114 THE BATTLE OF MORGARTEN. THE BATTLE OF MORGARTEN.1 The wine-month 2 shone in its golden prime, A sound through vaulted cave, A sound through echoing glen, Like the hollow swell of a rushing wave; And a trumpet, pealing wild and far, And through the forest-glooms And the winds were tossing knightly plumes, In Hasli's 3 wilds there was gleaming steel And the Schreckhorn's rocks, with a savage peal, 6 Up midst the Righi snows The stormy march was heard, With the charger's tramp, whence fire-sparks rose, But a band, the noblest band of all, But amidst his Alp domains, The sun was reddening the clouds of morn Where the mountain-people stood, There was stillness as of night, When storms at distance brood. There was stillness as of deep, dead night, While the Switzers gazed on the gathering might7 On wound those columns bright Between the lake and wood, But they looked not to the misty height The pass was filled with their serried power, And their steps had sounds like a thunder-shower Then were prince and crested knight, Hemmed in by cliff and flood, When a shout arose from the misty height And the mighty rocks came bounding down With a joyous whirl from the summit thrown- They came like lawine hurled From alp to alp in play, When the echoes shout through the snowy world, The fir-woods crashed on the mountain-side, With a sudden charge, on the flower and pride 116 THE BATTLE OF MORGARTEN. Like hunters of the deer, They stormed the narrow dell; There was tumult in the crowded strait, And many a warrior met his fate With their pikes and massy clubs they brake And the war-horse dashed to the reddening lake The field-but not of sheaves— Strewn o'er it thick as the birch-wood leaves Oh the sun in heaven fierce havoc viewed And the brave in the trampling multitude, And the leader of the war With a hurrying step on the wilds afar, And a pale and troubled mien. But the sons of the land which the freeman tills Went back from the battle-toil, To their cabin homes 'midst the deep green hills, There were songs and festal fires When children sprang to greet their sires Mrs Hemans. 1 This famous battle-the first of the three by which the Swiss secured their independence and kept at bay the great Austrian empirewas fought on the 15th Nov. 1315. Morgarten Pass is about three miles long, and lies between Lake Egeri and Mount Sattel. 2 Wine-month, the month during which the vine-dresser gathers his grapes. 3 Hasli, a fertile valley of the canton of Bern, in the north-east corner of the Oberland. 4 Schreckhorn, a very high mountain in the canton of Bern. 5 Clarion, a kind of trumpet having a narrow tube and emitting a shrill clear tone. 6 Righi, a mountain of Central Switzer land, almost isolated from other Alpine giants. 7 Might, strength arising from numbers. 8 Lawine (Ger.), avalanche. 9 With Uri's spear, &c. Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden were the three Forest cantons which leagued together against the Austrians. They all lie along the southern shores of Lake Lucerne. 10 The empire's banner-namely, the Austrian empire. 11 Forest-sea. The four original Swiss cantons are known as the Forest cantons; and the Lake of Lucerne, on which they border, is here called the Forest-sea, in imitation of the German, in which a lake is called a see, that is, a sea. THE LAST OF THE RED MEN. The sun's last ray was glowing fair on crag, and tree, and flood; And fell in mellow softness where the lonely Indian stood. Beneath his eye, in living gold, the broad Pacific lay; Unruffled there, a skiff might hold its bright and fearless way. Far, far behind him, mountains blue in shadowy distance melt ;1 And far beyond the dark woods grew, where his forefathers dwelt. No breathing sound was in the air, as, leaning on his bow, 'Far by Ohio's mighty river,2 bright star, I've worshipped thee! My native stream-its bosom never the Red Man more may see! The Pale-face rears his wigwam 3 where our Indian hunters roved; His hatchet fells the forest fair our Indian maidens loved. 118 THE LAST OF THE RED MEN. A thousand warriors bore in war the token of my sires: On all the hills were seen afar their blazing council-fires ! 4 The foeman heard their war-whoop 5 shrill, and held his breath in fear; And in the wood, and on the hill, their arrows pierced the deer. 'Where are they now?-the stranger's tread is on their silent place! Yon fading light on me is shed, the last of all my race! Where are they now?-in summer's light, go, seek the winter's snow! Forgotten is our name and might, and broken is our bow! "The white man came; his bayonets gleam where sachems held their sway; And, like the shadow of a dream, our tribe has passed away! Cursed be their race! to faith untrue! false heart! deceitful tongue ! Hear me, O evil Manitou !-revenge the Indian's wrong! 'I hear him in the hollow moan of the dark heaving sea; And whispers murmur in the tone, of vengeance yet to be! What if no stone shall mark the spot where lonely sleep the brave? Their mighty arm is unforgot, their glory has no grave! 'But to our foes we leave a shame !—disgrace can never die ; Their sons shall blush to hear a name still blackened with a lie! So be it ever to their race- -false friends and bitter cares! By fraud they have the Indian's place; the Indian's curse is theirs!' |