University of Virginia Library

A FRAGMENT.

March month is come! With rush and roar
He hammers at the quivering door;
The forest bends beneath the rain,
The harsh hail crackles on the pane.
But, foe more fierce than March is nigh,
A wilder weapon beats the sky;
A deadlier echo cleaves the vale,
Than crackling roof or pattering hail.
The storm is loud, but not alone:
That shout was Battle's warrior-tone!
The voice that shook yon stormy sky
Was haughty England's signal-cry!