Penny Dreadfuls, 1812 · page 106 of 258
Psyche, and other poems — page 106: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Victorian Penny Dreadful Page This is a page of running prose verse (page 88) from what appears to be a serialized narrative poem or dramatic work. The text presents dialogue between two characters: one speaking in quoted lines about troubles caused by "Vile Varia's" followers—theft, destruction of crops and vineyards, seduction of allies—who offers to lead "thee to the glittering sands" to reclaim a "truant knight." The character Psyche responds with firm refusal, declaring she will not attempt to control the knight's conduct but instead trusts a "surer guardian" and proceeds at dawn. The passage ends with Psyche withdrawing to her chamber to grieve privately. The verse employs rhyming couplets in a melodramatic, sentimental style typical of Victorian popular literature.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
8& “ Vile Varia’s fickle and inconstant train, *« Perpetual torments of my harassed -days : “ Their nightly thefts my fruits, my flowers sustaii, ‘‘ Their wanton goats o’er all my vineyards graze, ‘“‘ My corn lies scattered, and my fences blaze, _ ‘“* My friends, my followers they basely lure ; **T Know their mischievous detested ways ! ** My castle vainly have I built so sure ‘While from their treacherous wiles my lifeisinsecure. — “But I will lead thee to the glittering sands, ‘* Where shines their hollow many-coloured fane : ** There, as the circling group fantastic stands, ‘‘Thy truant knight perhaps thou mayst regain ‘From the light arts of that seductive train.” She paused—but Psyche spoke not in reply; Her noble heart, which swelled with deep disdain, Forbad the utterance of a single sigh, And shamed the indignant tear which started to hereye. At length with firm, but gentle dignity And cold averted eye she thus replies : “ No! let him go: nor power nor wish have IL *‘ His conduct to control. Let this suffice ; ‘*Before my path a surer guardian flies, ‘*By whose direction onward I proceed ‘Soon as the morn’s first light shall clear the skies.” She ceased, then languishing her griefs to feed, Her cold dark chamber sought from observation fieed. Comichooksiecom