 | 'Twixt Kiss and Lip or Under the Sword. By the author of "Women Must Weep," [i.e. F. W. O. Ward] Third edition |  |
THE MODERN ARMADA.
Silently it came, in motion
Secret, not a shot was fired,
Not a soldier's grand devotion,
Forth to meet its march aspired;
Not a trumpet warning sounded
From the rampart, not an arm,
Though the walls were close surrounded,
Waved defiance or alarm;
Not a sentinel his duty
Did, or marked the solemn sight,
While the city flashed its beauty
Heedless, through the awful night.
Secret, not a shot was fired,
Not a soldier's grand devotion,
Forth to meet its march aspired;
Not a trumpet warning sounded
From the rampart, not an arm,
Though the walls were close surrounded,
Waved defiance or alarm;
Not a sentinel his duty
Did, or marked the solemn sight,
While the city flashed its beauty
Heedless, through the awful night.
Slowly on it rolled, in certain
Triumph, terrible to send
Waves of woe, in cloudy curtain
Wrapt, to its destroying end;
Feasted some, and some were sleeping
Mad, unmindful of their fate,
None was faithful vigil keeping,
With the foeman at the gate;
Grimly came the new invader,
Read not in prophetic scroll,
Mightier than the old Armada,
Bringing fetters for the soul.
Triumph, terrible to send
Waves of woe, in cloudy curtain
Wrapt, to its destroying end;
Feasted some, and some were sleeping
Mad, unmindful of their fate,
None was faithful vigil keeping,
With the foeman at the gate;
Grimly came the new invader,
Read not in prophetic scroll,
Mightier than the old Armada,
Bringing fetters for the soul.
117
Dreamed the watchman, at his portal,
Lapt in selfish ease and lust,
Ignorant of danger mortal
Near him, traitor to his trust;
Laughed the captain, as he revelled
Long, at banquet starvelings gave,
While with tresses all dishevelled
Crept the woman to her grave;
Sword and shield were gone, discarded
For the golden cup of sin,
And through avenues unguarded
Stern the enemy stole in.
Lapt in selfish ease and lust,
Ignorant of danger mortal
Near him, traitor to his trust;
Laughed the captain, as he revelled
Long, at banquet starvelings gave,
While with tresses all dishevelled
Crept the woman to her grave;
Sword and shield were gone, discarded
For the golden cup of sin,
And through avenues unguarded
Stern the enemy stole in.
Slumbered even the priest, whom honour
Called against the gathering host,
Checked not by the cheap Madonna.
Daub, that decked instead his post;
Though the temple needed purging,
Dust upon the altar lay,
Loud a thousand voices urging
Bade him now arise and pray;
Till the holy fire, that dwindling
Down in ashes hid its light,
Lower sank, and past rekindling
Suddenly went out in night.
Called against the gathering host,
Checked not by the cheap Madonna.
Daub, that decked instead his post;
Though the temple needed purging,
Dust upon the altar lay,
Loud a thousand voices urging
Bade him now arise and pray;
Till the holy fire, that dwindling
Down in ashes hid its light,
Lower sank, and past rekindling
Suddenly went out in night.
Not a voice a challenge uttered,
Owning peril, to the last,
Not a banner flamed and fluttered
Out upon the stormy blast;
Not a step alert went faster
Yet, though nearer drawn to blood,
Strong to stem the dire disaster
Bursting on them like a flood;
Not a hand the armour buckled
Bright, round breast without a fear,
Brave for wife and babe she suckled,
Grasping battle blade or spear.
Owning peril, to the last,
Not a banner flamed and fluttered
Out upon the stormy blast;
Not a step alert went faster
Yet, though nearer drawn to blood,
Strong to stem the dire disaster
Bursting on them like a flood;
Not a hand the armour buckled
Bright, round breast without a fear,
Brave for wife and babe she suckled,
Grasping battle blade or spear.
Though dark fingers came and scribbled
Judgment on the palace wall
Proud, where drunkards lounged and dribbled
Lies, that could not hinder fall;
Though unshaped a whisper, boding
Trouble, bred in ghostly gloom,
Clearer grew, and sharper goading
Conscience breathed of death and doom;
Though the earth denied not token,
Skies gave comets dread to hang—
Fell the Cross defiled and broken,
As they jested, cursed and sang.
Judgment on the palace wall
Proud, where drunkards lounged and dribbled
Lies, that could not hinder fall;
Though unshaped a whisper, boding
Trouble, bred in ghostly gloom,
Clearer grew, and sharper goading
Conscience breathed of death and doom;
Though the earth denied not token,
Skies gave comets dread to hang—
Fell the Cross defiled and broken,
As they jested, cursed and sang.
118
In they slipt, with veiléd faces,
Frightful shapes that crept and crawled
Sidelong, sinister, with paces
Muffled, as they sped and sprawled;
Still, with hungry looks averted,
On they hurried to the prey,
Into bulwarks left deserted,
Creatures serpentine and grey;
Still they spread their snares, and tangled
Easy victims in the mesh,
Hugged the sleeping fools, and strangled
Souls of men and throbbing flesh.
Frightful shapes that crept and crawled
Sidelong, sinister, with paces
Muffled, as they sped and sprawled;
Still, with hungry looks averted,
On they hurried to the prey,
Into bulwarks left deserted,
Creatures serpentine and grey;
Still they spread their snares, and tangled
Easy victims in the mesh,
Hugged the sleeping fools, and strangled
Souls of men and throbbing flesh.
Doubt, with famished form, and trailing
Dusky hair and garments dull—
Doubt, with appetite unfailing,
Grinning through a clammy skull;
Snakes entwined in twilight tresses,
Gnawing at the bosom stark—
Cold, with skeleton caresses,
Reaching blindly through the dark;
Horrid, stealthy, dimly laying
Everywhere the icy spell,
Worse than winter, more than slaying—
Doubt, that hissing came from hell.
Dusky hair and garments dull—
Doubt, with appetite unfailing,
Grinning through a clammy skull;
Snakes entwined in twilight tresses,
Gnawing at the bosom stark—
Cold, with skeleton caresses,
Reaching blindly through the dark;
Horrid, stealthy, dimly laying
Everywhere the icy spell,
Worse than winter, more than slaying—
Doubt, that hissing came from hell.
Doubt, the shapeless shape, came gliding
Gauntly from a caverned cloud,
Clad in rayless gloom, and hiding
Hateful features with a shroud;
Shedding mist around, and leaning
Low and yet without a trace,
Blank, with sightless orbs unmeaning,
Staring into empty space;
Vaguely flitting here, and thither
Turning feet that made no sound,—
Made but blossoms fair to wither,
Left the earth a burial ground.
Gauntly from a caverned cloud,
Clad in rayless gloom, and hiding
Hateful features with a shroud;
Shedding mist around, and leaning
Low and yet without a trace,
Blank, with sightless orbs unmeaning,
Staring into empty space;
Vaguely flitting here, and thither
Turning feet that made no sound,—
Made but blossoms fair to wither,
Left the earth a burial ground.
Doubt, the disenchanter, setting
Here and there its fingers foul,
Branding all, and black forgetting
Bringing, like a midnight cowl;
Still its presence evil thrusting
Into each most holy haunt,
Sapping sacred truth, and trusting
Tender blighting with its taunt;
Still disturbing bounds, and proving
Nothing to be great or good,
Shaking hoary faiths, removing
Landmarks that for ages stood.
Here and there its fingers foul,
Branding all, and black forgetting
Bringing, like a midnight cowl;
Still its presence evil thrusting
Into each most holy haunt,
Sapping sacred truth, and trusting
Tender blighting with its taunt;
Still disturbing bounds, and proving
Nothing to be great or good,
Shaking hoary faiths, removing
Landmarks that for ages stood.
119
Doubt, the formless phantom, mocking
Minds, with shifting show, and lure
Baseless as a vision, rocking
Old foundations sealed and sure;
Murmuring its moods, and living
Death-like in the fogs of fear,
Born of madness and misgiving,
Speaking nothing loud or clear;
Big with many an artful question,
Dreadful hints that stick and stain,
Skilled to drop the vile suggestion
Prodigal in fruit of pain.
Minds, with shifting show, and lure
Baseless as a vision, rocking
Old foundations sealed and sure;
Murmuring its moods, and living
Death-like in the fogs of fear,
Born of madness and misgiving,
Speaking nothing loud or clear;
Big with many an artful question,
Dreadful hints that stick and stain,
Skilled to drop the vile suggestion
Prodigal in fruit of pain.
Doubt, disturbing each, the spoiler
Thirsting for the life of man,
Eager to defraud the toiler
Simple of his heavenly plan;
Eager to mislead, in mazes
Murky reverent souls, and blind
Giant intellects, with crazes
Winding back to gulfs behind;
Sowing hearts with poison, ever
Rolling sad and sightless orbs,
Dragging down the warped endeavour
Into night that all absorbs.
Thirsting for the life of man,
Eager to defraud the toiler
Simple of his heavenly plan;
Eager to mislead, in mazes
Murky reverent souls, and blind
Giant intellects, with crazes
Winding back to gulfs behind;
Sowing hearts with poison, ever
Rolling sad and sightless orbs,
Dragging down the warped endeavour
Into night that all absorbs.
Greed, with bloated bulk, came dragging
Splay misshapen feet, and clutched
Fiercely at its gains, unflagging,
On with steps that only smutched;
Raking up the mire, and groping
In the muck for treasure meet,
Out of any offal hoping
Still to gather something sweet;
Snatching booty from the gutter
Filthiest, with fingers wried,
Scraping, scratching, in its utter
Zest, but never satisfied.
Splay misshapen feet, and clutched
Fiercely at its gains, unflagging,
On with steps that only smutched;
Raking up the mire, and groping
In the muck for treasure meet,
Out of any offal hoping
Still to gather something sweet;
Snatching booty from the gutter
Filthiest, with fingers wried,
Scraping, scratching, in its utter
Zest, but never satisfied.
Greed, with hundred hands, that pointed
Everywhere, and spared no bud,
Not by priestly rite anointed,
Splashed with crimson marks and mud;
Pitting one against the other,
Jealousy and lack of rest
Planting, till the very mother
Spurned the baby at her breast;
Parent but of deep division
In disordered will, and sped
Forth to rapine, to derision
Of the tears the orphan shed.
Everywhere, and spared no bud,
Not by priestly rite anointed,
Splashed with crimson marks and mud;
Pitting one against the other,
Jealousy and lack of rest
Planting, till the very mother
Spurned the baby at her breast;
Parent but of deep division
In disordered will, and sped
Forth to rapine, to derision
Of the tears the orphan shed.
120
Lust, with shining garb, and glorious
Eyes, that sleeping souls would wake
Wild to passion—eyes victorious—
Lust, half-woman and half-snake;
Came and saw and conquered bosoms,
Witched by her strange beauty, blind
Still to doom beneath the blossoms,
Scattered by her to the wind;
Touched, and with her magic thrilling,
Sent the venom in a flood,
Cruel, hot as fire, and killing,
Mixed with madness, through the blood.
Eyes, that sleeping souls would wake
Wild to passion—eyes victorious—
Lust, half-woman and half-snake;
Came and saw and conquered bosoms,
Witched by her strange beauty, blind
Still to doom beneath the blossoms,
Scattered by her to the wind;
Touched, and with her magic thrilling,
Sent the venom in a flood,
Cruel, hot as fire, and killing,
Mixed with madness, through the blood.
Lust, with every grace invested,
Wonderful and white, and strong
Natures weak to woo, arrested
Hardly in the road of wrong;
Soft and sinuous, and stealing
Dimly on the drowsy frame,
Under smile and blush concealing
All the harlotry of shame;
Lovely, nude, delicious, tempting
Saints with sighing honeyed breath,
None from her embrace exempting,—
Lust, whose parting kiss is death.
Wonderful and white, and strong
Natures weak to woo, arrested
Hardly in the road of wrong;
Soft and sinuous, and stealing
Dimly on the drowsy frame,
Under smile and blush concealing
All the harlotry of shame;
Lovely, nude, delicious, tempting
Saints with sighing honeyed breath,
None from her embrace exempting,—
Lust, whose parting kiss is death.
Many more, disguised and deadly,
Foes to man's diviner part,
Where the wine-cup flashing redly
Flowed, came fond into his heart;
Enemies, whose name is legion,
Foul as fiends, with angels' air,
Rich in spoils of every region,
Entered fast and seemed so fair;
Bringing bliss and rose-like vices,
Stript of every thorn, to suit
Timid tastes, with fragrant spices,
Veiling the forbidden fruit.
Foes to man's diviner part,
Where the wine-cup flashing redly
Flowed, came fond into his heart;
Enemies, whose name is legion,
Foul as fiends, with angels' air,
Rich in spoils of every region,
Entered fast and seemed so fair;
Bringing bliss and rose-like vices,
Stript of every thorn, to suit
Timid tastes, with fragrant spices,
Veiling the forbidden fruit.
Yet no warning sign was given
Men, who woke but to despond,
While poor guilty souls, unshriven,
Past into the night beyond;
Lost their splendid faith the holy,
Left his wisdom even the sage,
Mighty warriors lamed and lowly
Fell, though not in battle's rage;
Widows stooped to the invader,
Maidens no more maidens wept,
Slew and slew the grim Armada
Still, and still the City slept.
Men, who woke but to despond,
While poor guilty souls, unshriven,
Past into the night beyond;
Lost their splendid faith the holy,
Left his wisdom even the sage,
Mighty warriors lamed and lowly
Fell, though not in battle's rage;
Widows stooped to the invader,
Maidens no more maidens wept,
Slew and slew the grim Armada
Still, and still the City slept.
| 'Twixt Kiss and Lip or Under the Sword. By the author of "Women Must Weep," [i.e. F. W. O. Ward] Third edition | |