The Roman Author:Sydney Dobell 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: Aud if thy face once seen, to me, 0 thou Unutterable sadness ! must henceforth Look day and night from all things ; grant me this, That thine immortal sorrow wil... more »l remember How little we can grieve who are but dust. Make me the servant, not the partner, mother, Of woes, for whose omnipotence of pain I have no organs. Suffer that I give Time and endurance for impossible passion ; Perchance accumulated pangs may teach me One throe of thy distress. How canst thou thiuk My soul can contain thine ? SCENE II. Time and place as in Scene I. Francesca, a young girl, one of the Auditors in Scene I. has remained hidden among the trees. The Monk, silent, musing. Francesca (musing). While he yet spake I waited for a pause, And now, if I could dare to hear my voice In this most awful silence, it should pray That he would speak again. You heavens, you heavens, Lend me your language. This progressive thought, This unit-bearing speech, whose best exertion Is but dexterity, the juggler's sleight, That with facility of motion cheats The eye, whose noblest effort can but haste The single ball of phantasy, and make Succession seem coincidence, is not For such an hour. Lend me some tongue, you heavens, Worthy of gods : in whose celestial sense The present, past, and future of the soul Sink down as one ; even as these dews to-night Fall from a thousand stars. He hears. He turns. Now, now, ye saints ! The Monk (turning and perceiving her). Lady, what wouldst thou ? [She is silent. Child, What wouldst thou ? Francesca. I have heard thee. Dost thou ask' The Monk (pointing to the dancers in the far distance). Did they not hear ? Daughter, persuade me this, And I will bless thee. Francesca (taking a flower from her breast). Is that rosebud sweet ? ...« less