VI. Enjoy thy triumph now, Enjoy the rich reward, so rightly due, When rescued nations, with one heart and voice, Thy counsels bless and thee. Thou on thine own Firm-Island seest the while, Were but to typify these splendid days, VII. Rejoice, thou mighty Isle! For ne'er in elder nor in later times No such assemblage shone in Edward's hall, Nor brighter triumphs graced his glorious reign. Prince of the mighty Isle, Proud day for thee and for thy kingdoms this! VIII. Yet in the pomp of these festivities, One mournful thought will rise within thy mind- In mental as in visual darkness lost. O King of kings, and Lord of lords, Oh! for one little interval, One precious hour, Remove the blindness from his soul, That he may know it all, IX. Thou also shouldst have seen But let thy grateful hand And long shall Britain hold his memory dear, X. That earthly meed shall his compeers enjoy, Britain's true counsellors, Who see with just success their counsels crown'd. So signally revenged; From Prussia's rescued plains; From Dresden's field of slaughter, where the ball Was turn'd from thy more precious head aside; Of haughty France subdued, Then to her rightful line of Kings restored; Breaking the iron limbs and front of brass, Strew the rejoicing Nations with the wreck. III. Rous'd as thou wert with insult and with wrong, Who should have blamed thee if, in high-wrought mood Of vengeance and the sense of injured power, The City of thy Fathers in the dust, And borne it in thy tent, Religiously by night and day preserved, Thou hadst call'd every Russian of thine host And sent them through her streets, Her wealth and boasted spoils, Making the hated Nation feel herself IV. Who should have blamed the Conqueror for that deed? Yea, rather would not one exulting cry Have risen from Elbe to Nile, rung How is the Oppressor fallen! The Germans in their grass-grown marts had met Holland's still waters had been starr'd From every house and hut, The Iberian and the Lusian's injured realms, From cities sack'd, from violated fanes, Hadst join'd the hymn; and from thine ashes thou, The blood that calls for vengeance in thy streets Madrid, and Porto thine, And that which from the beach Of Tarragona sent its cry to Heaven, And widows would have wept exulting tears, V. But thou hadst seen enough Of horrors,-amply hadst avenged mankind. Witness that dread retreat, No wider ruin overtook Nor when the frantic Persian led O'er the barbaric power that victory won A fouler Tyrant cursed the groaning earth,A fearfuller destruction was dispensed. Victorious armies followed on his flight; On every side he met The Cossacks' dreadful spear; On every side he saw What myriads, victims of one wicked will, And nightly the cold moon Saw sinking thousands in the snow lie down, VI. Rear high the monument! In Moscow and in proud Petropolis, Till the huge column overtop your towers! These instruments of death To work your overthrow! To form the eternal record of his own. A nobler monument Than e'er imperial Rome Built in her plenitude of pride and power! Still Alexander on the banks of Seine, Thy noblest monument For future ages stands- VII. Conqueror, Deliverer, Friend of human-kind, ODE TO HIS MAJESTY, FREDERICK WILLIAM THE FOURTH, KING OF PRUSSIA. I. WELCOME to England, to the happy Isle, Brave Prince of gallant people! Welcome Thou, In adverse as in prosperous fortunes tried! Frederick, the well-beloved! Greatest and best of that illustrious name, Welcome to these free shores! In glory art thou come, Thy victory perfect, thy revenge complete. II. Enough of sorrow hast thou known, Long suffering, bore its weight of heaviest woe. Its strength, forsook thee not. Who through the weary night has long'd for day Turn'd in her bondage her imploring eyes. III. Oh, grief of griefs, that Germany, The wise, the virtuous land, Should bend beneath the frothy Frenchman's yoke! Oh, grief of griefs, to think That she should groan in bonds, She who had blest all nations with her gifts! The wretched agents of a tyrant's will! Their mangled bodies fed The wolves and eagles of the Pyrenees; IV. Long, Frederick, didst thou bear In patience didst thou feed thy heart with hope; Smote the blaspheming Tyrant in his pride, And Alexander with the voice of power Raised the glad cry, Deliverance for Mankind, First of the Germans, Prussia broke her chains. V. Joy, joy for Germany, For Europe, for the World, When Prussia rose in arms! Oh, what a spectacle For present and for future times was there, When for the public need And mothers, when their sons VI. Twice o'er the field of death The trembling scales of Fate hung equipoised: For France, obsequious to her Tyrant still, Mighty for evil, put forth all her power; And still beneath his hateful banners driven, Against their father-land Unwilling Germans bore unnatural arms. What though the Boaster made his temples ring With vain thanksgivings for each doubtful day,— What though with false pretence of peace His old insidious arts he tried, The spell was broken! Austria threw her sword Into the inclining scale, And Leipsic saw the wrongs Of Germany avenged. VII. Ne'er till that awful time had Europe seen Such multitudes in arms; Nor ever had the rising Sun beheld Such mighty interests of mankind at stake; Nor o'er so wide a scene Of slaughter e'er had Night her curtain closed. There, on the battle-field, With one accord the grateful monarchs keelt, And raised their voice to Heaven; << The cause was thine, O Lord! O Lord! thy hand was here!»> So proud, so pure a joy! It was a moment when the exalted soul Might almost wish to burst its mortal bounds, Lest all of life to come Vapid and void should seem VIII. But thou hadst yet more toils, More duties and more triumphis yet in store. Drove her invaders with such rout and wreck IX. Long had insulting France At length the hour of retribution comes! TO HER ROYAL HIGHNESS THE PRINCESS CHARLOTTE WITH PROFOUND RESPECT BY, HER ROYAL HIGHNESS'S MOST DUTIFUL ROBERT SOUTHEY. PROEM. THERE was a time when all my youthful thought Alone enduring, when the Monarch's name JI. How best to build the imperishable lay Was then my daily care, my dream by night; And early in adventurous essay My spirit imped her wings for stronger flight; Fair regions Fancy opened to my view,— III. <«<For what hast thou to do with wealth or power, " IV. « They promised for thee that thou shouldst eschew That thou shouldst, still to Truth and Freedom true, <<There lies thy path, she said; do thou that path pursue! Walk in the light of Nature and of Heaven. |