ANCIENT

POETRY AND ROMANCES

OF

SPAIN.

ALONSO DE ALCAUDETE.

LOVE'S FIRST KISSES.

"A aquel caballero madre."

"MOTHER! to yonder noble youth I send three kisses of my own,

Which he shall have, when I am grown.

"This was the earliest gift of youth,
My first, first promise-surely I
Must keep the virgin vow of truth.
O yes! I'll keep it faithfully.
That noble youth I'll not deny
Three kisses, mother, of my own,
Which I will give, when I am grown.”

B

'Nay! daughter, nay! such vows as these
Are made to break-that hasty word,
Your inexperience, child! betrays.
Away-away-the thought abhorr'd:
You are devoted to the Lord,

To dwell in convent-cell-alone.'

"No! he shall have them when I'm grown.

"Mother! I'll not my faith betray:

Had his the promise been, would he-
Would he deceive thy daughter? Nay!
And I will no deceiver be,-

I'd rather die, than faithlessly

Fail in my word. My word's my own—
I'll give him three when I am grown.”

and wild and weak;

'Child,
you are young,
But soon you'll see, and soon believe,
That half the words that women speak,

Are but to flatter and deceive.

Such broken vows give nought to grieve;

They are but careless pebbles thrown'

66

Nay! he shall have them when I'm grown.

-'tis true

"Mother! your frowns are vain :-'
The world may laugh at passion's vow,-
The world may honour's knot undo:—

But I'm untaught in perjury now;
I'll not betray,-I know not how.

My heart is his,—and his alone:

I'll give it him,-when I am grown."

Burgos. Date unknown.

THE VILE ONE.

"Llamabale la doncella."

THE maiden called him,

And the vile one replied,

"I must tend my flocks by the mountain side."

"Come hither, unknown one,

Beloved of mine;

Why wander, thou lone one?

For I will be thine."

"Thou canst not be mine,'

The vile one replied:

"I must tend my flocks by the mountain side.'

"Whither, wanderer, art thou straying?
Gentle shepherd, tarry here,—
Thy flocks are on the mountain playing:
Love me as I love thee, dear!"

"I have no love to confer,"

The vile one replied:

"I must tend my flocks by the mountain side."

"Thou must not leave me: come and share

My cottage,-far from all alarms;

B 2

For sorrow never enters there,

And peace invites us to her arms."

"Thy love has for me no charms,"

The vile one replied:

"I must tend my flocks by the mountain side.”

"O by thy faith, be gentle, swain;
Unkindest thoughts thy looks impart :-
For I must own, thy love's cold chain
Has twined its links around my heart."
"And thou must bear its smart,"

The vile one replied:

"I must tend my flocks by the mountain side.”

"Come hither, swain! O come to me,
And frown not:-whispering I will say,
That since my eye first glanced on thee,
My bosom's peace is fled away."

"I'll not submit to folly's sway,"

The vile one replied:

"I go to my flocks on the mountain side.”

Burgos. Date unknown.

BALTASAR DEL ALCAZAR.

SLEEP.

No es el sueño cierto lance."

SLEEP is no servant of the will,
It has caprices of its own:

When most pursued,-'tis swiftly gone;
When courted least,-it lingers still.
With its vagaries long perplext,

I turned, and turned restless sconce,

my

Till one bright night, I thought at once I'd master it ;-so hear my text!

When sleep will tarry I begin
My long and my accustomed prayer;
And in a twinkling sleep is there,
Through my bed-curtains peeping in.
When sleep hangs heavy on my eyes,
I think of debts I fain would pay ;
And then, as flies night's shade from day,
Sleep from my heavy eyelids flies.

And thus controll'd, the winged one bends Ev'n his fantastic will to me;