Page:Poems - Southey (1799) volume 1.djvu/195

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.

179

But silently did RudigerThe little infant see,And darkly on the babe he gaz'dAnd very sad was he.
And when to bless the little babeThe holy Father came,To cleanse the stains of sin awayIn Christ's redeeming name,
Then did the cheek of RudigerAssume a death-pale hue,And on his clammy forehead stoodThe cold convulsive dew;
And faltering in his speech he badeThe Priest the rites delay,Till he could, to right health restor'd,Enjoy the festive day.
This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.