The Bride of Messina, and On the Use of the Chorus in Tragedy by Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller
page 35 of 141 (24%)
page 35 of 141 (24%)
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Waked by this sudden friendship, rise;
Ne'er would I choose my home of rest On the stilled lava-stream, that cold Beneath the mountain lies Not thus was discord's flame controlled-- Too deep the rooted hate--too long They brooded in their sullen hearts O'er unforgotten, treasured wrong. In warning visions oft dismayed, I read the signs of coming woe; And now from this mysterious maid My bosom tells the dreaded ills shall flow: Unblest, I deem, the bridal chain Shall knit their secret loves, accursed With holy cloisters' spoil profane. No crooked paths to virtue lead; Ill fruit has ever sprung from evil seed! BERENGAR. And thus to sad unhallowed rites Of an ill-omened nuptial tie, Too well ye know their father bore A bride of mournful destiny, Torn from his sire, whose awful curse has sped Heaven's vengeance on the impious bed! This fierce, unnatural rage atones A parent's crime--decreed by fate, Their mother's offspring, strife and hate! [The scene changes to a garden opening on the sea. |
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