144 A VISION OF JUDGMENT, 



The lion has not claw'd such prey 



As Alexander basely won ; 

 In his unimperial day ; 



And Nicholas hath trode upon ! 

 Have burning suns that watch on high 

 Melted Siberian Majesty ? 



Hail, mighty chief ! and thou art he 



That like the lion-king of yore ; 

 Or him of old Thermopylae, 



The Spartan danger braved and bore 

 For glory's, and for freedom's crown, 

 For Grecia's, and for man's renown. 



Sublimely gray with time and truth 



Those hoary attributes of age 

 Thou canst recal the powers of youth, 

 Thy deeds of war and pilgrimage : 

 Thou canst look down with holy glee, 

 On Poland's new Thermopylae ! 



Oh, basely injur'd Poland ! thine, 



Thine is a cause in which all bleed 

 Who freely breathe life's breath, divine, 



The Frank the Turk ; yes, ev'ry creed ! 

 Save that alone by which thy gem ( 



Was stolen for Russia's diadem ! 



England ! whose fame is like the sun's, 



Hath not yet answer'd thy quick pains ; 

 The birth-place of your Wellingtons 

 Responded not to Poland's chains ! 

 Awake, awake, old Sparta's blood ! 

 Arise, arise, both fire and flood ! 



Shade of the mighty chief of old 

 Thou unsubstantial lobe of light, 

 That tell'st of Roderick's startled mould. 



And Marathon's most sacred fight 

 Return to heaven's gates on high 

 Pray God respond to Poland's cry ! . 



And I, as one of my sire's line, 



Though now an unimportant one, 

 Will tune my harp to words divine 



The age of chivalry is gone ! 

 Delphi's temple, in the grave ! 

 The Emperor Paul hath ceas'd to rave ! 



And all that was and is to be 



Tend only to demonstrate God ; 

 Who wisely made man to be free 



Free as the freest soil he trod ! 

 The " cry" of Poland has gone forth, 

 Woe to BELSHAZZAR of the north ! 



A.D. 1835. HOMO SUM. 



