THE WIDOW OF THE GRAND ARMY.
And the cannon roar'd, and the trumpets bray'd.
Stifled is all this living breath,
And hush'd they lie in the sleep of death.
They come ! they come ! the barbarian horde!
Thy foes advance, oh beautiful Fra ce,
To ravage thy valleys with fire and sword;
Calmuck and Moscovite follow the track
Of the Tartar fierce, and the wild Cossack.
All Germany darkens the rolling tide (1),
Sclavonian dun (2), Croat, Prussian, Hun ,
With the traitorous Belgian bands allied ,
While the Spaniard swarth (3), and the Briton fair,
Their banners wave (4) in our southern air.
Sound the tocsin, the trumpet, the drum!
Heroes of France, advance, advance !
And dash (3) the invaders to earth as (6) they come !
Where's the Grand Army to drive them back?
March, countrymen, march! - Attack, attack !
Ah me! my heart-it will burst in twain (7)!
One fearful thought, to my memory brought,
(1) Tide , courant , marée.
(2) Dun, basané.
(3) Swarth, ou swarthy, basané.
(4) To wave, faire flotter, déployer.
(5) To dash to the earth, écraser, renverser par terre.
(6) As they come, à mesure qu'ils se présentent.
(7) In lwain , en deux, en pièces.
Sickens (1) my soul and maddens (2) my brain-
That army of heroes our glory and trust,
Where is it? What is it? - bones and dust!
A Frenchman seeing as he walk'd
A friend of his across (5) the street,
Cried “ Hem!” exactly as there stalk'd (4)
An Englishman along the road,
One of those Johnny-Bulls (5) we meet
In every sea-port town abroad,
Prepared to take (6) and give offence,
Partly perhaps because they speak
About as much of French as Greek,
And partly from the want of sense!
The Briton thought this exclamation
Meant (7) some reflection on his nation.
So bustling (8) to the Frenchman's side,
“ Mounseer Jack-Frog (9), ” he fiercely cried,
(1) To sicken , rendre malade , devenir malade. (2) To madden , étourdir, faire perdre la raison. (3) Across, à travers. (4) To stalk , marcher fièrement, par grandes enjambées.
(5) Johnny-Bull, sobriquel donné aux Anglais ; Jean Taureau.
(6) To take, recevoir, prendre; to take offence, s'offenser. (7) Meant, passé de to mean , signifier, vouloir dire. (8) To bustle, s'empresser. (9) Jack-Frog, sobriquet donné aux Français par les Anglais : Jean Grenouille.
BASTION TAKEN BY ASSAULT.
- Pourquoi vous faire Hem! quand moi passe?”
The Gaul replied, " Monsieur God-dem,
“ Pourquoi vous passe quand moi faire Hem?"
They tell us of an Indian tree,
Which howsoe'er the sun and sky
May tempt its boughs to wander free (1),
And shoot, and blossom, wide and high (2),
Far better loves to bend its arms
Downward again to that dear earth
From which the life that fills and warms
Its grateful being, first had birth.
'Tis thus, though woo'd (3) by flattering friends,
And fed with fame (if fame it be),
This heart my own dear mother bends,
With love's true instinct back to thee.
MOORE.
SCENE ON A BASTION TAKEN BY ASSAULT.
Upon a taken bastion where there lay
· Thousands of slaughter'd men, a yet warm group
Of murder'd women, who had found their way
To this vain refuge, made the good heart droop
(1) To wander free, errer, pousser sans restriclion.
(2) Wide and high , au large el en haut.
(5) To woo, flatter, caresser, inviter.
And shudder; while as beautiful as May,
A female child of ten years tried to stoop
And hide her little palpitating breast
Amidst the bodies lulled (1) in bloody rest (2).
Two villanous Cosaques pursued the child
With flashing eyes and weapons; matched with them
The rudest brute (3) that roams Siberia's wild
Has feelings (4) pure and polish'd as a gem,
The bear is civilized, the wolf is mild :
And whom for this at last must we condemn ?
Their natures? or their sovereigns who employ
All arts to teach their subjects to destroy?
Their sabres glittering o'er her little head ,
Whence her fair hair rose twining (5) with affright,
Her hidden face was plunged amidst the dead :
When Juan caught a glimpse of that sad sight,
I shall not say exactly what he said.
Because it might not solace (6) ears polite;
But what he did, was to lay on (7) their backs,
The readiest way of reasoning with Cosaques.
BYRON.
(1) Lulled , bercé, endormi.
(2) Bloody rest, repos sanglant.
(5) The rudest brute , l'animal le plus féroce.
(4) Feelings, sentiments, caractère.
*(5) To twine, s'entortiller.
(6) To solace, flatter, plaire.
(7) To lay on, tomber sur, frapper,
THE VISION OF ALP THE RENEGADE.
A successful in vader
Beholds a youthful warrior stand
Alone beside his native river,
The red blade (1) broken in his hand,
And the last arrow in his quiver.
Live,” said the conqueror,
6 live to share
“ The trophies and the crowns I bear (2)!”
Silent that youthful warrior stood -
Silent he pointed (3) to the flood
All crimson with his country's blood,
Then sent his last remaining dart
For answer to the invader's heart.
MOORE.
THE VISION OF ALP THE RENEGADE.
He sate him down at a pillar's base,
And pass’d his hand athwart (4) his face;
Like one in dreary musing mood (3),
Declining was his attitude;
His head was drooping (6) on his breast ,
Fever'd , throbbing and opprest,
And o'er his brow so downward bent,
(1) Blade , lame, épée.
(2) To bear, porter, remporter.
(5) To point, montrer du doigt.
(4) Athwart ou across , à travers, sur.
(5) Mood, disposition de l'esprit, humeur. •
(6) Drooping, penché , penchant.
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