The Mysteries of Udolpho

There was now a sudden pause in the music, and then one

female voice was heard to sing in a kind of chant. Emily quickened

her steps, and, winding round the rock, saw, within the sweeping bay,

beyond, which was hung with woods from the borders of the beach to the

very summit of the cliffs, two groups of peasants, one seated beneath

the shades, and the other standing on the edge of the sea, round the

girl, who was singing, and who held in her hand a chaplet of flowers,

which she seemed about to drop into the waves.

Emily, listening with surprise and attention, distinguished the

following invocation delivered in the pure and elegant tongue of

Tuscany, and accompanied by a few pastoral instruments.

TO A SEA-NYMPH

O nymph! who loves to float on the green wave,

When Neptune sleeps beneath the moon-light hour,

Lull'd by the music's melancholy pow'r,

O nymph, arise from out thy pearly cave! For Hesper beams amid the twilight shade,

And soon shall Cynthia tremble o'er the tide,

Gleam on these cliffs, that bound the ocean's pride,

And lonely silence all the air pervade. Then, let thy tender voice at distance swell,

And steal along this solitary shore,

Sink on the breeze, till dying--heard no more--

Thou wak'st the sudden magic of thy shell. While the long coast in echo sweet replies,

Thy soothing strains the pensive heart beguile,

And bid the visions of the future smile,

O nymph! from out thy pearly cave--arise! (Chorus)--ARISE!

(Semi-chorus)--ARISE!

The last words being repeated by the surrounding group, the garland of

flowers was thrown into the waves, and the chorus, sinking gradually

into a chant, died away in silence. 'What can this mean, Maddelina?' said Emily, awakening from the pleasing

trance, into which the music had lulled her. 'This is the eve of a

festival, Signora,' replied Maddelina; 'and the peasants then amuse

themselves with all kinds of sports.'

'But they talked of a sea-nymph,' said Emily: 'how came these good

people to think of a sea-nymph?' 'O, Signora,' rejoined Maddelina, mistaking the reason of Emily's

surprise, 'nobody BELIEVES in such things, but our old songs tell of

them, and, when we are at our sports, we sometimes sing to them, and

throw garlands into the sea.'

Emily had been early taught to venerate Florence as the seat of

literature and of the fine arts; but, that its taste for classic story

should descend to the peasants of the country, occasioned her both

surprise and admiration. The Arcadian air of the girls next attracted

her attention. Their dress was a very short full petticoat of light

green, with a boddice of white silk; the sleeves loose, and tied up at

the shoulders with ribbons and bunches of flowers. Their hair, falling

in ringlets on their necks, was also ornamented with flowers, and with a

small straw hat, which, set rather backward and on one side of the head,

gave an expression of gaiety and smartness to the whole figure. When

the song had concluded, several of these girls approached Emily, and,

inviting her to sit down among them, offered her, and Maddelina, whom

they knew, grapes and figs. Emily accepted their courtesy, much pleased with the gentleness and

grace of their manners, which appeared to be perfectly natural to them;

and when Bertrand, soon after, approached, and was hastily drawing her

away, a peasant, holding up a flask, invited him to drink; a temptation,

which Bertrand was seldom very valiant in resisting.