Fane, Julian Henry Charles

Tannhäuser

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: Scarce from his lips had parted the last word When, through the rapturous praise that rang arcmnd, Pierce from his seat up-rising, red with rage, With scornful lip, and contumelious eye, Tannhauser clang'd among the chords, and sang: ' Floutest thou me, thou grisly Bard ? Beware, lest I the just reward On thy puff d insolence bestow, And cleave thee with my falchion's blow, ? When I in song have laid thee low. I serve a Mistress mightier far Than tinkling rill, or twinkling star, And, as in my great Passion's glow Thy passion-dream will melt like snow, So I, Love's champion, at her call, Will make thee shrink in field or hall, And roll before me like a ball. ' Thou pauper-minded pedant dim, Thou starveling-soul, lean heart and grim, Wouldst thou of Love the praises hymn ? Then let the gaunt hyena howl In praise of Pity; let the owl Whoop the high glories of the noon, And the hoarse chough becroak the moon What canst thou prate of Love ? I trow She never graced thy open brow, Nor flush'd thy cheek, nor blossom'd fair Upon thy parted lips; nor e'er Bade unpent passion wildly start Through the forced portals of thy heart To stream in triumph from thine eye, Or else delicious death to die On other lips, in sigh on sigh. ' Of Love, dispenser of all bliss, Of Love that crowns me with a kiss, I here proclaim me champion-knight; And in her cause will dearly fight With sword or song, in hall or plain, And make the welkin ring again With my fierce blows, or fervent strain. But for such Love, as thou canst feel, Thou wisely hast abjured the steel, Averse to lay thy hand on hilt, Or in her honour ride a tilt: Tame Love full tamely may'st thou jilt, And keep bone whole, and blood unspilt.' Outflash'd Sir Wilfrid's weapon, and outleapt From every angry eye a thousand dart...