And one eye's black intelligence, -ever that glance By Hasselt, Dirck groaned; and cried Joris, "Stay spur! As down on her haunches she shuddered and sank. Past Loos and past Tongrés, no cloud in the sky; 'Neath our feet broke the brittle bright stubble like chaff; Till over by Dalhem a dome-spire sprang white, And "gallop," gasped Joris, "for Aix is in sight! " "How they'll greet us!". and all in a moment his roan Rolled neck and croup over, lay dead as a stone; And there was my Roland to bear the whole weight Then I cast loose my buff-coat, each holster let fall, Called my Roland his pet-name, my horse without peer, And all I remember is friends flocking round As I sate with his head 'twixt my knees on the ground, R. Browning. "T CXCIX. THE SWORD. WAS on the battle-field; and the cold pale moon And the wind passed o'er with a dirge and a wail, With his father's sword in his red right hand, Lay a youthful chief; but his bed was the ground, A reckless rover, 'mid death and doom, Drawn by the shine of the warrior's sword, He wrenched the hand with a giant's strength, He loosed his hold, and his noble heart Took part with the dead before him; And he honored the brave who died sword in hand, "A soldier's death thou hast boldly died, A soldier's grave won by it: Before I would take that sword from thine hand, "Thou shalt not be left for the carrion crow, Or the wolf to batten o'er thee; Or the coward insult the gallant dead, Who in life had trembled before thee." Then dug he a grave in the crimson earth, And he laid him there, in honor and rest, Miss Landor CC. THE FIREMAN. HOARSE wintry blasts a solemn requiem sung To the departed day, Upon whose bier The velvet pall of midnight had been flung, And Nature mourned through one wide hemisphere. Silence and darkness held their cheerless sway, Save in the haunts of riotous excess; And half the world in dreamy slumbers lay, Lost in the maze of sweet forgetfulness. There broke a sound so dread and drear, Burst the bands of sleep asunder, And filled a thousand throbbing hearts with fear. Hark! the faithful watchman's cry See! yon glare upon the sky The deep-mouthed bells with rapid tone, Affrighted silence now has flown, And sounds of terror freight the chilly gale! At the first note of this discordant din, The gallant fireman from his slumber starts ; From pavement rough, or frozen ground, His engine's rattling wheels resound, The lurid flames, with horrid glare, And veil the frowning skies! Sudden a shriek assails his heart, And 'gainst the tottering wall The ponderous ladder rears: While blazing fragments round him fall, And, heedless of the startling din, The admiring crowd, with hopes and fears, In breathless expectation stands, When, lo! the daring youth appears, Hailed by a burst of warm, ecstatic cheers, Bearing the child triumphant in his arms. CCI. SPEAK GENTLY. PEAK gently: it is better far The good we might do here. Speak gently; love doth whisper low The vows that true hearts bind; Anonymous. |