Whistling while each knot they tie.[1]
Hence away, ye dragons ghostly,
Aspics, ghouls, who plunder mostly
From the crows their fetid prey,
Demons who for souls go seeking,
Monstrous dwarfs with squalor reeking,
Hovering flames o'er tombstones grey.
Don the robe patriarchal
And the belt zodiacal,
On thy fingers rings of gold,
The amice, mitre conical,
The purple scarf, and tunic all
Of scarlet, with its dye twofold.
[Aloud, after a moment's silence.
A peril threatens thee.
Cromwell. What peril?
Manasseh. Death.
If thou? rt determined to be king, my son,
Thy death is sure.
Cromwell.'Tis sure! my death?
Manasseh [placing his finger on Cromwell's heart.
There will the blow be dealt.
Cromwell [putting his hand to his heart.
Here?
- ↑ The following is Hugo's note on this couplet:—
"These unintelligible lines are translated literally from the suras of the Koran against enchanters and magicians. It would seem that they were supposed to possess great virtue, as they were often engraved on amulets. The author was compelled to translate them blindly, and he is the first to declare that he has not the least idea of their meaning.""Et les fileuses centenaires
Qui soufflent en faisant des nœuds.
