Es The Smoke, "Midmost To Cheer His Mantuans Onward Drown "His Colleague Ecelin'S Clamour, Up And Down "The Disarray: Failed Adelaide See Then "Who Was The Natural Chief, The Man Of Men? "Outstripping Time, Her Infant There Burst Swathe, "Stood Up With Eyes Haggard Beyond The Scathe "From Wandering After His Heritage "Lost Once And Lost For Aye: And Why That Rage, "That Deprecating Glance? A New Shape Leant "On A Familiar Shape Gloatingly Bent "O'Er His Discomfiture; 'Mid Wreaths It Wore, "Still One Outflamed The Rest Her Child'S Before "'T Was Salinguerra'S For His Child: Scorn, Hate, "Rage Now Might Startle Her When All Too Late! "Then Was The Moment! Rival'S Foot Had Spurned "Never That House To Earth Else! Sense Returned "The Act Conceived, Adventured And Complete, "They Bore Away To An Obscure Retreat "Mother And Child Retrude'S Self Not Slain" (Nor Even Here Taurello Moved) "Though Pain "Was Fled; And What Assured Them Most 'T Was Fled, "All Pain, Was, If They Raised The Pale Hushed Head "'T Would Turn This Way And That, Waver Awhile, "And Only Settle Into Its Old Smile "(Graceful As The Disquieted Water-Flag "Steadying Itself, Remarked They, In The Quag "On Either Side Their Path) When Suffered Look "Down On Her Child. They Marched: No Sign Once Shook "The Company'S Close Litter Of Crossed Spears "Till, As They Reached Goito, A Few Tears "Slipped In The Sunset From Her Long Black Lash, "And She Was Gone. So Far The Action Rash; "No Crime. They Laid Retrude In The Font, "Taurello'S Very Gift, Her Child Was Wont "To Sit Beneath Constant As Eve He Came "To Sit By Its Attendant Girls The Same "As One Of Them. For Palma, She Would Blend "With This Magnific Spirit To The End, "That Ruled Her First; But Scarcely Had She Dared "To Disobey The Adelaide Who Scared "Her Into Vowing Never To Disclose "A Secret To Her Husband, Which So Froze "His Blood At Half-Recital, She Contrived "To Hide From Him Taurello'S Infant Lived, "Lest, By Revealing That, Himself Should Mar "Romano'S Fortunes. And, A Crime So Far, "Palma Received That Action: She Was Told "Of Salinguerra'S Nature, Of His Cold "Calm Acquiescence In His Lot! But Free "To Impart The Secret To Romano, She "Engaged To Repossess Sordello Of "His Heritage, And Hers, And That Way Doff "The Mask, But After Years, Long Years: While Now, "Was Not Romano'S Sign-Mark On That Brow?" Across Taurello'S Heart His Arms Were Locked: And When He Did Speak 'T Was As If He Mocked The Minstrel, "Who Had Not To Move," He Said, "Nor Stir Should Fate Defraud Him Of A Shred "Of His Son'S Infancy? Much Less His Youth!" (Laughingly All This) "Which To Aid, In Truth, "Himself, Reserved On Purpose, Had Not Grown "Old, Not Too Old 'T Was Best They Kept Alone "Till Now, And Never Idly Met Till Now;" Then, In The Same Breath, Told Sordello How All Intimations Of This Eve'S Event Were Lies, For Friedrich Must Advance To Trent, Thence To Verona, Then To Rome, There Stop, Tumble The Church Down, Institute A-Top The Alps A Prefecture Of Lombardy: "That 'S Now! No Prophesying What May Be "Anon, With A New Monarch Of The Clime, "Native Of Gesi, Passing His Youth'S Prime "At Naples. Tito Bids My Choice Decide "On Whom . . ." "Embrace Him, Madman!" Palma Cried, Who Through The Laugh Saw Sweat-Drops Burst Apace, And His Lips Blanching: He Did Not Embrace Sordello, But He Laid Sordello'S Hand On His Own Eyes, Mouth, Forehead. Understand, This While Sordello Was Becoming Flushed Out Of His Whiteness; Thoughts Rushed, Fancies Rushed; He Pressed His Hand Upon His Head And Signed Both Should Forbear Him. "Nay, The Best 'S Behind!" Taurello Laughed Not Quite With The Same Laugh: "The Truth Is, Thus We Scatter, Ay, Like Chaff "These Guelfs, A Despicable Monk Recoils "From: Nor Expect A Fickle Kaiser Spoils "Our Triumph! Friedrich? Think You, I Intend "Friedrich Shall Reap The Fruits Of Blood I Spend "And Brain I Waste? Think You, The People Clap "Their Hands At My Out-Hewing This Wild Gap "For Any Friedrich To Fill Up? 'T Is Mine "That 'S Yours: I Tell You, Towards Some Such Design "Have I Worked Blindly, Yes, And Idly, Yes, "And For Another, Yes But Worked No Less "With Instinct At My Heart; I Else Had Swerved, "While Now Look Round! My Cunning Has Preserved "Samminiato That 'S A Central Place "Secures Us Florence, Boy, In Pisa'S Case. "By Land As She By Sea; With Pisa Ours, "And Florence, And Pistoia, One Devours "The Land At Leisure! Gloriously Dispersed "Brescia, Observe, Milan, Piacenza First "That Flanked Us (Ah, You Know Not!) In The March; "On These We Pile, As Keystone Of Our Arch, "Romagna And Bologna, Whose First Span "Covered The Trentine And The Valsugan; "Sofia'S Egna By Bolgiano 'S Sure!" . . . So He Proceeded: Half Of All This, Pure Delusion, Doubtless, Nor The Rest Too True, But What Was Undone He Felt Sure To Do, As Ring By Ring He Wrung Off, Flung Away The Pauldron-Rings To Give His Sword-Arm Play Need Of The Sword Now! That Would Soon Adjust Aught Wrong At Present; To The Sword Intrust Sordello'S Whiteness, Undersize: 'T Was Plain He Hardly Rendered Right To His Own Brain Like A Brave Hound, Men Educate To Pride Himself On Speed Or Scent Nor Aught Beside, As Though He Could Not, Gift By Gift, Match Men! Palma Had Listened Patiently: But When 'T Was Time Expostulate, Attempt Withdraw Taurello From His Child, She, Without Awe Took Off His Iron Arms From, One By One, Sordello'S Shrinking Shoulders, And, That Done, Made Him Avert His Visage And Relieve Sordello (You Might See His Corslet Heave The While) Who, Loose, Rose Tried To Speak, Then Sank: They Left Him In The Chamber. All Was Blank. And Even Reeling Down The Narrow Stair Taurello Kept Up, As Though Unaware Palma Was By To Guide Him, The Old Device Something Of Milan "How We Muster Thrice "The Torriani'S Strength There; All Along "Our Own Visconti Cowed Them" Thus The Song Continued Even While She Bade Him Stoop, Thrid Somehow, By Some Glimpse Of Arrow-Loop, The Turnings To The Gallery Below, Where He Stopped Short As Palma Let Him Go. When He Had Sat In Silence Long Enough Splintering The Stone Bench, Braving A Rebuff She Stopped The Truncheon; Only To Commence One Of Sordello'S Poems, A Pretence For Speaking, Some Poor Rhyme Of "Elys' Hair "And Head That 'S Sharp And Perfect Like A Pear, "So Smooth And Close Are Laid The Few Fine Locks "Stained Like Pale Honey Oozed From Topmost Rocks "Sun-Blanched The Livelong Summer" From His Worst Performance, The Goito, As His First: And That At End, Conceiving From The Brow And Open Mouth No Silence Would Serve Now, Went On To Say The Whole World Loved That Man And, For That Matter, Thought His Face, Tho' Wan, Eclipsed The Count'S He Sucking In Each Phrase As If An Angel Spoke. The Foolish Praise Ended, He Drew Her On His Mailed Knees, Made Her Face A Framework With His Hands, A Shade, A Crown, An Aureole: There Must She Remain (Her Little Mouth Compressed With Smiling Pain As In His Gloves She Felt Her Tresses Twitch) To Get The Best Look At, In Fittest Niche Dispose His Saint. That Done, He Kissed Her Brow, "Lauded Her Father For His Treason Now," He Told Her, "Only, How Could One Suspect "The Wit In Him? Whose Clansman, Recollect, `Was Ever Salinguerra She, The Same, "Romano And His Lady So, Might Claim "To Know All, As She Should" And Thus Begun Schemes With A Vengeance, Schemes On Schemes, "Not One "Fit To Be Told That Foolish Boy," He Said, "But Only Let Sordello Palma Wed, " Then!" 'T Was A Dim Long Narrow Place At Best: Midway A Sole Grate Showed The Fiery West, As Shows Its Corpse The World'S End Some Split Tomb A Gloom, A Rift Of Fire, Another Gloom, Faced Palma But At Length Taurello Set Her Free; The Grating Held One Ragged Jet Of Fierce Gold Fire: He Lifted Her Within The Hollow Underneath How Else Begin Fate'S Second Marvellous Cycle, Else Renew The Ages Than With Palma Plain In View? Then Paced The Passage, Hands Clenched, Head Erect, Pursuing His Discourse; A Grand Unchecked Monotony Made Out From His Quick Talk And The Recurring Noises Of His Walk; Somewhat Too Much Like The O'Ercharged Assent Of Two Resolved Friends In One Danger Blent, Who Hearten Each The Other Against Heart; Boasting There 'S Nought To Care For, When, Apart The Boaster, All 'S To Care For. He, Beside Some Shape Not Visible, In Power And Pride Approached, Out Of The Dark, Ginglingly Near, Nearer, Passed Close In The Broad Light, His Ear Crimson, Eyeballs Suffused, Temples Full-Fraught, Just A Snatch Of The Rapid Speech You Caught, And On He Strode Into The Opposite Dark, Till Presently The Harsh Heel'S Turn, A Spark I' The Stone, And Whirl Of Some Loose Embossed Throng That Crashed Against The Angle Aye So Long After The Last, Punctual To An Amount Of Mailed Great Paces You Could Not But Count, Prepared You For The Pacing Back Again. And By The Snatches You Might Ascertain That, Friedrich'S Prefecture Surmounted, Left By This Alone In Italy, They Cleft Asunder, Crushed Together, At Command Of None, Were Free To Break Up Hildebrand, Rebuild, He And Sordello, Charlemagne But Garnished, Strength With Knowledge, "If We Deign "Accept That Compromise And Stoop To Give "Rome Law, The C?Sar'S Representative." Enough, That The Illimitable Flood Of Triumphs After Triumphs, Understood In Its Faint Reflux (You Shall Hear) Sufficed Young Ecelin For Appanage, Enticed Him On Till, These Long Quiet In Their Graves, He Found 'T Was Looked For That A Whole Life'S Braves Should Somehow Be Made Good; So, Weak And Worn, Must Stagger Up At Milan, One Grey Morn Of The To-Come, And Fight His Latest Fight. But, Salinguerra'S Prophecy At Height He Voluble With A Raised Arm And Stiff, A Blaring Voice, A Blazing Eye, As If He Had Our Very Italy To Keep Or Cast Away, Or Gather In A Heap To Garrison The Better Ay, His Word Was, "Run The Cucumber Into A Gourd, "Drive Trent Upon Apulia" At Their Pitch Who Spied The Continents And Islands Which Grew Mulberry Leaves And Sickles, In The Map (Strange That Three Such Confessions So Should Hap To Palma, Dante Spoke With In The Clear Amorous Silence Of The Swooning-Sphere, Cunizza, As He Called Her! Never Ask Of Palma More! She Sat, Knowing Her Task Was Done, The Labour Of It, For, Success Concerned Not Palma, Passion'S Votaress.) Triumph At Neight, And Thus Sordello Crowned Above The Passage Suddenly A Sound Stops Speech, Stops Walk: Back Shrinks Taurello, Bids With Large Involuntary Asking Lids, Palma Interpret. "'T Is His Own Foot-Stamp "Your Hand! His Summons! Nay, This Idle Damp "Befits Not!" Out They Two Reeled Dizzily. "Visconti 'S Strong At Milan," Resumed He, In The Old, Somewhat Insignificant Way (Was Palma Wont, Years Afterward, To Say) As Though The Spirit'S Flight, Sustained Thus Far, Dropped At That Very Instant. Gone They Are Palma, Taurello; Eglamor Anon, Ecelin, Only Naddo 'S Never Gone! Labours, This Moonrise, What The Master Meant: "Is Squarcialupo Speckled? Purulent, "I 'D Say, But When Was Providence Put Out? "He Carries Somehow Handily About "His Spite Nor Fouls Himself!" Goito'S Vines Stand Like A Cheat Detected Stark Rough Lines, The Moon Breaks Through, A Grey Mean Scale Against The Vault Where, This Eve'S Maiden, Thou Remain'St Like Some Fresh Martyr, Eyes Fixed Who Can Tell? As Heaven, Now All 'S At End, Did Not So Well, Spite Of The Faith And Victory, To Leave Its Virgin Quite To Death In The Lone Eve. While The Persisting Hermit-Bee . . . Ha! Wait No Longer: These In Compass, Forward Fate!