 | The heir of the world, and lesser poems |  |
127
THE SURPRISAL.
From Gibeah's tower, at the dawn of day,
The warder looked afar,
And he saw through the mist strange disarray
In the foemen's ranks of war;
The deep earth shook and the twilight air
With a thousand voices rung,
And a death-wail rose of wild despair
Where the foe to battle sprung.
The warder looked afar,
And he saw through the mist strange disarray
In the foemen's ranks of war;
The deep earth shook and the twilight air
With a thousand voices rung,
And a death-wail rose of wild despair
Where the foe to battle sprung.
In the mountain-pass tall shadowy forms
Reeled madly to and fro,
Like the rage and shock of Alpine storms
From the Jungfrau's snowy brow;
And the shivering spear and clashing sword
Showed where the giants fell,
Before the wrath of Israel's lord,
Down the dark and gory dell.
Reeled madly to and fro,
Like the rage and shock of Alpine storms
From the Jungfrau's snowy brow;
And the shivering spear and clashing sword
Showed where the giants fell,
Before the wrath of Israel's lord,
Down the dark and gory dell.
From his fitful sleep, with a start of fear,
'Neath the great pomegranate tree,
King Saul leapt up, and he grasped his spear,
And listened breathlessly.—
“Whence come those war-cries?” Louder now
Peal mingled shouts and screams,
And the fire of death o'er Seneh's brow
In lurid grandeur gleams.
'Neath the great pomegranate tree,
King Saul leapt up, and he grasped his spear,
And listened breathlessly.—
“Whence come those war-cries?” Louder now
Peal mingled shouts and screams,
And the fire of death o'er Seneh's brow
In lurid grandeur gleams.
128
“This morning broke on a mailed host,
In vast and haught array;
Like Egypt's throng on the Red Sea's coast,
They have melted all away!
With the speed of Fate count o'er my band”—
“My liege, your will is done.”
“The foeman flies from his proud command”—
“Before your gallant son.”
In vast and haught array;
Like Egypt's throng on the Red Sea's coast,
They have melted all away!
With the speed of Fate count o'er my band”—
“My liege, your will is done.”
“The foeman flies from his proud command”—
“Before your gallant son.”
“Lo! Judah's prince on the beetling rock
O'erthrows his giant foe,
And he hurls him down, with a stunning shock,
O'er the gory ridge below!
God shield him now!” and the army stood
In fixed and wild amaze,
While the warrior prince through waves of blood
Went on in glory's blaze.
O'erthrows his giant foe,
And he hurls him down, with a stunning shock,
O'er the gory ridge below!
God shield him now!” and the army stood
In fixed and wild amaze,
While the warrior prince through waves of blood
Went on in glory's blaze.
“The ark of God!” at that awful cry
The warriors knelt and prayed—
Then their onset shouts rolled o'er the sky,
And they rushed on undismayed;
In the arrowy van, with a wrathful brow,
King Saul, like a storm, passed by,
And his iron heel tramped o'er his foe,
Unheard his dying cry.
The warriors knelt and prayed—
Then their onset shouts rolled o'er the sky,
And they rushed on undismayed;
In the arrowy van, with a wrathful brow,
King Saul, like a storm, passed by,
And his iron heel tramped o'er his foe,
Unheard his dying cry.
A thousand swords and a thousand spears
Are flashing far and wide,
And the heathen host aye disappears
Before high Judah's pride;
Through the livelong day the foemen fled,
And the victor prince pursued,
Till in Beth-aven, among the dead,
At eve the conqueror stood.
Are flashing far and wide,
And the heathen host aye disappears
Before high Judah's pride;
Through the livelong day the foemen fled,
And the victor prince pursued,
Till in Beth-aven, among the dead,
At eve the conqueror stood.
| The heir of the world, and lesser poems | |