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ELISSA ABELARDO.

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AS inter facras turres, mæstofque receffus
Immoritur ftudiis mens ubi tota piis,

Regnat et alta quies, et non inamabilis horror,
Cur furit in venis tanta procella meis?
Mens mea quo dubiis erroribus acta vagatur ?
Cur iterum vetito pectus amore calet?
Litera Abelardi fopitos fufcitat ignes,

Ofculaque in carum nomen Eliffa premet.
Ah! tacitum nobis nomen fatale maneto!

Ne folitum repetant hæc mea labra fonum!
Corde meo inclufum lateat, quo conditur illa
Effigies una cum cruce mixta Dei.

Id ne fcribe manus! jam nomine charta notatur ;
Delenda eft lacrymis confcia charta meis.
Perdita nequicquam fundo lacrymafque precefque ;
Quicquid cor jubeat, paret agitque manus.

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Relentless walls! whofe darkfome round contains
Repentant fighs, and voluntary pains :

Ye rugged rocks, which holy knees have worn ;
Ye grots and caverns fhagg'd with horrid thorn!
Shrines! where their vigils pale eyed virgins keep,
And pitying faints, whose statues learn to weep!
Though cold like you, unmoved and filent grown,
I have not yet forgot myself to stone.
All is not Heaven's while Abelard has part,
Still rebel nature holds out half my heart;
Nor

prayers nor fafts its stubborn pulse restrain,
Nor tears for ages taught to flow in vain.
Soon as thy letters trembling I unclose,
That well-known name awakens all

my woes.

Oh name for ever fad! for ever dear!

Still breathed in fighs, still usher'd with a tear.
I tremble too, where'er my own I find,
Some dire misfortune follows close behind.

Line after line my gushing eyes o'erflow,
Led through a fad variety of woe :

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O duræ turres! quarum intra moenia plorans
Confugit a culpis impia turba suis ;
Marmora adorantum duplicato poplite trita,

Antra fub implicitis vix adeunda rubis;
Fana, ubi virgineæ pallenti fronte forores
Excubias agitant nocte dieque fuas;
Vofque animæ fanctæ, quarum mærentia figna
Diffluere in lacrymas jam didicere pias;
Quamvis muta, rigens, et eburnea qualis imago,

Non oblita mei fum quoque facta filex.

Partem habet ille mei-me cœlum non habet omnem ;
Dimidium cordis fuccubuiffe negat.

Huic neque longa domant calidos jejunia motus,
Non lacrymæ molles, et fine fine preces.
Protinus ut chartas dextra trepidante recludo
Tota, tuo vifo nomine, cura redit.

O nomen femper mæftum carumque, fonandum
Singultu et lacrymis nomen ab ore meo.
Atque tuo quoties junctum fit nomen Eliffæ
Pone venit gravius fubfequiturque malum.
Fletibus ah quantis oculi fparfere tabellas,

Quot fenfi luctus, quot variafque vices!

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Now warm in love, now withering in my bloom,
Loft in a convent's folitary gloom!

There ftern Religion quench'd th' unwilling flame,
There died the best of paffions, Love and Fame.

Yet write, oh write me all, that I may join
Griefs to thy griefs, and echo fighs to thine.
Nor foes nor fortune take this power away;
And is my Abelard lefs kind than they?

Tears ftill are mine, and thofe I need not spare,
Love but demands what else were shed in prayer ;
No happier task thefe faded eyes pursue;

To read and weep is all they now can do.

Then share thy pain, allow that fad relief;
Ah, more than fhare it, give me all thy grief.

Heaven first taught letters for fome wretch's aid,
Some banish'd lover, or some captive maid;

They live, they speak, they breathe what love inspires,
Warm from the foul, and faithful to its fires,
The virgin's wifh without her fears impart,
Excuse the blush, and pour out all the heart,

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Nunc in amore calens, nunc marcida flore juventæ,
Perditaque in fancto carcere fola

gemo;

Dura ubi Religio prifcos compefcuit ignes,

Et quicquid magnum eft, Famaque Amorque jacet. Omnia quin tu fcribe mihi-fic jungere luctus

Luctibus, et fletus fletibus inde queam.

Talia non hoftes, non fors vetat—an minus illis
Mitis Abelarde es tu, patienfque tuæ ?

Ufque manent lacrymæ, lacrymis nec parcere vellem,
Quafque preces pofcunt, has fibi pofcit amor.

Gratius hoc oculi, nihil hoc felicius optant;
Aut legere, aut flere eft omne dolentis opus.

At

precor,

hæc tantum folatia tristia redde,

Da mihi mærores participare tuos.
A cælo venit fcribendi miffa poteftas

Solamen miferis, triftitiæque comes.
An fuit exul amans, an carcere claufa puella
Cui dederat calamos ingeniofus amor?

Scripta movent animas et fida Cupidinis ignes

Quicquid habet, fpirant; quod velit ille, volunt. Diffimulans cafti vultus pia charta ruborem

Virginis amoto vota timore refert.

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