 | The Poetical Works of James Gates Percival |  |
[He spake, and, springing from th' embattled ground]
He spake, and, springing from th' embattled ground,Soared from the wond'ring hosts that gazed around:
Transformed to spirit, through the yielding air
His wavy wings aloft their burden bear;
His shield hangs o'er his shoulder, like the moon,
When pale she glitters in her highest noon;
His spear is tipt with lightning, and his crest
Waves with majestic sweep, and round his breast
His gold-bossed corselet flashes, like the gem
That glitters in a Cæsar's diadem;
His flight is as a meteor, when it sails
O'er the blue sky, and far behind it trails
515
His airy form in ether seems to swim,
Lessens and lessens to the admiring sight,
Then disappears amid the solemn night:
So fled the prodigy, and, wrapped in awe,
The kneeling hosts the heavenly herald saw.
| The Poetical Works of James Gates Percival | |