Monthly Packet Volume 25

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1878 Excerpt: ... Moon, night's trembling torch of light, Star devoid of constancy, Whose white visage lighted me Yesterday a crescent face, Why to-day with swift disgrace Must I waned thy glories see? Flowers, that yestreen flourished gay Beauteous in your white and red, Heavenly sparks earth-kindled Why all turned to thorns to-day! Beasts, that yesterday did pay Thousand courtesies unto me, Standing still with love to view me, All your wrathful threats suspending Flattering on my steps attending, Why now seek ye to undo me? Birds, which both at eve and mora Yesterday sweet music gave, Singing cheerful songs or grave, Whence these boding notes forlorn? El Veneno y la Triaca. In another Auto, 'The Faithful Shepherd, ' Human Nature is the ill-fated maiden (but not guiltless like Antigone) who is being led forth to execution. This is her lamentation, in which, as being a short lyric, we for once take the liberty of replacing by rhyme the assonants, which would mar its beauty in English: Chorus. Ah! unhappy fair! Who, so soon as born, Diest in despair! Nature. Ye, of Sion daughters, My young beanty mourn, Seeing how, with sunrise, Comes my night forlorn. Chorus. Ah! unhappy fair! &c. With this passage, the following lines from the Auto entitled, 'The Painter of his own Dishonour, ' may bo compared. They show what frequent repetitions of the same idea Calderon permitted to himself; but they also show with what variety of poetic power he was able to express it. The poet has here deserted his favourite trochees for iambics, as in the passage last quoted from 'Bclshazzar's Feast' --Nature after eating tin fatal fruit). Light fails me, and in this my altered state All things, to please me born, I see expire: My voice is choked, my heart must palpitate, For all is woe, all punishment, ...