Penny Dreadfuls, 1812 · page 159 of 258
Psyche, and other poems — page 159: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page 141: Running Verse Narrative This is a page of running poetic text (page 141 of a larger work) depicting a dramatic moment. The passage describes a character named Psyche surveying a beautiful landscape—temples, orange groves, silvery floods—in a dreamlike state, then kneeling in joy at discovering what she believes are "the unknown bowers of Happiness." However, the scene is interrupted when a character named Constance ascends a steep path to "gain the prize," her star "bright blazing to the sky." The verse employs romantic, melodramatic language typical of Victorian sensation literature, with classical mythology references (Psyche) and themes of searching for happiness and romantic rivalry.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
IAL He speaks, but scarce shé hears, her soul intent Surveys as in a dream each well known scene : Now from the pointed hills her eye she bent Inquisitive o’er all the sloping green ; The graceful temple meet for Beauty’s queen, The orange groves that ever blooming glow, The silvery flood, the ambrosial air serene, The matchless trees that fragrant shade bestow, All speak to Psyche’s soul, all seem their queen to know. f Let the vain rover, who his youth hath past Misled in idle search of happiness, Declare, by late experience taught at last, In all his toils he gained but weariness, Wooed the coy goddess but to find that less She ever grants where dearest she is bought; She loves the sheltering bowers of home to bless, Marks with her peaceful hand the favourite spot, And smiles to see that Love has home his Psyche brou ght. On the dear earth she kneels the turf to press, With grateful lips and fondly streaming eyes, ** Are these the unknown bowers of Happiness? a Oh! justly called, and gained at last ! !” she cries, As eagerly to seize the urn she flies. But lo! while yet she gazed with wondering ¢ eye Constance ascends the steep to gain the prize, The eagle’s eyry is not built so high As soon she sees his star bright blazing to the sky. ws, 7 oy We Conmicloooks.coma)