BARBADOS. 271 man stood in whilst one tive, the middle and accompanied the dialogue on his guitar. Sometimes they sang romances of mixed Portuguese and Spanish origin, and other times ballads and love songs which seemed to he natives of the island. I remember they had one favorite romance which I dare say may he found, in its rudiments at least, in a good collection of Granadan poetry. I put what I could carry away of it into verse, sitting on the taffrail, and the ship going nine knots.
With the feather of conquest, of lady-gifts full, From the lists of Galvés came the valiant Gazúl ; He rode till he came to the white San Lucar, And he rode till he came to fair Lindaraxar. In the garden she sat by a summer-eve’s light A-weaving a garland to garland a knight ; She wreathed roses and pinks, she wreathed violets true, For the flower of Love is the violet blue. She placed the fresh crown on the Moorish Chiefs head. And kissed him, and blessed him, and tenderly said,— “ If Jove had e’er seen that twice Ganymede face, Jove’s eagle had borne thee to Ganymede’s place.” Then laughed brave Gazúl as he bent on his knee, — “ If the shepherd of Troy had ever seen thee, He had left the stol’n Helen, had sought San Lucar, And wooed till he won or stole Lindaraxar.” “ Oh ! steal me, Gazúl! thou hast won me ere now, And wed me, Gazúl! as thou madest the vow ”—
And so on, coaxing and teazing till the man