And strange to fall upon thy heart, my child;
’Twould tell of dark misfortunes, pain, and wrong,
And wo, that seemed at times to drive me wild,
To make me doubt the path my fathers trod,
And that the poor man had indeed a God!
“But thou, my Ada, true and gentle bride,
Dost thou remember when thy violet eye
Looked first upon ‘Glenoran?’ All untried,
It seemed to thee a Paradise; ah! why
Am I myself its serpent and its bane,