet makes use of personification, notably in giving attributes to "vengeance," "memory," and "nature". This serves to externalize the speaker's inner turmoil, making his abstract emotions tangible. The poem concludes with the speaker longing for death, seeking solace and escape from his guilt and grief. It is intriguing to note the poet's emphasis on the interplay of love and hate, suggesting a thin line between these intense emotions. The poem, thus, serves as a profound exploration of human emotion and the dire consequences of actions driven by passion and vengeance.
An elegy is a form of poetry that expresses sorrow or lamentation, often for someone who has died. This type of poetry serves as a tribute to the deceased, reflecting on their life and the grief left behind.
Elegies are deeply emotional and personal, exploring themes of loss, mourning, and remembrance. Here are some defining characteristics:
From ancient times to the present, elegies have provided a way for poets to navigate the complexities of grief and loss, offering solace and a means of preserving the memory of those who have passed.