Suwarrow, who was standing in his shirt, Before a company of Calmucks, drilling, Exclaiming, fooling, swearing at the inert, And lecturing on the noble art of killing, For, deeming human clay but common dirt, This great philosopher was thus instilling His maxims, which, to martial comprehension, Proved death in battle equal to a pension;LIX. Suwarrow, when he saw this company Of Cossacks and their prey, turn'd round and cast Upon them his slow brow and piercing eye:- [last, "Whence come ye?"-" From Constantineple Captives just now escaped," was the reply. [past "What are ye?"-" What you see us." Briefly This dialogue; for he who answer'd knew To whom he spoke, and made his words but few. LX. "Your names?"-"Mine's Johnson, and my com rade's Juan; The other two are women, and the third Is neither man nor woman." The chief threw on The party a slight glance, then said: "I have Your nanie before, the second is a new one; [heard To bring the other three here was absurd; But let that pass;-I think I've heard your name In the Nikolaiew regiment?"-"The same."— LXI. LXVIII. 'You served at Widdin?"-"Yes."-"You led O'er the promoted couple of brave men the attack?" [know." Who were thus honor'd by the greatest chief "I did."-" What next?"-"I really hardly That ever peopled hell with heroes slain, You were the first i' the breach ?"-"I was not slack, At least, to follow those who might be so."What follow'd?"-"A shot laid me on my back, And I became a prisoner to the foe."- [rounded "You shall have vengeance, for the town surIs twice as strong as that where you were wounded. LXVI. "Right! I was busy, and forgot. Why you Or plunged a province or a realm in grief. Suwarrow, who had small regard for tears, [trade Men's hearts against whole millions, when their LXX. He said-and in the kindest Calmuc tone- In safety to the wagons, where alone In fact they can be safe. You should have been LXXI. "May it please your excellency," thus replied By service with my military brothers, LXXII. "But these are but two Turkish ladies, who To them, poor things! it is an awkward step LXXIII. Meantime, these two poor girls, with swimming eye Will join your former regiment, which should be Their own protectors; nor was their surprise Now under arms. Ho! Katskoff, take him to- The stranger stripling may remain with me; But here a sort of scene began to ensue: Less than their grief (and truly not less just) To see an old man, rather wild than wise In aspect, plainly clad, besmeared with dust, Stript to his waistcoat, and that not too clean, More fear'd than all the sultans ever seen. LXXIV. For every thing seem'd resting on his nod. To see the sultan, rich in many a gem. (That royal bird, whose tail's a diadem,) LXXV. Don Juan, who was much more sentimental, Swore they should see him by the dawn of day, Or that the Russian army should repent all: And, strange to say, they found some consolation In this for females like exaggeration. LXXVI. LXXXII. Oh, ye great bulletins of Buonaparte! Oh, ye less grand long lists of kill'd and wour dec Shade of Leonidas! who fought so hearty, [rous ded When my poor Greece was once, as now SNIOh, Cæsar's Commentaries! now impart ye, Shadows of glory! (lest I be confounded' And then, with tears, and sighs, and some slight When I call "fading" martial immortality, To paint a siege, wherein more men were slain, With deadlier engines and a speedier blow, Than in thy Greek gazette of that campaign, And yet, like all men else, I must allow, To vie with thee, would be about as vain As for a brook to cope with ocean's flood; But still we moderns equal you in bloodLXXXI. If not in poetry, at least in fact; And fact is truth, the grand desideratum ! Of which, howe'er the Muse describes each act, There should be, ne'ertheless, a slight substratum. But now the town is going to be attack'd; Great deeds are doing-how shall I relate 'em? 3ouls of immortal generals! Phoebus watches To color up his rays from your despatches. I mean, that every age and every year, And almost every day, in sad reality, Some sucking hero is compell'd to rear, Who, when we come to sum up the totality Of deeds to human happiness most dear, Turns out to be a butcher in great business, Afflicting young folks with a sort of dizziness LXXXIV. Medals, ranks, ribbands, lace, embroidery, scarlet, An uniform to boys is like a fan To women: there is scarce a crimson varlet LXXXV. At least he feels it, and some say he sees, This canto, ere my Muse perceives fatigue. The next shall ring a peal to shake all people, Like a bob-major from a village steeple. LXXXVI. Hark! through the silence of the cold dull nigh Along the leaguer'd wall and bristling bank LXXXVII. Here pause we for the present-as even then The march! the charge! the shouts of either faith CANTO VIII. I. On blood and thunder! and oh blood and wounds! These are but vulgar oaths, as you may deem, Too gentle reader! and most shocking sounds: And so they are; yet thus is Glory's dream Unriddled, and as my true Muse expounds At present such things, since they are her theme, So be they the inspirers! Call them Mars, Bellona, what you will-they mean but wars. II. All was prepared-the fire, the sword, the men March'd forth with nerve and sinews bent to slay,A human Hydra, issuing from his fen To breathe destruction on its winding way, Whose heads were heroes, which cut off in vain, Immediately in others grew again. III. History can only take things in the gross; War's merit it by no means might enhance, To waste so much gold for a little dross,. As hath been done, mere conquest to advance. The drying up a single tear has more Of honest fame, than shedding seas of gore. IV. And why? because it brings self-approbation; Though they may make Corruption gape or stare, V. And sich they are-and such they will be found. VI. The night was dark, and the thick mist allow'd And in the Danube's waters shone the same, Also the General Markow, Brigadier, The General Markow, who could thus evince Three hundred cannon threw up their emetic, Mortality! thou hast thy monthly bills; XIII. There the still varying pangs, which multiply Which meet the gaze, whate'er it may regard— The groan, the roll in dust, the all-white eye Turn'd back within its socket,-these reward Your rank and file by thousands, while the rest May win, perhaps, a ribband at the breast! |