... . . And I fell down, far down, within The pit's mouth . . . and my brain went blind. . . . I woke--a cold sun rose behind Black evil hills--my love knelt near Beside a stream, her golden hair Streaming across the grass--below The Solway eddied to and fro, White with fierce whirlpools . . . my love turned. . . . Thank God, some hours of joy are burned Into the mind, and will remain, Fierce-blazing still, in spite of pain! They came behind us as we kissed, Stealthily from the dripping mist, Her brothers and their evil band. They bound me fast and made me stand. They forced her down upon her knees. She did not strive or cry or call, But knelt there dumb before them all-- I could not turn away my eyes-- There was no fear upon her face, Although they slew her in that place. The daggers rent and tore her breast Like dogs that snarl above a kill, Her proud face gazed above them still, Seeking rest--Oh, seeking rest! The blood swept like a crimson dress Over her bosom's nakedness, A curtain for her weary eyes, A muffling-cloth to stop her sighs . . . And she was gone--and a red thing lay Silent on the trampled clay...
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