Lara - 1814 Author:George Gordon Byron Byron Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: JACQUELINE. 'TwAS Autumn; thro" Provence had ceased The .vintage, and the vintage-feast. The sun had set behind the hill, The moon was up, and all wa... more »s still, And from the Convent's neighbouring tower The clock had tolled the midnight hour, When Jacqueline came forth alone, Her kerchief o'er her tresses thrown ; A guilty thing and full of fears, Yet ah, how lovely in her tears! 10 She starts, and what has caught her eye ? What—but her shadow gliding by ? She stops, she pants; with lips apart She listens—to her beating heart! Then, thro' the scanty orchard stealing, The clustering boughs her track concealing, She flies, nor casts a thought behind, But gives her terrors to the wind ; Flies from her home, the humble sphere Of all her joys and sorrows here, 20 Her father's house of mountain-stone, And by a mountain-vine o'ergrown. At such an hour in such a night, So calm, so clear, so heavenly bright, Who would have seen and not confessed It looked as all within were blest ? What will not woman, when she loves ? Yet lost, alas, who can restore her ?— She lifts the latch, the wicket moves; And now the world is all before her. 30 Up rose St. Pierre, when morning shone; —And Jacqueline, his child, was gone! Oh what the madd'ning thought that came J Dishonour coupled with his name! By Conde at Rocroy he stood; By Turenne, when the Rhine ran blood. Two banners of Castile he gave Aloft in Notre Dame to wave; Nor did thy cross, St. Louis, rest Upon a purer, nobler breast. 4OHe slung his old sword by his side, And snatched his staff and rushed to save; Then sunk—and on his threshold cried " Oh lay me in my grave! "—Constance! Claudine! where were ye then? " But stand not there. Away! awa...« less