The Death of Œnone

Œnone sat within the cave from out

Whose ivy-matted mouth she used to gaze

Down at the Troad; but the goodly view

Was now one blank, and all the serpent vines

Which on the touch of heavenly feet had risen,

And gliding thro' the branches over-bower'd

The naked Three, were wither'd long ago,

And thro' the sunless winter morning-mist

In silence wept upon the flowerless earth.

And while she stared at those dead cords that ran

Dark thro' the mist, and linking tree to tree,

But once were gayer than a dawning sky

With many a pendent bell and fragrant star,

Her Past became her Present, and she saw

Him, climbing toward her with the golden fruit,

Him, happy to be chosen judge of Gods,

Her husband in the flush of youth and dawn,

Paris, himself as beauteous as a God.

Anon from out the long ravine below,

She heard a wailing cry, that seem'd at first

Thin as the bat like shrillings of the Dead

When driven to Hades, but, in coming near,

Across the downward thunder of the brook

Sounded "Œnone"; and on a sudden he,

Paris, no longer beauteous as a God,

Struck by a poison'd arrow in the fight,

Lame, crooked, reeling, livid, thro' the mist

Rose, like the wraith of his dead self, and moan'd

"Œnone, my Œnone, while we dwelt

Together in this valley -- happy then --

Too happy had I died within thine arms,

Before the feud of Gods had marr'd our peace,

And sunder'd each from each. I am dying now

Pierced by a poison'd dart. Save me. Thou knowest,

Taught by some God, whatever herb or balm

May clear the blood from poison, and thy fame

Is blown thro' all the Troad, and to thee

The shepherd brings his adder-bitten lamb,

The wounded warrior climbs from Troy to thee.

My life and death are in thy hand. The Gods

Avenge on stony hearts a fruitless prayer

For pity. Let me owe my life to thee.

I wrought thee bitter wrong, but thou forgive,

Forget it. Man is but the slave of Fate.

Œnone, by thy love which once was mine,

Help, heal me. I am poison'd to the heart."

"And I to mine" she said " Adulterer,

Go back to thine adulteress and die!"

He groan'd, he turn'd, and in the mist at once

Became a shadow, sank and disappear'd,

But, ere the mountain rolls into the plain,

Fell headlong dead; and of the shepherds one

Their oldest, and the same who first had found

Paris, a naked babe, among the woods

Of Ida, following lighted on him there,

And shouted, and the shepherds heard and came.

One raised the Prince, one sleek'd the squalid hair,

One kiss'd his hand, another closed his eyes,

And then, remembering the gay playmate rear'd

Among them, and forgetful of the man,

Whose crime had half unpeopled Ilion, these

All that day long labour'd, hewing the pines,

And built their shepherd-prince a funeral pile;

And, while the star of eve was drawing light

From the dead sun, kindled the pyre, and all

Stood round it, hush'd, or calling on his name.

But when the white fog vanish'd like a ghost

Before the day, and every topmost pine

Spired into bluest heaven, still in her cave,

Amazed, and ever seeming stared upon

By ghastlier than the Gorgon head, a face, --

His face deform'd by lurid blotch and blain --

There, like a creature frozen to the heart

Beyond all hope of warmth, Œnone sat

Not moving, till in front of that ravine

Which drowsed in gloom, self-darken'd from the west,

The sunset blazed along the wall of Troy.

Then her head sank, she slept, and thro' her dream

A ghostly murmur floated, "Come to me,

Œnone! I can wrong thee now no more,

Œnone, my Œnone," and the dream

Wail'd in her, when she woke beneath the stars.

What star eould burn so low? not Ilion yet.

What light was there? She rose and slowly down,

By the long torrent's ever-deepen'd roar,

Paced, following, as in trance, the silent cry.

She waked a bird of prey that scream'd and past

She roused a snake that hissing writhed away;

A panther sprang across her path, she heard

The shriek of some lost life among the pines,

But when she gain'd the broader vale, and saw

The ring of faces redden'd by the flames

Enfolding that dark body which had lain

Of old in her embrace, paused -- and then ask'd

Falteringly, "Who lies on yonder pyre?"

But every man was mute for reverence.

Then moving quickly forward till the heat

Smote on her brow, she lifted up a voice

Of shrill command, "Who burns upon the pyre?"

Whereon their oldest and their boldest said,

"He, whom thou wouldst not heal!" and all at once

The morning light of happy marriage broke

Thro' all the clouded years of widowhood,

And muffling up her comely head, and crying

"Husband!" she leapt upon the funeral pile,

And mixt herself with him and past in fire.