Wrench'd from the heathen's hand, one moment bow'd90
In the bright Christian's grasp the gonfanon;
Then from a dumb amaze the countless crowd
Swept,—and the night as with a sudden sun
Flash'd with avenging steel; life gain'd its goal,
And calm from lips proud-smiling went the soul!
Leapt from his selle, the king-born Lancelot;91
Leapt from the selle each paladin and knight;
In one mute sign that where upon that spot
The foot was planted, God forbade the flight:
There shall the Father-land avenge the son,
Or heap all Cymri round the grave of one.
Then, well-nigh side by side—broad floated forth92
The Cymrian Dragon and the Teuton Steed,
The rival Powers that struggle for the North;
The gory Idol—the chivalric Creed;
Odin's and Christ's confronting flags unfurl'd,
As which should save and which destroy a world!
Then fought those Cymrian men, as if on each93
All Cymri set its last undaunted hope;
Through the steel bulwarks round them yawns the breach;
Vistas to freedom bright'ning onwards ope;
Crida in vain leads band on slaughter'd band,
In vain revived falls Harold's ruthless hand;
As on the bull the pard will fearless bound,94
But if the horn that meets the spring should gore,
Awed with fierce pain, slinks snarling from the ground;—
So baffled in their midmost rush, before
The abrupt assault, the savage hosts give way;—
Yet will not own that man could thus dismay.
"Some God more mighty than Walhalla's king,95
Strikes in yon arms"—the sullen murmurs run,
And fast and faster drives the Dragon wing—
And shrinks and cowers the ghastly gonfanon;
They flag—they falter—lo, the Saxons fly!—
Lone rests the Dragon in the dawning sky!
Lone rests the Dragon with its wings outspread,96
Where the pale hoofs one holy ground had trod,
There the hush'd victors round the martyr'd dead,
As round an altar, lift their hearts to God.
Calm is that brow as when a host it braved,
And smiles that lip as on the land it saved!
Pardon, ye shrouded and mysterious Powers,97
Ye far-off shadows from the spirit-clime,
If for that realm untrodden by the Hours,
Awhile we leave this lazar-house of Time;
With Song remounting to those native airs
Of which, though exiled, still we are the heirs.
Up from the clay and towards the Seraphim,98
The Immortal, men called Caradoc, arose.
Round the freed captive whose melodious hymn
Had hail'd each glimmer earth, the dungeon, knows,
Spread all the aisles by angel worship trod;
Blazed every altar, conscious of the God.
All the illumed creation one calm shrine;99
All space one rapt adoring ecstasy;
All the sweet stars with their untroubled shine,
Near and more near, enlarging through the sky;
All opening gradual on the eternal sight,
Joy after joy, the depths of their delight.