Classic Poem

11.

Ceas'd the fang'd voice. The murderous eye,
The globe of crimson fire, were gone;
And from the sky — how silvery,
How cold o'er all, how suddenly —
Moonlight and starlight, silent, shone!
The Wanderer wept — he was alone.
Not so? From choral voice and gong,
And trumpet, blown deep shades among,
Arose a storm of sound and song:
" The sought is found! and summons thee
To doom and darkness, Heresy! "
Brief, sudden, loud,
As thunder from a rainless cloud,
While shudder'd man and beast,
It rose, and ceas'd.
The Urus, in his reedy vale,
Heard it, and rear'd erect his tail;
Upstarted, in her form, the hare;
Upstood, with lifted paws, the bear;
His wide-branch'd head
The huge elk rais'd, and sobb'd in dread;
Disturb'd, the wild pig grunted,
The she-fox growl'd;
In chorus stern, the pack'd wolf howl'd;
Fast fled the prey he hunted:
So, fear wak'd fear; o'er plain and hill,
And rock, and tree,
Th' affrighted circle widen'd still;
Kinder and Deadedge heard the sound,
Their tempest-pastur'd mountains round
Trembling in sympathy;
While echo smother'd groan on groan
O'er cragg'd hag-ridden Edlington.