RANGE DISCROWNED, OTHER POEMS. VA' EMILIA AYLMER BLAKE, ,\,Mii..r nf <'r;,-iiin Metella," "Leon '^'-^ "Br>;>iin>;n.oir,'" A Life Eace," &c. LOIS'JMLN : ( lIAi'M \X .V HALL, 193, PI' Digitized by the Internet Arciiive in 2008 witii funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.arcliive.org/details/francediscrownedOOgowiricli FRANCE DISCROWNED, ANb OTHER POEMS BY EMILIA AYLMER BLAKE Author of "CsBcilia Metella," "Leon de Beaumanoir," '^ALifeKace," &c. LONDON: CHAPMAN & HALL, 193, PICCADILLY. 1871. LOAN STACK BELFAST. D. AND J. AlilJBN, PEINTEBS, AETHTTE SQUARE, (Jts •Ft {Joj^TEJ^Tg, "FbANCE DlSCBOWlTED . . . . 1 Ode on TKAiiKSOivDia Dat, . . . . . . 81 Ode on the Maskeaoe of the Ditxe of Edznbuboh and thk Qband DtrcHEes Mabib Alexandboyna, .. .. 8S Lejsna: ak Eleqy ,. ., ., S8 953 f I^NCE DlSCI^OWNED 'T/3^/5 CVTiVil rVpOLVVOV. SOPHOCLES. " Nothing in his life Became him like the leaving it ; he died As one that had been studied in his death. To throw away the dearest tiling he owed. As 'twere a careless trifie."— Shakespeare. Up rose the sun of Easter's holy morn. Rich in the joy of earth^s reviving breath, Who patient bore harsh winter's scath and scorn. Armed with immortal hope to conquer death ; Till once again her bosom, stirred beneath The fire of youth, in all creation rife. Woke to the freshness of remembered life. n. And life was strong within this breast of mine. The agony of life — the will to bear Burthen and heat whose harvest is divine ; To win the promised crown of those who dare Wrestle with Fate and overcome Despair : So nature worked in every living thing. And wrung me with keen anguish of sweet spring. FBANOE DISCEOWNED. ni. Then asked I, '^ Is the souFs desire in vain Unto the stars, which tells her, sorrow-bowM, Of love and glory V And my heart with pain Grew hot within me, that I cried aloud : ^' Is there no help ? no rift amid the cloud ? ^ Light, light, more light,^ the poet^s dying word, Was^t not the murmured moan of hope deferred V IV. Light be, and light was," so the heavens and earth Were quickened in the womb of lasting night, And sprung from nothing, perfect in their birth. Father of Spirits, to Thee ! Do Thou make light Where darkness is, bring down to mortal sight Some pale reflex of Thy far heaven^s sheen. Lest our faith fail for what our eyes have seen ! V. Ab me, fair France ! what seas of fire and blood Have swept thee from the haven of thy pride ! The sudden earthquake and the answering flood Have met thee with perdition on their tide, A mountain-heap of waters ! far and wide They fling thee helpless on an iron shore. Lost 'mid the shriek of winds and ocean^s roar. FEANCE DISCEOWNED. I stood as in a dream, and gazed — great rutli And sorrow fell upon me, as on one The pleasure of whose eyes in early youth Is ta'en away, and hid from ^neath the sun, Returned to dust — who bears a life foredone. Through the long, weary waste of widowed years, Made rich for heaven with drops of earthly tears. VII. How art thou changed, thou Babylon of the West, Proud queen, whose smile was peace, whose frown made war To shake the nations and their princes ! Rest Has come to thee unwilling, and a bar Is set to thy ambition^s swell — So far No farther ! Who hath ta^en away thy crown. And sold thee to thy foes to tread thee down? VIII. Where is the cause ? Go, seek not far away. But in thy proper breast, the inborn curse : The idol worship of thy god of clay. Bent to destroy and make of evil worse Through false desire of good, perdition^s nurse ; Thy prophet-king, who speaks, and thou art won ; Whose name is Glory or Napoleon ! FEANCE DISCKOWNED. IX. This is the cause^ this only makes of thee A wonder and a pity unto men Throughout the world — that such calamity Should come upon such greatness — yet again Shalt thou cast off the slough of shame^ and then Stronger and purer shalt arise, to prove The chastening arm has stricken thee in love. In love, for thou wert faithless : power and grace Past measure were thy heritage, and thou Couldst see no God above thy lofty place To worship and believe in — bend thy brow Beneath his hand laid heavy on thee now. And live to bear again thy light on high. The brightest beam of hope beneath the sky. XI. Fierce was the frenzy of untamed hate That bound thee to a man to do his will : Better it seemed to make his word thy fate Than suffer each variety of ill Inward contention works to heal or kill : Rememberest thou that dark December day Thy laws, thy honour passed beneath his sway ? FEANCE DISCKOWNED. 5 xn. Was it a crime ? Can evil bring forth good^ Or dull the sharpness of calamity ? Lo, search not then to find the stain of blood Upon the purple robes of Majesty : Napoleon shall fulfil his destiny, More than a king — or less than basest slave,, Be thrust from forth the land he dared not save ! xni. Talk not of oaths,, religion, duty, trust. The bonds of common men ! Another faith Is found for him who reigns ; for reign he must Whose palace gates no pale remorse betrayeth To savage justice ; sacred from all scath. Hath he not set to bar the surging hell — Murder and Fear, and they shall serve him well ! XIV. Was it a crime ? Then shall he be assoiled Who gluts the multitude with bread and fame ; Brisk Commerce now, and industry unspoiled Speed blithely ^neath the ^gis of a name. Filling the land with gold to cancel shame : France thrives apace, and lo, a cry from far Stirs in her breast the old fierce iust of war ! 6 FEANCE DISCEOWNED. XV. To arms ! the shadow of the Tricolor Stoops to the fury of the northern hail : Help to the Turk ! Sinope's firelit shore Has seen a deed to make the heavens grow pale ; Ho ! speed the steamship ! spread the impatient sail/ To battle for the children of the sun : O ! Monarch of the Franks — ^tis wisely done ! XVI. Hast not, by counsel, made thy quarrel just — Set Rome upon thy side ? whose changeless doom Bade gather up from antiquated dust The key of entrance to Messiahs tomb : No more the infideFs disdain shall loom O^er Christian rites — the Churches Eldest Son Has spoke for Europe, and the pass is won. xvn. France shall be guardian of the holy places Too long defiled by Islam and the Turk : France for the title of the Latin races ! But lo, the Greek sets hand unto the work To make confusion ! ^Ware the fires that lurk ^Neath pious seeming ; and the Moslem tell. Truly these Christians hate each other well l" FEANCE DISCEOWNED. XVIII. Hath Russia not a Father and a King No less than France and Rome ? — a million hands All armed, in simple trust unquestioning. To slay or to be slain for his commands ? " Ours the true faith above all other lands," Their cry. Remember we the mournful Word, '^ Not peace I come to bring you, but a sword/' XIX. Not peace when, in the name of injured Heaven, Man sits in judgment on his brother men. Arms him with thunder and the blasting levin. To war 'gainst thoughts and consciences — yea, when His eye presumes to search beyond its ken The hidden thing of God : woe worth that hour Of evil passion clothed in lawless power ! XX. The earth-bom serf and his Imperial Lord Burn mth one purpose — for Jerusalem Be Stamboul surety, death the swift reward Of double-hearted Osmanli ; on them The fiery flood no living hand can stem Bursts forth — until a loud and bitter cry From the dark Euxine wings their agony. 8 FBANCE DISCKOWNED. XXI. To fill the utmost corners of the earthy To smite against the portals of the skies To kindle vengeance on the household hearth, Indignant pity^s flash in gentlest eyes : Shall not the Chivalry of Europe rise To help the helpless, to redress foul wrong, In battle Against the oppression of the strong ? XXII. Ours is the Cause, in England ! Side by side With France, too long our foe, we will put forth Our flower of strength, in holy bonds allied. For death- grips with the Giant of the North, Rather than bide in fear of him ! What worth Is life without the ornament of life ? Up, men of Albion, gird ye to the strife ! XXIII. And England at the call — a Spartan mother — Sends forth her sons to conquer or to die — Her noblest with her least ; and yet another With heart and voice makes answer to that cry — The voice of young, aspiring Italy — Against oppression's might, by deed and word Protesting with a hope which shall be heard. FEANCE DISCROWNED. 9 XXIV. And thou^ dirided Austria ! — loth to fight Thy brother and thy friend^ yet put to proof By strong persuasion to defend the right, Merely by moral weight — dost hold aloof From all offence, as, for thine own behoof No soldier in this war, but bear'st a hand To drive the Imperial quarry to a stand. XXV. Be the end good, how shows the means in thee To spurn for that thy bond of gratitude Sealed to the tamer of thy enemy, Who dwells within thy house at deadly feud. The fierce Hungarian, baffled, not subdued ? Bitterly stings forgotten kindness — Vare The locked embrace, the vengeance of the Bear ! XXVI. O fool, that canst not ponder in thy heart The example of the wisest in their day ! Lo ! how the sable eagle broods apart, Biding the hour and the predestined prey, When all thy sand-bound fences shall give way : Alike of Bonaparte and Royal Guelph The creed is, " Heaven for all, each one for self/' B 10 FRANCE DISCROWNED. XXVII. Now are ye tuned to the self- same note, One cry for War, the first-born son of hell : Lo, on the lurid heaven your banners float ; Napoleon^s name of power hath bound the spell, The fury of the nations he shall quell To bear him through the storm-blast ; — whither lead The despei-ate rider and the winged steed ? XXVIII. What if your chief be other than ye deem. People and kings, upholders of his claim ? No human War- God — wondrous skilled to seem Sprung from the immortal race — yet not the same ; To batten on an heritage of fame, O how unlike his semblance ! Full of guile, ^Neath the cold mockery of his joyless smile. XXIX. Why halt ye on the threshold of the scene. While your grim farce of '^ Help the Turk V breaks down ■'Neath the world's laugh and hissing ? Shiftless, mean Your policy, waiting while the Cause is won. And sore bested, Siilistria holds her own Intact and virgin still, by Allah^s aid : Dead ^neath her walls ten myriad Russ are laid ! FEANCE DISCKOWNED. 11 XXX. Not without cost of dearer lives^ nor then Such fame^ without good help of British hands Was won to Islam — few devoted men, Stung by the shame upon our laggart bands, Curtius-like, sought a grave in Ister's sands ; And many a song of Eastern bards shall tell How Erin^s son/^^ stout-hearted^ fought and fell ! XXXI. Blest they who died the heroes death ! for them Life's crowning glory was its bright release : Oh, peers of England ! why will ye condemn Her manhood's flower of strength to waste in peace ? To rot in cold inaction, till surcease From pain be borne upon the poison-breath Of Allahdeen^ and Devno's valley of death. xxxn. What make ye with our armies ? given with pride For duty's godlike tasks —oh, not for this ! To yield their lives in vain, where seas divide The eyelids ch)sed to earth from Love's last kiss^ Memory and herald of immortal bliss ! Fond arms shall clasp no more our heart's desire^ Consumed like grass on fever's bed of fire ! 12 FEANCE DISCEOWNED, xxxm. Forward ! the word is given at last ; lie still Ye wlio have sunk to sleep — if life yet beat Within your breast^ arise ! the bugles shrill, The summons has gone forth through camp and fleet; Not sightless death but mortal foes we meet : No let, no pause, the struggle once begun, For France or England, until all is won ! XXXIV. Yet whither bound ? Make answer to that word. Ye many-sounding trumpet-notes of Fame : Show forth, hope^s beacon-light, too long deferred Where best to crush the haughty Russian^s cJaim, And crown our brows with glory, his with shame : Our course lies for the far Crimean shore. Such is Napoleon^s will — we ask no more. XXXV. They rush, they swarm upon the lofty ships, A press of valiant men, with hearts that burn, With shouts of victory upon their lips. That victory their blood hath yet to earn. Oh me ! how many never shall return ! Like locust-flights they fill the hostile strand. Or ocean waves borne in upon the land. FEANCE DISCEOWNED. 13 XXXVT. Forward ! the Russian hordes have turned to bay ; They stand to bide our brunt by Alma^s stream^ A name to be remembered from this day ! Forward ! — beneath the serried bayonets' gleam Each life suspended moves as in a dream : The heavens grow black with smoke of iron showers, Flies the word " Charge \" and Alma^s heights are ours. XXXVII. Then was the hour for England and for France To whelm beneath the flood of victory Sebastopol unarmed for their advance, And dumb with fear — had they but known ! — oh why Did such a time and tide pass vainly by ? Why must they stay to hear ofi'ended Fate Ring in their ears the bitter scoff — " too late/' xxxvni. Unready, still unready ! slow delay Yields golden moments to the rallying foe ; Or ere the weary conquerors plough their way Toward the grim fortress, now prepared, as though A nation's life-blood to the heart should flow : There Prince and people gatlier up their strength ; Dear must it cost us to prevail at length ! 14 FBANCE DISCED WNED. XXXIX. Forth to his task, the griesly harvest-lord Fares with a laugh upon his visage dim; Swift plies the sickle ^neath his arm abhorred. Till many a lofty head and martial limb Cut down to earth, yields preciously to him : Dark angel, bind and gather in much spoil. Sheaves of brave lives the wages of thy toil ! XL. Death, we hail thee with high festival And sacrifice ! as erst the Argive maid ^^' Enriched destruction with the blood of all Whom tides and tempests to this coast betrayed. The ocean wanderer's sepulchre, and made The Powers of darkness glad with rites like these. Stern priestess of the Taurian Chersonese. XLI. How many a gallant spirit sought the doom Foreknown of Balaklava's fatal ride ; Or found a grave unnoted in the gloom Of night and battle, by Tchernaya's tide ? When crushed battalions yielded not, but died ^Neath desperate odds, whose blood like water ran. Upon the empurpled heights of Inkerman. FEANGE DISCEOWNED. 15 XLn. The strife of Titans ! man to man, as there Fate hung upon each single arm, they fight ; Till help to turn the scale of war they bear Came with the fire of France, and noonday light Was shed upon the world^s most hideous sight — Heaps of our fallen, pierced by Russian steel When sinking life retained but strength to feel. XLin. Scarce with the wi^^ck of many a goodly form The greed of alMevouring Earth was fed, Whea, frenzied by the demon of the storm, The Sea grew jealou^jl^d a-hungered Rose up to claim hes^ortion in the dead ; And shattered ships and corses strew the shore, Whose stones, unsated, stili cry out — '^ more, more V XLIV. Then came sharp anguish of a bitter cold. To pierce the marrow with a burning frost. That keen Crimean Winter^s flaws enfold On barren hills a fever- stricken host. With strength diminishing when needed most; Unclothed, unhoused, grievously bested ; The cruel sea scarce doles their daily bread. 16 PBANCE DISCROWNED. XLV. Ill fares precarious life that builds its trust On those wild waters — in their summer smile Too like false woman ! Yet from these they must Take the bare wants of craving nature^ while The pride of manhood stoops to uses vile_, Till living wretches envy those who die_, So best^ to make an end of misery ! XLVI. Death takes his own^ and, making choice through all. Sweeps down the Moslems ; thick as summer flies, Condemned to rot in idleness, they fall, Or leaves in Autumn, they whose heart and eyes Seek battle as the gate of Paradise, And hot with passionate lust of death, to toy With the dark phantom, taste a bridegroom's joy. XLVII. "Woe worth the treacherous counsel of a friend. That bade them traverse sea and land to foil The foe that pressed their borders ! this tlieir end. To feed corruption on an alien soil ; Day after day, with lamentable toil. In shallow earth the dying lay the dead, Scarce hid from sight — unseemly buried. FRANCE DISCROWNED. 17 XLVIII. So that when lovely Spring put forth again On the dark ground her broidery of flowers, And song and game and cheery laugh of men Could cheat the sorrow of the heavy hours ; The tempest clouds borne down in hail and showers Lay bare those festering heaps to hateful light, And on the living shed Infection's blight. XLTX. Then these, bound down to perish inch by inch. Food for the sightless Pestilence, without A thought of yielding, in their desperate pinch Untaught to palter with despair or doubt. All that were left to suffer now, cry out To sound the murderous assault — best so To war with flesh and blood, to grasp their foe ! Shall we then never make our stand inside These walls and baffling earthworks ? Shall we be As those our comrades were, who tamely died While Turks, unaided, set Silistria free ? The booming of their cannon ceased, and we Thought the doomed stronghold fallen, not relieved Without our help — wherefore were we deceived ? c 18 FRANCE DISCEOWNED. LI. " Oh for tlie days when Britons stood alone Against the world in arms ! our ^minished band No longer ^mongst the French may hold our own, The post of peril on the hot right hand ! Yet with divided counsels and command_, Lead on ! once more these Cossack hordes shall hear The ringing fury of the Northern cheer V LH. Not since immortal spirits warred in heaven Have souls with such indomitable will Met in the keen embrace of hate_, and striven To give and bear the extremity of ill. Resisting unto blood, unmastered still ; Gods tread the earth in battle, like with like ; The skies bring forth the thunder as they strike. LHI. A nation's heart has risen behind those stones, To guard their envied jewel from surprise : A nobler faith for days of shame atones. When fortune set before the Invader's eyes The holy city — had he snatched the prize — Armed, and resisting now his fierce endeavour. Foot by foot — life for life, bruised — bending, never ! FBANCE DISCROWNED. 19 LIV. When in that hour, of God and man forsaken, Her people lay_, expectant of the blow, Yet turned to meet it with resolve unshaken, Women, ay, little children, toiled to show Such front of opposition to the foe. As, by dear grace of heaven, might render vain The occasion lost, that cometh not again. LV. Each one as for his own immortal soul. Ceaseless they worked, and put their trust in God Till they beheld upon each bristling knoll The slow approaches peer from ^neath the sod : " A miracle V they cry ; ''God's wrath hath trod Upon the neck of pride — constrained by prayer. His angel scatters horror and despair. LVI. " Among our enemies V — ay, even so ! He that should lead the Gaul to victory ,^*^ Heeds not, beneath the hand of death laid low. The glory of the world, and lets pass by Time, priceless treasure of Eternity : Palsied the arm to strike, there lives a hope '' Russian defence" with slower siege may cope. 20 FBANCE DISCROWNED. Lvn. " Though myriad's die, live Russia and the Czar V Their ramparts are the bosom of the brave ; Their fleet imprisoned stems the flood of war, Seven sunken ships defend beneath the wave The harbour-mouth close fastened as the grave : So with their wealth and lives the valiant cherish A nation's life — whose glory shall not perish ! Bemember Moscow ! Time hath worn away The cruel winter's cold_, and summer shines On earth in beauty, and a proud array Of valiant men refill the vacant lines, Whose doom the grass beneath their feet foresigns ; Of those who came last autumn, oh, how few This second year the weary strife renew ! T.-nr. " Zouaves advance the foremost !" They attack. Break through the outworks of the Mamelon, Eush in and slaughter, like a raging pack. By huntsman's horn and whip set madly on ; Such their fierce hold upon the vantage won ; While burns the midnight welkin, cleft asunder By storms of earth and Heaven's commingling thunder. FBANCE DISCROWNED,. 21 This stand-point safe_, with hot, ungoverned haste, Like pent-up steam their leader's fury burns ; IncoDstant France by sleight-of-hand would taste Those fruits of Fame enduring patience earns ; And England^s chief overborne, reluctant learns To yield the helm of Fate to Pelissier, Untaught to heed when question meets his " yea/^ £XI. " To take from France the curse of Waterloo^ Her triumph now shall mark the self-same day;" From noble Raglan in his anguish flew The lightning message home t^ entreat delay — Swift answer bade him choose not, but obey : Then be the assault — it cannot come too soon ! The ne'er forgotten eighteenth day of June. LXII. France flings her legions on the Malakoff', Sole key of conquest, aim of all desire ; This seized, Sebastopol is ours ! — forced off By arms of desperate men, by steel and fire. Seven times the hosts of Gaul advance, retire, Break in confusion, sink and die beneath The giant stronghold, armed to the teeth. 22 FRANCE DISCROWNED. LXIII. Through the grey dawn their signal-rocket ran^ To tell the breach was gained, and bid advance The English to the storm of the Eedan : The Russ, unbroken ^neath the blows of France, Cast back the comrades of her evil chance ; His ships and batteries give forth shot, mitrail, That none can live beneath their deadly hail. Lxrv. Perish that memory from out the world ! Tell it not where our heroes^ bones repose ! Men of our blood and warrior lineage, hurled From parapet to ditch, before their foes Were made a spectacle — on the strife uprose The sun of Waterloo ; his noontide flame. That day of glory, blushed upon our shame ! LXV. Ours then to wait upon the Muscovite For mournful truce and burial of the slain ; Through weary hours, to sicken o^er the sight Of wounded wretches, in their thirst and pain Beseeching aid of us — too long in vain ! Then brave men's eyes wept fire o'er many a head Brought down in silence to the narrow bed. FRANCE DISCROWNED. 23 LXVI. Came sorrow unto all, to one, despair :^*^ Sick with tlie loss and foul reproach, our chief Sunk down beneath the load — too hard to bear — England had laid upon him : no relief For him beneath the sun ! the mortal grief That silent bled within the true hearths core. Found language in the living face no more ! Lxvn. So fate atones for fate — the Imperial form^^' In whose vast mould a nation^s pulses beat, Had given its be^auty to enrich the worm : Sole lord of Russians millions, it was meet His spirit, rather than endure defeat Should taste of death ; nor unavenged may- Such breath conclude itself in coffined clay. Lxvm. Nathless, no pause is given to human wrath : Light-hearted France, with will now firmly set Unswerving, bends her to the bloody path Must yield her foot some coign of passage yet ! Taught wisdom of the ant, her legions let The sword have rest, while patient se^ennights twelve, Ceaseless, the hot beleagurers pierce and delve. 24 FRANCE DISCROWNED. LXIX. Through sap and mine in endless labyrinth Like gnomes_, the toilers of the earthy they swarm, Strong in their multitudes ; endurance winneth Their battle in the dark_, till safe from harm The bold endeavour of an outstretched arm Almost might lay the adventurous fingers' touch On ramparts crumbling 'neath a conqueror's clutch. LXX. Shall Englishmen do likewise ? oh the mock Of efiFort^, nature's stern denials foil ! Shall horsemen run a race upon the rock. Or oxen plough the niggard stony soil ? Loud preparation raised a mighty coil To bring again disaster, with the crash Of living men, whom desperate chieftains dash txxi. Wide of the mark, upon the frustrate aim Fortune still shuns, though folly will attempt : Again the slaughtered English Licaped that same Fell ditch of the Redan — their death exempt, Through valour only, from their foe's contempt , Unworthy doom of heroes, to make good The counsels of distraction with their blood ! FBANCE DISCBOWNED. 26 LXXII. The burden of that bitter day was theirs,^*^ While the proud eagle of the Tricolour Crowned the defence of Malakoff, unwares Changed to a citadel of France^ before The swelling wave of victory broke, that bore Frenchmen as lords within the ill-guarded prize Snatched from the mid-day sleep of war-worn eyes. LXXIII. True to their standard, and the old renown Sprung with the fleur-de-lis, from noon till night They held the lists Against death — the sun went down Upon the fury of the doubtful fight — Then Britons thirsted for the morning light. And fierce renewal of the battle, fain To heal with lifers last drops their honour's stain. LXXIV. Ay, little had that night to do with sleep ! Shock upon shock foreshows the crack of doom. While fiery columns from their craters leap To rend aloud the curtain of the gloom ; In burning seas on high they spread, they loom; The earth doth shake beneath them — stout hearts quail. The stars amidst the trembling heavens grow pale. 26 FRANCE DISCROWNED. LXXV. Time bore anotlier day — that Sabbath mom Showed the fair city's queenly coronal Of forts and fenced batteries rent and torn Like beggars' garments ; ships that wont to gall And rack with fire^ her land-locked armament, all Sunk in her port, for ever there to keep Silent beneath the waters of the deep. LXXVI. Whither has vanished now the conqueror's dream. White walls and golden domes ? Lo, desperate Of help or remedy, in her last extreme The Empress of the Euxine scorned to wait Shame by a victor's fury consummate ; Met him, as Carthage met the Roman — bent To 'scape by fire abhorred ravishment ! LXXVII. 'Tis done — the work of Titans ! mountain heaps, Iron and stone fire-mingled, bar pursuit ; While o'er the bridge across the harbour creeps, In long, grey serpent- trail, a force of foot. Sole salvage from the huge combustion. Mute The conqueror saw and hindered not, heart-wrung By thoughts that found no shape upon the tongue. FEANCE DISCBOWNED. 27 LXXVIII. This then the profit for such bitter cost The reckoning day of victory can tell ; The august dominion is not won. though lost, Whose guileful champions ^neath the fire of hell Rained down upon their roofs_, till none could dwell ^Midst that hot siege and live, knew when to yield Barren possession of the slaughter-field, LXXIX. And hurl defiance from their forts beyond The gulf, full-fed by unexhausted seas. And blocked with wreck impervious, till the bond Of vengeance melt in vanity — are these The Allied powers would shape the world^s decrees ? No more ! the heavens alone their thunders roll O^er the charred waste that was Sebastopol. LXXX, Enough ! The Imperial arbiter of rrancc Sickens of blood, the balm of wounded pride. Content to close upon the happy chance That yields her rest with honour satisfied. And rich reward of glory, to abide An heirloom of his sceptre, with increase Of power established by triumphant peace. 28 t'BANCE BISCKOWNED. LXXXI. Far be from him to press the bitter end Against a foe^ beyond his proper need ; To share his part in honour with the friend Whose service earned for him the conqueror's meed ; Now shall the Muscovite make act and deed Of amity with him — if England will, Or will she not — so holds his purpose still. LXXXII. And England hath surrendered at his pleasure. The ground beneath her feet, so hardly wrought Out of that hostile soil, at cost past measure By tale of mortal compt ; possession fraught With memories of her heroes slain, who fought Duty's good fight and died ; their bones lie cold In foreign earth, as gems encused in gold. LXXXIII. Commit we to our foes with tender trust And graven prayer on stone, their place of rest Made holy ground by that beloved dust Of English mould — our brightest and our best — While 'midst our desolate homesteads, unredressed. The widow's wail is heard, and mothers weep Their darlings locked in everlasting sleep. FRANCE DISCROWNED. 29 LXXXIV. And those yet nearer^ in sweet hope betrothed To their first love, now faithful to the dead. Hold weary life a thing accursed, loathed. Reft of its joy, their heart is buried Beside the slain, in that dim bridal bed Where heroes wrapped in giory^s crimson shrouds Await the trumpet call from ^bove the clouds. LXXXV. With tears in sharper anguish shed than blood. Like Jeptha's living sacrifice, they moan The bloom ungathered of their virginhood : Warm, radiant beauty, withering alone. Yearns for the lost, in dreams once more her own, With passionate love that cannot pass away From perished forms enwombed in clods of clay. LXXXVI. Shut firom the earthly paradise of youth. Their light cut off by darkness, crushed in pain Their souls' immortal longings — this is truth 'Neath the veiled sun — this — all things else are vain Shadows men spend unquiet days to gain. Possess, and know no joy ; our Father gives Love's blessing to this world, by which it lives. 30 FEANCE DISCEOWNED. Lxxxvn. And now, thougli set on bloody Napoleon^s throne Stands strong before the world in happiness : Peace signed in Paris — thus a friend is won In Russia, England still his friend no less ; While all men praise him, Heaven is gained to bless The importunate pleadings of unwearied prayer : A son is born to him, his Empire^s heir. LXXXVIII. So his long trouble sleeps secure beside The flower of earth-born beauty — loveliest Erom Spain and Albion^s blended stems, his bride — The burthen of his spirit, care- oppressed. Sunk on the snow-white roses of her breast ; Fair Rhodope who charmed a monarch, fain To quit the royal Austrian's cold disdain^^ LXXXIX. Ay, Caesar scorned can choose the better part In life's inheritance, heaven's gift of love ; Some kindness nestles in that stony heart The gentle spell of beauty's touch can move ; Those cold, hard eyes a human passion prove, And melt in tenderness and weeping joy O'er the saved mother and her living boy. FBANCE DISCBOWNED. 31 XC. Uneath within Ambition's fane may dwell The light divine of Nature's common ties ; Yea, set upon the highest pinnacle Man's foot can touchy the deadly shot of eyes Shall search his faults who freedom's hope denies ; Nor envious lips shall stint him gibe nor scorn, Who filched the crown to which he was not born. XGI. " Who made thee more than us ? Thy acts of worth All by the hands of others thou hast done; O, man of many shifts ! thyself go forth,, If that thou beest indeed Napoleon, In the brave battle prove by fire, upon The foes of France thy right to bear that name, And live or die the eldest born of Fame ! xcn. ^' Terrible only to the hoodwinked French, Thou woman-slayer, robber of the night, White-livered Corsican ! not thou would'st blench Though set o'er graves the bed of thy delight Safe, while our children's blood upbears thy might. And the proud heart grew sore within him, stung With words, the envenomed arrows of the tongue. 32 FBANOS DISOKOWNED. xcm. And Italy, that helped to build his glory, His creditor for blood yet unrepaid, Seeks the lost thread of her immortal story. Whose end the world shall see, though long delayed : With hope unwavering, though oft betrayed. She lifts her eyes toward him and makes demand : What woof may fill the shuttle in his hand ? XCIV. Hers by his bond, the Carbonaro^s oath In youthful rashness sworn, now hedged with power An Emperor spurns the unlawful contract, loth To bring to mind that past and evil hour ; Dark brows of mystery and silence lower On the false brother, and for broken faith Appeal remains not from his doom of death. xcv. Orsini^s arm falls short, yet ^neath the ban Of Heaven and earth he boasts his glorious aim : While vengeance burns, there shall not fail a man To shed thy blood, and mock at death and shame, A son of Italy ! Dost ask my name ? OUR name is legion : clouds of living things Darkening thy sun, with murther in their wings." FEANCE DISCBOWNED. 39 XCVI. Shall Caesar^ like a recreant, stricken slave, Hold life on sufferance of anotlier^s will ? Better invoke the fortune of the brave. Go forth, and cast vile fear behind, until He come again in triumph, or fulfil The dues of Glory by his fall, sublime In victory, rather than the prey of crime ! XC5VII. Hence Discord bore his challenge to provoke ^Gainst Hapsburg's might, the ordeal of the sword ; Fastening the blame for faith of treaties broke On the young heir of Empire, Austria^s lord. Enticed by fatal wrath from honour's ward ; Within whose veins the warm and living flood Boasts the pure drops of great Theresa's blood. xcnii. The eagle's brood, untutored to endure The gall of insult, from his " pride of place'^ Stoops headlong to the crafty fowler's lure ; Down swoops the monarch of the Teuton race In arms on Italy ! Never to retrace That first false step, nor by repentance bend The course of ruin from its bitter end I 34 FEANCE DISCEOWNED. XCIX. Lo, now, Italians captive daughter waits^®^ Heaven^s sigiial_, and in contemplation pale Keads on a book till, thundering at her gates, Comes swift fulfilment of the poet^s tale. How justice on this earth shall yet prevail : So to her sorrow-wounded breast may she Take faith assured of glorious days to be. c. Lift up thine eyes, O Prisoner of Hope ! Not dead art thou, but sleepest ; a higher sway Than the mere will of Kaiser or of Pope Bursts through thy tomb, and bids thee rise this day A bride exulting, crowned with Freedom^s ray. That star long worshipped ere from heaven it fell, Kindling thy torch with light unquenchable ! CI. Put not your trust in Princes ! Italy Herself shall do and dare ! though France may boast " From Alp to Adriatic be ye free By our good help^^ — oh ay, they count the cost Of barren victory such as on the host Of iron men of Rome, too dearly won Swart Hannibal, or Grecia's godlike son.^^^ FRANCE DISCROWNED. 35 OH. Are these the men who dare not, though they would Act o^er again their fathers^ deeds of wonder. When a young giant rose to war, and stood On Lodi's bridge unharmed amidst the thunder ? Will Fate be moved, once more to bring ye under The sceptre of the Lion, whom she mocks, Sold with the kiss of Fortune to the Fox ? cm. Too little valiant, though in counsel great. To earn the wages of a heroes work In honour^s gory field, yet spuiTcd by Fate Through hills of carnage ^neath the horrid murk Of the thick cannon smoke, well may it irk Some fibre in his heart to mark what sum Of noble lives hath bought his masterdom ! CIV. Magenta, Solferino ! Fame doth greet Him conqueror on these fields, who present there Tasted almost the anguish of defeat. Saved by the narrow Vantage of a hair ; So hath he ^scaped the fire — let him beware The God of Battles^ wrath, if e'er again He call upon that dreadful name in vain ! 36 FRANCE DISCROWNED. cv. Now Austria^s star grows pale_, and bright renown Is won by France in Italy^s cause^ with gift Of fair Milan, the Lombards^ Iron Crown, And many a league of goodly earth — best thrift Hath taught the Teuton in his strait to rift The envied circlet of his diadem, Bartered for days of respite gem by gem. CVl. So may Napoleon rest from weary labour. Beneath the laurel^s shade ; his glorious reign Widens its borders o^er his grateful neighbour Raised to Italians throne, while Gaul hath ta'en Of him fair lands betwixt the Alp and main. Whose rivers feed the olive and the rose. And spread o'er earth the riches of the snows. cvn. Yea, for an Emperor's greed, the aspiring king Mu!st wear his crown debased with foul alloy. Smile 'neath the burning brow that feels the sting Of shame within Ambition's dazzling toy ; Hesign the cradle of his race. Savoy, And that bright lake, whose love-lit waters keep Crod's lonely temple where their ashes sleep/^°^ FBANCE DISCROWNED. 37 CVIII. There^ dead for sorrow of the Austrian yoke. And cold in earth now alienate, the sire From 'neath the tomb yet speaketh, to invoke Prayers of strange lips — and if the son require That life, and the full bent of his desire On Italy*s foes^ how bitter is the cross Of sweet revenge, bought dear at such a loss ! Cix. Oh, rugged as the nurseling of the wolf. Show forth within the verge of living ken Those grand old days when valour bridged the gulf ■'Twixt the young state and safety ! — now as then The strong right hand bears rule ; even now do men Seek in thy name an omen and a spell, Shall strive with Fate, Victor Emmanuel ! (XS. To thee the oppressed of the earth impute Might to redress ; on thee the nations call As erst on Jove's own son ; the golden fruit. Success for labour wrought, to thee doth fall ; Modena, Parma, and the pearl of all, Florence, weave garlands for thy feet ; with these Met in delight, thy new Hesperides ! 38 FRANCE DISCROWNED. CXI. In thee is found such virtue as ^tis meet ' The keen marauder live by — to affront With iron forehead injury^ shame, defeat Of dearest effort, till misfortune^s brunt Wear edgeless ; constancy, by natural wont, Commends thee and thy cause to men thy like, Made to the occasion, as the sword to strike ! CXII. So, smarting 'neath intolerable wrong. Swift Garibaldi, foe of '^ right divine,^^ Brought thee a gift, the birthplace of sweet song, Parthenope, and joined his hand with thine ''Gainst the Priest-king, whom weak men^s fears en- shrine r the place of God o^er Italy, and he Weighs on her neck, the Old Man of the Sea ! cxm. Steered by his aged hand, St. Peter's boat Puts off into the gale, perchance to ride The seething waves and live — if man to float His frail-built craft may stay both time and tide. And check the swell of French Imperial pride ; If this may be, his scarlet robe worn old Shall patch its rents with new-spun purple fold. FEANOE DISCROWNED. 39 CXIV. From Alp to Adriatic ! 'twas the word Of promise — the profession of the lip, While to the sense the wavering heart demurred. Alas for Venice ! panting in the grip Of a strange lord^ whose oars' abhorred dip Into her married waters, coldly falls Athwart the echoes of her gem-laid halls. cxv. Was this the virgin daughter of old Rome, Who fled her pleasant palaces to shun A conqueror's touch, and made herself a home 'Midst the wild waste of ocean ? Lo, the Hun Luxuriates on her breast before the sun ; Clothed with his rays and mellowed in his warmth Her beauty doth corrupt the eye it charmeth. cxvi. How sunk to this ? The Lady of the Isles, Soiled by the touch of soul- seducing gold. Hearkened to great Napoleon, with smiles Of high- viced prostitution, bought and sold His, who or ere the embrace of "sin grew cold Had trucked her with the Austrian for surcease Of contest^ and dishonourable peace. 40 FEANCE DISCED WNED. cxvn. So fell the blast of Faliero's curse On them and on their children_, in whose laws Mercy was not — he dying_, left a worse E/cign of the viper's brood to avenge his cause : That severed head through ages speaks_, which was A Doge in Venice ! Living flesh must quail O^er those shrunk features' agonising tale/"^ CXVIII. Wrong gendereth wrong — the next and nearest heir Of Empire's mightiest lord^ his like,, though less, Wrought on the wind in labour to repair The irreparable evil done ; redress By man remains not for man's guiltiness ; Let be the Hand that moves the wheels of time To mete again the measure filled by crime ! CXIX. Seven years, as days amidst the ages' sand, From Solferino to Sadowa led The double- crested eagle — his last stand For empire, and from that day forth hath bled The deadly wound upon his second head ; Struck down, but not by France ; another tore The cloud-borne monarch from his height of soar. FBANCE DISCBOWNED. 41 cxx. Lo^ Austria^ by the counsel of the fool_, Joined hands with Prussia Against the oppressed Dane : The more his guilt who makes himself a tool To grind another with the like sharp pain That galled his proper breast — the less his gain Whose foul desires upon himself recoil, Baulked of his due division of the spoil. cxxi. Thus in their mutual sin the root of strife Was laid ^twixt both these nations ; thence sprang up Quick the ill weed of hatred — by the knife The weaker shall be slain ; or slowly sup More than death^s sharpness in the bitter cup Of shame- envenomed life — thy crowning woe, O strong man, worsted by a stronger foe ! CXXII. Louder than woman^s wail the giant^s cry Wrung forth by pain — the wild appeal for help IJroke from the Austrian in his agony : Who hears, who answers ? — Not the Lion^s whelp, Outroared to dumbness by the horrid yelp Of faction^s dogs, who watch him, tame to quell His spirit with doubts and rising-up of hell. 42 fBAKOE DISCBOWNEt), CXXIII. He hearken now, who summoned twice, held, back From England all athirst for justice, fain To guard the sacred roof from utter wrack Whence her own kings shall spring, to save the Dane ! There struck the hour to seize and crush his bane. And not in ineffectual prayers let pass The day of honour where his safety was ! cxxrv. No help in him, whose purpose-failing hand Toys nerveless from the scabbard to the hilt. When need and hope cry out to grasp the brand : Forsaken Austria shall bear her guilt. Such quarrel suits not France — however thou wilt Name the defection — policy, caution, mere Colours of art, to veil the blush of fear. cxxv. So, France unthanked, at last is Venice free ; Prussia hath risen to grant the priceless boon — Liberty — as her gift ; amidst the sea The many isles rejoice — the bright lagoon Laughs jubilant in the undiminished noon ; Such honour Prussia gains, not France, but hath Cause for the gathering storm-cloud of her wrath. FBANCE DISCROWNED. 43 CXXVI. Surely the passions in her bosom brood Fierce offspring, quickened by the blast of shame, Whose pangs have Trrought her till her fateful mood Brings forth the whirlwind and the thunder flame Upon her ravisher, who bartered, tame Her glory with another. Coldly feed The eyes their lust, beside ambition's greed. CXXVII. Another sting beyond France' proper wrong Devours her heart, deep cankering through the core A cry of wrath and pain is heard among The crowned race of Europe ; from the shore Of the far-off New World goes up once more The voice of blood, as when the curse of Cain Avenged young Conradino, foully slain !^^^^ CXXVIII. Oh, child of Hapsburg ! Wherefore was the gift Of empire an enticement to decoy Thee to thy fate ? rememberest not how swift Fell ruin on Constance' bright, heroic boy, When France usurped his birthright, to destroy ? Like doomed shall Maximilian perish, in Jjife's morning glory, for another's sin. 44 FKANCE DISCEOWNED. CXXIX. Trite was the tale : how robbers in the West, By Europe^s careless sufferance grown overbold, Lording o^er land, and creek, and bay, infest Broad Mexico, corrupt ere while through gold : These France hath trampled, but to keep and hold Her conquest, she hath need of some slight thing Clothed with her power — the semblance of a king. cxxx. Therefore she wooes the brother second-bom Of Austria with a throne ; the hand that bruised An Emperor^s heart, pleads softly to adorn His kinsfolk^s brows with crowns ; nor, oft refused. Will take denial of the sceptre, used To tempt a man, until he feel how sweet The glittering bauble thrust beneath his feet. CXXXI. Oh, sweeter yet to woman ! Could his wife. Ambitious Charlotte, let cold scruples dim The future^s fieiy draught, though ^twere her life Should buy her joy ? — She quaffed beneath the brim The maddening cup, then pressed it upon him. Her husband — ah, God pity both, so young. When ''cross their path the bait of death was flung ! FBANCE DISCROWNED. 4'5 CXXXTT. Was^t not the folly of our mother Eve In bliss, to snatch perdition^s fruit, mistaken For greatness ? Nero^s mother could believe The warning voice, yet will her son to reign Her murderer ! Oh, curse of woman^s strain, To thwart high heaven^s decree, and set above Man's earthly lot the idol of her love ! CXXXIII. This one was fair, and gifted to subdue A doting husband's will : Imperial grace Tempered her loftiness of nature, true To its high aim, the bent of Orleans' race ; A father's darling, her sweet name, sweet face Minded him of his love in other years — England's lost Princess, mourned with many tears.' oxxxiv. The die is cast ; of husband and of sire At last she wins their slow consent, overcome By her proud spirit's one supreme desire. Severing each tender link of birth and home : Far from her pleasant lot content to roam O'er the great sea 'neath sails of hope, unfurled To Fortune's breezes toward an unknown world. (13) 46 FRANCE DISCROWNED. CXXXV. Much praise of France and blessing of the Pope Speed the new Emperor's promise-laden keel Toward Montezuma's seat ; the sandy rope Is fixed to bind it fast to ground, and heal Division 'mongst his people ; Christian zeal Bidding him make thy mission good, or die^ Oh_, Pio Nonoj of the evil eye P*^ CXXXVI. Silent, that people met their lord, whose voice Should have confirmed his title : France forgot Their will might baffle hers ; the Austrian buoys His heart with hope to efface the fraudful blot Fixed on his name, and win yet of them what Kaiser nor Pope can give nor take away, Man's free obedience to a righteous sway. cxxxvn. Deceived, beguiled to such attempt, as none Might bring to effect, that royal hand was set To the stern labour France had left undone. Galled with her yoke and burthened with her debt ; Surety for her in gold and blood, he let The fiery circle close before him, blind Not to discern the consequence behind I PEANCE MSCROWNED. it CXXXVIII. Fierce the Columbian turns to bruise the heel Of Europe, ere she trample on his neck : Fierce shall the sword repay him, till he feel Napoleon his master, at whose beck The new-enfeoffed Prince, his tool and geek. On each man ta^en in arms must execute His death-doom, striking treason at the root. cxxxix. It will not be — the hand that could enforce A friend to deeds of blood, makes no return Of safety for the fetters of remorse Borne by that noble heart : the land doth spurn Her foreign lord, with those who bade him earn Such measure to himself, and shall repay Harsh judgment in the monarch of a day. CXL. France knows her fault, and ere it be too late, To save such honour as her arms have won. Forsakes the land and him, infatuate, • Resolved to hold his useless struggle on ; Who scorns, at bidding of Napoleon, To quit some few in whom he hath found faith. So bideth still with them, for life or death. 48 France disoeowned. CXLI. Beseiged,, shut in, ^twixt sword and famine, hemmed By sure destruction's narrowing circle round. Sold to his foes, and at their will condemned By the mock tribunal their rage hath found To pour his life-blood on that alien ground, In face of Europe's lords and kings, because They sought to tread down free Columbia's laws. CXLII. He fell beneath the murdering bullet shower. The noblest of them, while they stood far off, Struck dumb before the horrors of that hour : And no man dared to utter taunt or scoff 'Mong that strange people, when they saw him doff The garment of mortality, as 'twere To robe in marriage vesture, white and fair. CXLIII. Used by Napoleon, as the drowning wretch Grasps at a straw to stay him, sinking deep Beneath the floods that mock his desperate catch — Flung back in agony that will not keep The hold that failed it — when our age shall sleep, Glory's faint ripple on the stream of time Shall mark that life, too early crushed by crime. FBANCB DISCROWNED. 49 CXLIV. Accursed was thy sacrifice, O fool. To mercliaiidise for respite with the surge Of man's waked wrath, uprisen to sweep thy rule From earth's fair face ; those mighty waters scoui'ge The rocks, thy narrow refuge, on the verge Of ruin — would'st for power's abuse atone. By yielding all to save thyself alone ? CXLV. Thou would' st, but mayest not : lo ! the dreadful rush Of people, the indignant feet of men — The clamour of the lip — the withering blush Shame prints on every Frenchman's forehead — when Suppliant to thee again, and yet again, Charlotte, the wretched wife, appeals : who dare Look coldly on her frenzy of despair ? CXLVI. Not now for power — for life — his life — she begs Help from thy hand ; no icy, hard rebulf Moves her proud lips from tasting to the dregs Humiliation's poisoned cup — too rough Thy touch that crushed her soul with grief enough To slay — but fire and strength of youth deny The last, best hope of misery — to die. bo tHANCE DISCROWNED. CXLVII. She lives, and he is dead — horrible thought To love, that gulf of silence should divide Their passion-mingled spirits ; her^s, o'erfraught, Bore not its burthen, reason swerved aside From conflict with the foe too hard to bide, Brain-racking madness — till her senseless moan Might melt to tears of blood the heart of stone. CXLVIII. Hers by the bond, nor life nor death can sever — That glorious form her eyes shall see no more Comes back among his own to rest for ever : The waters of the Adriatic bore His body, pierced by the bloody door That gave the winged soul passage — bore him past Their fairy home of joy, too dear to last/"^ CXLIX. People and kings. Imperial brother, all Paid him the due of tears — but no revenge : Only the hour that shuddered at his fall Loomed darkly in the shadow of a change Over the spirit of France, turned fierce and strange Upon her lord ; the universal hiss Shoots in his ear : " Napoleon has done this V^ FRINGE PISCROWNED. 51 CL. Now is the day at hand when France^ too long Divided Against herself, shall cast the blame For all on him, and by her union strong To spurn the yoke of fear, of him shall claim Count of the deeds committed in her name : Shame, hot and bitter, hath she drunk like water, Till her thirst burneth in desire of slaughter. CLI. ; . Ay, this last hope yet tempts him, to^ make good In arms his title to the Imperial crown. - France will not waive her choice, confirmed in blood. If power and will avail him to cast down The rising star of Prussians young renown. He asks her, jealous, ^'^ Shall another be First nation in the world, in place of thee T' CLII. Yet war's dread trumpet breathed no certain sound With human passion, till a voice of heaven Lodged in the bosom of a man was found. Proclaimed Infallible : who most hath striven 'Gainst him shall jield, or perish unforgiven; Men shall fall down and worship him as God, "Who moves or stays time's progress with his nod. 62 FEANCE DISCROWNED . CLIII. So^ in His name who made the inviolate mind In His own image, issues the decree To fetter every thought of man, and blind His inward light — the Teuton deemed him free To weld his mighty race in unity, One people, though of divers creeds, their band Of brotherhood, strong love of Fatherland : CLTV. Uncounselled dreamer ! Rome hath spoke the word, And the proud fabric of thy hope shall fall And wither ^neath her curse : hath she not stirred Old strife between the German and the Gaul ? And France in arms makes answer to the call ? "Woe to the land which lying prophets move To wrath and murder for the law of love ! CLV. Woe to the Prince who yields himself the slave Of war's fell demon, though he hate the cause : Rome claims her due, remembering him who gave Fair France to be his leman ; yet there was Remorse within his breast had bid him pause. Could he have wrestled with that stronger will Whose ^hest the loathful spirit must fulfil ! FRANCE DISCROWNED. 53 CLVI. Yea, and an influence keener and more human Strove through the wife's caress, the mother's fear With pity in his soul — oh, heart of woman, Wed to thy dignities at cost so dear ; Bitter should be thy life of exile here. Envenomed by the thought how many a one Were happy, had'st thou never borne a son ! CLVII. Ah, little warned of late remorse to come, Wil't break the silence of the world's repose, And mar the spell that kept it, listening, dumb. For war's full diapason of all woes To miserable men ? All ready glows The match beside the train, the mutual ire Of race, a spark may kindle into fire. CLVIII. Eye fixed on eye, the Teuton and the Celt Cross in their paths ; with high, o'erbearing hand One carries insult unexpressed, yet felt Quick by the other, hot to make his stand 'Gainst the rude stretch of insolent command : A word, a gesture shall provoke renewal Of hate to achieve their interrupted duel. 54 FRANCE DISGBOWNED. CLIX. France angered, deems the quarrel thrust upon her Wilily by the foe, who bideth cool Till some hard precept in the code of honour/' As written in the Bible of the fool. Urge her in wrath no policy can school To stake her all in war's delusive game, ^Gainst uncomputed odds of loss and shame. CLX. Now these new troubles unto France begin From Spain once more, as ever it befel ; With great debate 'mongst Princes, who shall win The vacant throne of banished Isabel : Till one by one the sons of Kings repel The borrowed honours of another's seat Where prudence doubts, and virtue fears defeat. CLXI. At length the purpose holds to set a branch Of younger growth from Prussia's royal house In Spanish soil : — in opposition staunch France bars his claim, whose dignities arouse .' Her jealous fury : Prussia's King allows Her plea —commands his kinsman to forbear The proffered throne^ but farther hath no care. FRAi^OB DISOBOWNfii). -^iSS CLXII. Enough to pluck the arrow from the wound Of pride, where yet the poisoned barb remains. To atone the past, and hold his faith unbound For time to come : the Monarch's soul disdains Question beyond — while busy rumour feigns Rebuffs, shames, mutual insults, such as are Both nations' curse — the bitter cause of war. CLXIII. The deed is done : Napoleon, evil starred. Gives to his people what they would, and pale As doom goes forth among them : cold and hard His eye, whose bend o'erawes them, till he fail : Moving triumphant in their midst, all hail Him now ; even those who hate him swell the din, The maddening shout of thousands, " To Berlin V CLXIV. '' War, war ! our sword is sharp, our heart is light : Sons of the men of Jena, are not ye France' strong right arm made ready for the fight ? Such legions, eldest born of victory. Ne'er hath she had, and ne'er again shall see Such chance, if she let slip the happy time !" False promise, fatal blunder, worse than crime ! 66 FRANCE DISCROWNED. CLXV. Surely lie falls^ with strong delusion fed By lying flatterers^ even the same who built His throne on sand : the spirits of the dead Press on them to break short beneath the h^ilt Their swords, yet red with unatoned guilt : Himselfj at odds with sore disease and pain. Leads forth the hosts he ne'er shall bring again ! CLXVI. Defrauded in the measure of his strength, The lesson is to learn how little worth His empire^s tools, brought face to face at length In battle with the Genius of the North Uprisen in slow rage, and bodied forth In stern array of men : one heart, one soul From monarch unto peasant, stirs the whole ! CLXVII. So nature orders her resistless force In Nilus^ waters, when the melting snows Overcharge the secret fountains of his source, And in his bed Nyanza's lake overflows : Nor strength nor cunning is in man t* oppose His branchless spreading current, unwithstood Till Egypt^s land lies buried ^neath the flood. FKANCE DISCROWNED. 57 CLXVIII. Strong in unswerving purpose, they break through Napoleon's wild defence — well skilled to find Their vantage — and with numbers, aye too few. He met their shock, as three 'gainst one combined : Thus staked his all, and kept no hope behind ; Nor was the tender youth of his fair boy Witheld from sport with war, as with a toy. CLXIX. One moment, mocked with colour of success By Fortune's scorn, some impulse bade him shrink From the sharp contest — 'twas not fear ! — nathless He wanders up and down upon the brink Of ruin, ere beneath its waves he sink ; While in mid- current of defeat, Douay With death upon a rock, casts off dismay. CLXX. On Geisberg's height, from August dawn till noon He strove, then looked upon the battle lost. Turned, slew his faithful steed, and sought like boon. Quick end of pain, the prize he craved the most : On, with the remnant of his baffled host He rushed; they asked him " Whither ?"—" To the foe !" He cried, and sought and found a mortal blow. a 58 FEANCE DISCED WNED. CLXXI. A little band yet stood upon tlie field In arms : again^ and yet again, till e'en They spurned the conqueror's grace, when urged to yield, Who bare them down, but spared to slay — fourteen They counted, left of hundreds : well I ween Friedrich, the Royal chieftain, found that day ' :Some stuff in Erance to cope with on his way ! CLXXII. Away upon the scent ! Let sound a mort Over the strickea prey, then on ! — Well thrives Thy hot pursuit upon the hills of Worth, Grim huntsman. War, whose chase are human lives ! There brought to bay, how fiercely, vainly strives The overspent deer thy pack hath set upon Magenta's hero, noble MacMahon ! CLXXIII. Yea, and within the self-same evil hour Hath Thor brought down his hammer at Spiecheren, With godlike strength of blows, to break the power Of Celtic fury : he hath bent him, stern. To climb that pass, though step by step he earn His way through blood, till slaughtered thousands heap His gory passage up that hard-held steep ! FRANCE DISCROWNED. 69 CLXXTV. Mark how the bravest sons of France have died, The soldier and his chief together there Locked in embrace : the earth shall not divide Their ashes, nor despoil the hand that bare Safe to the grave a lock of woman^s hair : The heroes heart can yield but dust to dust — Sealed to eternity its love and trust ! CLXXV. Oh, knew they but the coming sorrows, blest Beyond the living those who timely fell. Their faces to the foe ; woe worth the rest. Such tale of shame, dismay, and loss to tell ! Then France rose up, and with the hate of hell Turned on her monarch, then her curse received His word of comfort, ^^ All may be retrieved \" CLXXVI. What yet was left him he gave up, supreme Only in misery now : another hand Must guide his armies, for he knows men deem Himself unworthy of the chief command : A woman in the counsels of the land Shall fill his seat — could he propitiate By sacrifice of all the wrath of fate ! 60 FRANCE DISCEOWNED. CLXXVII. One impulse yet, the dnstinct of dear life Drives him towards Paris — like the hunted fox Fled to his lair — that refuge, friend and T^ife Madly forbid him : thus the woodsman blocks The access where the wretch would earth, and baulks His last poor double, ere he pant beneath The mangling fangs, and sate their lust in death. CLXXVIII. If such the inevitable, shall it skill What evil counsel adding to his fault Hasten the issue ? Seeming wisdom still Bids him divert afar the fierce assault. Lest Paris' walls be violate — pause or halt Might yet ward off to some less vital part The point of peril from the nation's heart. CLXXTX. Within the maiden walls of Metz, Bazaine, Now arbiter of France, her armies' chief, Dwells safe no longer; better might he gain Deliverance by his sword than wait relief And perish in expectance : as the thief Snatches the swift occasion of the night. He sets his legions on the path of flight : FBANCE DISCROWNED. 61 CT.XXX. His aim, to reach the rallying ground, Chalons, Ere he join battle with the Norse, to band His strength unbroken there, with MacMahon^s Unheartened host, and thus to take their stand ^Gainst the too vigilant foe — ah, vainly planned Hope to elude his meshes ! no resource Availeth, but the last appeal to force. CLXXXI. Three armies in his reins, the German king With Steinmetz and the Red Prince, from the South Catches their flying columns on the wing. Drives up and smites them flankways, nor alloweth Room for their westward march — the cannon^s mouth Bore full upon their hastening ranks, and mowed Dread harvest either side the narrow road : CLXxxn. The road, with trees and clustered hamlets bound. The key to Paris ! from the hills of Gorze To Vionville, the shifting French took ground ; And ere the foe could put them to the worse. The soil of France grew rich with many a corse : Who ^scapes the mitrailleuse^ close hail shall feel The crash of charging horse^ the chill of steel ! 62 FEANCE DISCROWNED. CLxxxni. Night fell upon their wrath : no martial tones Of Luther^s hymn nor Watch upon the Rhine Thrill through the darkness_, but the long, low moans Of pain and agony : with eyes divine The stars look down compassionate — incline Some nearer friend_, O Thou who mad^st the skies Toward the lone pillow where the warrior dies ! CLXXXIV. Man beareth aid^ and woman ; they had missed her Upon that slaughter-field^ help of the lorn, Past comfort else ! The angels call her sister Who sheds on misery^s night the smile of morn, Sweet pity^s heavenly glow ; in such are born, While yet on earth, the immortal seeds of love Whose perfect flower shall crown the blest above. CLXXXV. Fair rose the morrow^s sun above the wood Where mingling armies strove unseen ; a taint Floats on the air, the sickening scent of blood Points where the wretch, too weary for complaint. Hath borne his pain till ebbing life beat faint. Soothed by desire of death, that friend indeed Unsought by man till such dire, utmost need. FEANCE DISCKOWNED. 63 CLXXXVI. A son of England tendeth to his rest^^^^ Yon bleeding chieftain of the Imperial guard ; His hand yet grasps the medals on his breast^ His lips bequeath that friend his shattered sword In memory of him — while a whispered word Breathes forth the gallant spirit^ s prayer, set free By that last effoi-t, " Bury these with me !'^ CLXXXVII. Yet some shall live : lo where the ground is red Beneath her shadow^s cool, the weeping birch. Soft lady of the woods, bends down her head ; Nor vainly human pity speeds the search. Till tent and lazaret and viUage church Teem and overflow with wreck of mangled forms, By healing care delivered from the worms. CLxxxvin. Scarce might they pause from strife one day; Bazaine Retires upon the right and forms his front Wedgewise upon the hills that gird the plain Round Metz the maid, to bear against the brunt Of battle, and break through : beyond his wont He veils resolve in silence ; should he fail, His blood-bought honours are a bygone tale. 64 FKANOE DISCEOWNED. CLXXXIX. Again 'tis night o^er earthy and through the still Of darkness^ and the sacred sleep of care Pierces the note of warning : trumpets shrill. To trumpets answering on the midnight air, The call to arms; both hosts can scarce forbear Their last encounter, till the morning light Renew their spirits to the bitter fight. cxc. Prompt as the summons flies from camp to camp The German is afield — earth quails beneath Their countless numbers^ closely measured tramp. Evolving northwards in a mighty wreath, Recurvous where the eye of guidance seeth A break amidst the hills of slaughtering fire. Where the unyielding French their powers retire. cxci. If haply there they prove assailable. The Red Prince^ thousands set across their course Cut off retreat towards Paris — to repel Them pressing on ere these have reached, the Norse, Quickly resolving, casts a charge of horse Upon their batteries^ hottest fire, to die Holding the pass for coming victory. FRANCE DISCROWNED. 65 GXCII. Lo now their lances, like the beams of day, Peep glittering o'er the brow of yonder hill ; Now from their throats breaks forth a wild hurrah, The cry of dauntless hearts, a sound to thrill Their chargers rushing on to death — they kill The cannoneers and seize the guns ; then fall Like stones built on a rock, a flawless wall, CXCIII. A barrier in the passage of the French, Till from the north the cannon's nearer boom Tells of the Red Prince hard at hand to wrench The fruit of triumph from destruction's womb : Within the opposing lines he hath found room To conquer, and the battle wind breathes hot Upon the wood-clad slopes of Gravelotte. CXOIV. The mitrailleuse' harsh whirr, another voice Added to death, rolls clear above the blast Of shot and shell, through age-long hours that poise Fate's equal balance — ere the cloud be past. And either foe enduring to the last Outlive the fury of that dark Simoom, The dust lies deep o'er many a hero's tomb. 66 FEANCE DISCROWNED. cxcv. Once and again the Prussian ranks advance Up the steep chasm where their comrades died : Once more and yet again the men of France Slaying and slain, the fierce attack abide ; Not these alone the issue shall decide ; Germania still pours forth her living stream Of myriads, like the vision of a dream. OXCVI. Up from the south and o^er the swift Moselle They wound their way by night, and deftly clomb Hill, rock, and steep ravine, until their spell Of war^s grim work was called; then issuing from Ognon^s thick forest, where the death- winged bomb Broke on their covert, four hours long unrolled Their coil of strength, in Python fold o^er fold. cxcvn. Dark spots lay thick upon that serpent trail Where torment-writhen flesh, bestained with gore. Fell on the way — nor wound nor death could quail The huge advancing monster, on he tore Through fire and blood, and wound him round and o'er His prey, till 'neath his fangs they turn, they rush In frantic hope to 'scape his mangling crush. FEANCE DISCROWNED. 67 cxcvm. Then Prussians crest stooped low ; almost was lost The priceless ground, disputed inch by inch All that long day, at such unmeasured cost Of mortal anguish ; than at last might flinch Strength, if not will in peril^s sharpest pinch : Then calmly rose amid the battle smoke The aged warrior king, Germania^s oak : cxcix. No tremors move that high heroic soul ; That royal hand hath ta^en its foremost share F th' hard day's labour : master of the whole. He kens the point amidst the compass where Fate's needle quavers ; soon he brings to bear New strength upon the issue of the hour : Close thrust of steel and fire-borne iron shower CO. On with a mighty shout and beat of drum Down the ravine they rush, and up the height Hurl themselves on the foe ! Still on they come. Still flash on flash the stream of fire glows bright. Then sinks in distance 'neath the thickening night The Gaul must yield, on every side borne in The road his vanquished thousands died to win. 68 FEANCE BISCEOWNED. OCI. Slow he retreats in anger through the dusk : Like as the hunted boar escaped unslain, With signs of battle in his shattered tusk, Foul with rent flesh_, in many a clotted stain. His own and others^ gore, oft turns a^in On his pursuers, ere within his lair He eat his heart in sharpness of despair, (X3II. Night wore away in pain — another sun Bore witness to the haughty Teuton^s boast ; Bazaine overthrown sustains a cause foredone, Close blocked, together with his countless host, Where they must yield or perish ! Yet almost Too dear-bought seemed the joy, when morning shed Light on the moveless faces of the dead : CGm. Light on the living heaps of mangled flesh Scarce left the form of man ! Yet unto those Unfailing love pours forth her balm afresh. Sweetening the taste of death : there one, who knows Sorrow her old familiar, wildly goes From group to group, imploring sign or word To tell where lies the body of her lord. ^" FBANQE DISCKOWNED. 69 OCIV. Save for those two, by love made one in heart, Had Maximilian died without a friend Proof against fate, nor ever would depart That true wife from her husband, till the end Through flood and fire she followed him, to spend In helpful toil her golden days of youth ; Cold now the lips that should reward her truth. OCV. Wore to the conqueror ! All through Fatherland This day of sorrow doth one home remain Where cruel death hath spared to lay his hand ? Hush the loud shout of triumph, nor profane The broken spirit^s sacred hours of pain ; What profits victory to those who mourn 'Neath life's dull load, of all life's joys forlorn ? CCVI. Woe to the conquered ! How should flesh endure Ills that in mortal language have no name ? O France ! thy misery is wrought past cure. Thy heart- wound deep, that bartered blood for fame To loss of both ; wilt cast thy bitter blame For all on him, whose hand hath never swerved From doing thy desire, too blindly served ! 70 . FBANCE DISCEOWNED. COVH. Again tlie voice of wisdom at his side Urged his return to Paris^ thence to ward Destruction off; the City in her pride And fury fiercer than the wounded pard Turns on her keeper, if he fail to guard Her offspring ; — and again he made reply — *^ Dead or victorious '^ — till the hour passed by. covm. And MacMahon, for he was high of mind. Rejected not the Emperor^s wild appeal To help Bazaine ; so rushed on loss, not blrad To consequence ; 'twas all devouring zeal For honour bade him prove he could not feel Envy's base stings, nor doubt nor hesitate To save a rival chief, self immolate ! CCIX. With hope 'gainst hope he nerves his hand to gather The broken remnants wasted by defeat, Though the heart melt within him, as they wither Like snow-wreaths smitten by the morning heat : And these are all that France hath left to meet Victorious Friedrich, these alone dispute The pass toward Paris 'gainst his hot pursuit. PRANCE DISCROWNED. 71 CCX. These from her walls the Imperial city spurns^ TiU Metz be saved with her — or both at once, Or neither_, so she wills it — northwards turns The host, by hills and forests of Argonnes, And o^er the Meuse' swift waters, Mac Mahon's Passage may yet be won — if then Bazaine Break forth and meet him through the circling chain, CCXI. They two may rescue France ! — Too swift the feet. Too keen the brain that follows up their track ! As wisdom bade him, from the untasted sweet Of conquest, royal Friedrich turneth back ; Nor pauseth he nor murmiireth to slack His arm stretched forth on Paris, and forego The present, for the future^s surer blow. CCXII. Left of the Meuse he hasteth on, before The tell-tale winds be Vare of his intent ; Sightless as death, the Saxon levies pour Along the Eastern bank, adroitly bent To seize the points of passage, and prevent The advancing French; while close round Metz through all The Red Prince stays, to hold Bazaine in thrall. 72 FRANCE DISCROWNED. CCXIII. Had MacMahon conveyed his powers beyond The stream, and onwards with unbated haste For life or death, ere fear dissolved the bond Of prompt obedience, held the distance placed ^Twix him and his pursuers ! — Wo the waste Of golden hours, till days to weeks have spun. In lingering essays at a task undone ! ccxiv Laggard and mutinous, too late they reach The hopeful river, where their enemies Met them unwary of attack : at each Bend of the stream, new clouds of marksmen rise. With winged death and horror of surprise ; Some ambush from each covert of the wood Breaks, where they dreamed of passage unwithstood. ccxv. In battle with the spirit of the North Their own heart's fears have scattered them, like sheep Deaf to their shepherd's voice ; the wolf goes forth Among their wandering flocks no hand may keep, Huddling them onwards, a disordered heap Toward their last stronghold, hateful with the ban Of ancient curses, evil-famed Sedan. FRANCB DISCROWNED. 7S CCXVI. Yet one resource was left them, that last day Of August, had their silent ranks defiled Retreating by the sole yet open way, Upon Mezieres for Paris — hope-beguiled. Napoleon stayed them, but the Imperial child Of France departs from him ; while lives his boy This world hath something yet can give him joy ! CCXVII. Fate-blinded, he awaits the day of strife With the strong kings of nations, unaware Of the destroying angel with them ; life Remains, and with it hope, nor will he spare The wasted, pain-wrought frame must serve him there To stake on the issue of this one last chance Left to redeem the agony of France ! CCXVIII. That sun arose as other suns, September's First morning — when the mists before his light Were lifted up and scattered, France remembers How all around the city stood in sight The gathered myriads of Germania's might, With whom shall Frenchmen, ere they yield, have striven Through twelve long deathful hours, from dawn till even. ?4 FBANCE DISCEOWNED. COXIX. Foremost fell MacMahon, ill-fated chief, Struck down beneath the shell-storm ; bleeding, wan^ They bore him from the field, with shame and grief Worse stung than by his wound : Napoleon Sought death and found it not, till all was gone. And pent within Sedan, the hell-borne shower Crushed out his heart beneath a conqueror's power. ccxx. Then gallant Wimpffen raised a desperate cry : " Men, close around your Emperor, we'll cut through Yon ranks a way to liberty, or die ! Would ye be ta'en like sheep ?'' — Alas, too few Would dare the deed ! Then soldiers rose and slew Their chiefs, and laid their murders on the man Cursed by two names, December and Sedan ! ccxxi. Then to the death-girt hosts of France he gave His last commandment ; by his sovereign right, To cease the useless carnage, caused them wave Above their battered gates the banner white. Whose folds must redden ere they stay the fight^ And meet response : " we hold you at our will To absolute surrender; or we kill \" FEANGE DISCROWNED. ccxxn. " Gunners se'en hundred by our pieces stand, The match upon the touch hole ; you are all As dust within the hollow of our hand V O night of shame and horror ! Such o^er Gaul Hath never darkened, since Alesia's fall 'Neath Roman Caesar's arms : Louisa's son <^^' Great honour of Napoleon's heir hath won. ccxxin. Was't not her spirit bade the victor spare Her insurer's race, when vengeance came from God For wrongs her queenly heart assayed to bear, And broke i' the effort ? Lower than the clod. Napoleon, envying the earth he trod In strong desire of death, yet loth to die. Might move compassion of his enemy ! ♦ coxxiv. Had he but dared the worst, to purchase peace For France, and ta'en upon himself alone The burthen of his people ! Though surcease Of War, he deemed must consummate his own Defeat, and bar his offspring from the throne He sinned to make secure — had he done this. More than the conqueror's nobleness were his ! 76 FEANCE DISCEOWNED. ccxxv. Not so j but steeped in obloquy to tV lips He passeth to captivity ; witb him His snared army sufferetb eclipse Of fame, and as bis day-star waxetb dim, France feels Invasion's cancer creep from limb To body, toward her heart ; the fretted sore Draining her life within its festering core, CCXXVI. Madly she turns upon the weaker half And powerless hand that grasped the reins of state, Unwitting of the fiery car : a laugh Of base-souled churls pursues the Emperor's mate. Hurled from her seat of pride, to satiate The evil passions of that evil time. When woman wrought with man in blood and crime. CCXXVII. So beautiful, so mighty ! Is there no man In her great fall abideth true and fast. Her friend indeed ? Oh ! blinded will of woman, To chide the Italian King, when fain to cast His lot with hers, and serve her at the last : '^ Let Paris yield to Prussia,'^ answered she, " Ere Rome to Italy V —And this shall be. FRANCE DISCROWNED. 77 ccxxvni. The other notwithstanding ! That self-same September day saw Paris closed in, Engirt by iron men, and her whose name Is mystery, the mother of earth^s sin, Cast down by him, who dared her curse to win Man^s freedom ; and the heavens shall echo one Cry o'er both cities : Fallen is Babylon ! CCXXIX. Italia una ! This our age fulfils The vision, clear to Dante's Prophet ken, ^"-^ "When she who sitteth on the seven hills Wantoned with kings and bought the souls of men Lift up your voice in wailing for her ; when The child of golden hope, immortal fame, Atones Canosa's memories of shame ! ^^''^ ccxxx. Like as the lords of Asia's wide dominions When the fleet deer before their arrow flies. Launch in pursuit on unresisted pinions The lightning winged monarch of the skies : ^^^^ He stoops upon the prey — the hot blood dyes His talons ; fast they hold with maddening smart. While his sharp beak rends out the quivering heart : 78 FRANCE DISCEOWNED, COXXXI. So "William bade the chieftains of the Norse His messengers, go forth on eagles' wings To cleave the breast of France in twain, and force Submission from her dire extreme ; he wrings A limb from ber fair body, ere he brings His legions in Imperial triumph home : A king of men hath spurned the curse of Rome ! COXXXII. And France hath seen her queenly diadem In blood and ashes cast away ; the harm Her conqueror spared her, is achieved by them Her bosom nursed ; their parricidal arm Hath marred her loveliness that once could charm Men to forget the bonds of home and birth ; The marvel and delight of all the earth ! COXXXIII. And yet for her is hope — the noble word Hath passed a Frenchman's lips: '^Our great revenge ^^^-^ Should be upon ourselves/' — If she hath erred Through blinded love of her false gods, a change Shall pass upon her spirit, bright and strange Beyond ambition's wildest dreams, — the beauty Of life and death wrought out in truth by duty ! FRANCE DISCROWNED. tS CCXXXIV. She bears her sorrows : let the nations take The example, and avoid the bitter doom : May France receive, may England ne^er forsake The light from heaven enkindled midst the gloom Of misery, the blackness of the tomb : So shall her glory, ere it pass away Blend with the dawn of everlasting day ! Thanksgiving D. Ode on I HANKSGIYING UAY. FEBRUARY 27th, 1872. Lo, nowj while England, listening from afar The struggle of the nations, waiting calm Fate^s verdict, and the issue of the war ^Twixt light and chaos, gathers of the palm No bloody harvest ; but with sovereign balm Of human pity, never shed in vain. Bears part through kindness in another's pain ; 11. Within her shores is heard a voice of wail. For her own woe — the heavy hand of death Presses on her beloved Prince, and pale, The monarch and her people sink beneath The impending doom : one expectation stayeth The pulse of every heart ; one bitter cry Bursts from each lip in common agony. 82 ODE ON THANKSGIVING DAY. III. And sound of prayer and heaven-persuading tears To Thee_, oli Father ! rises from all lands Wherever our language names Thee; hopes and fears Cling to the life that trembles in Thy hands : Ay, where the Parsee dimly understands Thy power and presence, to the God of Fire Goes up from India's plain our heart's desire. IV. And from the sacred s ones of Israel Burns in the tender melody of sighs The glorious, fearful Name no lip may tell ; Knit with this Christian land by sorrow's ties Jerusalem weepeth ; nor wilt Thou despise Her broken harp's last murmuring, to move Compassion of Thine everlasting love. Make not a desolation and a curse In England, 'midst the Royal stem of Kings ; Leave not a people shepherdless, to worse Than tyranny, the mock of baser things Crept into light, when anarchy upsprings To snatch the unguarded sceptre, given a prey To factions, harbingers of power's decay ! ODE ON THANKSGIYING DAY. 83 VI. Smite not our flower of strength in manhood^s pride. Whom we have seen, when youth^s desire was won. The sweetest rose of earth, his chosen bride. With wedded love crowned glorious as the sun : Far be the night from day so fair begun ! Thou Lord of Life, call back Thy message, save The young, the happy, from the cruel grave ! VII. What voice was silent ? even mine, the least. Could pierce Thy heavens — oh Thou, All- wise. All- good. Who knewest the heart that trusted Thee, nor ceased To hope, when hope was not — O Father, could Death pass from him, that not in widowhood His love should mourn, his orphans^ tender years With unavailing anguish fill Thine ears ! VIII. Mercy hath triumphed : hearkening our despair. The parting spirit pauses at the gate Of the dark vale — turns back, compelled by prayer From the great silence, unrevealed fate Decreed for dust — new days of health await The grave's devoted, set before our eyes Restored by Him who bade the dead arise. 84 ODE ON THANKSGIVING DAY. IX. Him shall the glory of the living praise, Gladness and joy of heart break forth and sing His highest gift, heaven- conquering pain, to raise Man's spirit on affliction's fiery wing Above the stars ; — so England's Prince shall bring Again the days of England's old renown : Made worthy*through the cross to wear the crown. >J^ |d4 O;^ THE ^AF(P\Iy\QE Op THE JuKE OF J^DINBURQH /f4D THE 'C^R/.ND JuCHE^P ^ARIE ^jL-EX>\NDF\OVNA. Peace be on earth ! Harsh note of war, be dumb, The night of ignorance and hate hath ceased : Now to our shores a gentle guest doth come, The lady of the nations' marriage feast : Like morning light arisen in the East To heal her people's strife with alien lands. And knit our hearts in kindness' mutual bands. n. Daughter of Scythian monarchs,Jhail ! Fair bride Led captive to the Islands of the sea By love, the mighty conquerer ; in thy pride Of youth and grace Imperial, thou shalt be Anchored on England's breast, hope's argosy Won by our Sailor Prince ; with dearer prize Never hath victory's pomp enriched our eyes ! 86 ODE ON ROYAL MAHEIAGE. III. Nor lightly was the bloodless conquest earned. In pleasure's race to wile an idle day Our English Alfred bears a heart that yearned To tread rough labour's honorable way : Meetly home bliss the mariner shall repay, Brooding o'er stormy seas through many a night Thoughts iron- constant to his soul's delight. rv. Well proved that royal heart to mock at fear Of darker peril than the stroke of war ; Ay, when the Assassin's stealthy aim touched near Its citadel of life, more baleful far : Of mettle such as Alfred's heroes are, Such worth of manhood in his youth hath shone As dove-eyed beauty loves to look upon. Lo, to the Northern Caesar's halls he came No stranger, in a wooer's gentle guise. To spell earth's dearest word, a husband's name In the soft mirrors of his lady's eyes : Not unfamiliar there such tender ties Where blooms in sweetness 'midst the winter snows A sister flower to Denmark's royal rose. ODE ON ROYAL MARRIAGE. 87 VI. Seabound Crimea saw their time of love Glide blissful ^midst tbe gardens of tbe vine ; There both to either's first affections clove, Blent heart in heart in unison divine. Close as the springing shoots their branches twine : Rich as their promise, youth enamoured sips The wine of life from timid virgin lips. VII. Bear back the tale, ye many sounding waves, Of love's soft triumph to Britannia's shore ; Joy stirs the heroic dust of British graves Hallowed in Russian earth, that evermore Those young hearts' living freshness bloometh o^er The evil days gone by of strife and pain, Cossack 'gainst Saxon, ne'er to come again ! VIII. Sons of the North, twin giants ! hath the world Power to oppose your strength combined as one While side by side your standards float unfurled ? What warlike pageantry beneath the sun Shall match that sight, until his course be done ? Far as his beams shall stretch from age to age The future of your glorious heritage ! 88 ODE ON BOYAL MARBIAGE. Peace be on earth ! the weary time hath rest : In two hearts^ love, two nations shall be blest : Our eyes have opened on a happier day, The lion and the bear like lambkins play. II. Fair Princess, who forsakest for another Thy sirens Imperial breast, thy weeping mother, May love draw down young spirits from heaven to earth. And children's tongues make music on thy hearth ! in. Prince of the ocean- empire ! words are vain To ease thy people's heart, o'erfraught with rain Of tender prayers on million lips, to move Rich showers of blessings on thee from above ! Pejena : AN Elegy. Night thickens rounds and desolation is Within me, like the frost-bound eartVs decay ; My love_, my love ! in such an hour as this Thy spirit, angel-guarded, passed away. n. The leafless elm trees 'neath the weeping sky Steeped their bare heads in heavy drops of woe ; The soughing wind made moan for thee, — while I — I knew it not — expected not the blow. III. Why, why was I not there ? thy head had lain Pillowed in lovers own sweetness on my breast One word had more than paid my life of pain. One kiss immortal winged thee to thy rest ! 90 LEJENA : AN ELEGY. IV. Can I forget ? — 0_, nevei% never more Thy virgin-widow^s heart-pangs shall surcease ; Though till the agony of life pass o^er Grief cannot kill — or I had gone to peace. V. still, ^^ yoTiiig and fair/^ men call me_, and my ear Burns with the hot blood^s tingling, when some sound, Too like that voice the living may not hear. Renews the anguish of the bitter wound. VI. memory of the yearning heart's desire. Sweet life of life outbreathed in mingling sighs, Undying flame of love's soul-piercing fire. Shot by the lightning flash of wondrous eyes ! VII. O time of love ! for mortal mould too much The wealth of joy thy wild emotions bring ; How the soft pressure of his lightest touch Stirred in my veins the tumult of the spring I lejjna: an elegy. 91 VIII. O death, what is in thee that I should fear ? Thy bitterness is passed — thy sting forgot ; Hath thy dark realm a prison-house more drear_, More cold than this dull world where lore is not ? IX. I know that '' he shall not return to me. But I shall go to him^^ — O, my lost love ! Could I believe the All MercifaFs decree But parted here to make us one above' Farewell, farewell ! though vanished, ever dear ; Farewell, my only love ! remember me. Wherever with God thou bidest, far or near. Till He, our God, shall gather me to thee ! NOTES 1. Captain Burke. 2. Iphigenia. 3. Marshall St. Amaud. 4. Lord Eaglan died June 28tli, 1855. 5. The Emperor Nicholas died March, 1855. 6. The Salient of the Eedan was held by our men for one hour and fifty- six minutes— Vide Russell, vol. 1, pp. 168, 169. 7. Princess Carola Vasa. 8. Mayne's statue of the Reading Girl. 9. Pyrrhus. 10. The Abbey of Haute Combe. 11. Marino Faliero, Doge of Venice, beheaded April 19th, 1365. 12. Conradino, beheaded at Naples, October 25th, 1268. 13. Princess Charlotte Augusta of "Wales. 14. A common superstition at Rome. 15. Miramar. 16. Hon. Augustus Winn. 17. Princess Salm Salm. 18. Queen Louise of Prussia, mother of the Emperor William. 19. Di voi, Pastor, s'accorse il Vangelista, Quando colei, che siede sovra I'acque, Puttaueggiar co'regi a lui fu vista : Quella che con le sette teste nacque, E dalle diece coma ebbe argomento, Fin che virtute al suo marito piacque. Fatto v'avete Dio d'oi'o e el'argento : E che altro e da voi al idolatre, Se non ch'egli uno, e voi n'orate cento ? Ahi, Costantin, di quanto mal fue matre, Non la tua conversion, ma quella dote Che da te prese il prime ricco patre I Lante Inferno, Canto 19. 20. At Canosa, Henry IV. Emperor of Geimany, submitted himself to Pope Gregory VII, who had deposed him from the Imperial Crown, and absolved his subjects from their allegiance, A. D. 1077. 21. The Barkut, or Golden Eagle, used in the East to chase deer: the bird fixes his talons in the back of the flying prey, and tears out and devours his liver. 22. General Trochu.