THE FIGHT WITH THE DRAGON.
FROM THE GERMAN OF SCHILLER.
WHY runs, why wave-like sweeps along,
Through street and mart, the rushing throng?
Is Rhodes on fire? From every side
Rolls storming in the human tide,
And mounted on his courser proud
A knight I see above the crowd;
And after him—what wondrous feat!—
Is dragg'd a monster through the street.
A dragon it appears to sight,
With crocodile's wide-gaping jaws;
And now the dragon, now the knight,
The people's gaze alternate draws.
And loud a thousand voices rise,
"Come, see the hell-worm-here it lies!-
That with the flock devour'd the swain;
The hero this, who hath it slain!
Full many, ere he risk'd his life,
Went forth to dare the deadly strife;
But none return'd to tell the fight,-
All honour to the gallant knight!"
Thus to the cloister, moving on,
Proceeds the crowd, where hasty call
The knightly order of St. John
Assembles in the council-hall.
Before the noble master there
The youth appears, with modest air;
The following thousands shouting loud
Press in, and hall and gallery crowd;
And thus he takes the word: "Thy son,
The duty of a knight hath done!
The dragon, that laid waste the land,
Lies slain before thee by this hand;
Free to the wanderer now our ways,
From mead to mead the flocks may stray;
And joyous to the shrine of grace,
The pilgrim climb the rocky way!"
But stern the master eyes the youth,-
"A hero's part thou 'st wrought, in sooth,
Bold deeds the knight with honour crown,
A daring spirit thou hast shewn ;
But which the first of duties, say,
Of him who fights for Christ's dear sway,
And with the Cross adorns his mail?"
He speaks, and all around grow pale.
But graceful thus the youth replies,
Whilst bending low with crims'ning face:
"Obedience is the test that tries,
And shews him worthy of the grace."
"And this first duty, son," returns The master," thy rash spirit spurns; The combat by the law denied,
With wayward courage thou hast tried."
Long stretch'd the neck, and opening fell,
Sight ghastly as the gate of hell,
As if in act to snatch their prey,
Their width did the grim jaws display.
From out the dark abyss beneath
Threaten'd the sting-like rows of teeth;
The tongue a pointed falchion seem'd,
Dire lightnings from the small eyes gleam'd;
And into serpent fold on fold
The back enormous tapering ran,
Around itself all dreadly roll'd,
To crush at once both steed and man!
Close imitating all the rest,
In grisly grey the shape I drest ;-
Half snake, half lizard, seem'd it now,
And dragon bred of poison'd slough.
And when the image finish'd stood,
Two dogs I chose of dauntless mood,
Strong limb'd, and fleeter than the breeze,
And train'd the savage bull to seize.
These urg'd to fury fierce, I set
Upon the dragon as their prey,
With pointed fangs the beast to fret,
And taught my bidding to obey.
And where the belly soft and white
Lay naked to their galling bite,
I made them seize the fiend, and there
The flesh with sharp teeth hacking tear.
Then arm'd as if for warlike deed,
Bestrode myself my gallant steed,
Of noblest race in Arab land,
And when to flame his rage
I'd fann'd,
Plunging my spurs into his side,
Upon the dragon fierce I sprung,
And as to pierce it through I tried,
With steady aim my javelin flung.
And though at first my courser scar'd,
Foam'd, champ'd his bit, and shuddering rear'd,-
And whining howl'd my hounds afraid,-
Till use had made them bold I staid.
And thus their training I pursued
Till thrice her light the moon renewed,
Then each his part exactly taught,
Them hither in swift bark I brought.
Three times the sun has lit the wave
Since here I came, and scant the rest
limbs I gave,
Ere to their mighty task addrest.
For moved my soul within me rose
At story of the land's new woes;
Torn limb from limb had late been found
The shepherds to the marshes bound.
Thus prompt resolving on my part,
I took but counsel of my heart,
And to my train of loyal squires
With baste imparting my desires,
Forth with my noble dogs and steed,
By secret ways, which well I knew,
Where none might look upon my deed,
To meet the foe I fearless drew,
The chapel, sire, you know, which high
On rock that seems to prop the sky,
Built by the dauntless master's hands,
Wide prospect o'er the isle commands.
But small that chapel, poor and mean,
Yet there a miracle is seen:-
The Mother with the infant Lord,
By the three eastern kings ador'd!
Thrice thirty steps must pilgrim climb,
Ere at the holy shrine he bends,
But dizzy reach'd the height sublime
New strength his Saviour's presence lends.
Within the rock, thus chapel crown'd,
Wide yawns a gloomy cave profound,
Damp with the near swamps' noxious steam,
Impervious to day's cheering beam;
Here made the snake his den, and lay
His victims waiting night and day.
Thus held he, like hell's dragon there,
Strict watch beside the house of prayer!
And came the pilgrim to the spot,
And turn'd into the dangerous way,
Broke from his ambush in the grot
The foe, and bore him thence his prey.
The rugged rock I climb'd, ere yet
In arduous fight the fiend I met,
And knelt before the Jesus-child,
And shrived my bosom sin-defil'd.
Then girded at the altar high
My limbs in glittering panoply,
And lance in hand, to seek the foe,
Descended to the plain below.
And that the peril of the deed
All mine might be, there bade to wait
My squires, and springing on my steed,
To God in prayer consign'd my fate.
Scarce reach'd the swampy marshes' bounds, To bay began my gallant hounds,
And panting stood my trembling steed,
Nor would another step proceed:
For coil'd together, ball-like, lay
The grisly snake beside the way,
Sunning himself on the warm ground.
Quick sprung on him each active hound,
But with the jackal's howl, faint-hearted,
With arrowy
swiftness turning flew,
When wide his gaping jaws he parted,
And forth a blast of poison blew.
But soon with courage fresh inspired,
The foe they seized to fury fired;
And whilst on him in rage they hung,
Against his loins my spear I flung;
But weak as willow sapling thin,
It bounded from the scaly skin,—
And ere a second I could cast,
My trembling courser shied aghast
Before the reptile's basilisk eye,
And current of his poison'd breath,
And terrified would backward fly,-
And now for me seem'd only death!
Then nimbly leaping to the ground,
Quick flew my keen-edged sword around,
But on that adamantine mail
My sturdy strokes might naught avail;
And by his tail infuriate lash'd
Down to the earth already dash'd,
I lay, and wide his ghastly maw
With grim teeth studded gaping saw!
When, lo! my dogs to flame enraged,
Upon his naked belly sprung,
And biting keen such good fight waged,
Howling he stood, with torture wrung.
And ere he from his galling foes
Could free him, from the ground I rose,
Espied the unprotected part,
And drove my sword through lungs and heart!
Plunged to the hilt the weapon stood,
Black spirting flow'd the streaming blood:
The monster fell, and, as he sunk,
Buried me 'neath his ponderous trunk.
And thus awhile in death-like swound
I lay, and when my life again
Came back, my squires were standing round,
And in his blood the fiend lay slain!"
The loud applause, till now supprest,
Burst free from every hearer's breast,
As thus the knight the adventure told;
And broke by vaulted roof tenfold
Peals forth, re-echoing wide around
The mingled voices' deaf'ning sound!
Vehement e'en the brethren claim
For him the hero's crown of fame;
And gratefully the people now
Will bear him forth in triumph proud:
But stern the master knits his brow,
Commanding silence to the crowd.
And speaks: "The dragon that this land
Laid waste thou'st slain with valiant hand;
A god unto the people thou
Art grown, but to the order now
Thou com'st a foe! for worm more dread
Than thou hast slain thy heart has bred,-
The breast-empoisoning snake, whose sting
Doth discord and destruction bring!
The stubborn spirit this, which dares
'Gainst discipline revolt to raise,
The sacred band of order tears,
And wide the world in ruin lays.
Mere courage show the Paynim race,
Obedience is the Christian's grace;
For where the Lord of earth and skies
Once wander'd in a servant's guise,
The fathers on that hallow'd ground
Our order framed, for ever bound
The hardest duty to fulfil-
The conquest of the rebel will!
|