Find thee branded, left alone, And their hearts are turned to stone-- They keep thee in their midst alone. Cruel the intervening years, Seeming freedom stained by fears, Till the captor reappears; Finds thee with thy broken pride. Amid thy peers still left aside, Unbeloved and unallied; Finds thee ready for thy fate; For joy and hope 'tis all too late-- Thou'rt wedded to thy sad estate. * * * * * Wouldst have the princely spirit bowed? Whisper only, speak not loud, Mark and leave him in the crowd. Thou need'st not spies nor jailers have; The free will serve thee like the slave, Coward shrinking from the brave. And thy cohorts, when they come To take the weary captive home, Need only beat the retreating drum. EPILOGUE TO THE TRAGEDY OF ESSEX. SPOKEN IN THE CHARACTER OF THE QUEEN.--TRANSLATED FROM GOETHE. No Essex here!--unblest--they give no sign. And shall such live, while earth's best nobleness Departs and leaves her barren? Now too late Weakness and cunning both are exorcised. How could I trust thee whom I knew so well? Am I not like the fool of fable? He Who in his bosom warmed the frozen viper, And fancied man might hope for gratitude From the betrayer's seed? Away! begone! No breath, no sound shall here insult my anguish. Essex is dumb, and they shall all be so; No human presence shall control my mood. Begone, I say! The queen would be alone! (_They all go out._) Alone and still! This day the cup of woe Is full; and while I drain its bitter dregs, Calm, queenlike, stern, I would review the past. Well it becomes the favorite of fortune, The royal arbitress of others' weal, The world's desire, and England's deity, Self-poised, self-governed, clear and firm to gaze Where others close their aching eyes, to _dream_. Who feels imperial courage glow within Fears not the mines which lie beneath his throne; Bold he ascends, though knowing well his peril-- Majestical and fearless holds the sceptre. The golden circlet of enormous weight He wears with brow serene and smiling air, As though a myrtle chaplet graced his temples. And thus didst _thou_. The far removed thy power Attracted and subjected to thy will, The hates and fears which oft beset thy way Were seen, were met, and conquered by thy courage. Thy tyrant father's wrath, thy mother's hopeless fate, Thy sister's harshness,--all were cast behind; And to a soul like thine, bonds and harsh usage Taught fortitude, prudence, and self-command, To act, or to endure. Fate did the rest.