"On either side my foe they own: One guards through love his ghastly throne, And one through fear to reverence grown. "Why wait we longer, mocked, betrayed, By open foes, or those afraid To speed thy coming through my aid? "Why watch to see who win or fall? I shake the dust against them all, I leave them to their senseless brawl." "Nay," Peace implored: "yet longer wait; The doom is near, the stake is great: "Still wait and watch; the way prepare Where I with folded wings of prayer May follow, weaponless and bare." "Too late!" the stern, sad voice replied, "Too late!" its mournful echo sighed, In low lament the answer died. A rustling as of wings in flight, But round me, like a silver bell "Still hope and trust," it sang; "the rod Must fall, the wine-press must be trod, But all is possible with God!" TO ENGLISHMEN. YOU flung your taunt across the wave; We bore it as became us, Well knowing that the fettered slave Left friendly lips no option save To pity or to blame us. You scoffed our plea. "Mere lack of will, Not lack of power," you told us: We showed our free-state records; still You mocked, confounding good and ill, We struck at Slavery; to the verge Lo!-presto, change! its claims you urge, Send greetings to it o'er the surge, And comfort and protect it. But yesterday you scarce could shake, In slave-abhorring rigor, Our Northern palms, for conscience' sake: To-day you clasp the hands that ache With "walloping the nigger!" * O Englishmen !-in hope and creed, "Thicker than water," in one rill Through centuries of story * See English caricatures of America: Slaveholder and cowhide, with the motto, "Have n't I a right to wallop my nigger?" Our Saxon blood has flowed, and still We share with you its good and ill, Joint heirs and kinfolk, leagues of wave The gift of saints and martyrs. Our very sins and follies teach Our kindred frail and human : We carp at faults with bitter speech, We bowed the heart, if not the knee, We seek to unchain ours. Will ye Join hands with the oppressor? |