Purposeless spite, and hatred absolute,

In hideous shape incarnate! Venomed Gad

In Civilisation's path; malignant-mad,

And blindly biting; raising an asp-neck

In Beauty's foot-tracks, and prepared to wreck

The ordered work of ages in a day,

To raze and shatter, to abase and slay.

Blind as the earthquake, headlong as the storm,

Yet in such hideous subter-human form,

Vulgar as venomous! Dragon indeed,