On these broad spots of trampled ground, As Teniers loved to draw; And where the earth seems scorch'd by flame, V. So deem'st thou-so each mortal deems, Of that which is from that which seems:But other harvest here, Than that which peasant's scythe demands, Was gather'd in by sterner hands, With bayonet, blade, and spear. Fell thick as ripen'd grain; The corpses of the slain.' VI. Ay, look again-that line, so black Yon deep-graved ruts the artillery's track, So often lost and won; And close beside, the harden'd mud These spots of excavation tell From yonder trenched mound? Death hover'd o'er the maddening rout, A summons of his own. Through rolling smoke the Demon's eye . Could well each destined guest espy, Well could his ear in ecstasy Distinguish every tone That fill'd the chorus of the fray- And the last sob of life's decay, When breath was all but flown. VIII. Feast on, stern foe of mortal life, The deadly tug of war at length And cease when these are past. Ere he attain'd his height, And through the war-smoke, volumed high, Still peals that unremitted cry, Though now he stoops to night. For ten long hours of doubt and dread, Still down the slope they drew, Of skill and force was proved that day, These forerunners' of havoc near, Of rapine and of flame. What ghastly sights were thine to meet, Points to his prey in vain, He fires the fight again. X. "On! On!" was still his stern exclaim; "Confront the battery's jaws of flame! Rush on the levell'd gun !" My steel-clad cuirassiers, advance! Loud answer'd their acclaiming shout, Came like a beam of light, In action prompt, in sentence brief— "Soldiers, stand firm," exclaim'd the Chief, England shall tell the fight !" XI. On came the whirlwind-like the last But fiercest sweep of tempest-blast 1 MS.-"Harbingers." 2 MS.-"Streaming." "Within those walls there linger'd at that hour, Many a brave soldier on the bed of pain, "Others in wagons borne abroad I saw, Albeit recovering, still a mournful sight; "What had it been, then, in the recent days Of that great triumph, when the open wound On came the whirlwind-steel-gleams broke Three hundred cannon-mouths roar'd loud, The cohorts' eagles flew. In one dark torrent, broad and strong, XII. But on the British heart were lost Then waked their fire at once! Then down went helm and lance, Wheel'd full against their staggering flanks, The English horsemen's foaming ranks Forced their resistless way. Then to the musket-knell succeeds They halt, they turn, they fly! 4 "The cuirassiers continued their dreadful onset, and rode up to the squares in the full confidence, apparently, of sweeping every thing before the impetuosity of their charge. Their onset and reception was like a furious ocean pouring itself against a chain of insulated rocks. The British square stood unmoved, and never gave fire until the cavalry were within ten yards, when men rolled one way, horses galloped another, and the cuirassiers were in every instance driven back.”—Life of Bonaparte, vol. ix. p. 12. 5 See Appendix, Note G. MS.-" Or can thy memory fail to quote, Heard to thy cost, the vengeful note Of Prussia's trumpet tone?" 7" We observe a certain degree of similitude in some pas Or dost thou turn thine eye Or dwells not in thy memory still In one dread effort more?- And with the gladiators' aid For empire enterprised- XIV. But if revolves thy fainter thought On safety-howsoever bought, sages of Mr. Scott's present work, to the compositions of Lord Byron, and particularly his Lordship's Ode to Bonaparte; and we think that whoever peruses The Field of Waterloo,' with that Ode in his recollection, will be struck with this new resemblance. We allude principally to such passages as that which begins, The Roman lore thy leisure loved,' &c. and to such lines as, or, Now, seest thou aught in this loved scene, 'So deem'st thou-so each mortal deems, Of that which is, from that which seems;' lines, by the way, of which we cannot express any very great admiration. This sort of influence, however, over even the principal writers of the day (whether they are conscious of the influence or not), is one of the surest tests of genius, and one of the proudest tributes which it receives."-Monthly Review. "When the engagement was ended, it evidently appeared with what undaunted spirit and resolution Catiline's army had been fired; for the body of every one was found on that very spot which, during the battle, he had occupied; those only excepted who were forced from their posts by the Prætorian cohort; and even they, though they fell a little out of their ranks, were all wounded before. Catiline himself was found, far from his own men, amidst the dead bodies of the enemy, breathing a little, with an air of that fierceness still in his face which he had when alive. Finally, in all his army there was not so much as one free citizen taken prisoner, either in the engagement or in flight; for they spared their own lives as little as those of the enemy. The army of the republic obtained the victory, indeed, but it was neither a cheap nor a joyful one, for their bravest men were either slain in battle or dangerously wounded. As there were many, too, who went to view the Then turn thy fearful rein and ride, Though twice ten thousand men have died On this eventful day, To gild the military fame Which thou, for life, in traffic tame Wilt barter thus away. Or is thy soul like mountain-tide, That, swell'd by winter storm and shower, Rolls down in turbulence of power, Whose channel shows display'd By which these wrecks were made! XV. Spur on thy way!-since now thine ear Has brook'd thy veterans' wish to hear, Who, as thy flight they eyed, Exclaim'd,-while tears of anguish came, Wrung forth by pride, and rage, and shame,― "O, that he had but died!" But yet, to sum this hour of ill, Look, ere thou leavest the fatal hill, Back on yon broken ranks Upon whose wild confusion gleams When rivers break their banks, Down the red current hurl'dSo mingle banner, wain, and gun, Where the tumultuous flight rolls on Of warriors, who, when morn begun,2 Defied a banded world. field, either out of curiosity or a desire of plunder, in turning over the dead bodies, some found a friend, some a relation, and some a guest; others there were likewise who discovered their enemies; so that, through the whole army, there appeared a mixture of gladness and sorrow, joy and mourning."-SALLUST. 1 The MS. adds, "That pang survived, refuse not then To humble thee before the men, As usurers wont, who suck the all But yet, to sum," &c. XVI. List-frequent to the hurrying rout, When Beresina's icy flood Redden'd and thaw'd with flame and blood,3 Have felt the final stroke; XVII. Since live thou wilt-refuse not now 2 MS.-"Where in one tide of terror run, The warriors that, when morn begun." 3 MS." So ominous a shriek was none, Not even when Beresina's flood Was thawed by streams of tepid blood." 4 For an account of the death of Poniatowski at Leipsic, see Sir Walter Scott's Life of Bonaparte, vol. vii. p. 401. 5 MS." Not such were heard, when, all bereft Of aid, the valiant Polack left Ay, left by thee-found gallant grave." "I who with faith unshaken from the first, Even when the tyrant seem'd to touch the skies, So swift, so overwhelming, so complete." SOUTHEY, Though dear experience bid us end, That "yet imperial hope;" No islet calls thee lord, We leave thee no confederate band, From which we wrench'd the sword. And, such was rightful Heaven's decree, Ne'er sheathed unless with victory!" XX. Look forth, once more, with soften'd heart, The husband, whom through many a year The cause, but think on Waterloo! XXI. Period of honor as of woes, What bright careers 'twas thine to close!— And now thou art a nameless thing; So abject-yet alive! Is this the man of thousand thrones, And can he thus survive? Since he, miscall'd the Morning Star, Nor man nor fiend hath fallen so far." BYRON'S Ode to Napoleon 4" We left the field of battle in such mood As human hearts from thence should bear away; And, musing thus, our purposed route pursued, Which still through scenes of recent bloodshed lay Where Prussia late, with strong and stern delight, Hung on her fated foes to persecute their flight." SOUTHEY. |