No. I.—THE DAGGER MURDER.
They stand alone on the moonlit spot,—
Sing Ho—ho! and Ha—ha! there!
One is the villain, and one is not,
But the heroine's father.
They stand alone on the patch of light
(Which comes from the left as well as right)—
Oh, 'tis a glorious place and night
For a Murder Scene! Rather!
They talk of deeds (of the parchment kind)—
Sing Ha—ha! and Ho-ho! there!
The heavy father, to reason blind,
Has them with him to show there!
The deeds relate to the old man's will;
The villain wants them to pay a bill!
The night is cold, and the night is still
Let the music be slow there!
They stand alone in the pale-green light—
Sing Hey—hey! and he—he! there!
What is this flashing so keen and bright?
What is this that I see there?
Oh! deed of darkness in light descried!
Oh! villain thrice damn'd that blade to hide,
Right 'tween the arm on the farther side—
Certain death when it be there!
They're still alone on the moonlit spot—
Sing He—he! and Hey—hey! there!
Though one is Standing,[1] and one is not,
For one's cold as the clay there!
The villain covers the dead man's stare—
The corpse lies stiff in the limelight's glare!
The act is done!—and for all I care,
The dead body can stay there!
Footnote 1:[ (return) ]
HERBERT.