And silence watch, on woodland heights around, In Lybian groves, where damned rites are done, That bathe the rocks in blood, and veil the sun, Truth shall arrest the murd'rous arm profane, Wild Obi flies-the veil is rent in twain. Where barb'rous hordes on Scythian mountains roam, Truth, Mercy, Freedom, yet shall find a home; Where'er degraded Nature bleeds and pines, From Guinea's coast to Sibir's dreary mines, Truth shall pervade th' unfathom'd darkness there, And light the dreadful features of despair.— Hark! the stern captive spurns his heavy load, And asks the image back that Heaven bestow'd! Fierce in his eye the fire of valour burns, And, as the slave departs, the man returns. Oh! sacred Truth! thy triumph ceased a while, And HOPE, thy sister, ceased with thee to smile, When leagued Oppression pour'd to Northern wars Her whisker'd pandoors and her fierce hussars, Waved her dread standard to the breeze of morn, Peal'd her loud drum, and twang'd her trumpet horn; Tumultuous horror brooded o'er her van, Presaging wrath to Poland-and to man!i Warsaw's last champion from her height surveyed, Wide o'er the fields, a waste of ruin laid,— Oh! Heaven! he cried, my bleeding country save! Is there no hand on high to shield the brave? Yet, though destruction sweep these lovely plains, Rise, fellow men! our country yet remains! By that dread name, we wave the sword on high! And swear for her to live!—with her to die! He said, and on the rampart-heights array'd Still as the breeze, but dreadful as the storm; And the loud tocsin toll'd their last alarm !— In vain, alas! in vain, ye gallant few! From rank to rank your volley'd thunder flew : Oh, bloodiest picture in the book of Time, Sarmatia fell, unwept, without a crime; Found not a generous friend, a pitying foe, Strength in her arms, nor mercy in her woe! HOPE, for a season, bade the world farewell, The sun went down, nor ceased the carnage there, Tumultuous murder shook the midnight air On Prague's proud arch the fires of ruin glow, Hark! as the smouldering piles with thunder fall, A thousand shrieks for hopeless mercy call! Earth shook-red meteors flash'd along the sky, And conscious Nature shudder'd at the cry! Oh! righteous Heaven! ere Freedom found a grave, Why slept the sword, omnipotent to save? Where was thine arm, O Vengeance! where thy rod, That smote the foes of Zion and of God; That crush'd proud Ammon, when his iron car Was yoked in wrath, and thunder'd from afar? Where was the storm that slumber'd till the host Of blood-stain'd Pharaoh left their trembling coast; Then bade the deep in wild commotion flow, And heaved an ocean on their march below? |