TIME. And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, BYRON. TIME. WHY sitt'st thou by that ruin'd hall, Thou aged carle so stern and gray Dost thou its former pride recall, Or ponder how it pass'd away? ? "Knowst thou not me?" the Deep Voice cried, Desired, neglected, and accused? Man and his marvels pass away ; When Time and thou shalt part for ever!" SCOTT 67 EGYPT. Low wondrous Egypt lies! Come royal heirs. And see the shadow of your once sublime But where the soul of science? Where the font Ye pyramids! that point your heads to Heaven, And melt away, like dew upon the wind! So sink the monuments of ancient might, NIGHT. That threaten'd an eternity, depart, Though kindled in an atmosphere of gloom, When thrones are shatter'd, and their kings forgot! R. MONTGOMERY. O MAJESTIC night! NIGHT. Nature's great ancestor ! day's elder born! An azure zone thy waist; clouds, in heaven's loom Thy flowing mantle form, and, heaven throughout, YOUNG. 69 THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM. Ir was a summer evening, Old Kaspar's work was done; She saw her brother Peterkin In playing there, had found; He came to ask what he had found, That was so large, and smooth, and round. Old Kaspar took it from the boy, Who stood expectant by ; And then the old man shook his head, ""Tis some poor fellow's skull,” said he, "I find them in the garden, for There's many here about ; And often when I go to plough, The ploughshare turns them out ; THE BATTLE OF BLENHEIM. For many thousand men," said he, “Were slain in the great victory." "Now tell us what 'twas all about," Young Peterkin he cries; And little Wilhelmine looks up With wonder-waiting eyes; "Now tell us all about the war, And what they kill'd each other for." "It was the English," Kaspar cried, "That put the French to rout; But what they kill'd each other for, I could not well make out; But everybody said," quoth he, "That 'twas a famous victory. "My father lived at Blenheim then, Yon little stream hard by ; They burnt his dwelling to the ground, So, with his wife and child, he fled, Nor had he where to rest his head. "With fire and sword the country round Was wasted far and wide; And new-born infant died; But things like that, you know, must be 71 |