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That time is past! The Tartar’s force
Rushed like a torrent o’er her nation,–
Rages less fierce the conflagration
Devouring harvests in its course,–
Poland it swept with devastation,
Involving all in equal fate,
The villages, once mirthful, vanished,
From their red ruins joy was banished,
The gorgeous palace desolate!
Maria is the victor’s prize;–
Within the palace chapel laid,
Slumb’ring among th’illustrious dead,
In recent tomb her father lies;
His ancestors repose around,
Long freed from life and its alarms;
With coronets and princely arms
Bedecked their monuments abound!
A base successor now holds sway,–
Maria’s natal halls his hand
Tyrannic rules, and strikes dismay
And wo throughout the ravaged land.

Alas! the Princess sorrow’s chalice
Is fated to the dregs to drain,
Immured in Bakchesaria’s palace
She sighs for liberty in vain;
The Khan observes the maiden’s pain,
His heart is at her grief afflicted,
His bosom strange emotions fill,
And least of all Maria’s will
Is by the harem’s laws restricted.
The hateful guard, of all the dread,
Learns silent to respect and fear her,
His eye ne’er violates her bed,
Nor day nor night he ventures near her;
To her he dares not speak rebuke,
Nor on her cast suspecting look.
Her bath she sought by none attended,
Except her chosen female slave,
The Khan to her such freedom gave;
But rarely he himself offended
By visits, the desponding fair,
Remotely lodged, none else intruded;
It seemed as though some jewel rare,
Something unearthly were secluded,
And careful kept untroubled there.

Within her chamber thus secure,
By virtue guarded, chaste and pure,
The lamp of faith, incessant burning,
The VIRGIN’S image blest illumed,
The comfort of the spirit mourning
And trust of those to sorrow doomed.
The holy symbol’s face reflected
The rays of hope in splendour bright,
And the rapt soul by faith directed
To regions of eternal light.
Maria, near the VIRGIN kneeling,
In silence gave her anguish way,
Unnoticed by the crowd unfeeling,
And whilst the rest, or sad or gay,
Wasted in idleness the day,
The sacred image still concealing,
Before it pouring forth her prayer,
She watched with ever jealous care;
Even as our hearts to error given,
Yet lighted by a spark from heaven,
Howe’er from virtue’s paths we swerve,
One holy feeling still preserve.

* * * * *

Now night invests with black apparel
Luxurious Tauride’s verdant fields,
Whilst her sweet notes from groves of laurel
The plaintive Philomela yields.
But soon night’s glorious queen, advancing
Through cloudless skies to the stars’ song,
Scatters the hills and dales along,
The lustre of her rays entrancing.
In Bakchesaria’s streets roamed free
The Tartars’ wives in garb befitting,
They like unprisoned shades were flitting
From house to house their friends to see,
And while the evening hours away
In harmless sports or converse gay.
The inmates of the harem slept;–
Still was the palace, night impending
O’er all her silent empire kept;
The eunuch guard, no more offending
The fair ones by his presence, now
Slumbered, but fear his soul attending
Troubled his rest and knit his brow;
Suspicion kept his fancy waking,
And on his mind incessant preyed,
The air the slightest murmur breaking
Assailed his ear with sounds of dread.
Now, by some noise deceitful cheated,
Starts from his sleep the timid slave,
Listens to hear the noise repeated,
But all is silent as the grave,
Save where the fountains softly sounding
Break from their marble prisons free,
Or night’s sweet birds the scene surrounding
Pour forth their notes of melody:
Long does he hearken to the strain,
Then sinks fatigued in sleep again.