And glorified with tales of heavenly aid Doth she show forth a scene of more renown. Pelayo, when he saw Those glittering sources and their sacred cave, And with a breath long drawn and slow expired When from the chase he came. At the first sound Favila started in the cave, and cried, My father's horn!—A sudden flame suffused But Gaudiosa trembled and grew pale, A second time The bugle breathed its well-known notes abroad; Ennobled all her steps,—or priestess, chosen Its habitation known.—Favila such In form and stature as the Sea Nymph's son, And fixing in the half-grown mane his hands, But like a creature of some higher sphere His sister came; she scarcely touched the rock, Beauty and grace and innocence in her In heavenly union shone. One who had held The faith of elder Greece, would sure have thought The youngest and the loveliest: yea she seemed Of bliss, on errand of parental love To earth re-sent,--if tears and trembling limbs Favila such In form and stature as the Sea Nymph's son, When that wise Centaur, &c. Achilles, the son of Thetis, a sea nymph, was educated in Thessaly by Chiron the Centaur. Favila, the son and successor of Pelayo, is here compared with the young Achilles. The faith of elder Greece. This religion has been described with considerable effect by Mr. Percival, an American poet. RELIGION OF GREECE. There was a time, when the o'erhanging sky, Mountain and valley, continent and sea, Her polished arrow levelled on her bow, Each lonely spot was hallowed then—the oak Chariots and steeds of flame stood harnessed there, It was a beautiful and glorious dream, Such as would kindle high the soul of song. All seemed one bright enchantment then ;—but now HEAVENLY LOVE. They sin who tell us Love can die. Its holy flame for ever burneth, From heaven it came, to heaven returneth; It soweth here with toil and care, SOUTHEY, LORD BYRON. George Gordon, Lord Byron, was an English nobleman, descended from Commodore Byron, the celebrated navigator. Lord Byron died at Missolonghi in Greece, April, 1824, at the age of thirty-seven. He was distinguished at an early period of life for his poetical talents, and his genius, if it has not made men better, has opened a source of pleasure to the readers of poetry, which once enjoyed is never forgotten. The passages of Lord Byron's poetry which immediately succeed, have as much life as sentiment, and on that account they are best adapted to the comprehension and sympathies of young persons. Two only, Night at Corinth, and Turkey, are purely descriptive. NIGHT AT CORINTH. In 1715, Corinth, situated on the Isthmus of that name, being in possession of the Venetians, was besieged by the Turks. Lord Byron describes the delicious nights of that fine climate in his poem, the Siege of Corinth. The night described is that previous to the taking of Corinth, while the Turkish army surrounded its walls. "'Tis midnight on the mountains brown *The stars. The banners drooped along their staves, And the wild hum of that wild host In midnight call to wonted prayer." The Muezzin's voice. The Turks do not use bells to summon the religious to their devotions. They have an appointed person, whose function it is to send forth to the extent of his voice, the call to wonted prayer. DECAPITATION OF HUGO. The Marquis of Este, the sovereign of Ferrara in Italy, had a son named Hugo, and a beautiful young wife called Parasina.— This lady loved Hugo better than his father, and was equally beloved by the young man. When the marquis was fully convinced of this fact, he ordered Hugo and Parasina to be beheaded, and the sentence was executed, according to Lord Byron's authority, about 1405. The execution of Hugo is described in the poem of Parasina. "The Convent bells are ringing, Hark! the hymn is singing— The song for the dead below, Or the living who shortly shall be so! For a departing being's soul The death-hymn peals and the hollow-bells knoll; He is near his mortal goal Kneeling at the Friar's knee; Sad to hear—and piteous to see; Kneeling on the bare cold ground, With the block before and the guards around |