nce shaking of the column,
To o'er throw the temple, dying in its ruin."

He spoke, looked on the window, and he fell.
But ere he fell, he cast the lamp to earth.
It three times glimmered with a circling blaze,
That rested latterly on Konrad's brow;
And in its scattered flow the fire's rust gleamed,
But ever deeper into darkness sank.
At length, as though it gave the sign of death,
One last great ring of light shot forth its blaze;
And in this blaze were seen the eyes of Alf,
All white in death, and now the light was dark.

And at this moment through the tower walls pierced
A sudden cry,16 strong, lengthened, broken off--
From whose breast came it? Surely ye can guess
But he who heard it readily might tell,
That from the breast whence such a cry escaped,
Now never more should any voice come forth.
For this voice a whole life spoke aloud.

Thus lute strings, shuddering from a heavy stroke,
Vibrate and burst; in their confused sounds
They seem to voice the first notes of a song,
But of such song let none expect the end.

Such be my singing of Aldona's fate.
Let music's angel sing it through in heaven,
And thou, O tender reader, in thy soul.

NOTES.

(1) _"__In towers of Marienbourg the bells are ringing.__"_

Marienbourg, in Polish Malborg, a fortified town, formerly the capital of
the Teutonic Order, under Kazimir Jagellon (1444-1492) united to the
Polish Republic; later on, given as a pledge to the Margraves of
Brandenburgh. It came at last into the possession of the Kings of Prussia.
In the vaults of the castle were the graves of the Grand-Masters, some of
which are still preserved.

(2) _"__But foreign houses of his fame were full.__"_

Houses--so were called the convents, or rather castles, scattered through
various parts of Europe.

(3) _"__The strife of keen-edged swords__"__ = combattre a outrance._

(4) _The Archkomtur._

The Grosskomthur was the chief officer after the Grand-Master.

(5) _"__Some unknown pious woman from afar.__"_

The chronicles of that time speak of a country girl, who, having come to
Marienbourg, asked to be walled up in a solitary cell, and there ended her
life. Her grave was famous for miracles.

(6) _"__Our master he.__"_

In time of election, if opinions were divided or uncertain, similar
occurrences were often taken as omens, and influenced the decisions of the
chapter. Thus Winrych Kniprode gained all the voices, because some of the
brothers heard, a