But the agitated Zesara, with all his sharp eyes, could not, however, in
the full dazzling light of the level moon, and behind the quivering
nunnery-grate of confined silver-or lymphatic-veins, individualize
anything at this moment from the glimmering Eden, except an
undistinguishable, still, white form. But it was enough for a weeping
and burning heart. "Thou angel of my youthful dreams," thought he, "may
it be thou! I greet thee with a thousand woes and joys. Ah! can there
then be sorrows in thee, thou heavenly soul!" And it came over him, that
if she were here in the room, with her afflicted and enchanting form,
she would melt his whole being with sympathy, and he could now have cast
off the embrace of the brother, by whose hand fate had closed her soft
eyes in that long dream.
The stifling air of the most painful sympathy caused him to look away,
and turn round, and fasten on the open Messiah those eyes whose drops he
would not show; but the recollection that he was repeating her last
reading-pleasure made them fall only hotter and thicker. Suddenly
something darkening, which fluttered down before the window like a
falling raven, directed his look again to Liana, over whom stood a fully
illuminated little cloud, as if it were a risen or descending saintly
halo. Immortals seemed to dwell thereupon as on Ossian's clouds,
awaiting their sister; and when she at length moved and slowly sank down
into the water-house, seemed it not then as if her garment of flesh
were passing into the earth, and her peaceful spirit into the cloud?
Here Augusti, as the mother had to follow the returning invalid into the
sick-chamber, gave him the hint for departure, which he took willingly;
his love contented itself for the present with solitude, and with the
hope of another meeting. Young love and young birds need, in the
beginning, only to be _warmed_ by _covering_, and not till later to be
_nourished_.
But a paraclete or comforter whispered softly in the ear of the youth's
heart as they departed: to-morrow thou wilt see her only a few steps
from thee in the garden! And that is very easily brought about; he has
only, at evening-twilight to-morrow, when the evening-walker makes use
of her eye-medicine, to repair to the alley, and from among the leaves
look freely up into the magic countenance, and then drink in the whole
doctrine of felicity in one paragraph, one passage, breath, moment;--but
what a prospect!
The Count begged the Lector not to sit long with the busy Minister. When
they found him again, he hardly--behind a pile of public
documents--remembered, after considerable (perhaps counterfeited)
thought, that they had been there, and deeply regretted that they were
going away. Ah, the comforter is whispering all the evening and all
night,--To-morrow, Albano!
35. CYCLE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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