10. She answer'd; I have said. It must not be ! Almighty as thou art, Thou hast put all things underneath thy feet; But still the resolute heart And virtuous will are free. Never, oh! never,.. never. . can there be Communion, Rajah, between thee and me. nual stream of fire and smoke and wind, which ascending in thick clouds, replete with lightning, it began to rain down upon the heavenly bands, who were already fatigued with their labour; whilst a shower of flowers was shaken from the top of the mountain, covering the heads of all, both Soors and Asoors. In the mean time the roaring of the ocean, whilst violently agitated with the whirling of the mountain Mandar by the Soors and Asoors, was like the bellowing of a mighty cloud. Thousands of the various productions of the waters were torn to pieces by the mountain, and confounded with the briny flood; and every specific being of the deep, and all the inhabitants of the great abyss which is below the earth, were annihilated; whilst, from the violent agitation of the mountain, the forest trees were dashed against each other, and precipitated from its utmost height, with all the birds thereon; from whose violent confrication a raging fire was produced, involving the whole mountain with smoke and flame, as with a dark blue cloud, and the lightning's vivid flash. The lion and the retreating elephant are overtaken by the devouring flames, and every vital being, and every specific thing, are consumed in the general conflagration. "The raging flames, thus spreading destruction on all sides, were at length quenched by a shower of cloud-borne water, poured down by the immortal Eendra. And now a heterogeneous stream of the concocted juices of various trees and plants ran down into the briny flood. "It was from this milk-like stream of juices, produced from those trees and plants and a mixture of melted gold, that the Soors obtained their immortality. "The waters of the Ocean now being assimilated with those juices, were converted into milk, and from that milk a kind of butter was presently produced; when the heavenly bands went again into the presence of Brahma, the granter of boons, and addressed him, saying, Except Narayan, every other Soor and Asoor is fatigued with his labour, and still the Amrecta doth not appear; wherefore the churning of the Ocean is at a stand.' Then Brahma said unto Narayan, 'Endue them with recruited strength, for thou art their support.' And Narayan answered and said, 'I will give fresh vigour to such as co-operate in the work. Let Mandar be whirled about, and the bed of the ocean be kept steady.' "When they heard the words of Narayan, they all returned again to the work, and began to stir about with great force that butter of the ocean, when there presently arose from out the troubled deep, first the Moon, with a pleasing countenance, shining with ten thousand beams of gentle light; next followed Srce, the goddess of fortune, whose seat is the white lily of the waters; then Soora-Devee, the goddess of wine, and the white horse called Oohisrava. And after these there was produced from the unctuous mass the jewel Kowstoobh, that glorious sparkling gem worn by Narayan on his breast; also Pareejat, the tree of plenty, and Soorabhee, the cow that granted every heart's desire. "The moon, Soora-Devee, the goddess of Sree, and the Horse, as swift as thought, instantly marched away towards the Dews, keeping in the path of the Sun. "Then the Dew Dhanwantaree, in human shape, came forth, holding in his hand a white vessel filled with the immortal juice Amreeta. When the Asoors beheld these wondrous things appear, they raised their tumultuous voices for the Amrecta, and each of them clamorously exclaimed, This of right is mine.' · 11. Once more, quoth he, I urge, and once alone. Thou seest yon Golden Throne, Where I anon shall set thee by my side; Take thou thy seat thereon, Kehama's willing bride, And I will place the Kingdoms of the World Beneath thy Father's feet, "In the mean time Travat, a mighty elephant, arose, now kept by the god of thunder; and as they continued to churn the ocean more than enough, that deadly poison issued from its bed, burning like a raging fire, whose dreadful fumes in a moment spread throughout the world, confounding the three regions of the universe with the mortal stench, until Seev, at the word of Brahma, swallowed the fatal drug, to save mankind; which, remaining in the throat of that sovereign Dew of magic form, from that time he hath been called Neel-Kant, because his throat was stained blue "When the Asoors beheld this miraculous deed, they became desperate, and the Amreeta and the goddess Sree became the source of endless hatred. "Then Naryan assumed the character and person of Moheenee Maya, the power of enchantment, in a female form of wonderful beauty, and stood before the Asoors, whose minds being fascinated by her presence, and deprived of reason, they seized the Amreeta, and gave it unto her. "The Asoors now clothe themselves in costly armour, and, seizing their various weapons, rush on together to attack the Soors. In the mean time Narayan, in the female form, having obtained the Amreeta from the hands of their leader, the hosts of Soors, during the tumult and confusion of the Asoors, drank of the living water. "And it so fell out, that whilst the Soors were quenching their thirst for immortality, Rahoo, an Asoor, assumed the form of a Soor, and began to drink also: and the water had but reached his throat, when the Sun and Moon, in friendship to the Soors, discovered the deceit; and instantly Narayan cut off his head, as he was drinking, with his splendid weapon Chakra. And the gigantic head of the Asoor, emblem of a mountain's summit, being thus separated from his body by the Chakra's edge, bounded into the heavens with a dreadful cry, whilst his ponderous trunk fell, cleaving the ground asunder, and shaking the whole earth unto its foundation, with all its islands, rocks, and forests: and from that time the head of Rahoo resolved an eternal enmity, and continueth, even unto this day, at times to seize upon the Sun and Moon. "Now Narayan, having quitted the female figure he had assumed, began to disturb the Asoors with sundry celestial weapons; and from that instant a dreadful battle was commenced, on the ocean's briny strand, between the Asoors and the Soors. Innumerable sharp and missile weapons were hurled, and thousands of piercing darts and battle-axes fell on all sides. The Asoors vomit blood from the wounds of the Chakra, and fall upon the ground pierced by the sword, the spear, and spiked club. Heads, glittering with polished gold, divided by the Pattees' blade, drop incessantly; and mangled bodies, wallowing in their gore, lay like fragments of mighty rocks, sparkling with gems and precious ores. Millions of sighs and groans arise on every side; and the sun is overcast with blood, as they clash their arms, and wound each other with their dreadful instruments of destruction. "Now the battle is fought with the iron-spiked club, and, as they close, with clenched fist, and the din of war ascendeth to the heavens. They cry, Pursue! strike! fell to the ground!' so that a horrid and tumultuous noise is heard on all sides. "In the midst of this dreadful hurry and confusion of the fight, Nar and Narayan entered the field together. Narayan beholding a celestial bow in the hand of Nar, it reminded him Sa Appointing him the King of mortal men : Else underneath that Throne, The Fourth supporter he shall stand and groan; Prayers will be vain to move my mercy then. 12. Again the Virgin answer'd, I have said! Ladurlad caught her in his proud embrace, While on his neck she hid In agony her face. 13. Bring forth the Amreeta-cup! Kehama cried The massy fabric shook, and open'd wide. A huge Anatomy was seen reclined Within its marble womb. Give me the Cup! Again Kehama cried; no other charm Was needed than that voice of stern command. From his repose the ghastly form arose, Put forth his bony and gigantic arm, And gave the Amreeta to the Rajah's hand. Take! drink! with accents dread the Spectre said, For thee and Kailyal hath it been assign'd, Ye only of the Children of Mankind. 14. Then was the Man-Almighty's heart elate; This is the consummation! he exclaim'd; Thus have I triumphed over Death and Fate. Now, Seeva! look to thine abode ! Henceforth, on equal footing we engage, Alike immortal now, and we shall wage Our warfare, God to God! Joy fill'd his impious soul, And to his lips he raised the fatal bowl. The faithful of his Chakra, the destroyer of the Asoors. weapon, by name Soodarsan, ready at the mind's call, flew down from heaven with direct and refulgent speed, beautiful, yet terrible to behold: and being arrived, glowing like the sacrificial flame, and spreading terror around, Narayan, with his right arm formed like the elephantine trunk, hurled forth the ponderous orb, the speedy messenger and glorious ruin of hostile towns; who, raging like the final all-destroying fire, shot bounding with desolating force, killing thousands of the Asoors in his rapid flight, burning and involving, like the lambent flame, and cutting down all that would oppose him. Anon he climbeth the heavens, and now again darteth into the field like a Pcesach, to feast in blood. "Now the dauntless Asoors strive, with repeated strength, to crush the Soors with rocks and mountains, which, hurled in vast numbers into the heavens, appeared like scattered clouds, and fell, with all the trees thereon, in millions of fearexciting torrents, striking violently against each other with a mighty noise; and in their fall the earth, with all its fields and forests, is driven from its foundation: they thunder furiously at each other as they roll along the field, and spend their strength in mutual conflict. "Now Nar, seeing the Soors overwhelmed with fear, filled 15. Thus long the Glendoveer had stood Watching the wonders of the eventful hour, Amazed but undismay'd; for in his heart Faith, overcoming fear, maintain'd its power. Nor had that faith abated, when the God Of Padalon was beaten down in fight; For then he look'd to see the heavenly might Of Seeva break upon them. But when now He saw the Amreeta in Kehama's hand, An impulse which defied all self-command In that extremity Stung him, and he resolved to seize the cup, And dare the Rajah's force in Seeva's sight. Forward he sprung to tempt the unequal fray, When lo the Anatomy, With warning arm, withstood his desperate way, And from the Golden Throne the fiery Three Again, in one accord, renew'd their song, Kehama, come! we wait for thee too long. 16. O fool of drunken hope and frantic vice! Of knowledge, and to deem The meed of evil!.. yea thou hast it now, Victim of thine own wicked heart's device, Thou hast thine object now, and now must pay the price. 17. He did not know the holy mystery Of that divinest cup, that as the lips Which touch it, even such its quality, Good or malignant: Madman! and he thinks The blessed prize is won, and joyfully he drinks. 18. Then Seeva open'd on the Accursed One His Eye of Anger: upon him alone up the path to Heayen with showers of golden-headed arrows, and split the mountain summits with his unerring shafts; and the Asoors finding themselves again sore pressed by the Soors, precipitately flee; some rush headlong into the briny waters of the ocean, and others hide themselves within the bowels of the earth. "The rage of the glorious Chakra, Soodarsan, which for a while burnt like the oil-fed fire, now grew cool, and he retired into the heavens from whence he came. And the Soors having obtained the victory, the mountain Mandar was carried back to its former station with great respect, whilst the waters also retired, filling the firmament and the heavens with their dreadful roarings. "The Soors guarded the Amreeta with great care, and rejoiced exceedingly because of their success. And Eendra, with all his Immortal bands, gave the water of life unto Nerayan, to keep it for their use."- Mahabharat. Amrita, or Immortal, is, according to Sir William Jones. the name which the mythologists of Tibet apply to a celestial tree, bearing ambrosial fruit, and adjoining to four vast rocks, from which as many sacred rivers derive their several streams. The wrath-beam fell. He shudders.. but too late; The dreadful liquor works the will of Fate. Immortal he is made; but through his veins Torture at once and immortality, A stream of poison doth the Amreeta run, Like molten ore, beneath the avenging Eye, 19. The fiery Three, Beholding him, set up a fiendish cry, A song of jubilee ; Come, Brother, come! they sung; too long Henceforth we bear no more The unequal weight; Come, Brother, we are Four! 20. Vain his almightiness, for mightier pain Subdued all power; pain ruled supreme alone; And yielding to the bony hand The unemptied cup, he moved toward the Throne, And at the vacant corner took his stand. Behold the Golden Throne at length complete, And Yamen silently ascends the Judgement-seat. 21. For two alone, of all mankind, to me The Man hath drunk, the Woman's turn is next. She took the fated Cup; and, lifting up Ye heavenly Powers? as on her knees she fell, Ye know my innocent will, my heart sincere, 22. She said, and drank. The Eye of Mercy beam'd From her pure touch, the fated Cup partook. Till all but what was heavenly pass'd away: Her Spirit strong within her, the same heart, With the same loves, and all her heavenly part Unchanged, and ripen'd to such perfect state In this miraculous birth, as here on Earth, Dimly our holiest hopes anticipate. 23. Mine mine! with rapturous joy Ereenia cried, Immortal now, and yet not more divine; Mine, mine,. . . for ever mine! The immortal Maid replied, For ever, ever, thine! 24. Then Yamen said, O thou to whom by Fate, Alone of all mankind, this lot is given, Daughter of Earth, but now the Child of Heaven! Go with thy heavenly Mate, Partaker now of his immortal bliss ; And there recall the hours 25. But that sweet Angel, for she still retain'd Upon her Father fix'd, and spread her hands Go! Yamen said, nor cast that look behind Upon Ladurlad at this parting hour, For thou shalt find him in thy Mother's Bower. 26. The Car, for Carmala his word obey'd, Moved on, and bore away the Maid, While from the Golden Throne the Lord of Death With love benignant on Ladurlad smiled, And gently on his head his blessing laid. As sweetly as a Child, Whom neither thought disturbs nor care encumbers, Tired with long play, at close of summer day, Lies down and slumbers, Even thus as sweet a boon of sleep partaking, By Yamen blest, Ladurlad sunk to rest. Blessed that sleep! more blessed was the waking! For on that night a heavenly morning broke, The light of heaven was round him when he woke, And in the Swerga, in Yedillian's Bower, All whom he loved he met, to part no more. RODERICK, THE LAST OF THE GOTHS: A TRAGIC POEM. "Tanto acrior apud majores, sicut virtutibus gloria, ita flagitiis pœnitentia, fuit. Sed hæc aliaque, ex veteri memoriâ petita, quotiens res locusque exempla recti, aut solatia mali, poscet, haud absurdè memorabimus." Taciti Hist. lib. iii. c. 51. ΤΟ GROSVENOR CHARLES BEDFORD, THIS POEM IS INSCRIBED, IN LASTING MEMORIAL OF A LONG AND UNINTERRUPTED FRIENDSHIP, BY HIS OLD SCHOOLFELLOW, ROBERT SOUTHEY. "As the ample Moon, In the deep stillness of a summer even From error, disappointment,.. nay from guilt; Wordsworth. PREFACE. THE history of the Wisi-Goths for some years before their overthrow is very imperfectly known. It is, however, apparent, that the enmity between the royal families of Chindasuintho and Wamba was one main cause of the destruction of the kingdom, the latter party having assisted in betraying their country to the Moors for the gratification of their own revenge. Theodofred and Favila were younger sons of King Chindasuintho; King Witiza, who was of Wamba's family, put out the eyes of Theodofred, and murdered Favila, at the instigation of that Chieftain's wife, with whom he lived in adultery. Pelayo, the son of Favila, and afterwards the founder of the Spanish monarchy, was driven into exile. Roderick, the son of Theodofred, recovered the throne, and put out Witiza's eyes in vengeance for his father; but he spared Orpas, the brother of the tyrant, as being a Priest, and Ebba and Sisibert, the two sons of Witiza, by Pelayo's mother. It may be convenient thus briefly to premise these circumstances of an obscure portion of history, with which few readers can be supposed to be familiar; and a list of the principal persons who are introduced, or spoken of, may as properly be prefixed to a Poem as to a Play. WITIZA, King of the Wisi-Goths; dethroned and blinded by Roderick. SISIBERT, EBBA, sons of Witiza and of Pelayo's mother. THEODOFRED,... son of King Chindasuintho, blinded by NUMACIAN, .. a renegade, governor of Gegio. FAVILA, commences.) COUNT JULIAN,. . a powerful Lord among the Wisi-Goths, now a renegade. FLORINDA,..... his daughter, violated by King Roderick. ADOSINDA, ODOAR, * 車 daughter of the Governor of Auria. Abbot of St. Felix. .. Roderick's foster-father. Count Pedro's wife. The four latter persons are imaginary. All the others are mentioned in history. I ought, however, to observe that Romano is a creature of monkish legends; that the name of Pelayo's sister has not been preserved; and that that of Roderick's mother, Ruscilo, has been altered to Rusilla, for the sake of euphony. The story of Count Julian and his daughter has been treated as a fable by some authors, because it is not mentioned by the three writers who lived nearest the time. But those writers state the mere fact of the conquest of Spain as briefly as possible, without entering into particulars of any kind; and the best Spanish historians and antiquaries are persuaded that there is no cause for disbelieving the uniform and concurrent tradition of both Moors and Christians. For the purposes of poetry, it is immaterial whether the story be true or false. I have represented the Count as a man both sinned against and sinning, and equally to be commiserated and condemned. The author of the Tragedy of Count Julian has contemplated his character in a grander point of view, and represented him as a man self-justified in bringing an army of foreign auxiliaries to assist him in delivering his country from a tyrant, and foreseeing, when it is too late to recede, the evils which he is thus bringing upon her. "Not victory that o'ershadows him, sees he! Act V. Scene 2. Parts of this tragedy are as fine in their kind as any thing which can be found in the whole compass of English poetry. Juan de Mena places Count Julian with Orpas, the renegado Archbishop of Seville, in the deepest pit of hell: - I. RODERICK AND ROMANO. LONG had the crimes of Spain cried out to Heaven; "No buenamente te puedo callar Orpas maldito, ni á ti Julian, Pues soys en el valle mas hondo de afan, Que no se redime jamas por llorar : Qual ya crueza vos pudo indignar A vender un dia las tierras y leyes De España, las quales pujança de reyes En años á tantos no pudo cobrar." Copla 91. A Portuguese poet, Andre da Sylva Mascarenhas, is more indulgent to the Count, and seems to consider it as a mark of degeneracy in his own times, that the same crime would no longer provoke the same vengeance. His catalogue of women who have become famous by the evil of which they have been the occasion, begins with Eve, and ends with Anne Boleyn. "Louvar se pode ao Conde o sentimento Se o nam vituperara co cruento "Por mulheres porem se tem perdido Muitos reynos da outra e desta vida; Destruicam de Espanha, p. 9. |