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Poema Eloísa A Abelardo - Alexander Pope

Eloisa writes a letter to Abelard expressing her enduring love for him despite their separation after a scandal. She is torn between her earthly love for Abelard and her heavenly calling as a nun. Eloisa finds no peace in her solitary confinement and prays that Abelard will continue writing to her to alleviate her grief and loneliness.
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
261 views5 pages

Poema Eloísa A Abelardo - Alexander Pope

Eloisa writes a letter to Abelard expressing her enduring love for him despite their separation after a scandal. She is torn between her earthly love for Abelard and her heavenly calling as a nun. Eloisa finds no peace in her solitary confinement and prays that Abelard will continue writing to her to alleviate her grief and loneliness.
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Eloisa to Abelard

In these deep solitudes and awful cells,


Where heav'nly-pensive contemplation dwells,
And ever-musing melancholy reigns;
What means this tumult in a vestal's veins?
Why rove my thoughts beyond this last retreat?
Why feels my heart its long-forgotten heat?
Yet, yet I love ! "rom Abelard it came,
And #loisa yet must $iss the name%
&ear fatal name rest ever unreveal'd,
'or pass these lips in holy silence seal'd%
(ide it, my heart, within that close disguise,
Where mi)'d with *od's, his lov'd idea lies+
, write it not, my hand ! the name appears
Already written ! wash it out, my tears
In vain lost #loisa weeps and prays,
(er heart still dictates, and her hand obeys%
-elentless walls whose dar$some round contains
-epentant sighs, and voluntary pains+
Ye rugged roc$s which holy $nees have worn;
Ye grots and caverns shagg'd with horrid thorn
.hrines where their vigils pale-ey'd virgins $eep,
And pitying saints, whose statues learn to weep
/hough cold li$e you, unmov'd, and silent grown,
I have not yet forgot myself to stone%
All is not (eav'n's while Abelard has part,
.till rebel nature holds out half my heart;
'or pray'rs nor fasts its stubborn pulse restrain,
'or tears, for ages, taught to flow in vain%
.oon as thy letters trembling I unclose,
/hat well-$nown name awa$ens all my woes%
,h name for ever sad for ever dear
.till breath'd in sighs, still usher'd with a tear%
I tremble too, where'er my own I find,
.ome dire misfortune follows close behind%
0ine after line my gushing eyes o'erflow,
0ed through a sad variety of woe+
'ow warm in love, now with'ring in thy bloom,
0ost in a convent's solitary gloom
/here stern religion 1uench'd th' unwilling flame,
/here died the best of passions, love and fame%
Yet write, oh write me all, that I may 2oin
*riefs to thy griefs, and echo sighs to thine%
'or foes nor fortune ta$e this pow'r away;
And is my Abelard less $ind than they?
/ears still are mine, and those I need not spare,
0ove but demands what else were shed in pray'r;
'o happier tas$ these faded eyes pursue;
/o read and weep is all they now can do%
/hen share thy pain, allow that sad relief;
Ah, more than share it give me all thy grief%
(eav'n first taught letters for some wretch's aid,
.ome banish'd lover, or some captive maid;
/hey live, they spea$, they breathe what love
inspires,
Warm from the soul, and faithful to its fires,
/he virgin's wish without her fears impart,
#)cuse the blush, and pour out all the heart,
.peed the soft intercourse from soul to soul,
And waft a sigh from Indus to the 3ole%
/hou $now'st how guiltless first I met thy flame,
When 0ove approach'd me under "riendship's
name;
4y fancy form'd thee of angelic $ind,
.ome emanation of th' all-beauteous 4ind%
/hose smiling eyes, attemp'ring ev'ry day,
.hone sweetly lambent with celestial day%
*uiltless I ga5'd; heav'n listen'd while you sung;
And truths divine came mended from that tongue%
"rom lips li$e those what precept fail'd to move?
/oo soon they taught me 'twas no sin to love%
6ac$ through the paths of pleasing sense I ran,
'or wish'd an Angel whom I lov'd a 4an%
&im and remote the 2oys of saints I see;
'or envy them, that heav'n I lose for thee%
(ow oft, when press'd to marriage, have I said,
7urse on all laws but those which love has made
0ove, free as air, at sight of human ties,
.preads his light wings, and in a moment flies,
0et wealth, let honour, wait the wedded dame,
August her deed, and sacred be her fame;
6efore true passion all those views remove,
"ame, wealth, and honour what are you to 0ove?
/he 2ealous *od, when we profane his fires,
/hose restless passions in revenge inspires;
And bids them ma$e mista$en mortals groan,
Who see$ in love for aught but love alone%
.hould at my feet the world's great master fall,
(imself, his throne, his world, I'd scorn 'em all+
'ot 7aesar's empress would I deign to prove;
'o, ma$e me mistress to the man I love;
If there be yet another name more free,
4ore fond than mistress, ma$e me that to thee
,h happy state when souls each other draw,
When love is liberty, and nature, law+
All then is full, possessing, and possess'd,
'o craving void left aching in the breast+
#v'n thought meets thought, ere from the lips it
part,
And each warm wish springs mutual from the
heart%
/his sure is bliss 8if bliss on earth there be9
And once the lot of Abelard and me%
Alas, how chang'd what sudden horrors rise
A na$ed lover bound and bleeding lies
Where, where was #loise? her voice, her hand,
(er poniard, had oppos'd the dire command%
6arbarian, stay that bloody stro$e restrain;
/he crime was common, common be the pain%
I can no more; by shame, by rage suppress'd,
0et tears, and burning blushes spea$ the rest%
7anst thou forget that sad, that solemn day,
When victims at yon altar's foot we lay?
7anst thou forget what tears that moment fell,
When, warm in youth, I bade the world farewell?
As with cold lips I $iss'd the sacred veil,
/he shrines all trembl'd, and the lamps grew pale+
(eav'n scarce believ'd the con1uest it survey'd,
And saints with wonder heard the vows I made%
Yet then, to those dread altars as I drew,
'ot on the 7ross my eyes were fi)'d, but you+
'ot grace, or 5eal, love only was my call,
And if I lose thy love, I lose my all%
7ome with thy loo$s, thy words, relieve my woe;
/hose still at least are left thee to bestow%
.till on that breast enamour'd let me lie,
.till drin$ delicious poison from thy eye,
3ant on thy lip, and to thy heart be press'd;
*ive all thou canst ! and let me dream the rest%
Ah no instruct me other 2oys to pri5e,
With other beauties charm my partial eyes,
"ull in my view set all the bright abode,
And ma$e my soul 1uit Abelard for *od%
Ah, thin$ at least thy floc$ deserves thy care,
3lants of thy hand, and children of thy pray'r%
"rom the false world in early youth they fled,
6y thee to mountains, wilds, and deserts led%
You rais'd these hallow'd walls; the desert smil'd,
And 3aradise was open'd in the wild%
'o weeping orphan saw his father's stores
,ur shrines irradiate, or embla5e the floors;
'o silver saints, by dying misers giv'n,
(ere brib'd the rage of ill-re1uited heav'n+
6ut such plain roofs as piety could raise,
And only vocal with the 4a$er's praise%
In these lone walls 8their days eternal bound9
/hese moss-grown domes with spiry turrets
crown'd,
Where awful arches ma$e a noonday night,
And the dim windows shed a solemn light;
/hy eyes diffus'd a reconciling ray,
And gleams of glory brighten'd all the day%
6ut now no face divine contentment wears,
'/is all blan$ sadness, or continual tears%
.ee how the force of others' pray'rs I try,
8, pious fraud of am'rous charity9
6ut why should I on others' pray'rs depend?
7ome thou, my father, brother, husband, friend
Ah let thy handmaid, sister, daughter move,
And all those tender names in one, thy love
/he dar$some pines that o'er yon roc$s reclin'd
Wave high, and murmur to the hollow wind,
/he wand'ring streams that shine between the hills,
/he grots that echo to the tin$ling rills,
/he dying gales that pant upon the trees,
/he la$es that 1uiver to the curling bree5e;
'o more these scenes my meditation aid,
,r lull to rest the visionary maid%
6ut o'er the twilight groves and dus$y caves,
0ong-sounding aisles, and intermingled graves,
6lac$ 4elancholy sits, and round her throws
A death-li$e silence, and a dread repose+
(er gloomy presence saddens all the scene,
.hades ev'ry flow'r, and dar$ens ev'ry green,
&eepens the murmur of the falling floods,
And breathes a browner horror on the woods%
Yet here for ever, ever must I stay;
.ad proof how well a lover can obey
&eath, only death, can brea$ the lasting chain;
And here, ev'n then, shall my cold dust remain,
(ere all its frailties, all its flames resign,
And wait till 'tis no sin to mi) with thine%
Ah wretch believ'd the spouse of *od in vain,
7onfess'd within the slave of love and man%
Assist me, (eav'n but whence arose that pray'r?
.prung it from piety, or from despair?
#v'n here, where fro5en chastity retires,
0ove finds an altar for forbidden fires%
I ought to grieve, but cannot what I ought;
I mourn the lover, not lament the fault;
I view my crime, but $indle at the view,
-epent old pleasures, and solicit new;
'ow turn'd to (eav'n, I weep my past offence,
'ow thin$ of thee, and curse my innocence%
,f all affliction taught a lover yet,
'/is sure the hardest science to forget
(ow shall I lose the sin, yet $eep the sense,
And love th' offender, yet detest th' offence?
(ow the dear ob2ect from the crime remove,
,r how distinguish penitence from love?
:ne1ual tas$ a passion to resign,
"or hearts so touch'd, so pierc'd, so lost as mine%
#re such a soul regains its peaceful state,
(ow often must it love, how often hate
(ow often hope, despair, resent, regret,
7onceal, disdain ! do all things but forget%
6ut let (eav'n sei5e it, all at once 'tis fir'd;
'ot touch'd, but rapt; not wa$en'd, but inspir'd
,h come oh teach me nature to subdue,
-enounce my love, my life, myself ! and you%
"ill my fond heart with *od alone, for he
Alone can rival, can succeed to thee%
(ow happy is the blameless vestal's lot
/he world forgetting, by the world forgot%
#ternal sunshine of the spotless mind
#ach pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd;
0abour and rest, that e1ual periods $eep;
;,bedient slumbers that can wa$e and weep;;
&esires compos'd, affections ever ev'n,
/ears that delight, and sighs that waft to (eav'n%
*race shines around her with serenest beams,
And whisp'ring angels prompt her golden dreams%
"or her th' unfading rose of #den blooms,
And wings of seraphs shed divine perfumes,
"or her the .pouse prepares the bridal ring,
"or her white virgins hymeneals sing,
/o sounds of heav'nly harps she dies away,
And melts in visions of eternal day%
"ar other dreams my erring soul employ,
"ar other raptures, of unholy 2oy+
When at the close of each sad, sorrowing day,
"ancy restores what vengeance snatch'd away,
/hen conscience sleeps, and leaving nature free,
All my loose soul unbounded springs to thee%
,h curs'd, dear horrors of all-conscious night
(ow glowing guilt e)alts the $een delight
3rovo$ing &aemons all restraint remove,
And stir within me every source of love%
I hear thee, view thee, ga5e o'er all thy charms,
And round thy phantom glue my clasping arms%
I wa$e ! no more I hear, no more I view,
/he phantom flies me, as un$ind as you%
I call aloud; it hears not what I say;
I stretch my empty arms; it glides away%
/o dream once more I close my willing eyes;
Ye soft illusions, dear deceits, arise
Alas, no more ! methin$s we wand'ring go
/hrough dreary wastes, and weep each other's woe,
Where round some mould'ring tower pale ivy
creeps,
And low-brow'd roc$s hang nodding o'er the deeps%
.udden you mount, you bec$on from the s$ies;
7louds interpose, waves roar, and winds arise%
I shrie$, start up, the same sad prospect find,
And wa$e to all the griefs I left behind%
"or thee the fates, severely $ind, ordain
A cool suspense from pleasure and from pain;
/hy life a long, dead calm of fi)'d repose;
'o pulse that riots, and no blood that glows%
.till as the sea, ere winds were taught to blow,
,r moving spirit bade the waters flow;
.oft as the slumbers of a saint forgiv'n,
And mild as opening gleams of promis'd heav'n%
7ome, Abelard for what hast thou to dread?
/he torch of <enus burns not for the dead%
'ature stands chec$'d; -eligion disapproves;
#v'n thou art cold ! yet #loisa loves%
Ah hopeless, lasting flames li$e those that burn
/o light the dead, and warm th' unfruitful urn%
What scenes appear where'er I turn my view?
/he dear ideas, where I fly, pursue,
-ise in the grove, before the altar rise,
.tain all my soul, and wanton in my eyes%
I waste the matin lamp in sighs for thee,
/hy image steals between my *od and me,
/hy voice I seem in ev'ry hymn to hear,
With ev'ry bead I drop too soft a tear%
When from the censer clouds of fragrance roll,
And swelling organs lift the rising soul,
,ne thought of thee puts all the pomp to flight,
3riests, tapers, temples, swim before my sight+
In seas of flame my plunging soul is drown'd,
While altars bla5e, and angels tremble round%
While prostrate here in humble grief I lie,
=ind, virtuous drops 2ust gath'ring in my eye,
While praying, trembling, in the dust I roll,
And dawning grace is op'ning on my soul+
7ome, if thou dar'st, all charming as thou art
,ppose thyself to (eav'n; dispute my heart;
7ome, with one glance of those deluding eyes
6lot out each bright idea of the s$ies;
/a$e bac$ that grace, those sorrows, and those
tears;
/a$e bac$ my fruitless penitence and pray'rs;
.natch me, 2ust mounting, from the blest abode;
Assist the fiends, and tear me from my *od
'o, fly me, fly me, far as pole from pole;
-ise Alps between us and whole oceans roll
Ah, come not, write not, thin$ not once of me,
'or share one pang of all I felt for thee%
/hy oaths I 1uit, thy memory resign;
"orget, renounce me, hate whate'er was mine%
"air eyes, and tempting loo$s 8which yet I view9
0ong lov'd, ador'd ideas, all adieu
,h *race serene oh virtue heav'nly fair
&ivine oblivion of low-thoughted care
"resh blooming hope, gay daughter of the s$y
And faith, our early immortality
#nter, each mild, each amicable guest;
-eceive, and wrap me in eternal rest
.ee in her cell sad #loisa spread,
3ropp'd on some tomb, a neighbour of the dead%
In each low wind methin$s a spirit calls,
And more than echoes tal$ along the walls%
(ere, as I watch'd the dying lamps around,
"rom yonder shrine I heard a hollow sound%
;7ome, sister, come; 8it said, or seem'd to say9
;/hy place is here, sad sister, come away
,nce li$e thyself, I trembled, wept, and pray'd,
0ove's victim then, though now a sainted maid+
6ut all is calm in this eternal sleep;
(ere grief forgets to groan, and love to weep,
#v'n superstition loses ev'ry fear+
"or *od, not man, absolves our frailties here%;
I come, I come prepare your roseate bow'rs,
7elestial palms, and ever-blooming flow'rs%
/hither, where sinners may have rest, I go,
Where flames refin'd in breasts seraphic glow+
/hou, Abelard the last sad office pay,
And smooth my passage to the realms of day;
.ee my lips tremble, and my eye-balls roll,
.uc$ my last breath, and catch my flying soul
Ah no ! in sacred vestments may'st thou stand,
/he hallow'd taper trembling in thy hand,
3resent the cross before my lifted eye,
/each me at once, and learn of me to die%
Ah then, thy once-lov'd #loisa see
It will be then no crime to ga5e on me%
.ee from my chee$ the transient roses fly
.ee the last spar$le languish in my eye
/ill ev'ry motion, pulse, and breath be o'er;
And ev'n my Abelard be lov'd no more%
, &eath all-elo1uent you only prove
What dust we dote on, when 'tis man we love%
/hen too, when fate shall thy fair frame destroy,
8/hat cause of all my guilt, and all my 2oy9
In trance ecstatic may thy pangs be drown'd,
6right clouds descend, and angels watch thee
round,
"rom op'ning s$ies may streaming glories shine,
And saints embrace thee with a love li$e mine%
4ay one $ind grave unite each hapless name,
And graft my love immortal on thy fame
/hen, ages hence, when all my woes are o'er,
When this rebellious heart shall beat no more;
If ever chance two wand'ring lovers brings
/o 3araclete's white walls and silver springs,
,'er the pale marble shall they 2oin their heads,
And drin$ the falling tears each other sheds;
/hen sadly say, with mutual pity mov'd,
;,h may we never love as these have lov'd;
"rom the full choir when loud (osannas rise,
And swell the pomp of dreadful sacrifice,
Amid that scene if some relenting eye
*lance on the stone where our cold relics lie,
&evotion's self shall steal a thought from (eav'n,
,ne human tear shall drop and be forgiv'n%
And sure, if fate some future bard shall 2oin
In sad similitude of griefs to mine,
7ondemn'd whole years in absence to deplore,
And image charms he must behold no more;
.uch if there be, who loves so long, so well;
0et him our sad, our tender story tell;
/he well-sung woes will soothe my pensive ghost;
(e best can paint 'em, who shall feel 'em most%
Alexander Pope

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