And senseless then; if aught survive, I deem XVIII. "Fear not the future, weep not for the past. Purple, and gold, and steel! that ye would go That Want, and Plague, and Fear, from slavery flow; XIX. "If thus 'tis well-if not, I come to say Had on his eloquent accents fed and hung Like bees on mountain flowers; they knew the truth, And from their thrones in vindication sprung; The men of faith and law then without ruth Drew forth their secret steel, and stabbed each ardent youth. XX. They stabbed them in the back and sneered-a slave Who stood behind the throne, those corpses drew Each to its bloody, dark, and secret grave; And one more daring raised his steel anew 1 In Laon and Cythna there is a comma at council, which is there spelt with a small c: in The Revolt of Islam, no doubt advisedly, the comma is removed, and a capital C introduced. That voice unstrung his sinews, and he threw His dagger on the ground, and pale with fear, Sate silently-his voice then did the Stranger rear. XXI. “It doth avail not that I weep for ye- Men shall learn truth, when ye are wrapt in clay: So ye concede one easy boon. Attend! For now I speak of things which ye can apprehend. XXII. "There is a People mighty in its youth, A land beyond the Oceans of the West, Where, tho' with rudest rites, Freedom and Truth Are worshipped; from a glorious Mother's breast, Who, since high Athens fell, among the rest Sate like the Queen of Nations, but in woe, By inbred monsters outraged and oppressed, Turns to her chainless child for succour now, It draws1 the milk of Power in Wisdom's fullest flow. XXIII. "That2 land is like an Eagle, whose young gaze 1 And draws in Mrs. Shelley's editions of 1839. 2 This for that in Mrs. Shelley's editions. Of murdered Europe may thy fame be made, Thy growth is swift as morn, when night must fade; The multitudinous Earth shall sleep beneath thy shade. XXIV. "Yes, in the desart there1 is built a home XXV. "With me do what ye will. I am your foe!" And smiled in gentle pride, and said, "Lo! I am he!” 1 Then in Shelley's and Mrs. Shelley's editions,-an obvious typographical error. 2 Mr. Rossetti substitutes Laone for that Cythna, because he says Laone was the only name they knew Cythna by. 3 Conveyed in Laon and Cythna; convoyed in The Revolt of Islam,—a correction of Shelley's, made in my copy. This pause occurs in Laon and Cythna, but is wanting in The Revolt. 5 Swear by the Power ye dread, in The Revolt of Islam. Canto Twelfth. I. THE transport of a fierce and monstrous gladness Just heard the happy tidings, and in hope Closed their faint eyes; from house to house replying With loud acclaim, the living shook Heaven's cope, And filled the startled Earth with echoes: morn did ope II. Its pale eyes then; and lo! the long array 1 In this place Priests is spelt with a small p in Shelley's edition. seem. 2 Mr. Rossetti alters it seems to they I think however that Shelley, had he chosen to change the passage at all, would have been much more likely to make it read and lo! the long arrays Of guards in golden arms, and priests beside, Singing their bloody hymns, whose garb betrays The blackness of the faith, &c. thus getting rid of the somewhat awkward plural, garbs; but where we can but guess, the text should remain as it is. M And see, the Tyrant's gem-wrought chariot glide Among the gloomy cowls and glittering spears— A Shape of light is sitting by his side, A child most beautiful. I'the midst appears Laon,-exempt alone from mortal hopes and fears. III. His head and feet are bare, his hands are bound Behind with heavy chains, yet none do wreak Their scoffs on him, tho' myriads throng around ; There are no sneers upon his lip which speak That scorn or hate has made him bold; his cheek Resolve has not turned pale,—his eyes are mild And calm, and like the morn about to break, Smile on mankind-his heart seems reconciled To all things and itself, like a reposing child. IV. Tumult was in the soul of all beside, Ill joy, or doubt, or fear; but those who saw Their tranquil victim pass, felt wonder glide Into their brain, and became calm with awe.See, the slow pageant near the pile doth draw. A thousand torches in the spacious square, Borne by the ready slaves of ruthless law, Await the signal round: the morning fair Is changed to a dim night by that unnatural glare. V. And see! beneath a sun-bright canopy, Upon a platform level with the pile, The anxious Tyrant sit, enthroned on high, |