Page:Mistral - Mirèio. A Provençal poem.djvu/259

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So prayed the Santen, with tears and strong crying.
Then came the patrons to the maid low-lying,
And breathed a little life into her frame;
So that her wan eyes brightened, and there came
A tender flush of joy her visage over,
At the sweet sight of Vincen bent above her.

"Why love, whence came you? Do you mind, I pray,
A word you said down at the Farm one day,
Walking under the trellis, by my side?
You said, 'If ever any harm betide,
Hie thee right quickly to the holy Saints,
Who cure all ills and hearken all complaints.'

"Dearest, I would you saw my heart this minute,
As in a glass, and all the comfort in it!
Comfort and peace like a full fountain welling
Through all my happy spirit! There's no telling—
A grace beyond my uttermost desires!
Look, Vincen: see you not God's angel-choirs?"

Pausing, she gazed into the deep blue air.
It was as if she could discern up there
Wonderful things hidden from mortal men.
But soon her dreamy speech began again:
"Ah, they are happy, happy souls that soar
Aloft, tethered by flesh to earth no more!