The Poetical Works | Page 9

wat'ry home,
Speaks forth in might and pride;

Whilst the zephyrs toy with his sapphire waves,
He would bear her
down to his crystal caves.
Seek the woods for buds to deck her brow;
And offerings must she
bring,
Ripe blooming fruits and fragrant bough,
As gifts for the
River King--
Gifts of earth's loveliest things, while she,
'Mid our
maidens fair, must the fairest be!
II.
OREIKA.
The Sachems all have spoken, and the lot has fallen on one
As fair as
any wild rose that blossoms 'neath the sun,
Her eyes, like starlit
waters, are liquid, soft and clear;
Her voice like sweetest song-bird's
in the springtime of the
year;
No merry fawn that lightly springs from forest tree to tree Hath
form so light and graceful, or footstep half as free;
Like plumage of the raven is her heavy silken hair,
Which she binds
with scarlet blossoms--with strings of wampum

rare;
And the crimson hue that flushes her soft though dusky cheek Is
like the sunbeam's parting blush upon the mountain peak. O, never
since Niagara first thundered down in pride
Had the Spirit of its
waters so beautiful a bride!
Chorus of Indian Women.
Ah, Minahita! sister fair,
What lot with thine can now compare?

'Mid all the daughters of our race
Peerless in beauty and in grace.

More blest than if in wifehood's pride
Thou stood'st at some young
warrior's side,
Or with fair children round thy knee
Didst crown thy
young maternity!
III.
MINAHITA.
My heart is throbbing with solemn joy,
May no earthly thoughts that
bliss alloy,
By Sachems chosen and tribesmen all--
I gladly lead,
and obey the call!
TOLONGA.
Ah, spoken well, my daughter, and worthy of thy sires,
Who've ever
held an honored place around our council fires! My foot treads earth
more proudly, my heart beats quick and high, To know that, like a
Sachem's child, my daughter goes to die! Though Mamtou denied me a
son to glad mine age,
To follow in the warpath when our foes fierce
combat wage.
I offer him, with grateful heart, thanksgiving deep and
warm That he has placed a warrior's heart within thy fragile form.
Aria.
Just sixteen spring-tides hast thou seen
Beneath the forest shade,

And ever sweet and mild of mien,
Like sunbeam hast thou played

Around my widowed home and heart--
Yet thou and I must quickly

part.
As firmly as the towering oak,
Deep rooted in the earth,
Can brave
the storm and thunder stroke,
So, even from thy birth,
Deep love for
thee hath held my heart,
And yet, ungrieving, must we part.
And closely as the ivy clings
Around some forest tree,
Till from its
glossy em'rald rings,
No bough or limb is free,
So art thou twined
around my heart,
And yet, rejoicing, must we part!
IV.
OREIKA.
Alas, my sister, do not chide
That thoughts of grief, instead of pride,

Within my heart lie deep;
Fain would I speak with mien elate
Of
thy predestined glorious fate,
And yet I can but weep.
When come the short'ning Autumn days,
While gathering in the
golden maize,
I'll miss thy tender voice,
And when our merry
maidens say:
"Oreika, join us in our play,"
How can I then rejoice?
And, oh! I will not grieve alone,
For when another moon has flown,

And Osseo will return,
Hopeful, to seek thee for his bride,
How
deeply will his heart be tried
When he thy fate shall learn!
MINAHITA.
Enough, my sister, wouldst make me sad,
When my smile should be
bright and my heart be glad?
You know 'tis an honor to sire and race,

And to shrink from my lot would bring dire disgrace.
For no
earthly love must I weakly pine,
I yield to a suitor of rank divine.

To my girlhood's love must I say farewell--
To the dreams that were
sweeter than words can tell!
The chill embrace of the waters cold,

Clasping my form in their viewless hold,
Laving my brow in their

terrible play,
Tangling my locks with their glittering spray,

Freezing my warm blood, stifling my breath,
With awful kisses that
bring but death,--
To such endearments I now must go
Where my
Spirit bridegroom dwells below.
OREIKA.
'Tis fearful, alas! and must it be?
MINAHITA.
What would'st thou?
OREIKA.
Flee, oh quickly flee!
Through secret paths seek Osseo's side,
Who
will gladly welcome and shield his bride;
To far-off lands thou with
him canst fly,
In mutual love to live and die!
MINAHITA.
Thou forgettest, my sister! An Indian maid
Not of death, but dishonor,
should be afraid.
Thou did'st couple love with dear Osseo's name,

But love would be short-lived if joined with shame!
My father bowed
'neath dark disgrace,
My name a bye-word to all my race,
I would
find no joy in my rescued life,
Dogged by remorse and inward strife,

Till, hiding myself from all friendly ken,
I should die, despised by
both Gods and men.
No, sister, better an early grave
In yon lone
dell where the pine-trees wave;
Better a fiery death at the stake,

While foes fierce sport of the captive make,
With cruelest tortures
that man can frame,--
Thrice better, than life with dishonored name!
V.
TOLONGA, MINAHITA, DOLBREKA.

TOLONGA.
Daughter of a dauntless race,
Now draws nigh the solemn hour,

Which, O maid of childlike grace,
Well might