And now the work is done; On from their northern raid the troopers pass Fleet to the south; the grave is filled, and gone Even the slave. Forever still, alone, Her letters and bright picture on his breast, Her sparkling spousal-ring on his dead hand, The golden-haired young soldier lies at rest Where o’er his head the steely shadows pass, Far in the fair Kentucky border-land, The lovely, rolling land of the Blue Grass.
Married! Nay, now the little vexing fear That troubled the calm hollow of my grief With its small aching is withdrawn, and clear The certainty--she never loved him. Brief Her forgetting--brief!--But I will not chide; All happiness go with thee, gentle bride, And of my gold a sister’s share! To wed Another, and once his! O golden head Under the grass, how jealous is my heart Of thy remembrance! Yet I should be glad She loved thee not, for then no evil part I played, e’en though unconsciously. Oh, mad, Mad, mad my love for thee! the same to-day-- The same, the same. I could not be a wife-- I could not stop the sun! No love but thee, My own, my own! no kiss but thine--no voice To call me those sweet names that memory Brings back with tears. Ah! had I any choice, I still must love thee down beneath the sod More than all else--though grandest soul that God Had ever made did woo me. Love, my heart Is thine, and ever must be thine; thy name Is branded there! Yet must I live my life.
Another? Ah! poor fools. The game Doth while away my time. Yes, I do play My part with smiles that are not wholly feigned, For life is strong, and I am young.--There reigned A queen once, who, though dead, could not lay down Her long-used sceptre; with her jeweled crown Upon her head, she sat and meted out Reward and justice; nor did any doubt Her life was gone. Were not her robes the same-- Her jewels bright? And had she not a name Borne wide upon the winds for loveliness? She could not stop--she needs must reign--_noblesse Oblige_! So I. But she--married! a wife! Who once was his! Oh, horrible! a life Of treason to his memory, a long Lie! But, ah! no, she never loved him. _I_ Do hold myself as his, and loyally, Royally, keep my vow.
Show in the Count. (_Aside._) Ah! well-a-day! One must do something.