Presume not to bright crowns of thy entwining, Yet in my mind I bear Gists nobler and more rare Thy chances bright and fair, l'et neither doth her sight offend The aspect pale of miserable care: Her mighty enemy at last A shape of mockery was made : Then miserably pleased, Her fierce and ancient vengeance she appeased; And even drew a sigh Over the ruins vast of the deep-hated Latin majesty. I will not call to mind the horrid sword Upon the Memphian shore, Steep'd treasonously in great Pompey's gore ; Nor that for rigid Cato's death abhorrid; Nor that which in the band of Brutus wore The first deep colouring of a Cæsar's blood. Nor will I honour thee with thy high mood of wrath, that kingdoms duth exterminate ; Incapable art ihou of my great hate, As my great glories. Therefore shall be thine Of my revenge a slighter sign; Yet will I make its fearful sound Hoarse and slow rebound, Till seem the gentle pipings low To equal the fierce trumpet's brazen glow." She kindled at my words and flamed, as when A cruel star hath wide dispread Its locks of bloody red, Of wandering Scythians fears, of their encircling spears Frorn three Empresses I rent The tresses and imperial wreath, And bared them to the pitiless element. Well I remember when his armed grasp From Asia stretch'd, rash Xerxes took his stand Upon the formidable bridge to clasp And manacle sad Europe's trembling hand: In the great day of battle there was I, Busy with myriads of the Persian slaughter, The Salaminian sea's fair face to dye, That yet admires ils dark and bloody water; Full vengeance wreak'd I for the affront Done Neptune at the fetter'd Hellespont. “ To the Nile then did I go, The fatal collar wound The fair neck of the Egyptian Queen around; I forced dark Afric's valour stoop Confounded, and its dauntless spirit droop, When to the Carthaginian brave, With mine own hand, the hemlock draught I gave. At once, 't is true, two 'witching eyes * And Rome through me the ravenous flame In the heart of her great rival, Carthage, cast, That went through Libya wandering, a scorn'd shade, Till, sunk lo equal shame, So now from idle wishes clear Yet, wrap me in your sweetest dream, Went with blithe dance, and music's sprightly Ye social feelings of the mind, sound, Give, sometimes give, your sunny gleam, When, all at once, the frantic cry of slaughter And let the rest good-humour find. All through the wide and startled city ran! Yes, let me hail and welcome give The shudd'ring infants on their mothers' breasts To every joy my lot may share, Clung with their hands, and cower'd within their vests. And pleased and pleasing let me live Forth stalk'd the mighty Mars, and the fell work With merry heart, that laughs at care. began, And murtherous Desolation strew'd; Where, on her couch of slumber laid, To warrior Greece the crown of triumph gave, The last full anguish to the Phrygian slave! The funeral descant slow. THE SLAVE SHIP. (Founded on the following fact :-"The case of the Rodeur, What time the Greek, or ere he fled mentioned by Lord Lansdowne. A dreadful ophthalmia pre vailed among the slaves on board this ship, which was comLeft at our gate the armed steed, municated to the crew, so that there was but a single man who Menacing the heavens with giant height, could see to guide the vessel into port."-Quart. Rev. vol. And all with golden housings bright. 26, p. 71.) Shouted all the people loud, OLD, sightless man, unwont art thou, On the rock-built height that stood, As blind men use, at noon “Come," they sang, and on they prest, To sit and sun thy tranquil brow, “Come, from all our toils released, And hear the birds' sweet tune. There 's something heavy at thy heart, Thou dost not join the pray'r ; Linger'd then what timorous maid ? Even at God's word thou 'll writhe and start, Her age his tardy steps delay'd ; “Oh! man of God, beware!" With gladsome shout, and jocund song, “ If thou didst hear what I could say, They drew their treacherous fate along! 'T would make thee doubt of grace, And all the Phrygian rout Through every gate rush'd out. And drive me from God's house away, Lest I infect the place." Say on; there's nought of human sin, Christ's blood may not atone." Argos' pride and Ilion's fate. “Thou canst not read what load's within Round the stately horse, and round This desperate heart.”—“Say on.” “The skies were bright, the seas were calm, Of some tall and stately bark, We ran before the wind, To the temple's marble floor, That, bending Afric's groves of palm, Soon to swim with Trojan gore. Came fragrant from behind. O'er the toil, the triumph, spread “And merry sang our crew, the cup Silent night her curtain'd shade; Was gaily drawn and quaff'd, And when the hollow groan came up From the dark hold, we laugh'd. “For deep below, and all secure, To the jocund measures sweet. Our living freight was laid, And every house was blazing bright, And long with ample gain, and sure, We had driven our awful trade. “ They lay, like bales, in stifling gloom, Man, woman, nursling child, But I, the while, the palace-courts around, As in some plague-struck city's tomb Hymning the mountain queen, Jove's virgin daughter, The loathsoine dead are piled. 66 * At one short gust of that close air The sickening cheek grew pale ; We turn'd away—'t was all our care, Heaven's sweet breath to inhale. « 'Mid howl and yell, and shuddering moan, The scourge, the clanking chain, The cards were dealt, the dice were thrown, We staked our share of gain. “ Soon in smooth Martinico's coves Our welcome bark shall moor, Or underneath the citron-groves That wave on Cuba's shore. “ 'T was strange, ere many days were gone, How still grew all below, Or some low sob of woe. In heaps we saw them lie, From many a blood-red eye. To catch their scanty meal; Some well-known touch to feel. That seals the orbs of sight; Within was black as night. “ They dared not move, they could not weep, They could but lie and moan; Some, not in mercy, to the deep, Like damaged wares, were thrown. “We cursed the dire disease that spread, And cross'd our golden dream ; Those goldless men did quake with dread To hear us thus blaspheme. “ And so we drank, and drank the more, And each man pledged his mate; Here's better luck, from Gambia's shore, When next we load our freight. “ Another morn, but one-the bark Lurch'd heavy on her wayThe steersman shriek'd, Hell's not so dark As this dull murky day.' “ We look'd, and red through films of blood Glared forth his angry eye: Another, as he mann'd the shroud, Came toppling from on high. As the wild beast his lair, In dread his doom to share. Upon the sunset bright, It bore to them no light. "Till I, the only man, the last Of that dark brotherhood, To tend the daily food. “ I felt it film, I felt it grow, The dim and misty scale, I could not see the sail. The sun a hazy lamp, As on some pestilential bog, The wandering wild-fire damp“And there we lay, and on we drove, Heaved up, and pitching down; Oh! cruel grace of Him above, That would not let us drown. “And some began to pray for fear, And some began to swear; Methought it was most dread to hear Upon such lips the prayer. " And some would fondly speak of home, The wife's, the infant's kiss; Great God! that parents e'er should come On such a trade as this! “And some I heard plunge down beneath, And drown-that could not I: Oh! how my spirit yearn'd for death, Yet how I fear'd to die! “We heard the wild and frantic shriek Of starving men below, We heard them strive their bonds to break, And burst the hatches now. “We thought we heard them on the stair, And trampling on the deck, I almost felt their blind despair, Wild grappling at my neck. “Again I woke, and yet again, With throat as dry as dust, And famine in my heart and brain, And,-speak it out I must,"A lawless, execrable thought, That scarce could be withstood, Before my loathing fancy brought Unutterable food. “ No more, my brain can bear no more, Nor more my tongue can tell ; I know I breathed no air, but bore A sick'ning grave-like smell. “And all, save I alone, could die Thus on death's verge and brink All thoughtless, feelingless, could lie I still must feel and think. “At length, when ages had pass'd o'er, Ages, it seem'd, of night, There came a shock, and then a roar or billows in their might. “I know not how, when next I woke, The numb waves wrapp'd me round, DEBORAH'S HYMN OF TRIUMPH. And in my loaded ears there broke Thus sang Deborah and Barak, son of Abinoam, A dizzy, bubbling sound. In the day of victory thus they sang : “ Again I woke, and living men That Israel hath wrought her mighly vengeance, Stood rounda Christian crew; That the willing people rush'd to battle, The first, the last, of joy was then, Oh, therefore, praise Jehovah! That since those days I knew. Hear, ye kings! give ear, ye princes! "I've been, I know, since that black tide, I to Jehovah, I will lift the song, Where raving madmen lay, I will sound the harp to Jehovah, God of Israel ! Above, beneath, on ev'ry side, Jehovah! when thou wentest forth from Seir! When thou marchedst through the fields of Edom ! Quaked the earth, and pour'd the heavens, “And I shall be where never dies Yea, the clouds pour'd down with water: Before Jehovah's face the mountains melted, That Sinai before Jebovah's face, The God of Israel. In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In Jael's days, untrodden were the highways, Through the winding by-path-stole the traveller; Upon the plains deserted lay the hamlets, Till I arose in Israel a mother. They chose new gods : Was buckler seen, or lance, 'Mong forty thousand sons of Israel ? My soul is yours, ye chiefs of Israel! And ye, the self-devoted of the people, Praise ye the Lord with me! Ye that ride upon the snow-white asses; Ye that plod on foot the open way, Come, meditate the song. For the noise of plundering archers by the wells of water, Oh, Thou! too vast for thought to comprehend, Now they meet and sing aloud Jehovah's righteous That wast ere time,-shalt be when time is o'er; acts ; Ages and worlds begin-grow old-and end, His righteous acts the hamlets sing upon the open Systems and suns thy changeless throne before, Commence and close their cycles :- lost, I bend plains, And enter their deserted gates the people of Jehovah. To earth my prostrate soul, and shudder and adore ! II Awake, Deborah ! awake! Love Thee!-oh, clad in human lowliness, A wake, uplift the song ! strong. And after thee, the bands of Benjamin! From Machir came the rulers of the people, With scourge, and taunt, and wanton agony, From Zebulon those that bear the marshal's staff; While the cross nods, in hideous gloom, above, And Issachar's brave princes came with Deborah, Though all-even there—be radiant Deity! Issachar, the strength of Barak: -Speechless I gaze, and my whole soul is Love! They burst into the valley on his footsteps. By Reuben's fountains there was deep debating DOWNFALL OF JERUSALEM; FROM THE Why sat'st thou idle, Reuben, 'mid thy herd-stalls ? BOOK OF JEREMIAH. How solitary doth she sit, the many peopled city! She is become a widow, the great among the Nations; And Gilead linger'd on the shores of JordanAnd Dan, why dwellid he among his ships ? The Queen among the provinces, how is she tributary! And Asser dwell'd in his sea-shore havens, And sate upon his rock precipitous. Weeping-weeps she all the night; the tears are on her cheeks ; But Zebulon was a death-defying people, And Napthali from off the mountain heights. From among all her lovers, she hath no comforter ; Her friends have all dealt treacherously; they are Came the kings and fought, become her foes. i 1,2. Fought the kings of Canaan, By Tannach, by Megiddo's waters, The ways of Sion mourn: none come up to her seasts, For the golden booty that they won not. All her gates are desolate; and her Priests do sigb; Her virgins wail! herself, she is in bitterness.-14. From the heavens they fought 'gainst Sisera, In their courses fought the stars against him: He hath pluck'd up his garden-hedge, He hath de The torrent Kishon swept them down, stroy'd His Temple ; That ancient river Kishon. Jehovah hath forgotten made the solemn feast and So trample thou, my soul, upon their might. Sabbath ; And in the heat of ire He hath rejected King and Then stamp'd the clattering hoofs of prancing horses Priest. At the flight, at the flight of the mighty. The Lord his altar hath disdain'd, abhorred his Holy Curse ye Meroz, saith the angel of the Lord, place, Curse, a twofold curse upon her dastard sons; And to the adversary's hand given up his palace For they came not to the succour of Jehovah, walls; To the succour of Jehovah 'gainst the mighty. Our foes shout in Jehovah's house, as on a festal day. Above all women blest be Jael, j. 7, & Heber the Kenite's wife, O'er all the women blest, that dwell in tents. Her gates are sunk into the earth, he hath broke through her bars; Water he ask'd-she gave him milk, Her Monarch and her Princes are now among the The curded milk, in her costliest bowl. Heathen; The Law hath ceased; the Prophets find no vision Her left hand to the nail she set, from Jehovah. ii. 10. Her right hand to the workman's hammerThen Sisera she smote-she clave his head My eyes do fail with tears; and troubled are my She bruised-she pierced his temples. bowels; At her feet he bow'd; he fell; he lay; My heart's blood gushes on the earth, for the daughAt her feet he bow'd; he fell; ter of my people; Where he bow'd, there he fell dead. Children and suckling babes lie swooning in the squaresFrom the window she look'd forth, she cried, The mother of Sisera, through the lattice : They say unto their Mothers, where is corn and wine! “Why is his chariot so long in coming ? They swoon as they were wounded, in the city Why tarry the wheels of his chariot ?" squares; Her prudent women answer'd her While glides the soul away into their Mother's bosom. Yea, she herself gave answer to herself ii. 11, 12 “ Have they not seized, not shared the spoil ? One damsel, or two damsels to each chief? Even dragons, with their breasts drawn out, give suck To Sisera a many-coloured robe, unto their young; A many-coloured robe, and richly broider'd, But cruel is my people's daughter, as the ostrich in Many-colour'd, and broider'd round the neck.” the desert; The tongues of sucking infants to their palates cleave Thus perish all thine enemies, Jehovah; with thirst. And those who love thee, like the sun, shine forth, The sun in all its glory.* Young children ask for bread, and no man breaks it for them; * In the above translation an attempt is made to preserve those that fed on dainties are desolate in the streets; something like a rhythmical flow. I adheres to the original Those brought up in scarlet, even those embrace the Janguage, excepting where an occasional word is, but rarely, inserted, for the sake of perspicuity. dunghill. iv. 3, 4, 5. |
