The Forsaken to the False One.
I dare thee to forget me ! go wander where thou
wilt,1
Thy hand upon the vessel’s helm, or on the sabre’s hilt ;2
Away ! thou’rt free ! o’er land and sea, go rush to danger’s brink !3
But oh, thou canst not fly from thought ! thy curse will be—to think !4
Remember me ! remember all—my long-enduring love,5
That link’d itself to perfidy ; the vulture and the dove !6
Remember in thy utmost need, I never once did shrink,7
But clung to thee confidingly ; thy curse shall be—to think !8
Then go !
that thought will render thee a dastard in the fight,9
That thought when thou art tempest-tost, will fill thee with affright ;10
In some vile dungeon mayst thou lie, and, counting each cold link11
That binds thee to captivity, thy curse shall be—to think !12
Go ! seek the merry banquet-hall, where younger maidens bloom,13
The thought of me shall make thee there endure a deeper gloom ;14
That thought shall turn the festive cup to poison while you drink,15
And while false smiles are on thy cheek, thy curse will be—to think !16
Forget me ! false one, hope it not ! When minstrels touch the string,17
The memory of other days will gall thee while they sing ;18
The airs, I used to love will make thy coward conscience shrink,19
Aye, ev’ry note will have its sting—thy curse will be—to think !20
Forget me ! No, that shall not be ! I’ll haunt thee in thy sleep,21
In dreams thou’lt cling to slimy rocks that overhang the deep ;22
Thou’lt shriek for aid ! my feeble arm shall hurl thee from the brink,23
And when thou wak’st in wild dismay, thy curse will be—to think !24