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thor of the following pages that a deeper interest, as well as a stronger colour of nationality might be imparted to the scenes in which she has feebly attempted "to describe high passions and high actions; " by connecting a religious feeling with the patriotism and high-minded loyality which had thus been proved "faithful unto death," and by surrounding her ideal dramatis persona with recollections derived from the heroic legends of Spanish chivalry. She has, for this reason, employed the agency of imaginary characters, and fixed upon "Valencia del Cid" as the scene to give them

"A local habitation and a name."

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THE SIEGE OF VALENCIA.

SCENE I.

Room in a Palace of Valencia.

XIMENA singing to a Lute.

BALLAD.

"THOU hast not been with a festal throng,
At the pouring of the wine;
Men bear not from the Hall of Song,

A mien so dark as thine!

-There's blood upon thy shield,

There's dust upon thy plume,

-Thou hast brought, from some disastrous field, That brow of wrath and gloom!"

"And is there blood upon my shield?

-Maiden! it well may be !

We have sent the streams from our battle-field,

All darken'd to the sea!

We have given the founts a stain,
'Midst their woods of ancient pine;
And the ground is wet-but not with rain,
Deep-dyed-but not with wine!

"The ground is wet-but not with rain-
We have been in war array,

And the noblest blood of Christian Spain
Hath bathed her soil to-day.

I have seen the strong man die,
And the stripling meet his fate,
Where the mountain-winds go sounding by,
In the Roncesvalles' Strait.

"In the gloomy Roncesvalles' Strait
There are helms and lances cleft;
And they that mov'd at morn elate
On a bed of heath are left!

There's many a fair young face,
Which the war steed hath gone o'er;
At many a board there is kept a place

For those that come no more!"

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