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XLII.

I wandered forth to search for help;
I left him on the ground:
I could not bury my dead myself;
I wander’d round and round,
And lost my way in the weary night.
All night long I strayed,
Or sat upon the barren crags
Alone, and not afraid,
Except of a phantom blacker than night,
That grew in my heart dismayed.

XLIII.

I found the place at the dawn of day.
But not the murder’d man;
Had strangers come and buried my dead,
With heart-wrung pity and ban?
Or had the seeming dead revived
From a blow that failed to kill,
And lived for the sake of the dear, dear gold,
And the vengeance dearer still?

XLIV.

A sudden frenzy raised my hair–
I knew not what I did;
But I thought the golden fiend arose
From the ground where it lay hid,
And chased me with convulsive steps
Over the land and sea.
Sitting beside me when I slept,
Eating its bread with me;
Mocking me with its yawning eyes,
Raising its yellow hand.
And driving, driving, driving me on.
Over the sea and land.

XLV.

I fled–it followed; and though I knew
‘Twas the creature of my brain,
Born of the agony of guilt,
I strove with it in vain:
Ever it followed, and ever I fled,
Over the land and sea,
Mocking me with its yellow hand,
Eating its bread with me;
And would have goaded me to the death,
Except for the love of thee,

XLVI.

A hideous likeness of myself,
A torture to behold;
Part was throbbing flesh and blood,
Part was senseless gold.
It stood between me and the sun–
It fouled the healthy air–
I looked to heaven, to fly its face,
And lo! the fiend was there.
I looked to earth, and at its feet
I saw a yawning pit;
It grinned, and pointed with its hand.
And said “Thy bones will fit.”

XLVII.

And in the ship, as I hurried home,
I saw it in the shrouds;
It came and went from ship to wave,
From billow to the clouds;
It poisoned earth, it tainted heaven,
And dared, when sleep drew near,
To grasp me in its ghastly arms,
And whisper in my ear–
And say, “I’ve bought thee, body and soul;
Look in my face, and fear!”

XLVIII.

Long wandering brought me home at last–
Oh! blessed be the hour!
I saw thee in the parish church–
I felt the preacher’s power,
And hoped that I might die forgiven,
And make my peace with thee and Heaven.
And hour, more blessed still,
Thy father came to my sorrowful bed,
And ministered to mine ill.
He raised and comforted my heart–
He heard the tale I told–
And laid with the unction of his words
The haunting spirit of gold;
Repentance banished it from my sight,
And I prayed and was consoled.

XLIX.

‘Twas he who taught me how to die,
And better, oh! better far;
He taught me how to live for thee,
My joy and guiding star!
He found the living friend again,
And brought me from his hand.
The visible proofs–the written words–
That he lived in his native land.
And had forgiven the wrong I did.
When I smote him with my hand.

L.

Henceforth I’m thine, and only thine!
Content with little store,
I’ll let the red gold sleep in peace,
And sell my soul no more.
I’m happy–as mortal heart can hope–
Since my sin has been removed;
I envy no man’s wealth or power,
I love–and am beloved.
Spin round, big world!–thou’lt trouble me not!
Flare Pomp! thou’rt nought to me!
And strive Ambition;–there’s joy in the world
Unknown to thine and thee!