imatatio

The Girl and The Vampyre

Part I

In the dark of night, she lies awake

And dreams of whom she wished to wed

Whom yesterday his life did take

And sleeps now in an earthly bed.

The moon is new, the village dim

The room is silent, save for breath

Swathed in bed, the maiden weeps

And yet the room is still as death.

The moon is new, the girl alone

Under cover she weeps and moans,

For her love, who's cold as stone.

At the door- a quiet rap!

The maiden wakes to see who taps-

Alone she sleeps, in an empty room

Though night makes it seem like a tomb.

She hastens up, she rushes there

To see who’s knocks ring in her ear.

The knock persists, it’s growing loud,

The maiden’s heart beats loud in fear-

She opens the door, and in shadows shroud,

There she sees the vampyre!

His face is wan, his body thin,

Dark, gleaming eyes reflect the night

His mouth spreads to a toothy grin.

And give the girl an awful fright

And yet in ghoulish ferity,

He bears familiarity-

Alas! He bears her lover’s face

He, daring, sweetly said,

Dear, grant me entrance to thy place

And let me join thy bed!

How could she refuse the pleas,

Of her lover, once deceased?

She bid him enter to her bed

And laid him on the down of dove

She bade him softly stroke her head

And to him made sweet and youthful love.

Before the crowing of the cock

The maiden wakes, and to her sweet

A single woolen thread she smocks.

For yesterday, whom did she meet?

The village crone, who told her such:

Beware! For your love soon returns

Though not the same as he once was.

Pursue him to his shadowed dern,

And learn what he has now become!

The vampyre wakes, to her he says,

My love, I flee by coming day

Tonight, I shall return again

And join you in your body bain

Swiftly, then, he disappeared

And by day the maiden walks

The thread-trail to her lover’s bier.

Lo! To the grave her thread does lead

Where do rest the sleeping dead!

From the grave-yard, she does flee

And finds refuge in her home

Though by night, return does she

To the graveyard, all alone.

The night is dark, the chill is harsh

And yet, as still as night can be

The maiden treks through mud and marsh

And hides behind an old oak tree

Across the way, a rust’ling sound,

She hears it, neither soft nor loud

But what could such frightful noise be?

She peers beyond the old oak tree-

Behold! The horror! Oh, the fright!

Tis her lover, in the night!

He rises from his earthly bed

Through rows of graves he does stalk

And spies upon the sleeping dead

He glides so swiftly, like a hawk

And then- oh, Maiden, shield thine eyes!

Witness not his grisly rise!

She gasps in fright, her heart pounds fast

Her bosom heaves with shaky breath

When horrid noises end at last

The churchyard falls in silent death

The frightened maiden dares to peek

Around the shade of the old oak tree,

She smothers down a ghastly shriek

As she watches her love begin to flee!

Where does he run?

Through milky darkness the girl gives chase

And follows her strange, silent love

Strange shadows filled the empty place

The new moon dully shines above

She dares not speak a single phrase

And in shadows frighteningly raised

The village seems more like a maze.

Flee, young maiden! Flee the dead!

She climbs in through the windowbed

And burrows between bed and floor-

Alas! The tapping at the door-

She burrows deeper under quilts

His voice so softly, sweetly lilts,

Oh let me in, oh love of mine!

Oh love, what saw you this nighttime?

With fear and caution, sayeth she:

Asleep I was, asleep in bed

Nothing I saw, but the dark of sleep

No empty graves, no sleeping dead.

Nothing I know, nothing I’ve seen,

So won’t you let me sleep in peace?

You lie! The vampyre doth cry

Speak truth, or see thy father die!

Though the maiden wished to weep,

She calmed her breath and feigned want of sleep.

What can she tell, that she not knows?

And thus in quiet voice she spake:

Then let him be meal for the crows

If I lie, may his life you take.

Then, he shall die, the vampyre said

Though his anger burned him red

He bode her, meet again tomorrow night

Then disappeared without a sight

Away he went, without a word,

And through the night, the maiden stirred

Dawn came again, and warmed the mire

All stirred but the maiden’s sire.

At his ghastly sight her mother shrieked

The maiden willed herself not to weep

For she knew the truth her lover spoke:

Dawn came, and her father’s life it took.

In short time, the priest arrived

And said over the dead the proper rites.

They took his body to the church,

And laid him in the cold, dead earth.

Day to dark night does turn

And by shadow the vampyre returns

The maiden doth not dare to flee

She sits and waits so nervously

From shadows he steps into a shaft

Of moonlight clear and pale in hue

His mouth is stained an awful red-

Oh, mercy! Cease this awful dread!

He tossed his head back and sharply laughed--

For all he said had turned out true!

Heed my warning again, maiden

Heed it well, or you shall see

Lest your mother meet her end,

Yesternight, what did you see?

Alas, what could the maiden do?

When lies had caused her father’s demise?

Yet again she knew she must speak lies,

Lest the vampyre eat her too.

In sullen, broken voice she weeps:

I was in my bed, asleep!

Nothing I’ve seen, nothing I know

So won’t you let me grieve alone?

The vampyre reminds:

Know, if you lie, your mother dies

So pray it is the truth you tell

If not, by sound of morning bells

You’ll find her sleeping dead

In the softness of her bed.

With no more words of grief or fear

He smiled once more, then disappeared.

Come the morn, the maiden found

Her mother dead as if in sleep

She rested her in earthy ground

And to the heavens, she did weep:

Mary, mother, here my cry!

Am I, too, fated to only die?

What sins must I have done,

To have this sorry fate I’ve won

Across the churchyard-- a quiet sound

Tis the old, wise village crone!

The maiden rises from the ground

And with teary eyes she moans:

Tonight the vampyre takes my life

Just as my father and his wife;

Tell me, crone, what must I do

To keep myself from dying, too?

So the old crone did say:

Write such steps into your will

If you should die the coming day

Be buried upon the tallest hill

Within the forest dark and deep

Move not your body by the road

But across the fields of cows and sheep.

Once all these steps have been followed

Exactly here as I have said

The vampyre will be good as dead.

The maiden then went around the town

And told all the she had found

Exactly what the crone had said

To do with her body once she was dead.

So quick across the town night fell

The maiden dressed in her finest coak

And wrapped herself in a warm kell

And at morn, she never woke.

Alas! How her dear friends did mourn

For the maiden, so forlorn

Taken by her lover, the vampyre.

They placed her body upon the bier

And dressed her in wreathes of brier

A procession to the forest near--

There she was buried deep in the mire.

The Conclusion to Part I

Alas, young maiden, so forlorn!

For by her vampyre love was scorned,

He took her family, and her life

All because she dared to lie.

Oh, cruel Vampyre, justly thwarted

By the lady he once courted.

Does he still wander from brook to wood

Preying on the pure and good?

Oh, young maiden, find thy rest

In the silent forest gloom

A winter, then a summer past

And on her grave a flower blooms.

So beautiful, it forever lasts

Never it wilts, never it dies

And for years thrives in solitude

Til comes in spring a stranger’s eyes

To gaze upon the perfect bloom--

Part II

Through the vale goes wandering

A trav’ling prince come from foreign land

The earth is new and freshly green

Above him plays a birdsong grand

He’s come from far to village small

And has heard tales of the maiden’s fall

Through wood he travels to her grave

Past brook and cliff, bower or cave

To pay the maiden his respects

And tend to graves which face neglect.

He came across the highest hill

Upon which sat the maiden’s tomb

He left his horse, he crossed the rill

And there he saw it- the brilliant bloom!

As lovely as spring, as sweet as thyme

Its petals an unfurling flame

To the blossom he does climb

And its beauty is his claim.

The prince then returns to home

And places the flower on his windowsill

Though the palace is dim with gloam

The flower does not mind the chill

In the dark of night it seems to shine

And the prince’s heart weeps and pine-

Oh, blossom, will you not be mine?

Before the prince can turn to bed-

A brilliant flare!

The maiden, return’d from dead

Stands so beautifully there-

Where the blossom once had stood

So lovely in her ladyhood.

To her knees she falls, oh she cries:

Lovely prince, you have saved my life!

And have reversed my own demise

Praise thee, for ending that mortal strife!

The prince was overjoyed at this

The merry sight of such pretty bliss!

He crouched beside the maiden’s shoulder

And swiftly, softly moved to hold her,

In quiet, gentle voice he said:

Come here, maiden, rest thy head

In the morn we shall be wed!

To this the maiden did agree

And they went to sleep peacefully.

By the morn the bells did ring

For the prince’s happy wedding!

Once risen, they to the chapel went

And the village gathered there to see

The two wed so joyously

The maiden smiled in content-

For she reveled in her new safety

Though from the corner of her eye

What sees she in the rafters high?

Tis the vampyre, returned for her life!

The maiden shrieks in awful fright

And clings to her so valiant knight-

Oh, heaven, stop this awful strife!

The vampyre descends to the chapel floor

And all flee out the chapel doors

Save for the maiden, alone at the altar

Her prince’s gaze never fails nor falters

What say you! The prince demands

You may not have my maiden’s hand.

And yet the vampyre only grins

(A smile that’s evil as sin)

He nears them slowly, like a snake

The maiden prays for her prince’s sake--

Though with the vampyre did descend

An image of the savior splendid

Onto the vampyre’s head did it fall

And he turned to dust: blood, bones and all

Once all the dust was cleared away,

They such resumed their wedding day

The maiden and the prince were wed

And lived happily for all their years

With no more grief and no more fear

Of any vengeful dead!

The Conclusion to Part II

Oh, valiant prince! Oh, lovely lady!

Thine love has prevented tragedy!

Love so pure, and so unstrange

From a flower it caused the maiden to change.

The vampyre returned, but now has died

Felled by naught but his own pride.

Oh, joyous day, oh, joyous song!

Love has righted every wrong.

In innocence and kindly bliss

The maiden and the prince do kiss.