The scatter'd van of England wheels; Two horsemen drench'd with gore, And in their arms, a helpless load, A wounded knight they bore. His hand still strain'd the broken brand; His arms were smear'd with blood and sand: Dragg'd from among the horses' feet, With dinted shield, and helmet beat, The falcon-crest and plumage gone, Can that be haughty Marmion! Young Blount his armour did unlace, And, gazing on his ghastly face, Said By Saint George, he's gone! That spear-wound has our master sped, And see the deep cut on his head! Good-night to Marmion.' 'Unnurtur'd Blount! thy brawling cease: Let Stanley charge with spur of fire, With Chester charge, and Lancashire, Full upon Scotland's central host, Or victory and England's lost. Must I bid twice?—hence, varlets! fly! Leave Marmion here alone-to die.' Of blessed water from the spring, XXX. O Woman! in our hours of ease, By the light quivering aspen made; He opes his eyes,' said Eustace; A ministering angel thou! " peace!' Scarce were the piteous accents said, When, with the Baron's casque, the maid To the nigh streamlet ran : Forgot were hatred, wrongs, and fears; The plaintive voice alone she hears, Sees but the dying man. She stoop'd her by the runnel's side, But in abhorrence backward drew; For, oozing from the mountain's side, Where raged the war, a dark-red tide Was curdling in the streamlet blue. Where shall she turn?-behold her mark A little fountain cell, Where water, clear as diamond-spark, In a stone basin fell. Above, some half-worn letters say, Drink.weary.pilgrim.drink.and. pray. For.the.kind. soul. of. Sybil. Grey. Who, built. this, cross . and. well. She fill'd the helm, and back she hied, And with surprise and joy espied A monk supporting Marmion's head: A pious man, whom duty brought To dubious verge of battle fought, To shrieve the dying, bless the dead. XXXI. Deep drank Lord Marmion ofthe wave, Ever, he said, that, close and near, 'In the lost battle, borne down by the flying, Where mingles war's rattle with groans of the dying!' So the notes rung; And, as she stoop'd his brow to lave-Avoid thee, Fiend! with cruel hand, Is it the hand of Clare,' he said, 'Or injur'd Constance, bathes my head?' Then, as remembrance rose,—— 'Speak not to me of shrift or prayer! I must redress her woes. Short space, few words, are mine to spare: -- Forgive and listen, gentle Clare !' Might bribe him for delay. It may not be! this dizzy tranceCurse on yon base marauder's lance, And doubly curs'd my failing brand! A sinful heart makes feeble hand.' Then, fainting, down on earth he sunk, Supported by the trembling Monk. XXXII. With fruitless labour, Clara bound, And strove to stanch the gushing wound : The Monk, with unavailing cares, Exhausted all the Church's prayers. O, look, my son, upon yon sign O, think on faith and bliss! The war, that for a space did fail, Now trebly thundering swell'd the gale, And-STANLEY! was the cry; A light on Marmion's visage spread, And fired his glazing eye: With dying hand, above his head, He shook the fragment of his blade, And shouted 'Victory! Charge, Chester, charge! On, Stanley, on!' Were the last words of Marmion. XXXIII. By this though deep the evening fell, Still rose the battle's deadly swell, For still the Scots, around their King, Unbroken, fought in desperate ring. Where's now their victor vaward wing, Where Huntly, and where Home?O, for a blast of that dread horn, On Fontarabian echoes borne, That to King Charles did come, When Rowland brave, and Olivier, And every paladin and peer, On Roncesvalles died! Such blast might warn them, not in vain, To quit the plunder of the slain, And turn the doubtful day again, While yet on Flodden side, Afar, the Royal Standard flies, And round it toils, and bleeds, and dies, Our Caledonian pride! In vain the wish-for far away, While spoil and havoc mark their way, Near Sybil's Cross the plunderers stray. 'O, Lady,' cried the Monk, 'away!' And plac'd her on her steed, And led her to the chapel fair, Of Tilmouth upon Tweed. There all the night they spent in prayer, And at the dawn of morning, there She met her kinsman, Lord Fitz-Clare. XXXIV. But as they left the dark'ning heath, More desperate grew the strife of death. The English shafts in volleys hail'd, In headlong charge their horse assail'd; Front, flank, and rear, the squadrons sweep To break the Scottish circle deep, That fought around their King. But yet, though thick the shafts as snow, Though charging knights like whirl winds go, Then did their loss his foemen know; Their King, their Lords, their mightiest low, They melted from the field as snow, When streams are swoln and south winds blow, Dissolves in silent dew. Tweed's echoes heard the ceaseless plash, While many a broken band, Disorder'd, through her currents dash, To gain the Scottish land; To town and tower, to town and dale, To tell red Flodden's dismal tale, And raise the universal wail. Tradition, legend, tune, and song, Shall many an age that wail prolong: Still from the sire the son shall hear Of the stern strife, and carnage drear, Of Flodden's fatal field, Where shiver'd was fair Scotland's spear, And broken was her shield! XXXV. Day dawns upon the mountain's side: Though bill-men ply the ghastly blow, The sad survivors all are gone. View not that corpse mistrustfully, The stubborn spear-men still made Defac'd and mangled though it be; good Their dark impenetrable wood, Each stepping where his comrade stood, The instant that he fell. No thought was there of dastard flight; Link'd in the serried phalanx tight, Groom fought like noble, squire like knight, As fearlessly and well; Till utter darkness closed her wing O'er their thin host and wounded King. Then skilful Surrey's sage commands Led back from strife his shatter'd bands; And from the charge they drew, As mountain-waves, from wasted lands, Sweep back to ocean blue. Nor to yon Border castle high, Nor cherish hope in vain, He saw the wreck his rashness wrought; Reckless of life, he desperate fought, And fell on Flodden plain : Gladly I turn me from the sight, XXXVI. Short is my tale: Fitz-Eustace' care A guerdon meet the spoiler had!) His hands to heaven uprais'd; And all around, on scutcheon rich, And tablet carv'd, and fretted niche, His arms and feats were blaz'd. And yet, though all was carv'd so fair, And priest for Marmion breath'd the prayer, The last Lord Marmion lay not there. From Ettrick woods a peasant swain Follow'd his lord to Flodden plain,One of those flowers, whom plaintive lay In Scotland mourns as 'wede away' Sore wounded, Sybil's Cross he spied, And dragg'd him to its foot, and died, Close by the noble Marmion's side. The spoilers stripp'd and gash'd the slain, And thus their corpses were mista'en; And thus, in the proud Baron's tomb, The lowly woodsman took the room. XXXVII. Less easy task it were, to show Lord Marmion's nameless grave, and low. They dug his grave e'en where he lay, But every mark is gone; Time's wasting hand has done away The simple Cross of Sybil Grey, And broke her font of stone: But yet from out the little hill And shepherd boys repair And plait their garlands fair; wrong; If every devious step, thus trod, doom On noble Marmion's lowly tomb; XXXVIII. I do not rhyme to that dull elf, Wilton was foremost in the fight; That, when brave Surrey's steed was slain, 'Twas Wilton mounted him again; 'Twas Wilton's brand that deepest hew'd, Amid the spearmen's stubborn wood: That, after fight, his faith made plain, Who cannot, unless I relate, That bluff King Hal the curtain drew, And afterwards, for many a day, In blessing to a wedded pair, 6 To Statesmen grave, if such may deign And patriotic heart-as PITT! To every lovely lady bright, Love they like Wilton and like What can I wish but lady true? Clare!' L'ENVOY. WHY then a final note prolong. And knowledge to the studious sage; To thee, dear schoolboy, whom my Has cheated of thy hour of play, END OF MARMION. |