Blackwell Family Elizabeth Blackwell Poetryverses copies in Dr. Eliz.hand A noble knight, sprang lightly on his black war horse; the sunflashed from his bright armour and the iron hoofs of his charger rang on the stone pavement of the courtyard - then he cried out in a clear cheerful voice, "Who followed Sir Lionel to the fight, who will gain a glorious name by rescuing the peerless Irene from her wicked enemy!" But [his] a hundred vassals stood motionless against the castle wall, with their eyes fixed on the ground, & their cheeks pale with fear, and no one offered to follow his Lord to the fight. Then Sir Lionel looked on the grey towers of his castle, where the crimson banners embroidered with gold stars floated in the wind, & he cried ring out a merry peal from my brave old towers, and give the triumphant farewell of a hundred years, to the departing Lord". Then the bells which had hung there for a [hundred] thousand years forth, but instead of the cheerful peal which had warmed his ancestors for the dangerous combat, a deep funereal note was heard, which filled the air with a mournful sound, & then died slowly away. The pale cheeks of the hundred vassals, grew still paler, while they dropped on one knee crying, "go not brave Lord, to the deadly fight, the guardian [genius?] of thy house warns thee of approaching ruin". "Peace cowards, Sir Lionel knowsnot fear, thrice welcome is death, if I gain not the beautiful Irene, alone I go to her rescue & no entreaty, no evil omen shall hold me back." Then a low sound was heard in the courtyard, and the tall veiled figure of a woman approached; all heads were bent in awe, for the snows of many hundred years whitened her locks, though the bright eye of youth gleamed through her veil, which daily grew thicker but was never raised. her name & dwelling no one knew, & her step rarely crossed the threshold of a human habitation. She stood by Sir Lionel who alone greeted her as a welcome friend, & placed in his hand a little case of ivory, & with the words, "lose it never," she disappeared. the knight opened the box, and uttered a cry of joy, "tis Irene herself!" & held it aloft in triumph; but his vassals shook their heads mournfully & cryed "our Lord is blinded by an evil spell, we see nothing but the sunshine on a polished mirror. Then Sir Lionel placed the little case on his heart, and shouting in triumph "Death or Irene!", brandished his sword, gave the reins to his charger, & bounded like a meteor over the castle bridge. Now the love of Sir Lionel, for the bright Irene had arisen in the following; the little orphan Lord played for many a day in the pleasant grove near the castle, [where] and there he met the ancient woman who brought him to a beautiful garden where he found the child Irene, who ran smiling towards him, & filled his hands with lovely flowers, and every day they met in the beautiful garden, and she wiped away the tears he shed for his Mother's death, till he played with her all day, & saw her in his dreams at night. But soon his guardian said, the Lord of a noble castle and broad lands must not stray about & lose himself in the woods, so he sent him far away, and laughed scornfully, when Lionel told of his gentle play [fellow] mate so lovely & good. "Thou shalt have noble youths for thy companions henceforth he cried, the learning that becometh thy rank". But though Lionel played with the noble youths, & delighted in the books they brought him, he never forgot the gentle Irene, but saw her in his dreams growing always more lovely. And the thought of her made him so happy, that when he grew up, & his friends said to him, "Wilt thou marry the high born Clothilda or the wealthy Margery, he said scornfully, "none but the gentle Irene shall be the bride of Sir Lionel; then his friends laughed & called him a fool; but he hastened to his Castle, & wandered through the grove, hoping to find the beautiful garden. But he wandered in vain, he found nothing but the grove & his own broad lands; then he threw himself & mourned bitterly, till the ancient woman appeared before him. Sir Lionel knelt jofully at her feet, & cried out where is the beautiful garden, where is the lovely Irene, I cannot live without the divine Maiden, but the ancient woman spoke mournfully, "thou cans't not find her, an evil tyrant has imprisonedthe maiden & a powerful spell has hidden the beautiful Irene form the eyes of men." The Lionel sprang up fiercely& cried "I will kill the tyrant, I will break the spell, my strong arm shall burst the bolts, & my sword cleave the walls of his fortress, I will search through earth & ocean, till I find the lost one, and she reign in beauty over all her enemies." Then Sir Lionel knelt down under the broad blue sky, & made a vow never to rest or sheathe his sword, till he had found Irene & conquered the tyrant who oppressed her. The ancient woman laid her hand on his head & blessed him, he rose with wonderful strength & courage, & hastened back to his castle. This therefore was the way in which the love of Sir Lionel has arisen, and in fulfilment of this vow, his fiery charger with ringing hoof, bore him shouting defiance form the castle of his ancestors. In the midst of the wide lovely sea, stood a pile of steep black rocks, covered with seaweed & shellfish; on the top was built the mighty castle of the tyrant, and he seated in the loftiest tower, surrounded by magic mirror, he looked over the whole wide earth, & wove evil spells for their destruction. Then he beheld the noble knight, Sir Lionel galoping on his fiery charger, and he laughed aloud at the sight. "Thinkest thou brave knight, that the mighty tyrant can be conquered by thee, that thou alone can subdue my thousand vassals, & scale my strong fortress! Come on blind fool, I will quench the fire of thy bright eye, & weaken thy strong arm; thou shalt forget the beautiful Irene, and own my power and kneel the humblest of my slaves. Then he took the magic mirror from the wall and descended to the prison of Irene. Deep under the ocean waves, sat the maiden in a lofty cavern of the sea. The roof was of transparent crystal, the pillars of shining pearl were wreathed with crimson seaweed; the floor was covered with brilliant shells embedded in green, and the cavern was filled with a soft blue light in the midst of which sat Irene in a chair of carved silver, the heavy swell of the water sent a gentle murmur through the chamber, and all around were dimly seen strange floating figures, & shadowy caves of coal. The maiden was of wonderful beauty, her dark eyes were cast down, but a bright smile played on her lip & a gleam of light tinged her black hair with gold. The tyrant stood at the entrance of the cave, for the blue light forbade all nearer approach, & shielded Irene as with bars of iron, she took no notice of his presence, but seemed deeply engaged with some beautiful thought; then the tyrant gazed on the mirror, and he saw Sir Lionel sleeping under a shadowy oak tree; his charger quietly cropped the grass by his side; a fresh breeze waved the branches of the oak, & the lights & shadows played of the noble head of the sleeper, he smiled in his dream, extended his arms & murmured the name Irene; then a group of soldiers passed noisily by, with flashing arms & strong steeds; the tyrant recognized them as a troup whom he had sent to intercept Sir Lionel, and his heart beat with triumph at the sight; but the soldiers in gallant array passed unheeding by they saw not the object of their search and still the [sleeper] knight slept on with his charges by his side. Then the tyrant shook with rage, and endeavored to rush into the tavern, for he knew that Irene had made the soldiers blind to this sleeping knight, and was blessing him now, in a beautiful dream - but the soft blue light resisted all his efforts to penetrate it & struck a deadly chill into his heart. He cried with malice, "Vain are thy efforts weak maiden; thou art my prisoner and shalt remain so, they power cannot strengthen the knight, to conquer my thousand vassals, his arms will sink in weariness, and he will humbly kneel as my slave, before he can break one of the mighty spells, that guard the fortress; thou willt never behold the playmate of thy childhood so cherish not the vain hope, but accept the offer, I have so often made thee, and which I now repeat for the last time, - acknowledge my power, bow humbly before me, dispel this blue light which encircled thee with an icy wall, and then thou shallt share my throne, and all men shall behold and worship thy beauty, which now I have hidden from their eyes." Then Irene raised her brilliant eyes, & fixed them on the tyrant, who trembled & bent his head before her, the smile vanished from her face, and her lip curled in scorn, as she replied "Blind tyrant tremble for thyself, thine empire draws to its close; when Lionel joind Irene, thy power is gone, the spell that hides me is dissolved, thy vassals will know the misery which thou hast wrought for them, & riding in vengeance will utterly destroy thee - therefore do thy worst, call thy spirits together & use all thy evil arts; I defy thy power; nothing can separate me from Lionel the noble knight, the brave warrior, my early friend - fight oh my beloved one bravely, and Irene will shield thee from this foe." Then the tyrant raised his arm in rage, he seized a many coloured shell, & sent a shrill sound through the might sea, crowds of hideous monsters gathered at the call, they floated round the cavern with rolling eyes, so discordant yells, the waves dashed in fury against the slender pillars & the crystal roof & roared as thunder amongst the caves, while quick flashes of light from the central fires hissed through the boiling waters; but the fury raged in vain, the soft blue radiance filled the cavern, & quelled the wild storm; the monsters darted at it in vain, they rebounded with a scream as if struck by a sharp ledge of rock; the raging billow softened to a gentle swell, as it touched the cave, the thunder died with a plaintive sigh, and Irene enveloped in the protecting light, reclined, with her dark eyes cast down, and the same happy smile, again playing over her beautiful countenance.Then the disappointed tyrant withdrew to his watchtower on the rack, and prepared to I summon[ed], the most powerful spirits around him to work the ruin of Lionel and Irene. Carefully excluding all light[er] from the chamber, he covered his head with a thick black veil, and sat for three days on the ground, repeating slowly the words of the powerful spell; he then arose & stood before a small altar in the centre of the room on which he kindled some fragrant wood which burnt with three fierce red flames, in these he thrust his left hand, and endured the pain without shrinking, till a loud voice was heard, which said "it is enough, we own they sway, and will serve thee to the death, mighty tyrant name thy wish". The tyrant laughed with triumph, "Now my success is sure, since thou the strongest of the evil race, who hast so long withstood my power, ownest at last my authorized Tell me great spirit, how I can humble the pride of Sir Lionel, [&] bring him captive to my feet & thereby wreak my vengeance on Irene." "The task is difficult, replied the spirit, Sir Lionel has in his possession the portrait of Irene, given him by our most bitter enemy, while he retains that picture, the maiden will be ever present with his thoughts, & he will defy our power; but rob him of that gift, his strength will forsake him, & our triumph is sure & easy! Then Then the tyrant selected [two] one of his attendant spirits & gave to him [one of them] a ring, which would enable him to assume any [the] form [of Irene] he might desire; he commanded them to obtain for him the precious portrait, & dispatched them with minute instructions, while on his watch tower he seated himself in triumph to watch the result. Sir Lionel rode gayly along on his black warhorse, singing to the honour of his bright ladye love; his good sword hung flashing [brightly] & sharp by his side; he had gained many victories over the enemy, & yet was he without wound or scar, & his arms grew stronger daily; about noon he reached, a little hill & saw in the distance a great city shining in the sun, with many flags streaming from the high tower, & as the wind blew towrds him it wafted the hum of many voices, & the sound of bells & musical instruments; then Sir Lionel knew that this was the chief city of the tyrant, not far from the ocean where stood the fortress in which Irene was imprisoned. While he gazed a great body of soldiers issued from the iron gate of the city, & with flourish of trumpets & beating of drums came towards the solitary knight. The heart of the warrior bounded at the light & his eye gleamed with joy, Now, he cried a glorious victory will be mine, worthy of my beautiful Ladye love, now shall the tyrants tremble & Irene rejoice in her dark prison; then giving to his charger, & waving his sword in the air he galloped furiously against the thick ranks of the enemy - his arm dealt death at every blow, he fought with the power of many strong men, but his foes were an innumerable multitudes & his arm grew weary of slaying; there a black cloud overspread the plain, hiding the light of the sun so that the soldiers no longer beheld one another, & feared to strike lest they should kill their companions, but Sir Lionel's blows feel rapidly around and as he raised his sword on high lightenings from the cloud, It rearmed along its pointy [path] & spread terror & death in the ranks; then all order ceased, yells of agony arose from the plain, trampling on one another they fled toward the city, guided by the fearful lightning, & the shrieks of the terrified inhabitants, while through the universal din, the deep slow note of a funeral bell, sounded dismally through the air. Sir Lionel the victor wearied with his success, could follow no longer, but fell down exhausted under the walls of the town. Then came the slave of the Tyrant, who watched all his movements, & bent over him, as he lay motionless on the ground, to steal away the magic picture of fair Irene; but it lay on the heart of the brave knight, under his strong armour, & while the slave endeavoured to unfasten the clasps, the knight started up, & his face fled, to await a more favorable opportunity. The next day all the city came out to pay homage to the brave knight who had won so great a victory, and with waving banners & martial music they led him to the central square in which stood a high throne, their they place the knight, & all kneeling down cried, "Long live the brave Sir Lionel, he shall be our king & reign over our great city - But Sir Lionel said, 'I fight for the beautiful Irene, & I cannot be your king, for you serve the evil Tyrant who oppresses her. Then an old man with a long white beard, holding a rich goblet of sparkling wine, bowed low before the knight & he said, drink to our health, brave warrior we beseech thee, give us the good wishes of so noble a knight. Now the old man was the spirit of the tyrant disguised, & the wine he offered, was to destroy the strength of Sir Lionel, but he knew nothing of this, & as the people knelt & shouted "drink to our health thou bravest knight in all the world," he took the goblet & bowing low to the crowd, drained it at a single drought. A deep sigh sounded near the throne but it was drowned in the shouts of the people, "death to the wicked knight who has killed our soldiers & desolated our homes, he has drank the poisonous draught let him die like a dog, for the spirit of the tyrant had instructed the people, that they should thus deceive & conquer the knight, and now fearing lest he should not be able to get the portrait, he seized the body of the warrior & escaped with to a distant part of the city; there he unclasped the stout armour, seized the portrait, & striking him with a dagger with then left him motionless on the ground & proceeded on his way in triumph. But Sir Lionel was not dead, the dagger had not done its fatal work, & as helay wounded & senseless on the ground a poor woman passing by had pity on him, she took him to her little dwelling, tended him with care, & soon saw him recover from his dangerous state; but alas his strength was gone the bright vision of his ladye love was darkened & he sat moody & desponding in the dark little changer. One day as he sets there sitting, a little bird perched on the window sill, & winking its bright eye at the sorrowful knight, began a merry song, then twisting the little head knowingly on one side, & hopping a step or two, it flew away. A sudden longing for fresh air seized on Sir Lionel, he started up, & giving a valuable ring & sincere thanks to his kind hostess, hastened out into the sunshine. he wandered about the street till he reached a part of the City that seemed entirely deserted by the inhabitants. Large bands of dark grey stone formed a square in the centre of which stood a grove of tall elms their trunks & branches covered with the moss of many years, grass grew over the pavement & the steps of the houses, birds had built their nests in the stone casing of the windows, and the bending figure of a marble nymph that stood under the dark trees, seemed weeping over the desolation that reigned around. The footstep of Sir Lionel sounded, loud & hollow, as entered this abode of silence, a chill entered his heart, as he stopped before the high arches of an old cathedral that occupied one side of the square, the door stood open & the low solemn tones of an organ fell on his ear, he entered, a dim coloured light filled the building, revealing the tall pillars that supported the roof & the numerous stones in ages that occupied niches in the wall; no one was visible & yet the solemn music continued, now swelling in full clear tones then dying in a sad plaintive wail, the music powerfully moved the knight, he sank before the altar & burying his face in his hands, thought mournfully of his present weakness & the dim vision of his ladye love; while thus sunk in melancholy thoughts, he heard a low footstep on the marble floor, & looking up the antient woman stood before him; as he saw her, the clear remembrance of Irene flashed upon him, & kneeling at the foot of the tall figure he cried, "oh give me back my strength powerful being, restore the portrait of the beautiful one, my beloved Irene!" The antient woman smiled upon him, she held out the last portrait & placed it in his eager hand, "Beware of the cunning of the foe she said for if thou lose it again thou art ruined, & Irene remains a prisoner for ever in the dungeon of this Tyrant, then laying her hand on his head she solemnly blessed him with mysterious words & vanished. Sir Lionel sprang to his feet in great joy, again he felt the vigour of fiery youth, his arm was stronger than before & hope & love sent the blood bounding through his veins. At the door stood his noble charger, he leaped into the saddle, & giving it free rein, bounded alongthe desolate streets; the ground trembled under the rapid pace of the charger a heavy rumbling sound was heard, & old houses & cathedral the whole square fell with loud explosion into one great heap of ruin. But Sir Lionel looked not behind him, with shouts & waving sword he galloped from the town, & rested not till the broad blue ocean lay stretched before him. There stood the strange fortress on its black pile of rocks, the ocean waves dashed against them, sending up torrents of spray, that sparkled with gay rainbows. The heart of Sir Lionel beat high, he gazed at the castle, where was Irene? Which was the prison of his beloved? he hesitated no longer, but plunged his horse into the water, & bravely breasted the waves. Then the Tyrant who saw, with rage & fear in his heart, the approach of the enemy, called together the monsters of the deep, & raised a violent storm round the house & its rider; the foaming waves broke over him, the sea monsters below the water attacked him with sharp shells & hard boughs of coral, while their shrill screams deafened him; but through the [watery] fierce din came a most musical voice, borne distinctly through the water "Come my beloved my noble warrior, my beautiful brave night, Irene awaits thee in the depths of ocean." At the joyful sound, Sir Lionel raised a shout, that made the Tyrant in his watch-tower tremble; the sea monsters recoiled, as if struck with deadly fear, & the plunging steed, ceasing his struggles sank with his rider below the waters; gently they floated down through the green transparent sea, borne along by an undercurrent that landed them at last, by the grotto of Irene. She stood there enveloped in the soft blue light, a radiant smile beamed on her face & with bright flashing eyes she extended her hands to her deliverer. Sir Lionel rushed into the cavern, the soft blue light received him into its protecting radiance, he clasped the Maiden in his arms & imprinted a warm kiss on her forehead, "Bright playmate of my childhood, he cried, beautiful mission of my youth my own glorious bride, do find thee at last, & clasp thee to my heart never more to part; now light is all past danger, in this blessed moment, when the evil Tyrant is defeated & Irene may own Irene free'd from bondage. Then Sir Lionel & Irene seated them selfes in a silver car, & with crowns of gold on their heads & encircled by the bright blue light, they rode to the surface of the water; the people crowded to the shore at the wonderful light, & lo the rocky fortress shook to its foundations, the walls fell, the ocean opened its waters & rock castle & evil Tyrant were swallowed up forever. Then the people hailed, the beautiful pair with shouts of welcome. "They cried, "The evil Tyrant who deceived us, is punished as he deserves The noble knight & his beautiful bride shall be our king & queen, Long live the glorious Irene & Sir Lionel her brave deliverer!" A noble knight sprang lightly on his black war horse, the sun flashed from his bright armour, and the iron hoofs of his charger rang on the stone pavement of the courtyard - then he cried out in a clear cheerful voice, "Who follows Sir Lionel to the fight, who will gain a glorious name by rescuing the peerless Irene from her wicked enemy!" But [his] a hundred vassals stood motionless against the castle wall, with their eyes fixed on the ground, & their cheeks pale with fear, and no one offered to follow his Lord to the fight. Then Sir Lionel looked on the grey towers of his castle, where the crimson banners embroidered with gold stars floated in the wind, & he cried ring out a merry peal from my brave old towers give the triumphant farewell of a hundred years, to the departing Lord, then the bells which had hung there for a thousand [hundred] years forth, but instead of the cheerful peal which had warmed his ancestors for the dangerous combat, a deep funereal note was heard, which filled the air with a mournful sound, & then died slowly away The pale cheeks of the hundred vassals grew still paler, while they dropped on one knee crying, "go not brave Lord, to the deadly fight, the guardian genius of thy house warns thee of approaching rain". "Peace cowards, Sir Lionel knowsnot fear, thrice welcome is death, if I gain not the beautiful Irene, alone I go to her rescue & no entreaty, no evil omen shall hold me back." Then a low sound was heard in the courtyard, and the tall veiled figure of a woman approached; all heads were bent in awe, for the snows of many hundred years whitened her locks, though the bright eye of youth gleamed through her veil, which daily grew thicker but was never raised. her name & dwelling no one knew, & her step rarely crossed the threshold of a human habitation. She stood by Sir Lionel who alone greeted her as a welcome friend, & placed in his hand a little case of ivory, & with the words, "lose it never," she disappeared. the knight opened the box, and uttered a cry of joy, "tis Irene herself!" & held it aloft in triumph; but his vassals shook their heads mournfully & cryed "our Lord is blinded by an evil spell, we see nothing but the sunshine on a polished mirror. Then Sir Lionel placed the little case on his heart, and shouting in triumph "Death or Irene!", brandished his sword, gave the reins to his charger, & bounded like a meteor over the castle bridge. Now the love of Sir Lionel, for the bright Irene had arisen in the following; the little orphan Lord played for many a day in the pleasant grove near the castle, [where] and there he met the ancient woman who brought him to a beautiful garden where he found the child Irene, who ran smiling towards him, & filled his hands with lovely flowers, and every day they met in the beautiful garden, and she wiped away the tears he shed for his Mother's death, till he played with her all day, & saw her in his dreams at night. But soon his guardian said, the Lord of a noble castle and broad lands must not stray about & lose himself in the woods, so he sent him far away, and laughed scornfully, when Lionel told of his gentle play [fellow] mate so lovely & good. "Thou shalt have noble youths for thy companions henceforth he cried, then learning that becometh thy rank". But though Lionel played with the noble youths, & delighted in the books they brought him, he never forgot the gentle Irene, but saw her in his dreams growing always more lovely. And the thought of her made him so happy, that when he grew up, & his friends said to him, "Wilt thou marry the high born Clothilda or the wealthy Margery, he said scornfully, "none but the gentle Irene shall be the bride of Sir Lionel; then his friends laughed & called him a fool; but he hastened to his Castle, & wandered through the grove, hoping to find the beautiful garden. But he wandered in vain, he found nothing but the grove & his own broad lands; then he threw himself & mourned bitterly, till the ancient woman appeared before him. Sir Lionel knelt jofully at her feet, & cried out where is the beautiful garden, where is the lovely Irene, I cannot live without the divine Maiden, but the ancient woman spoke mournfully, "thou cans't not find her, an evil tyrant has imprisoned the maiden & a powerful spell has hidden the beautiful Irene from the eyes of men." The Lionel sprang up fiercely and cried "I will kill the tyrant, I will break the spell, my strong arms shall burst the bolts, and my sword cleave the walls of his fortress, I will search through earth and ocean, til I find the last one, and she reign in beauty over all her 'enemies!' The Sir Lionel knelt down under the broad blue sky, & made a vow never to rest or sheathe his sword, till he had found Irene and conquer'd the tyrant who oppressed her. The ancient woman laid her hand on his head & blessed him, he rose with wonderful strength & courage, & hastened back to his castle. This therefore was the way in which the love of Sir Lionel had arisen, and in fulfilment of this vow, his fiery charger with ringing hoof, bore him shouting defiance from the castle of his ancestors. — In the midst of the wide lonely sea, stood a pile of steep black rocks, covered with sea weed and shell fish; on the top was built the mighty castle of the tyrant, and he seated in the loftiest tower, surrounded by magic mirrors, he looked over the whole wide earth, and wove evil spells for their destruction. Then he beheld the noble Knight, Sir Lionel galoping on his fiery charger, and he laughed aloud at the sight. " Thinketh thou brave Knight, that the mighty tyrant can be conquered by thee; that thou alone can subdue my thousand vassals, and scale my strong fortress! Come on blind fool, I will quench the fire of thy bright eye, and weaken thy strong arm; thou shalt forget the beautiful Irene, and own my powerBit of verse by Dr. Eliz. Far away oer mountain & dell Is a sunny spot by the elves loved well The grasses greener the flowers more gay The sun shines upon it with brighter ray And the streamlets that flash in their dancing mirth Seen more sparkling clear than the waters of earth. Tis an emerald gem in the desert of land That stretches around upon either hand And more than mortal it well may seem For tis guarded by many a fairy spell and well the desert rovers deem That there human being ner may dwell.