University of California • Berkeley 
 
 
05 
 
 (Eacn. 
 
 Methougiit, once more ^\ithin my Island home, 
 
 I saw some city of my native land, 
 
 When from the open casement, dear to Art, 
 
 Where si ill Le Vardois loves to deck the page 
 
 With breathing forms, sweet rills and waving trees. 
 
 With ruins hoar and uplands of Vaucelles, 
 
 Fair Caen uprose before my wondering gaze. 
 
 High on its sovereign hill the Ahhey soared. 
 
 Where holy Charity her vigil keeps 
 
 By meek Matilda's grave, and opens wide 
 
 Her portals to all comers, doing deeds 
 
 That rise like incense round the throne of Heaven. 
 
 Like spears that fill the great Archangel's hand. 
 Or fingers pointing to the Eternal Home, 
 The mid-day sun lit up with liquid gold. 
 The sister-spires that mark th' historic site, 
 Where troublous William sleeps, Life's fever o'er. 
 Its radiance streamed, with that mysterious sheen. 
 
2 CAEN. 
 
 Which lustrous gems and glowhig jewels cast, 
 
 O'er tower and turret, pinnacle and foil, 
 
 Through flashing lights and panes of carved stone ; 
 
 O'er steeples piled as strong as adamant, 
 
 By Titans wrought, but light as diadems, 
 
 Up borne by angel-hands above the shrine, 
 
 Or veils of lace-work, intricately wove 
 
 To deck the Holiest on some festal day. 
 
 13y you far road, where once a forest spread 
 
 Umbrageous gloom, and filled th' odorous air 
 
 With scents of blossoms snowy-white — a screen 
 
 Erst interposed between the haunts of men 
 
 And Ardaines' cloistral calm — with pomp of war 
 
 Great Edward marched. On those broad verdant plains 
 
 Which Orne still laves and hlls the frequent fosse, 
 
 Camped Henry's host. Within you frowning walls, 
 
 Where once Du Guesclin kept his martial state. 
 
 The craven John in gloomy dalliance wooved 
 
 Fair Isabel, the flower of Angoul(ime, 
 
 Till on his startled ear — amid the feast — 
 
 The war-trump pealed, and, from the dastard rent, 
 
 Philip restored to France her faithful Caen. 
 
 May war no more profane thy peaceful streets, 
 Nor, what the locusts spared, the spoiler glean ; 
 No more may bigot-hate, nor civil fend 
 Thy laughter turn to tears, nor ashes pour 
 
CAEN. S 
 
 tpoii ihy beauty. No! may commerce fill 
 
 Tliy busy port with sails from every clime I 
 
 May Learning yet, in thy young Academe, — 
 
 Than mother fair a daughter fairer far, — 
 
 Among thy children, emulous, revive 
 
 Thy Huet's lore, thy Malherbe's flowing verse. 
 
 Plenty and Peace be thine ! each circling year, ^ 
 
 With blessing cro^\^led — approve thine ancient boast. 
 
 Thy sons all brave, thy daughters chaste as fair ! 
 
 But while then wouldst outvie thy former state, 
 
 Nor stand a laggard in this work-day world. 
 
 Oh! yet give back to HIM, Who gave thee all, 
 
 Food, light, and being, richly to enjoy, 
 
 The ruined altar of St. Nicholas, 
 
 St. Sauveur's aisles, St. Stephen's broken shrine! 
 
 Forbid the crime to rash intrusive hands. 
 To lay in dust thine honours of old Time, 
 Mansions and towers, along whose sculptured fronts 
 Thy Fathei'S Avrote thy story, graven deep 
 In thine own peerless stone, lest strangers come 
 To gaze and turn to weep, when not a wreck 
 Of all that priceless glory shall survive. 
 Speak, timely wise ; and stay the Vandal's axe, 
 Or thou Shalt be a byeword to the world! 
 Speak with a voice of power ! till men shall hear, 
 flry in thy streets and desecrated courts ! 
 
I CAEN. 
 
 llieii for thy witching beauty ~ stately Caen ! 
 Bright City of the plain — the verdant land 
 Of church and castle — pilgrims to and fro 
 Shall pass upon the earth, awhile to search 
 Thy things of fame, memorials of the Past ; 
 Thy glancing river, tremulously gay 
 With thousand dimpling smiles ; thy pleasant leas ; 
 Thy groves of softest green, oft filled with songs 
 Of wood-note wild ; rich gardens, happy homes, 
 And long-drawn galleries dedicate to Art. 
 
 Still year by year, thy gates shall welcome in 
 An eve^-gro^^ing crowd of strangers, led 
 Dy those two beacon-names, that spread thy fame. 
 Art's faithful priests — Religion's duteous sons — 
 By Bouet's pencil, and Trebutien's pen ! 
 
 Mackenzie E. C. Walcott. M. A. 
 
 Ilnmbj's Hotel. 
 
 Caen. Sept. 
 I860. 
 
 CAEN; 
 Dcniin, Printer, Hotel des Monnaies. 
 
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