breath aloud, Like one that shuddered, she unbound The cincture0 from beneath her breast: belt Her silken robe, and inner vest, Dropt to her feet, and full in view, Behold! her bosom and half her side A sight to dream of, not to tell! O shield her! shield sweet Christabel!9 Yet Geraldine nor speaks nor stirs; Ah! what a stricken look was hers! Deep from within she seems half-way To lift some weight with sick assay,0And eyes the maid and seeks delay; attempt
Then suddenly as one defied Collects herself in scorn and pride,
And lay down by the maiden's side!?
And in her arms the maid she took, Ah well-a-day!
And with low voice and doleful look
These words did say: 'In the touch of this bosom there worketh a spell,
Which is lord of thy utterance, Christabel!
Thou knowest to-night, and wilt know to-morrow
This mark of my shame, this seal of my sorrow;
But vainly thou warrest, For this is alone in
Thy power to declare, That in the dim forest
Thou heard'st a low moaning,
And found'st a bright lady, surpassingly fair:
9. In several manuscripts and the first printing, this line reads 'And she is to sleep by [or with] Christabel.'
.
45 6 / SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
And didst bring her home with thee in love and in charity,
To shield her and shelter her from the damp air.'
The Conclusion to Part 1
It was a lovely sight to see
280 The lady Christabel, when she
Was praying at the old oak tree.
Amid the jagged shadows
Of mossy leafless boughs,
Kneeling in the moonlight,
285 To make her gentle vows; Her slender palms together prest,
Heaving sometimes on her breast;
Her face resigned to bliss or bale0? evil, sorrow
Her face, oh call it fair not pale,
290 And both blue eyes more bright than clear,
Each about to have a tear. With open eyes (ah woe is me!)
Asleep, and dreaming fearfully,
Fearfully dreaming, yet I wis,
295 Dreaming that alone, which is? O sorrow and shame! Can this be she,
The lady, who knelt at the old oak tree?
And lo! the worker of these harms,
That holds the maiden in her arms,
300 Seems to slumber still and mild,
As a mother with her child. A star hath set, a star hath risen,
O Geraldine! since arms of thine
Have been the lovely lady's prison.
305 O Geraldine! one hour was thine?
Thou'st had thy will! By tairn1 and rill,
The night-birds all that hour were still.
But now they are jubilant anew,
From cliff and tower, tu?whoo! tu?whoo!
310 Tu?whoo! tu?whoo! from wood and fell!2 And see! the lady Christabel
