Then will he dreadfully return,

And from my veins life’s juices drain;

Whilst, slumb’ring, I with anguish mourn,

And toss with agonizing pain!

Already I’m exhausted, spent;

His carnival is nearly o’er,

My soul with agony is rent,

To-morrow I shall be no more!

But, O my Gertrude! dearest wife!

The keenest pangs hath last remain’d—

When dead, I too shall seek thy life,

Thy blood by Herman shall be drain’d!

But to avoid this horrid fate,

Soon as I’m dead and laid in earth,

Drive thro’ my corpse a jav’lin straight; —

This shall prevent my coming forth.

O watch with me, this last sad night,

Watch in your chamber here alone,

But carefully conceal the light

Until you hear my parting groan.

Then at what time the vesper-bell

Of yonder convent shall be toll’d,

That peal shall ring my passing knell,

And Herman’s body shall be cold!

Then, and just then, thy lamp make bare,

The starting ray, the bursting light,

Shall from my side the goblin scare,

And shew him visible to sight!”

The live-long night poor Gertrude sate,

Watch’d by her sleeping, dying lord;

The live-long night she mourn’d his fate,

The object whom her soul ador’d.

Then at what time the vesper-bell

Of yonder convent sadly toll’d,

The, then was peal’d his passing knell,

The hapless Herman he was cold!

Just at that moment Gertrude drew

From ’neath her cloak the hidden light;

When, dreadful! she beheld in view

The shade of Sigismund! — sad sight!

Indignant roll’d his ireful eyes,

That gleam’d with wild horrific stare;

And fix’d a moment with surprise,

Beheld aghast th’ enlight’ning glare.

His jaws cadaverous were besmear’d

With clott’d carnage o’er and o’er,

And all his horrid whole appear’d

Distent, and fill’d with human gore!

With hideous scowl the spectre fled;

She shriek’d aloud; — then swoon’d away!

The hapless Herman in his bed,

All pale, a lifeless body lay!

Next day in council ’twas decree,

(Urg’d at the instance of the state,)

That shudd’ring nature should be freed

From pests like these ere ’twas too late.

The choir then burst the fun’ral dome

Where Sigismund was lately laid,

And found him, tho’ within the tomb,

Still warm as life, and undecay’d.

With blood his visage was distain’d,

Ensanguin’d were his frightful eyes,

Each sign of former life remain’d,

Save that all motionless he lies.

The corpse of Herman they contrive

To the same sepulchre to take,

And thro’ both carcases they drive,

Deep in the earth, a sharpen’d stake!

By this was finish’d their career,

Thro’ this no longer they can roam;

From them their friends have nought to fear,

Both quiet keep the slumb’ring tomb.

Auld Lang Seyne

Whilst some the soldier’s deeds emblaze,

An’ talk of sieges and campaigns;

Or some the wily statesman praise

Whea hauds of government the reins;

Or others range the rhymer’s verse,

An’ ca’ the jinglin’ sentence feyne;

Be meyne the bus’ness to rehearse

The parlish turns of auld lang seyne.

Threyce-happy days of past delight,

That sliving teyme whurls fast away,

When pleasure smeyl’d on ev’ry night,

An’ spworts beguil’d the leeve-lang day:

’Twas then, ’or worldly fash I knew,

Or love or loss had gar’d me peyne,

That oft, weel pleas’d, I wad review

The gladsome page of auld lang seyne.

Yence, on a clashy winter neet;

Queyte maiz’d wi’ lounging i’th’ nuik,

I palmer’d out as chance wad hev’t,

An’ till a neybor’s house I tuik;

The man was gaily up i’ years,

An’ wearin’ fast to life’s decleyne,