II.
Fantastic thought cut loose from reason cool
Are dreams wherein the wisest play the fool.
Can dreams be memories? Are some portents?
Who knows? His ignorance man still laments.
The woman dreamed among the Ruins gray,
Where moon shines in at night and sun by day
On crumbling floors where powdered bones thick lie
And glistening serpents glide with gleaming eye.
Now as she seemed to roam in palace drear,
A man in rich and strange attire drew near,
Bemoaning thus: “May every wind and leaf
Re-echo now my wail of hopeless grief!
In mercy shine upon my endless woe,
Great Sun! from whom all life and light outflow.
Here crouches Aac, alone from age to age—
Absorb me now, my wretchedness assuage!
Remorse, to thee I said, ‘Return no more’—
Thou shalt not stay to goad me as before!
O Light Eternal! bid this mem’ry die
While penitent upon the ground I lie.
Tho’ long the years of anguish I have spent,
The worm gnaws on as if ’twould ne’er relent.”
He prayed and wept. Response came from above—
A woman’s voice replied with pitying love.
Up started he—“Hush! hush! thou knowest not,
But I know who thou art. O bitter lot!
To jealous frenzy I became a slave
And vilely slew my brother true and brave,
Thus casting o’er my sister’s life a blight.
Still mad with rage and lost to sense of right,
I crushed my elder brother in my wrath;
Tho’ Pontiff he, I swept him from my path.”
“My vicious mood led many where they fell;
I lied to them that they might serve me well.
No fiery couch was lit for heroes slain;
Now I could crawl o’er moldering bones, and fain
Would lick their dust—so low my haughty head—
I, lord of all! for whom their blood was shed.
A tyrant harsh, imbittered I became;
Nor could my soul’s rebuke awaken shame.
O Mother! drop thy tears; accurst for aye
Am I! the drouth of this, my land, allay.
Send down thy light, Great Sun!” he cried aloud,
“Let me forget! with mortal form endowed.”
To her he turned again:—“Forgive! forgive!
Earth-born thro’ thee, ah! let me once more live.
My crimes and victories, my soul’s defeat,
My anguish and remorse, wilt thou repeat;
For thus alone new life may dawn for me—
In solitude I’ve long awaited thee.”
A falling tear the sighing dreamer woke:
No mem’ry of the past could she evoke.