Glen Collection of printed music > Printed text > Charms of melody, or, Siren medley

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BALLADS,
ANCIENT AND MOBERN, LEGENDARIES, &C.
Shrill whiftled the wind ihro' the fkuUs, and the
blaft
Scar'd the yet greedy bird from its glutting repaft ;
From the new-rack'd affaffin the raven \vithdrew,
Bat croak'd round ihe wheel ilill, andheavily flew;
While vultures, more daring, inient on their prey,
Tors the lielli trcm the iinews. yet reeking away.
Bvt the dread ofbanditti, fome ftrengtli it rtftor'd,
And againfhe the aid of the Virgin implor'd ;
She d ragg'd Iter flow fleps to where corfes, yet warm,
Threw \heir tatters and frefii mangled limbs to the
ftorm :
Shereach'd the fell fpot, and, aghaft, looking round,
At a black gibbet's foot fenfelefs funk on the ground
Now the battle was over, and o'er his proud foes
The Auftrian eagle triumphantly rofe ;
'Midil the groans of the dying, and blood of the
ilain.
Sorely wounded layLeopald, ftretch'd on the plain.
When reviving, he firll: to look round him began,
Lol clofe by his fide fat a Little Grey Man !
The Little Grey Man he fat munching a heart,
And he s^Towl'd in a tone all difmayjng " depart !
" Don't difturb me at meals ! pr'ythee rife and pafs
" on I
" To Mary- Ann hie .'—bind your wounds and be-
'• gone ! —
" In a icore and three days fhall you meet Mary-
" Ann ;
■' And perhaps, uninvited, the Little Grey-Man."
With fear and difmay rofe the youth from the
ground,
His wounds he with balms and with bandages bound;
To <]uit his grim gueft he made little delay.
And faint though he was, he fped willing away :
For a Iccre and three days did he journey amain,
'J hen ff.nk, all e;;haufted, on Sombermond's plain.
By the fcreams of the night-bird, though dark, Tie
could tell ,.>_
'Twas the gibbets amongft, and the vi'heels, where
he fell—
Now ftill her fad ftation did Mary- Ann keep.
Where Leopald, fainting, had funk into fleep :
Ah! little thought he that his dear one was by!
Ah! little the maid that her love was fo nigh 1
iPerch'd grim on a wheel fat the Little Grey-Man,
WhiUt his fierce little eyes o'er the fad lovers ran ;
The L,!ttle Grey-Man down to Leopold crept.
And open'd his wounds, all fo deep, as he flept ;
'With afcream he the flumbers of Mary-Ann broke
And the poor forlorn maid to new horrors awoke.
To her fight, forely fhock'd, did a moon-beam dif-
play
Her lover, all bleeding and pale as he lay :
She fhriek'd a loud fhriek ; and fhe tore her fine
hair,
And fhe funk her foft cheek on his bofom fo fair ;
With her long flowingtredes fine ftroveto reilrain,
And flop the dear blood that now ilTued amain.
To his wounds her fair liands flie unceafingly
prefs'd ;
Her tears faft they fell on her Leopold's breaft :
Entranc'd, and in flumber ftill filent he lay,
Till the Littk Grey- man drove his flumbers away;
With a vifion all horrid his fenfes betray'd.
And fatal to him and his much-belov'd maid.
He dreamt, from his wheel an affaffin had ftepp'd,
And filent and flowly had clofe to him crept ;
That the wretch, mangled piece-meal, and ghaftly
with gore,
From his wounds both the balms and the bandages
tore ;
And to fearch for his dagger as now he bepar,,
— " Sirike ! flrike I" cry'd the voice of the Little
Grey-Man.
" Strike! ftrike!" cry'd the fiend, " or your wounds
" bleed anew 1"
Heftruct— it was Mary- Ann's life blood he dr?w;
With a fhriek he awoke, nor his woes were thsy
o'er ;
He beheld his pale love, to behold her no more ! —
Her eyesthe poor maiden on Leopo'd rail.
Gave him one look of love, 'twashcr fcndefl,her
laft!
The Little Orey-man now he fet up a yell
Which was heavd in the halls of fair Aix-la-Cha-
pcUe,
Herais'd up his head, and he rais'd up his chin;
And he grinn'd, as he iliouted, a horrible grin ;
And he laugh'da loud laugh, and his cap up he cafh,
EMulting, as breath'd the fond lovers their lafi.
As in each other's arm« dead the fond lovers fell,
O'-.- the black lonely heath toU'd a lov.', diliaat
bell ;
From the gibbets and cron"es fhrieks iiTu'd, ant}
groans, , i
And wild to ihe blaft fievv the fcuUs and the bones;
While the Little Grey-Man, midft a liower of
blood,
In a whirlwind was hurl'dintoSombcrmoiid's wood.
Of Mary-Ann's forrows, and Leopold's woes,
Long fliall Maife's dark flreara tell the tale as'S
llovvs : i
Long, long fhall the goffips of Aix-la-Chapelle,.i|
Of the heath and its horrors, the traveller tell:
■ Who fliall prick on his fteed v,iih what fwiftnel
he can,
Left he meet in the twilight the Little Grey-Mai
On the Feaft of St. Auftin, toSombermond's faii^ij
Flock the youth of both fexes, iis revels to fhare;
And in dainty sppnre!, all gallant and gay, "
With dance, and with carols, and mirth, cheer th<
day;
While the proud caftie's portal expanded, invites
To the hall's ample board, and its feftive delights
And there, on the richly-wrought arras, they viev
Depifted, the woes of theleiovers fo true ;
'I he troubles their forrowful days that befel,
And the fate uf the darling of Aix-la-Chapelle;
Behold, as Ihe bloom'd, the belov'd Mary- Ann,
And the heart-freezing fcowl of the Little Grev
Man.
H Bumbury