Loud on the monarch's ear Broke the hoarse thunder's crash— And blazed around the bier The vivid lightning's flash.
Death came upon the blast; As by the lurid light They saw that he had passed, And triumphed in his might:
For on the chilly ground, Inanimate as clay, The troubled monarch found His favourite captains lay.
Aghast and pale he fled,— And shook through every limb— Cold drops rolled down his head, Lest death should follow him!
He raised a marble fane Upon the hallowed spot, But ne'er, O ne'er again Could that night be forgot!
And oft in after years He woke in wild affright, And wailed, with scalding tears, The deed of that dread night!
WOMAN.
BY WILLIAM LEGGETT.
No star in yonder sky that shines Can light like woman's eye impart, The earth holds not in all its mines A gem so rich as woman's heart. Her voice is like the music sweet Poured out from airy harp alone, Like that when storms more loudly beat, It yields a clearer—richer tone.