If never more within their shady round Those lofty-minded Lawgivers shall meet, Peasant and lord, in their appointed seat, Guardians of Biscay's ancient liberty.
INDIGNATION OF A HIGH-MINDED SPANIARD.
WE can endure that He should waste our lands, Despoil our temples, and by sword and flame Return us to the dust from which we came ; Such food a Tyrant's appetite demands: And we can brook the thought that by his hands Spain may be overpowered, and he possess, For his delight, a solemn wilderness
Where all the brave lie dead. But, when of bands Which he will break for us he dares to speak, Of benefits, and of a future day
When our enlightened minds shall bless his sway; Then, the strained heart of fortitude proves weak; Our groans, our blushes, our pale cheeks declare That he has power to inflict what we lack strength to bear.
There are who cannot languish in this strife, Spaniards of every rank, by whom the good Of such high course was felt and understood; Who to their Country's cause have bound a life Erewhile, by solemn consecration, given To labour, and to prayer, to nature, and to heaven*.
THE FRENCH AND THE SPANISH GUERILLAS.
HUNGER, and sultry heat, and nipping blast From bleak hill-top, and length of march by night Through heavy swamp, or over snow-clad height- These hardships ill-sustained, these dangers past, The roving Spanish Bands are reached at last, Charged, and dispersed like foam: but as a flight Of scattered quails by signs do reunite, So these,—and, heard of once again, are chased With combinations of long-practised art And newly-kindled hope; but they are fled— Gone are they, viewless as the buried dead: Where now? Their sword is at the Foeman's heart! And thus from year to year his walk they thwart, And hang like dreams around his guilty bed.
AVAUNT all specious pliancy of mind
In men of low degree, all smooth pretence! I better like a blunt indifference,
And self-respecting slowness, disinclined To win me at first sight: and be there joined Patience and temperance with this high reserve, Honour that knows the path and will not swerve; Affections, which, if put to proof, are kind; And piety towards God. Such men of old Were England's native growth; and, throughout Spain,
(Thanks to high God) forests of such remain: Then for that Country let our hopes be bold; For matched with these shall policy prove vain, Her arts, her strength, her iron, and her gold.
THEY seek, are sought; to daily battle led, Shrink not, though far outnumbered by their Foes, For they have learnt to open and to close The ridges of grim war; and at their head Are captains such as erst their country bred Or fostered, self-supported chiefs,-like those Whom hardy Rome was fearful to oppose; Whose desperate shock the Carthaginian fled. In One who lived unknown a shepherd's life Redoubted Viriatus breathes again;
And Mina, nourished in the studious shade, With that great Leader+ vies, who, sick of strife And bloodshed, longed in quiet to be laid In some green island of the western main.
Or hide, at will,-for freedom combating
By just revenge inflamed? No foot may chase, No eye can follow, to a fatal place That power, that spirit, whether on the wing Like the strong wind, or sleeping like the wind Within its awful caves.-From year to year Springs this indigenous produce far and near; No craft this subtle element can bind, Rising like water from the soil, to find In every nook a lip that it may cheer.
HERE pause: the poet claims at least this praise, That virtuous Liberty hath been the scope Of his pure song, which did not shrink from hope In the worst moment of these evil days; From hope, the paramount duty that Heaven lays, For its own honour, on man's suffering heart. Never may from our souls one truth depart- That an accursed thing it is to gaze On prosperous tyrants with a dazzled eye; Nor-touched with due abhorrence of their guilt For whose dire ends tears flow, and blood is spilt, And justice labours in extremity— Forget thy weakness, upon which is built, O wretched man, the throne of tyranny!
THE FRENCH ARMY IN RUSSIA.
HUMANITY, delighting to behold
A fond reflection of her own decay, Hath painted Winter like a traveller old, Propped on a staff, and, through the sullen day, In hooded mantle, limping o'er the plain, As though his weakness were disturbed by pain: Or, if a juster fancy should allow An undisputed symbol of command, The chosen sceptre is a withered bough, Infirmly grasped within a palsied hand. These emblems suit the helpless and forlorn; But mighty Winter the device shall scorn.
For he it was dread Winter! who beset, Flinging round van and rear his ghastly net, That host, when from the regions of the Pole They shrunk, insane ambition's barren goal- That host, as huge and strong as e'er defied Their God, and placed their trust in human pride! As fathers persecute rebellious sons,
He smote the blossoms of their warrior youth;
He called on Frost's inexorable tooth
Life to consume in Manhood's firmest hold; Nor spared the reverend blood that feebly runs; For why-unless for liberty enrolled
And sacred home-ah! why should hoary Age be
Fleet the Tartar's reinless steed,
But fleeter far the pinions of the Wind, Which from Siberian caves the Monarch freed, And sent him forth, with squadrons of his kind, And bade the Snow their ample backs bestride, And to the battle ride.
No pitying voice commands a halt, No courage can repel the dire assault; Distracted, spiritless, benumbed, and blind, Whole legions sink—and, in one instant, find Burial and death: look for them-and descry, When morn returns, beneath the clear blue sky, A soundless waste, a trackless vacancy!
YE Storms, resound the praises of your King! And ye mild Seasons-in a sunny clime, Midway on some high hill, while father Time Looks on delighted-meet in festal ring, And loud and long of Winter's triumph sing! Sing ye, with blossoms crowned, and fruits, and flowers,
Of Winter's breath surcharged with sleety showers, And the dire flapping of his hoary wing! Knit the blithe dance upon the soft green grass; With feet, hands, eyes, looks, lips, report your gain; Whisper it to the billows of the main, And to the aërial zephyrs as they pass, That old decrepit Winter-He hath slain That Host, which rendered all your bounties vain!
By Moscow self-devoted to a blaze Of dreadful sacrifice; by Russian blood Lavished in fight with desperate hardihood; The unfeeling Elements no claim shall raise To rob our Human-nature of just praise For what she did and suffered. Pledges sure Of a deliverance absolute and pure She gave, if Faith might tread the beaten ways Of Providence. But now did the Most High Exalt his still small voice;-to quell that Host Gathered his power, a manifest ally;
He, whose heaped waves confounded the proud boast Of Pharaoh, said to Famine, Snow, and Frost, "Finish the strife by deadliest victory!"
THE GERMANS ON THE HEIGHTS OF HOCK HEIM
ABRUPTLY paused the strife;—the field throughout Resting upon his arms each warrior stood, Checked in the very act and deed of blood, With breath suspended, like a listening scout. O Silence! thou wert mother of a shout That through the texture of yon azure dome Cleaves its glad way, a cry of harvest home Uttered to Heaven in ecstasy devout! The barrier Rhine hath flashed, through battle- On men who gaze heart-smitten by the view, As if all Germany had felt the shock! -Fly, wretched Gauls! ere they the charge renew Who have seen-themselves now casting off the yoke-
The unconquerable Stream his course pursue.
Now that all hearts are glad, all faces bright, Our aged Sovereign sits, to the ebb and flow of states and kingdoms, to their joy or woe, Insensible. He sits deprived of sight, And lamentably wrapt in twofold night, Whom no weak hopes deceived; whose mind ensued, Through perilous war, with regal fortitude,
Peace that should claim respect from lawless Might. Dread King of Kings, vouchsafe a ray divine To his forlorn condition! let thy grace Upon his inner soul in mercy shine;
Permit his heart to kindle, and to embrace (Though it were only for a moment's space) The triumphs of this hour; for they are THINE!
And Fancy, keeping unreluctant watch, Was free her choicest favours to dispense; I saw, in wondrous perspective displayed, A landscape more august than happiest skill Of pencil ever clothed with light and shade; An intermingled pomp of vale and hill, City, and naval stream, suburban grove, And stately forest where the wild deer rove; Nor wanted lurking hamlet, dusky towns, And scattered rural farms of aspect bright; And, here and there, between the pastoral downs, The azure sea upswelled upon the sight. Fair prospect, such as Britain only shows! But not a living creature could be seen Through its wide circuit, that, in deep repose, And, even to sadness, lonely and serene, Lay hushed; till-through a portal in the sky Brighter than brightest loop-hole, in a storm, Opening before the sun's triumphant eye- Issued, to sudden view, a glorious Form! Earthward it glided with a swift descent: Saint George himself this Visitant must be ; And, ere a thought could ask on what intent He sought the regions of humanity,
A thrilling voice was heard, that vivified City and field and flood;-aloud it cried—
"Though from my celestial home, "Like a Champion, armed I come; "On my helm the dragon crest, "And the red cross on my breast; "I, the Guardian of this Land, "Speak not now of toilsome duty; "Well obeyed was that command- "Whence bright days of festive beauty;
"Haste, Virgins, haste!-the flowers which sum
"Have perished in the field;
"But the green thickets plenteously shall yield "Fit garlands for the brave,
"That will be welcome, if by you entwined;
"Haste, Virgins, haste; and y ou, ye Matrons
"Go forth with rival youthfulness of mind,
"And gather what ye find
"Of hardy laurel and wild holly boughs"To deck your stern Defenders' modest brows! "Such simple gifts prepare,
"Though they have gained a worthier meed; "And in due time shall share
"Those palms and amaranthine wreaths "Unto their martyred Countrymen decreed,
"In realms where everlasting freshness breathes!"
And lo! with crimson banners proudly streaming, And upright weapons innocently gleaming, Along the surface of a spacious plain Advance in order the redoubted Bands,
And there receive green chaplets from the hands Of a fair female train- Maids and Matrons, dight
In robes of dazzling white;
While from the crowd bursts forth a rapturous noise By the cloud-capt hills retorted; And a throng of rosy boys
In loose fashion tell their joys; And grey-haired sires, on staffs supported, Look round, and by their smiling seem to say, Thus strives a grateful Country to display The mighty debt which nothing can repay!
Anon before my sight a palace rose Built of all precious substances, so pure And exquisite, that sleep alone bestows Ability like splendour to endure:
Entered, with streaming thousands, through the gate, I saw the banquet spread beneath a Dome of state, A lofty Dome, that dared to emulate
The heaven of sable night
With starry lustre; yet had power to throw Solemn effulgence, clear as solar light, Upon a princely company below,
While the vault rang with choral harmony, Like some Nymph-haunted grot beneath the roar- ing sea.
--No sooner ceased that peal, than on the verge Of exultation hung a dirge
Breathed from a soft and lonely instrument,
That kindled recollections
Of agonised affections;
And, though some tears the strain attended, The mournful passion ended
In peace of spirit, and sublime content!
But garlands wither; festal shows depart, Like dreams themselves; and sweetest sound
(Albeit of effect profound)
It was- -and it is gone!
Victorious England! bid the silent Art Reflect, in glowing hues that shall not fade, Those high achievements; even as she arrayed With second life the deed of Marathon
So may she labour for thy civic halls: And be the guardian spaces
Of consecrated places,
As nobly graced by Sculpture's patient toil; And let imperishable Columns rise Fixed in the depths of this courageous soil; Expressive signals of a glorious strife, And competent to shed a spark divine Into the torpid breast of daily life ;- Records on which, for pleasure of all eyes, The morning sun may shine With gratulation thoroughly benign!
And ye, Pierian Sisters, sprung from Jove And sage Mnemosyne,-full long debarred From your first mansions, exiled all too long From many a hallowed stream and grove, Dear native regions where ye wont to rove, Chanting for patriot heroes the reward
Now (for, though Truth descending from above The Olympian summit hath destroyed for aye Your kindred Deities, Ye live and move, Spared for obeisance from perpetual love For privilege redeemed of godlike sway) Now, on the margin of some spotless fountain, Or top serene of unmolested mountain, Strike audibly the noblest of your lyres, And for a moment meet the soul's desires! That I, or some more favoured Bard, may hear What ye, celestial Maids! have often sung Of Britain's acts,-may catch it with rapt ear, And give the treasure to our British tongue! So shall the characters of that proud page Support their mighty theme from age to age; And, in the desert places of the earth, When they to future empires have given birth, So shall the people gather and believe The bold report, transferred to every clime; And the whole world, not envious but admiring, And to the like aspiring,
Own-that the progeny of this fair Isle Had power as lofty actions to achieve As were performed in man's heroic prime; Nor wanted, when their fortitude had held Its even tenor, and the foe was quelled, A corresponding virtue to beguile The hostile purpose of wide-wasting Time- That not in vain they laboured to secure, For their great deeds, perpetual memory, And fame as largely spread as land and sea, By Works of spirit high and passion pure!
FEELINGS OF A FRENCH ROYALIST,
ON THE DISINTERMENT OF THE REMAINS OF THE DUKE D'ENGHIEN.
DEAR Reliques! from a pit of vilest mould Uprisen to lodge among ancestral kings; And to inflict shame's salutary stings On the remorseless hearts of men grown old In a blind worship; men perversely bold Even to this hour,-yet, some shall now forsake Their monstrous Idol if the dead e'er spake, To warn the living; if truth were ever told By aught redeemed out of the hollow grave: O murdered Prince! meek, loyal, pious, brave! The power of retribution once was given: But 'tis a rueful thought that willow bands So often tie the thunder-wielding hands Of Justice sent to earth from highest Heaven!
OCCASIONED BY THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO. (The last six lines intended for an Inscription.) FEBRUARY, 1816.
INTREPID Sons of Albion! not by you Is life despised; ah no, the spacious earth Ne'er saw a race who held, by right of birth, So many objects to which love is due:
Ye slight not life-to God and Nature true; But death, becoming death, is dearer far, When duty bids you bleed in open war: Hence hath your prowess quelled that impious crew. Heroes!—for instant sacrifice prepared; Yet filled with ardour and on triumph bent 'Mid direst shocks of mortal accident-
To you who fell, and you whom slaughter spared To guard the fallen, and consummate the event, Your Country rears this sacred Monument !
-Chant the Deliverer's praise in every tongue! The cross shall spread, the crescent hath waxed dim;
He conquering, as in joyful Heaven is sung, 'HE CONQUERING THROUGH GOD, AND GOD BY HIM*.'
OCCASIONED BY THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO.
THE Bard-whose soul is meek as dawning day, Yet trained to judgments righteously severe, Fervid, yet conversànt with holy fear, As recognising one Almighty sway: He-whose experienced eye can pierce the array Of past events; to whom, in vision clear, The aspiring heads of future things appear, Like mountain-tops whose mists have rolled away— Assoiled from all encumbrance of our time +, He only, if such breathe, in strains devout Shall comprehend this victory sublime; Shall worthily rehearse the hideous rout, The triumph hail, which from their peaceful clime Angels might welcome with a choral shout!
EMPERORS and Kings, how oft have temples rung With impious thanksgiving, the Almighty's scorn! How oft above their altars have been hung Trophies that led the good and wise to mourn Triumphant wrong, battle of battle born, And sorrow that to fruitless sorrow clung! Now, from Heaven-sanctioned victory, Peace is
In this firm hour Salvation lifts her horn. Glory to arms! But, conscious that the nerve Of popular reason, long mistrusted, freed Your thrones, ye Powers, from duty fear to swerve! Be just, be grateful; nor, the oppressor's creed Reviving, heavier chastisement deserve Than ever forced unpitied hearts to bleed.
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