Poems By Richard Chenevix Trench: New ed |
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THE CURSE OF CORN-HOARDERS. |
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50
THE CURSE OF CORN-HOARDERS.
Oh, time it was of famine sore,
That ever sorer grew;
And many hungered, who before
Rich plenty only knew.
That ever sorer grew;
And many hungered, who before
Rich plenty only knew.
For year by year the labouring hind
Bewailed his fruitless toil,
And ever seemed some spell to bind
The hard, unthankful soil.
Bewailed his fruitless toil,
And ever seemed some spell to bind
The hard, unthankful soil.
His seed-corn rotted in the ground,
And did not more appear;
Or if in blade and stalk was found,
It withered in the ear.
And did not more appear;
Or if in blade and stalk was found,
It withered in the ear.
And now unseasonable rains,
And now untimely drought,
Or blight and mildew, all his pains
And hopes to nothing brought.
And now untimely drought,
Or blight and mildew, all his pains
And hopes to nothing brought.
And ever did that keen distress
In wider circles spread;
Who once with alms did others bless,
Now lacked their daily bread.
In wider circles spread;
Who once with alms did others bless,
Now lacked their daily bread.
One only, who was never known
To bless another's board—
In all that Suabian land alone
This cruel, impious lord,
To bless another's board—
In all that Suabian land alone
This cruel, impious lord,
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Did all the while exempt appear
From this wide-reaching ill;
With largest bounties of the year
His broad fields laughing still.
From this wide-reaching ill;
With largest bounties of the year
His broad fields laughing still.
The autumn duly had outpoured
For him its plenteous horn,
And safe in ample granaries stored
He saw his golden corn;
For him its plenteous horn,
And safe in ample granaries stored
He saw his golden corn;
And high he reared new granaries vast,
Of hewn stone builded strong,
And made with bars of iron fast,
And fenced from every wrong.
Of hewn stone builded strong,
And made with bars of iron fast,
And fenced from every wrong.
Till safe, as seemed, from every foe,
He now, as if the sight
Of others' want and others' woe
Enhanced his own delight,
He now, as if the sight
Of others' want and others' woe
Enhanced his own delight,
Sate high, and with his minions still
Did keep continual feast;
Long nights with waste and wassail fill,
Which not with morning ceased;
Did keep continual feast;
Long nights with waste and wassail fill,
Which not with morning ceased;
Till oft-times they who wandered near
Those halls at early day,
Culling wild herbs and roots in fear,
Their hunger to allay,
Those halls at early day,
Culling wild herbs and roots in fear,
Their hunger to allay,
Heard sounds of fierce and reckless mirth
Borne from those halls of pride,
While famine's feeble wail went forth
From all the land beside;
Borne from those halls of pride,
While famine's feeble wail went forth
From all the land beside;
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And strange thoughts rose in many a breast,
Why God's true servants pined,
And largest means this man unblest
Did still for riot find;
Why God's true servants pined,
And largest means this man unblest
Did still for riot find;
Which stranger grew, as more and more
He did his coffers fill
With gold and every precious store,
Wrung from men's cruel ill;
He did his coffers fill
With gold and every precious store,
Wrung from men's cruel ill;
As he each poor man's field was fain
To add unto his own—
To the wide space of his domain,
Now daily wider grown.
To add unto his own—
To the wide space of his domain,
Now daily wider grown.
For some, their lives awhile to save,
Had sold him house and lands;
And some to bonds their children gave,
As grew his stern demands:
Had sold him house and lands;
And some to bonds their children gave,
As grew his stern demands:
Yet not a whit for poor man's curse
This evil churl did care;
He said,—it passed, nor left him worse—
That words were only air.
This evil churl did care;
He said,—it passed, nor left him worse—
That words were only air.
He, if they cried ‘For Jesu's sake,
That so may light on thee
God's blessing,’ answer proud would make,
‘What will that profit me?
That so may light on thee
God's blessing,’ answer proud would make,
‘What will that profit me?
‘I ask no blessing, yet my fields
Have store of precious grain:
The earth to me its fatness yields
The sky its sun and rain,
Have store of precious grain:
The earth to me its fatness yields
The sky its sun and rain,
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‘And high my granaries stand, and strong,
Huge-vaulted, ribbed with stone:
What need I fear? from any wrong
I can defend mine own.’—
Huge-vaulted, ribbed with stone:
What need I fear? from any wrong
I can defend mine own.’—
Thus ever fierce and fiercer rose
His words of scorn and pride;
And more he mocked at mortal woes,
And earth and heaven defied.
His words of scorn and pride;
And more he mocked at mortal woes,
And earth and heaven defied.
And thus it chanced upon a day,
As oft had been before,
That from his gates he spurned away
A widow, old and poor;
As oft had been before,
That from his gates he spurned away
A widow, old and poor;
When to his presence entered in
A servant, pale with fear,
And did with trembling words begin:—
‘O dread my lord, give ear!
A servant, pale with fear,
And did with trembling words begin:—
‘O dread my lord, give ear!
‘As me perchance my business drew
Thy storehouse vast beside,
I heard unwonted sounds, and through
The iron grating spied.
Thy storehouse vast beside,
I heard unwonted sounds, and through
The iron grating spied.
‘The thing I saw, if like it seemed
To any thing on earth,
I might some huge black bull have deemed
That hellish monstrous birth.
To any thing on earth,
I might some huge black bull have deemed
That hellish monstrous birth.
‘Yet how should beast have entrance found
Into that guarded place,
Which strangely now it wandered round,
With wild unresting pace?
Into that guarded place,
Which strangely now it wandered round,
With wild unresting pace?
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Oh, here must be some warning meant,
Which do not now deride:
Oh, yet have pity, and relent,
Nor speak such words of pride.’
Which do not now deride:
Oh, yet have pity, and relent,
Nor speak such words of pride.’
Slight heed his tale of fear might find,
Slight heed his counsel true;
That utterance of his faithful mind
He now had learned to rue,
Slight heed his counsel true;
That utterance of his faithful mind
He now had learned to rue,
But that, even then, another came,
Worse terror in his mien:
—‘Three monstrous creatures, breathing flame,
These eyes but now have seen;
Worse terror in his mien:
—‘Three monstrous creatures, breathing flame,
These eyes but now have seen;
‘They toss about thy hoarded store,
And greedily they eat,
Consuming thus a part, but more
They stamp beneath their feet.
And greedily they eat,
Consuming thus a part, but more
They stamp beneath their feet.
‘Oh, Sir, full often God doth take
What we refuse to give;
But yet to Him large offering make,
And all our souls may live.’
What we refuse to give;
But yet to Him large offering make,
And all our souls may live.’
—‘Fool !—let another hasten now,
But if he shall not see
The self-same vision, fellow, thou
Shalt hang on yonder tree.’
But if he shall not see
The self-same vision, fellow, thou
Shalt hang on yonder tree.’
He said—when, lo! in rushed a third
Within the briefest space:—
—‘Of horses wild and bulls a herd
Is filling all the place.
Within the briefest space:—
—‘Of horses wild and bulls a herd
Is filling all the place.
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‘The numbers of that furious rout
Wax ever high and higher;
And from their mouths smoke issues out,
And from their nostrils fire.
Wax ever high and higher;
And from their mouths smoke issues out,
And from their nostrils fire.
‘From side to side they leap and bound,
The hoarded corn they eat,
They toss and scatter on the ground,
And stamp beneath their feet.
The hoarded corn they eat,
They toss and scatter on the ground,
And stamp beneath their feet.
‘My lord, these portents do not scorn;
Thy granary doors throw wide,
And poor men's prayers even yet may turn
The threatened wrath aside.’
Thy granary doors throw wide,
And poor men's prayers even yet may turn
The threatened wrath aside.’
—‘What, all conspiring in one tale!
Or fooled by one deceit!
Yet think not ye shall so prevail,
Or me so lightly cheat.
Or fooled by one deceit!
Yet think not ye shall so prevail,
Or me so lightly cheat.
‘Come with me;—fling the portals back;
I too this sight would see:
What! one and all this courage lack?
Give me the ponderous key.’
I too this sight would see:
What! one and all this courage lack?
Give me the ponderous key.’
In fear the vassal multitude
Fell back on either side:
Before the doors he singly stood,
He singly—in his pride.
Fell back on either side:
Before the doors he singly stood,
He singly—in his pride.
But them, or ere he touched, asunder
Some hand unbidden threw;
With lightning flash, with sound like thunder
The gates wide open flew.
Some hand unbidden threw;
With lightning flash, with sound like thunder
The gates wide open flew.
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How shook then underneath the tread
Of thousand hoofs the earth!
Day darkened into night with dread,
So weird a troop rushed forth!
Of thousand hoofs the earth!
Day darkened into night with dread,
So weird a troop rushed forth!
And all who saw like dead men stood,
As swept that wild troop by,
Till lost within a neighbouring wood
For aye from mortal eye.
As swept that wild troop by,
Till lost within a neighbouring wood
For aye from mortal eye.
But when that hurricane was past
Of hideous sight and sound,
And when they breathed anew, they cast
Their fearful glances round:
Of hideous sight and sound,
And when they breathed anew, they cast
Their fearful glances round:
They lifted up a blackened corse,
Where scorched and crushed it lay,
And scarred with hoofs of fiery force,—
Then bore in awe away;
Where scorched and crushed it lay,
And scarred with hoofs of fiery force,—
Then bore in awe away;
They bore away, but not to hide
In any holy ground;
Who in his height of sin had died
No hallowed burial found.
In any holy ground;
Who in his height of sin had died
No hallowed burial found.
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