Edward Bulwer-Lytton: The Last Days of Pompeii

BOOK THE FIRST 2. Chapter II (continued)

         Ye have a world of light,
           Where love in the loved rejoices;
         But the blind girl's home is the House of Night,
           And its beings are empty voices.

           As one in the realm below,
           I stand by the streams of woe!
           I hear the vain shadows glide,
           I feel their soft breath at my side.
             And I thirst the loved forms to see,
           And I stretch my fond arms around,
           And I catch but a shapeless sound,
           For the living are ghosts to me.

            Come buy--come buy?--
          Hark! how the sweet things sigh
           For they have a voice like ours),
           `The breath of the blind girl closes
           The leaves of the saddening roses--
          We are tender, we sons of light,
           We shrink from this child of night;
           From the grasp of the blind girl free us--
          We yearn for the eyes that see us--
         We are for night too gay,
           In your eyes we behold the day--
             O buy--O buy the flowers!'

'I must have yon bunch of violets, sweet Nydia,' said Glaucus, pressing through the crowd, and dropping a handful of small coins into the basket; 'your voice is more charming than ever.'

The blind girl started forward as she heard the Athenian's voice; then as suddenly paused, while the blood rushed violently over neck, cheek, and temples.

'So you are returned!' said she, in a low voice; and then repeated half to herself, 'Glaucus is returned!'

'Yes, child, I have not been at Pompeii above a few days. My garden wants your care, as before; you will visit it, I trust, to-morrow. And mind, no garlands at my house shall be woven by any hands but those of the pretty Nydia.'

Nydia smiled joyously, but did not answer; and Glaucus, placing in his breast the violets he had selected, turned gaily and carelessly from the crowd.

'So she is a sort of client of yours, this child?' said Clodius.