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Translated by John O’Kane
SAY, have Latona’s Son | |
| And Neptune joined their powers | |
| As for Laomedon, | |
| To crown those crags with towers? | |
| Around the famous site | 5 |
| Sambre and Meuse unite | |
| To bar the fatal path; | |
| A hundred throats of iron | |
| The dreadful hills environ, | |
| To belch out flame and death. | 10 |
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| Ten thousand warriors wight | |
| Within expect the foe, | |
| Far-slaying flashes light | |
| Their ramparts all aglow, | |
| Along the fatal line | 15 |
| Deep lurks the treacherous mine, | |
| Surcharged with latent fire, | |
| Ready to burst in air, | |
| The sulphurous sepulchre | |
| Of whoso ventures nigher. * * * * * | 20 |
| But what hath swollen the Sambre? | |
| ’Neath Gemini dismayed, | |
| The cold floods of December | |
| The champaign all invade. | |
| In tears is Ceres fleeing | 25 |
| A prey to Boreas, seeing | |
| Her cornfields harvest-crowned, | |
| And ’neath the Hyades weeping | |
| The Naiads’ brown ooze sweeping | |
| O’er all her treasures drowned. | 30 |
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| Rage on both war and weather, | |
| Winds, princes, nations, showers, | |
| Band all your clouds together, | |
| Rank all your martial powers: | |
| Yet Namur’s battered wall | 35 |
| Beneath the hand shall fall | |
| That conquered Lille, Courtrai, | |
| Ypres, proud Spanish Gand, | |
| St. Omer, Besançon, | |
| Dole, Maestricht, and Cambrai. | 40 |
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| My word ’s fulfilled: the thunder | |
| Bursts o’er the rocking town, | |
| Beneath the blows in sunder | |
| The walls are crashing down; | |
| In dominant opposition | 45 |
| Mars hurtles demolition; | |
| And in the air each shell, | |
| First up the welkin streaming, | |
| Then falling earthward, seeming | |
| As though ’t would open hell. | 50 |
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| The town’s last hope, close ranks, | |
| Bavaria, Nassau bold! | |
| Secure behind a river’s banks | |
| The scene you may behold. | |
| The dreadful glacis mark: | 55 |
| Behold our warriors stark,— | |
| See, up the rocks they strain, | |
| And Louis of the whole | |
| In wave or fire, their soul, | |
| Amid them press amain. | 60 |
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| Behold, mid storms of lead | |
| That from the ramparts fly, | |
| The plume, that o’er his head | |
| Attracteth every eye! | |
| The terror-striking star, | 65 |
| That rules the fate of war, | |
| And victory doth bind | |
| Amid the battle gory, | |
| While Mars himself and Glory | |
| Come panting up behind. | 70 |
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| Iberia’s great defenders | |
| On Mehagne’s banks in sight, | |
| Or ere the town surrenders | |
| Go forth and dare the fight. | |
| Beside the affrighted river, | 75 |
| So many warriors never | |
| Were massed for fight before. | |
| Go forth then! what retards you? | |
| The universe regards you; | |
| What! dare you not cross o’er? | 80 |
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| Far from opposing barriers | |
| To your uncounted ranks, | |
| Our Luxembourg his warriors | |
| Retireth from the banks. | |
| What! at their sight art cold? | 85 |
| Where are the chiefs so bold | |
| For fight so lately fain, | |
| Who were from Thamis wave, | |
| And the submissive Drave | |
| To seek us by the Seine? | 90 |
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| Now fell, while battle sounded, | |
| On Namur double dread, | |
| ’Neath his last wall confounded, | |
| Its governor hath fled. | |
| Already steel and flame in hand | 95 |
| To the gates a daring band, | |
| Their course our cohorts take, | |
| O’er piles of weapons strewn | |
| Carcass and brick and stone. | |
| A spacious road they make. | 100 |
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| ’T is done: I hear the drum, | |
| From those defenceless towers | |
| The signal of surrender ’s come, | |
| The fire has ceased. ’T is ours. | |
| Abate your arrogance, | 105 |
| Proud enemies of France, | |
| And bear in humble strain | |
| To Brussels and to Liége, | |
| The tale of Namur’s siege, | |
| That ’neath your eyes was ta’en. * * * * * | 110 |
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