I looked far back into other years, and lo! in bright array

I saw, as in a dream, the forms of ages passed away.

It was a stately convent with its old and lofty walls,

And gardens with their broad green walks, where soft the footstep falls;

And o'er the antique dial-stone the creeping shadow passed,

And, all around, the noon-day sun a drowsy radiance cast.

No sound of busy life was heard, save from the cloister dim

The tinkling of the silver bell, or the sisters' holy hymn.

And there five noble maidens sat beneath the orchard trees,

In that first budding spring of youth when all its prospects please;

And little recked they, when they sang, or knelt at vesper prayers,

That Scotland knew no prouder names—held none more dear than theirs; —

And little even the loveliest thought, before the holy shrine,

Of royal blood and high descent from the ancient Stuart line:

Calmly her happy days flew on, uncounted in their flight;

And as they flow, they left behind a long-continuing light.

The scene was changed.It was the court,the gay court of Bourbon,

And 'neath a thousand silver lamps a thousand courtiers throng

And proudly kindles Henry's eye—well pleased, I ween, to see

The land assemble all its wealth of grace and chivalry:—

But fairer far than all the rest who bask on Fortune's tide,

Effulgent in the light of youth, is she, the new-made bride!

The homage of a thousand hearts—the fond, deep love of one—

The hopes that dance around a life whose charms are but begun, —

They lighten up her chestnut eye, they mantle o'er her cheek,

They sparkle on her open brow, and high-souled joy bespeak:

Ah! who shall blame, if scarce that day, through all its brilliant hours,

She thought of that quiet convent's calm, its sunshine and its flowers?

The scene was changed.It was a bark that slowly held its way,

And o'er its lee the coast of France in the light of evening lay;

And on its deck a Lady sat, who gazed with tearful eye

Upon the fast receding hills, that dim and distant rise.

No marvel that the Lady wept, —there was no land on earth

She loved like that dear land, although she owed it not her birth;

It was her mother's land, the land of childhood and of friends, —

It was the land where she had found for all her griefs amends, —

The land where her dead husband slept—the land where she had known

The tranquil convent's hushed repose, and the splendours of a throne;

No marvel that the Lady wept—it was the land of France—

The chosen home of chivalry—the garden of romance!

The past was bright, like those dear hills so far behind her bark;

The future, like the gathering night, was ominous and dark!

One gaze again—one long, last gaze—“Adieu, fair France to thee!”

The breeze comes forth—she is alone on the unconscious sea!

The scene was changed.It was an eve of raw and surly mood,

And in a turret-chamber high of ancient Holyrood

Sat Mary, listening to the rain, and sighing with the winds,

That seemed to suit the stormy state of men's uncertain minds.

The touch of care had blanched her cheek—her smile was sadder now:

The weight of royalty had pressed too heavy on her brow;

And traitors to her councils came, and rebels to the field; —

The Stuart sceptre well she swayed,but the sword she could not wield.

She thought of all her blighted hopes—the dreams of youth's brief day,

And summoned Rizzio with his lute, and bade the minstrel play

The songs she loved in early years—the songs of gay Navarre;

The songs perchance that erst were sung by gallant Chatelar:

They half beguiled her of her cares, they soothed her into smiles,

They won her thoughts from bigot zeal and fierce domestic broils:

But hark! the tramp of armed men! the Douglas' battle-cry

They come! —they come! —and lo! the scowl of Ruthven's hollow eye!

And swords are drawn,and daggers gleam,and tears and words are vain—

The ruffian steel is in his heart—the faithful Rizzio's slain!

Then Mary Stuart dashed aside the tears that trickling fell:

“Now for my father's arm!” she said; —“my woman's heart farewell!”

The scene was changed.It was a lake,with one small lonely isle;

And there, within the prison-walls of its baronial pile,

Stem men stood menacing their Queen, till she should stoop to sign

The traitorous scroll that snatched the crown from her ancestral line.

“My lords! —my lords!” the captive said, “were I but once more free,

With ten good knights on yonder shore to aid my cause and me,

That parchment would I scatter wide to every breeze that blows,

And once more reign a Stuart Queen o'er my remorseless foes!”

A red spot burned upon her cheek—streamed her rich tresses down;

She wrote the words—she stood erect—a Queen without a crown!

The scene was changed.A royal host a royal banner bore.

And the faithful of the land stood round their smiling Queen once more.

She stayed her steed upon a hill—she saw them marching by—

She heard their shouts—she read success in every flashing eye.

The tumult of the strife begins—it roars—it dies away;

And Mary's troops and banners now, and courtiers—where are they?

Scattered and strewn, and flying far, defenceless and undone; —

Alas! to think what she has lost, and all that guilt has won! —

Away! away! thy gallant steed must act no laggard's part;

Yet vain his speed—for thou dost bear the arrow in thy heart!

The scene was changed.Beside the block a sullen headsman stood,

And gleamed the broad axe in his hand, that soon must drip with blood.

With slow and steady step there came a Lady through the hall,

And breathless silence chained the lips and touched the hearts of all.

I knew that queenly form again, though blighted was its bloom;

I saw that grief had decked it out—an offering for the tomb!

I knew the eye, though faint its light, that once so brightly shone;

I knew the voice, though feeble now, that thrilled with every tone;

I knew the ringlets, almost gray, once threads of living gold!

I knew that bounding grace of step—that symmetry of mould!

Even now I see her far away, in that calm convent isle,

I hear her chant her vesper-hymn, I mark her holy smile, —

Even now I see her bursting forth upon the bridal morn,

A new star in the firmament, to light and glory born!

Alas, the change! —she placed her foot upon a triple throne,

And on the scaffold now she stands—beside the block—alone

The little dog that licks her hand, the last of all the crowd

Who sunned themselves beneath her glance and round her footsteps bowed!

Her neck is bared—the blow is struck—the soul is passed away!

The bright, the beautiful, is now—a bleeding piece of clay!

The dog is moaning piteously; and, as it gurgles o'er,

Laps the warm blood that trickling runs unheeded to the floor

The blood of beauty, wealth, and power—the heart-blood of a Queen, —

The noblest of the Stuart race—the fairest earth has seen, —

Lapped by a dog! Go think of it, in silence and alone;

Then weigh against a grain of sand the glories of a throne!

—HENRY GLASSFORD BELL

Words

antique,old-fashioned.

beguiled,cheated.

bespeak,betoken.

blanched,made pale.

blighted withered.

cloister,convent.

courtiers,nobles.

defenseless,unprotected.

descent,lineage.

effulgent,splendid.

faithful,loyal.

firmament,heavens.

gleamed,flashed.

headsman,executioner.

homage,reverence.

laggard,loiterer.

lapped,licked.

marvel,wonder.

menacing,threatening.

minstrel,songster.

ominous,portentous.

pertinent,scroll.

piteously,mournfully.

receding,retiring.

remorseless,pitiless.

ruffian,cruel.

stately,majestic.

seminary,regularity.

traitorous,treacherous.

tranquil,peaceful.

tumult,uproar.

unconscious,insensible.

unheeded,disregarded.

我回頭向遙遠的過去望去，哦！在明亮的光輝中，

我看見，年歲逝去的樣子，就像在夢里一般。

那是一座莊嚴的修道院，它的墻壁古老而高貴，

而花園里寬闊的綠色的路，上面有輕柔的腳步踏過；

那年代久遠的刻度盤石頭上，有讓人害怕的影子經過，

周遭的一切，都被中午的太陽投上一種昏昏欲睡的光彩。

沒有熙熙攘攘的生活的聲響，只有那修道院的晦暗，

銀鈴子的清脆聲，或是修女們的圣歌的哼唱。

有五位高貴的女子正端坐在果樹下，

在那花骨朵萌生青春的春季里，所有的一切都令人愜意，

蘇格蘭人知道的最高貴的名字——沒有人的名字比她們的更高貴了；

在這神圣的神殿前，甚至幾乎沒有聽到過，

關于皇家血脈和從古老的斯圖爾特一脈而衍生高貴后代的最美好的想法：

她幸福的時光靜靜地倏忽而去，如同白駒過隙一般；

隨著它們的流逝，留下了一道久久持續的光。

（場景轉換。）宮廷里，在位于波旁王朝歡快的宮廷里，

一千盞銀色的宮燈下站立著一千個朝臣，

燈光照亮了亨利的眼睛——我想，能看到他，非常滿意的神色，

地上聚集的全是高貴的淑女和勇猛的騎士，

但比所有的人更高貴的則是那在財富的浪濤中沐浴，

在青春的光輝中燦爛的，她，那位新娘！

千萬人的效忠尊崇——對一個人的喜歡和深深愛戴，

認為在一個魅力即將綻放的生命身旁跳舞的希冀，

它們照亮了她那栗子色的眸子，照耀在她的臉頰上，

在她那舒展的眉毛上閃亮，訴說著滿心的歡喜：

啊！如果僅僅在那天，在那么多的美好時光之后，她還想著

在修道院的安靜時光，那里的陽光和花朵，那么應該責怪于誰？

（場景轉換。）犬吠聲慢慢地從路上傳來，

在那位于法蘭西海岸邊的路的庇蔭處，在傍晚的光線下，

有一位小姐坐在露天臺上，眼含熱淚凝望著那快速退去的群山，隱約閃現。

難怪這位小姐啜泣，世界上沒有一片土地像這片土地一樣，

讓她如此摯愛，雖然它不僅是她的出生地；

這是她母親的土地，她童年時光和朋友的土地，

這是她所有的憂傷得到療養的地方，

在這片土地上，她親愛的丈夫長眠于世了。這片她曾經了解的土地，

安靜的修道院悄無聲息，王冠光輝閃耀；

難怪這位小姐啜泣，這是法蘭西的土地，

騎士選定的家園——浪漫的花園！

過往的歲月都明亮起來，就像那些退到她身后的親愛的山巒；

而未來，則像烏云密布的夜晚，透著不祥和黑暗的色彩！

再凝望一眼——那長長的，最后的凝望——“永別了，我親愛的法蘭西！”

微風吹拂，她獨自一人漂泊在無意識的大海！

（場景轉換。）這是滿懷原始而堅決的心意的前夕，

在古老的霍利魯德的高高的炮塔樓室里，

瑪麗坐在那里，聽著雨的聲響，合著風嘆著氣，

這似乎和暴風雨天氣下人們不確信的心情相契合。

關懷的撫摸讓她的雙頰發白——她的微笑變得更悲傷了，

此時此刻，

皇室的重擔向她的雙眉壓得太重，

還有背叛她的議會的叛徒以及國家的叛亂者。

她很好地揮動著斯圖爾特的王權，但卻不能揮動寶劍。

她想到所有那些自己枯萎的希望——年少時無憂無慮的日子做得白日夢，

她把里茲奧召喚到身邊，讓他帶上自己的彈詩琴，吟唱詩歌，

她早年摯愛的那些歌曲——那些歡快的納瓦拉的歌曲；

在往昔，那些歌曲偶爾會被勇敢的夏特利爾吟唱，

他們半哄著她讓她能照拂自己，他們安撫她讓她微笑，

他們因著那偏執的熱情和強烈的國內的如火如荼的情形中贏得了她的心：

然而請聽，武裝的人踩踏過的聲音！道格拉斯的戰場上嚎叫的聲音！

他們來了！——他們來了！——哦！盧思文空洞的眼睛中的愁容！

劍已經出鞘，匕首在閃亮，淚水和話語都是多余的，

惡棍般的鋼鐵已經插入他的心臟——忠貞的里茲奧被殺害了！

瑪麗斯圖爾特熱淚盈眶而潸然淚下：

“為了我父親的左膀右臂，我的心之所屬，永別了！”

（場景轉換。）這是一個中間有座孤島的湖泊，

那里，在男爵的監獄高墻內，

壯碩的男人站立著恐嚇他們的女王，直到她妥協簽字，

叛亂者把她從世代的王位上拽了下來。

“上帝啊！——上帝啊！”被俘虜的女王喊道，“如果我能重獲自由，

身邊有十位好騎士在那邊的海岸幫助我的事業和我，

我會把羊皮紙到處揮舞，揮舞到每一陣吹拂著的風中，

如果我能重新成為斯圖爾特的女王，居于我那無情的敵人之上！”

一個紅點灼在她臉頰上——順著她高貴的頭發向下流動；

她把這些話寫下——站直了身子——就是一個無冕的女王！

（場景轉換。）皇家的人舉著皇家的旗幟。

對國家忠誠的臣子們再一次圍繞在微笑著的女王身邊。

她騎著駿馬在山上，她看見他們向著這邊跋涉，

她聽到他們的喊叫聲，她從他們閃動的眼睛中看到了成功的色彩。

騷亂的沖突開始了——它怒吼——它消散；

瑪麗的軍隊和戰旗呢？去那兒了？

散落在地上，破敗不堪，飄零在遠處，毫無防備抵抗；

啊！想想她失去的東西吧，想想她的愧疚吧！

去了！去了！你的英勇的駿馬一定不會落后；

但是它再快也來不及了，因為你的心臟上中了一箭！

（場景轉換。）在街頭，一個臉色沉郁的人站立著，

他手中是閃亮的寬斧，不久就會滴血。

一位小姐穿過大廳，踏著緩慢而穩重的步子走過去，

所有人的嘴唇像上了鎖鏈一樣閉住呼吸，心臟也無聲地跳動著。

我知道這是女王的架勢，雖然光線晦暗；

我看見憂傷探出頭來，走向墳墓的邀約！

我知道這眼睛，雖然眼神模糊，曾經卻如此閃亮；

我知道這聲音，雖然現在低弱，曾經卻震悚世人；

我知道這指環，幾乎發白，曾經卻是金光熠熠！

甚至現在我看見她就在遠處，在那安靜的修道院的小島上，

我聽到她哼唱著圣歌，我看到她圣潔的笑容，

甚至現在我看見她當上新娘的那個早晨，

一顆天空中的新星，耀眼而光明！

啊，一切都變了！她堅持三權為己獨尊，

如今站在了斷頭臺上，就在大街旁邊，獨自一人

小狗舔著她的手，最后的民眾

那些她眼神掃過的人們，她腳邊的人們

對她鞠躬！

她香頸已斷——刀已落下——香消玉殞！

那曾閃耀的美麗的人兒現在成了滴血的一攤泥土！

狗發出可憐的呻吟聲，當它叫著，

跪在那滴滴答答在地上彌散著的溫暖鮮血里，

那美麗的，擁有財富和權勢的人兒的血，世間曾經的最美麗的人兒，

居然被一只狗朝跪！安靜想想吧，獨自想想吧，

王座的光榮最終敵不過一抔塵土的力量！

——亨利·格拉斯福德·貝爾