INTO CAPTIVITY by ALEXANDER BROWN

FAIR maiden, with the meek blue eyes,
In which the calm of summer skies
The depth of waveless seas have met;
Upon the beauty of thy face,
Of heart-content and artless grace,
An unseen hand the seal hath set.

When wandering eyes thy windows pass,
And see thee through the polish'd glass,
Fair visions o'er the fancy come,
As of a cheerful, beaming light,
Whose glow makes all around it bright
Within that dear paternal home;

Or, thro' imagination's dream,
Glides on a pleasant summer stream,
With quiet music in its flow --
Where greener leaves are on the bow'rs,
And brighter tints are on the flow'rs
That blossom where it murmurs low:

That ripples onwards till it meets
Another stream that seaward fleets,
To merge in one for evermore --
Whose broader current, gliding on,
Is singing, in a softer tone,
A deeper music than before.

Even so to thee -- as bright and gay
As is a joyous summer day,
With heart that hath no thought of guile --
Some gallant Knight, who, gadding by,
With dreams of conquest in his eye,
Lured by the magic of thy smile,

Shall whisper words that witching prove,
And bind thee fast with cords of love,
No more in fancy free to roam --
Shall hold thee captive in his power,
And shut thee in the highest tower
And strongest Keep of Castle-Home.

And all thy life's sweet forces will
Become his servitors, until
Thy brow is deep with lines of care,
And thou hast lost the bloom of youth,
And little fingers, void of ruth,
Be tangled in thy braided hair:

Till, more than freedom was to thee
Shall be this sweet captivity,
That every year will more assure; --
The walls close up in every chink,
The chain grow stronger, link by link,
The longer that it doth endure.

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

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