Son of dead Priam from Alexirhöe's bed,)

Moved from the shadowing tree, and with soft speech
Essayed her steps to stay, her heart to reach;
But on she went, nor ever looked behind,
But as she heard his steps upon the wind
Grow quick and loud, she quickened hers, and shew
The hollow of her foot with full veins blue,
Till it twinkled in the distance, and her hair
Streamed in the breeze she made, amid the air;
Swift he pursued, still swifter then she fled;
Hurried she ran, when heard his hurrying tread;
In vain he called-the Echoes, never slack,
Mockingly hurled his soft sweet speeches back,
And even the Dryads from each rich green tree,
Shadowed the river nymph right lovingly.

Her star arose, and westward on she went,
It glimmering in her eye, like twin lights blent,
While purple evening gloomed athwart the plain,
And softly fell the dews' sweet singing rain.
Beside the banks she kept, he following after,

While the little streams rang out with gurgling laughter,
And now the shadows hid her from his view

And wrapt her white form in the distance blue,

And now he listened, and again he heard

Her quick step-sounds, blithe chirping like a bird,
And then still darkness clouded o'er the scene,

And then the moon peeped forth bright clouds between,

And shew a silvery shape amid the trees,

Like a clear note tuned in dim harmonies;

And then black shadows o'er the heavens wound,

And naught was heard but now a splashy sound
Like steps in a marsh, and now a night bird's cry,
And now a moan in the wind which flitted by,
And now a crackling as of branches small
Withered and dry, which broke again in their fall,
As if some one passed on; while light was none,
Save of dim shot star or of pale moonstone,
Which only shew their faint beams but to shroud
Those beams again in a high black piled-up cloud.

The red dawn rose; and high upon a hill
Hesperia stood, beside the river still:
While Esacus beneath in a vale beheld

The nymph he loved, and high his bosom swelled,
As mounting up the highland, higher and higher,
Like the soul of a youth who breathes but to aspire,

He thought to reach her, but as he ascended,
Down and yet downward still the nymph descended,
Vanished her ancles white, her bending bust,
And next those luxurous shoulders of his trust;
And then he lost all vision, till he gained
The height of the hill, and then again it strained
His eyes to see her entering a wood
Of chestnuts rich, which by the river stood:
Still he pursued, and still she flitted on-
A shadow seen, a shadow seen and gone-
Now gliding graceful by the river's brim,
Now hovering haughty o'er some hill-top grim,
A glittering mist which he in vain pursued-
A light which lustred only to illude!

Thus morning past: thus noon; and still she fled And still he followed, as the river sped.

It crowned itself with flowers, but thrö the far land
Never she slacked to gather her one garland;
Its ripples eddied round an isle of rushes,

She never stayed to watch their dimpled gushes;
There floated sweet a fleet of fair white lilies:
Beside the bank grew golden daffodillies :

Greenly the waves flowed o'er wild streaming grasses,
Long as the lank locks of love-lorn lost lasses;
Her feathery barge, a swan with slight raised pinions,
Oared down, as if she rowed to her dominions;
Beneath the sun, the river ran right golden;
Amid the shadows, shades were in it folden;
And all thrö-out its course of shade and glory,
The landscape shew in its waves like a witched story;
Flowers starry, bloomed; and woods umbrageous
Grew down with brown boles there diaphonous;
The shades of flying birds in its stream were given,
And cloud and sunbeam swam in its liquid heaven;
But still Hesperia's flight had no delaying,
And while she fled for sacus no staying.

Eve came again; but brightly did she braid
Hor stars amid her dark hair's tressy shade,
While in rich radiance, larger than the rest,
That planet shone Hesperia loved the best;
Upon its cross of rays she fondly gazed,

Hor steps then quickened and her hopes were raised,
But still he followed, still he kept the view,
Still would she flee and still would he pursue;

A tributary stream hor course impedes

She dashes in, swims thrö the blos'my reeds,
And gains the bank. At once her lover follows
And still pursues her over heights and hollows,
Like the fell Perse whom the Ten Thousand flee,
For in her soul ten thousand sorrows be,
As wearied, fainting, heart broke piteously,
He gains on her, and lo!-The Sea! The Sea!

One moment's thought sufficed, and swelling brave
The fair nymph breasted bold the briny wave;
Nor feared fond Esacus at once to urge
His hot pursuit and leap amid the surge,
For like a water lily flower she floated,
Or like a harp shell with sea music noted,
Or likest Aphrodite when commotion

At her sweet birth, taught love flowed in the ocean,
As well as lived on earth and ruled on high-

Eden on Earth, and Heaven amid the sky!

And so he thought who followed-as she clave
The waters bright he envied each blest wave,

And wished Jove's power to smooth love's liquid pillow
And clasp her bosom in an amorous billow.

But see! she stilly floats, nor more does swim,
But undulates like lily on lake's brim.

She faints! thought Æsacus, and swifter plied
His sinewy arms against the yielding tide,
Bearing on gallantly. See! yet one hand
She raises up to the Celestial Land,

While with the other paddling safe, she floats

With upturned eyes, and hark! her prayerful notes
Swell on the breeze, by her pursuer heard-

"Grant me-
-oh grant thy child, the wings of the bird,
That I may fly, dear planet goddess, to Thee,
And be at rest with her who mothered me!"

Hesperia prayed: then sunk beneath the wave, Which mourned as if it sorrowed o'er her grave; When, lo! a Bird upsprung from out the sca On a soft yellow wing, and poured forth free The sweetest waters of most musical song, Now rained in liquid notes, now gushed forth strong With a minstrel torrent, and now dropped like dew, Melting upon the heart like a sweet scene blue, At once song's shower of music's richest rain And the heart's gushing glad and golden strain; And as it sung it spread its gay wings bright, And winged away to the western skies of light.

Esacus saw, and swooned at the sight, and sank,

While bubbles rose up from his body dank:

When straight flew forth from the wave which whelmed him o'er, A Cormorant large with wide wings spread to soar,

Its long dusk bill half-open, and its plumes

Wind-moved, with black and darkly green-hued glooms:

Its greedy soul athirst, and its huge eyes
Intently gazing towards the far-off skies;
Until it saw, like a speck, the yellow bird,

When in pursuit its wings o'er the waters whirred.

Night followed. Westward still the small bird flew,
Westward the Cormorant, tho it lost the view;
Thrö cloud and rain and storm, still on they sped,
Till morning crested bright each billow's head;
Yet on they flew till Italy in the west,

Spread forth its shores like some fair land of rest:

Then Yellow Wing amid its myrtles sung,

And shook their white blooms with its tuneful tongue,

But ever as some happy hour it spent

The Cormorant neared, and on again it went,
Fleeing in sorrow thrö the little boughs
Where its pursuer's wings no flight allows,
Its golden plumes bright glancing in the breeze
Like sparks of sunshine glimpsing 'mid the trees.

Again its weak wings dared the blustering main,
And the fell Cormorant made pursuit again,
Over the sea, thrö wind and cloud and rain,
Westward they flew until they reached far Spain.
Then still amid its groves the Yellow Bird
The whirring wings of its pursuer heard;
In shadiest chestnut trees its little note
Quailed as it heard, and died within its throat;
On sunniest boughs a cloud swept o'er its sky,
As the wide wings which sought it hovered by.

On earth no rest. Once more its wearied wings
Flit o'er the waters, and it soars and sings
In that wild waste of wave and wind and cloud,
Trembling and daring, timidsome and proud,
Proud of its little strength so bravely shown,
Fearful when seen the Cormorant's shadow brown,
For still it followed as the fair bird fled,
And now it poised above its little head
Like the suspension of a fatal frown,

As if with one fell swoop to strike it down;

When as it saw, the little bird with fright

Closed its bright eye and lost its powers of flight,
And sea-ward fell, saved only from the grave
By a bark's rigging, passing o'er the wave.

Rested a time upon the friendly sail,
Again it dared its weak wings on the gale,
Passed the Atlantides, whose marble walls
Between the waves yet show their ocean halls,
Lighted awhile on those Hesperian isles
Which lit the billows with their verdant smiles,
Named thus; and mated with the island birds
Which charmed the sea nymphs with their singing words;
Until again a shadow in the sky,

And lo! the ravening Cormorant floated by.

Away! away! away! Again it sped,
Ocean beneath it and sky over head;
Westward, still westward, on and on it flew;
Westward, still westward did its foe pursue.
A wilderness of waters stretched before,
That watery desert sailed it boldly o'er;
Night followed day, and day succeeded night,
And still the Yellow Bird pursued its flight;
The star of the west was every eve its guide,
Over the wide, vast, fathomless, unknown tide;
And still the Cormorant followed as it fled,
Ever a cloud above its little head,-

And still no shore, no green tree blest its view,
Naught but the grey sea and the cloudland blue;
Weary and worn, and fainting and forlorn,

It flew thrö night, and longed to greet the morn;
When lo! as rose the white dawn glimmering bright,
Some sea-weed floated greenly in its sight:
Bits of rude carven wood rode o'er the surf,
And by them swam strange roots and tufts of turf:
Hope buoyed its wing at once to sing and soar,
And as it sung, lo! lo! The Shore! The Shore!

Thus sailed Columbus o'er the widening main
From Genoa's port to Portugal and Spain;
Thence o'er the unknown waters waste and wild,
Till a new continent before him smiled-
The Cormorant spirit of discovery strong
Urging that gentle mariner along,
Whose soul was tender as religion, sweet
As the bright bird whose story thus chimes meet.