‘——till the world held naught
Save the one being to my centred thought,’
was taken away from her for ever—to see him, if but for a moment—to speak with him only once again!
As the crisis of interest approaches, the variety given by alternate rhymes to the heroic measure in which the tale was written, is wisely laid aside, and it proceeds with a resistless energy—
‘Hast thou been told, that from the viewless bourne
The dark way never hath allow’d return?’ etc.
“The conclusion of this fine poem is far from fulfilling the promise of its commencement; but it was impossible to imagine any events, or give utterance to any feelings, succeeding those so awful and exciting, which should not appear feeble, and vague, and exhausted. Mrs Hemans would sometimes regret that she had not bestowed more labour upon the close of her work: this, it is true, might have been more carefully elaborated, but, from the nature of her subject, I doubt the possibility of its having been substantially improved.”—Chorley’s Memorials of Mrs Hemans, p. 101-5.]