Britain ... - Blue-Lite

Scene I.] THE DEVOTED ONE. 223
I feel reality more dreadful far
Than all my former visions !
HIGH-PRIEST.
Linger not.
Music shall sound to cheer thy upward steps,
Give thee full courage, and a hymn of triumph
Peal forth, as on thy watery bier thou sink'st
To rise again in glory.
WALDIMAR.
Strike ! strike all
Your instruments of melody, and let
These woods resound with shoutings that may fling
A burning frenzy on my soul, as thus
I rush to meet my doom !
[Shouts and loud music. Waldimar wildly ascends
the rocks ; as he approaches the cloud, Enter
Elgitha ; the music suddenly ceases, she shrieks,
and rushes to the foot of the rocks.
ELGITHA.
for the love of Christ !
Hold, Waldimar, hold,
This Cross, the emblem of his death, shall chase
The fiends of blood and darkness from these shades,
And send them howling
[Terrific and appalling sounds are heard, and the
whole Scene appears wrapped in ghastly flames.
Waldimar leaves a last adieu to Elgitha, and
leaps from the rock. The music again strikes
up softly mournful, with wild and distant voices
in the clouds. Elgitha advances into the centre
of the groupes which stand on either side, and
attempts to speak; but overpowered,
convulsively on the ground, and expires.
she sinks