LXVII.

Thebes, Corinth, Argos!—ye renown’d of old,

Where are your chiefs of high romantic name?

How soon the tale of ages may be told!

A page, a verse, records the fall of fame,

The work of centuries. We gaze on you,

O cities! once the glorious and the free,

The lofty tales that charm’d our youth renew,

And wondering ask, if these their scenes could be?

Search for the classic fane, the regal tomb,

And find the mosque alone—a record of their doom!