by breath of Spring, unwont to know Red Summer’s influence, or the chearful face
Of Autumn; yet its fragments many and huge
Astounded ocean with the dreadful dance 145
Of whirlpools numberless, absorbing oft
The blameless fisher at his perilous toil.
‘These are the fiends that o’er thy native land 260
Spread Guilt and Horror. Maid belov’d of Heaven!
Dar’st thou inspir’d by the holy flame of Love
Encounter such fell shapes, nor fear to meet
Their wrath, their wiles? O Maiden dar’st thou die?’
‘Father of Heaven: I will not fear.’ she said, 265
‘My arm is weak, but mighty is thy sword.’
She spake and as she spake the trump was heard
That echoed ominous o’er the streets of Rome,
When the first Caesar totter’d o’er the grave
By Freedom delv’d: the Trump, whose chilling blast 270
On Marathon and on Plataea’s plain
Scatter’d the Persian. — From his obscure haunt, &c.
‘Lo she goes!
To Orleans lo! she goes — the mission’d Maid!
The Victor Hosts wither beneath her arm!
And what are Crecy, Poictiers, Azincour 280
But noisy echoes in the ear of Pride?’
Ambition heard and startled on his throne;
But strait a smile of savage joy illum’d
His grisly features, like the sheety Burst
Of Lightning o’er the awaken’d midnight clouds 285
Wide flash’d. [For lo! a flaming pile reflects
Its red light fierce and gloomy on the face
Of SUPERSTITION and her goblin Son
Loud-laughing CRUELTY, who to the stake
A female fix’d, of bold and beauteous mien, 290
Her snow-white Limbs by iron fetters bruis’d
Her breast expos’d.] JOAN saw, she saw and knew
Her perfect image. Nature thro’ her frame
One pang shot shiv’ring; but, that frail pang soon
Dismiss’d, ‘Even so, &c.
But lo! no more was seen the ice-pil’d mount
And meteor-lighted dome. — An Isle appear’d
The Sea meantime his Billows darkest roll’d,
And each stain’d wave dash’d on the shore a corse.
His hideous features blended with the mist,
The long black locks of SLAUGHTER. PEACE beheld
And o’er the plain
The name of JUSTICE written on thy brow
Resplendent shone
A Vapor rose, pierc’d by the MAIDEN’S eye.
Guiding its course OPPRESSION sate within,
With terror pale and rage, yet laugh’d at times
Musing on Vengeance: trembled in his hand
A Sceptre fiercely-grasp’d. O’er Ocean westward
The Vapor sail’d
These images imageless, these Small-Capitals
constituting themselves Personifications, I despised even at
that time; but was forced to introduce them, to preserve the
connection with the machinery of the Poem, previously adopted
by Southey. S. T. C.
ENVY sate guiding — ENVY, hag-abhorr’d!
Like JUSTICE mask’d, and doom’d to aid the fight 410
Victorious ‘gainst oppression. Hush’d awhile
Shriek’d AMBITION’S ghastly throng
And with them those the locust Fiends that crawl’d
— if Locusts how could they shriek? I must have
caught the contagion of unthinkingness. S. T. C. 4{o}.
VER PERPETUUM
FRAGMENT FROM AN UNPUBLISHED POEM.
The early Year’s fast-flying vapours stray
In shadowing trains across the orb of day:
And we, poor Insects of a few short hours,
Deem it a world of Gloom.
Were it not better hope a nobler doom, 5
Proud to believe that with more active powers
On rapid many-coloured wing
We thro’ one bright perpetual Spring
Shall hover round the fruits and flowers,
Screen’d by those clouds and cherish’d by those showers! 10
ON OBSERVING A BLOSSOM ON THE FIRST OF FEBRUARY 1796
Sweet flower! that peeping from thy russet stem
Unfoldest timidly, (for in strange sort
This dark, frieze-coated, hoarse, teeth-chattering month
Hath borrow’d Zephyr’s voice, and gazed upon thee
With blue voluptuous eye) alas, poor Flower! 5
These are but flatteries of the faithless year.
Perchance, escaped its unknown polar cave,
Even now the keen North-East is on its way.
Flower that must perish! shall I liken thee
To
