 | Poems, by Joseph Cottle |  |
Orlando, urg'd by Pity, whisp'ring near,
The victims of a stubborn fight to cheer;
When a fam'd City hail'd the victor band,
And ceas'd to glut with blood th'neighbouring land;
At midnight's solemn hour withdrew to tread
The plain bestrew'd with dying and with dead:
Long had it stood the thundering blast of war,
And long defy'd Britannia's tow'ring car,
Till stalking Famine in her haggard form,
Withstood the longer fight, and hush'd the storm:
Sad o'er the carnage of the finish'd fray,
Cast its red gleams, the sun's departing ray;
The hollow-sounding zephyr floating near,
Wont to convey the shout or clashing spear;
Now bears the trembling accents of despair,
And wafts alone the wounded wretch's prayer.
The victims of a stubborn fight to cheer;
When a fam'd City hail'd the victor band,
And ceas'd to glut with blood th'neighbouring land;
At midnight's solemn hour withdrew to tread
The plain bestrew'd with dying and with dead:
Long had it stood the thundering blast of war,
And long defy'd Britannia's tow'ring car,
Till stalking Famine in her haggard form,
Withstood the longer fight, and hush'd the storm:
74
Cast its red gleams, the sun's departing ray;
The hollow-sounding zephyr floating near,
Wont to convey the shout or clashing spear;
Now bears the trembling accents of despair,
And wafts alone the wounded wretch's prayer.
| Poems, by Joseph Cottle | |