登陆注册
4708800000071

第71章

But then the fact 's a fact- and 't is the part Of a true poet to escape from fiction Whene'er he can; for there is little art In leaving verse more free from the restriction Of truth than prose, unless to suit the mart For what is sometimes called poetic diction, And that outrageous appetite for lies Which Satan angles with for souls, like flies.

The city 's taken, but not render'd!- No!

There 's not a Moslem that hath yielded sword:

The blood may gush out, as the Danube's flow Rolls by the city wall; but deed nor word Acknowledge aught of dread of death or foe:

In vain the yell of victory is roar'd By the advancing Muscovite- the groan Of the last foe is echoed by his own.

The bayonet pierces and the sabre cleaves, And human lives are lavish'd everywhere, As the year closing whirls the scarlet leaves When the stripp'd forest bows to the bleak air, And groans; and thus the peopled city grieves, Shorn of its best and loveliest, and left bare;

But still it falls in vast and awful splinters, As oaks blown down with all their thousand winters.

It is an awful topic- but 't is not My cue for any time to be terrific:

For checker'd as is seen our human lot With good, and bad, and worse, alike prolific Of melancholy merriment, to quote Too much of one sort would be soporific;-Without, or with, offence to friends or foes, I sketch your world exactly as it goes.

And one good action in the midst of crimes Is 'quite refreshing,' in the affected phrase Of these ambrosial, Pharisaic times, With all their pretty milk-and-water ways, And may serve therefore to bedew these rhymes, A little scorch'd at present with the blaze Of conquest and its consequences, which Make epic poesy so rare and rich.

Upon a taken bastion, where there lay Thousands of slaughter'd men, a yet warm group Of murder'd women, who had found their way To this vain refuge, made the good heart droop And shudder;- while, as beautiful as May, A female child of ten years tried to stoop And hide her little palpitating breast Amidst the bodies lull'd in bloody rest.

Two villainous Cossacques pursued the child With flashing eyes and weapons: match'd with them, The rudest brute that roams Siberia's wild Has feelings pure and polish'd as a gem,-The bear is civilised, the wolf is mild;

And whom for this at last must we condemn?

Their natures? or their sovereigns, who employ All arts to teach their subjects to destroy?

Their sabres glitter'd o'er her little head, Whence her fair hair rose twining with affright, Her hidden face was plunged amidst the dead:

When Juan caught a glimpse of this sad sight, I shall not say exactly what he said, Because it might not solace 'ears polite;'

But what he did, was to lay on their backs, The readiest way of reasoning with Cossacques.

One's hip he slash'd, and split the other's shoulder, And drove them with their brutal yells to seek If there might be chirurgeons who could solder The wounds they richly merited, and shriek Their baffled rage and pain; while waxing colder As he turn'd o'er each pale and gory cheek, Don Juan raised his little captive from The heap a moment more had made her tomb.

And she was chill as they, and on her face A slender streak of blood announced how near Her fate had been to that of all her race;

For the same blow which laid her mother here Had scarr'd her brow, and left its crimson trace, As the last link with all she had held dear;

But else unhurt, she open'd her large eyes, And gazed on Juan with a wild surprise.

Just at this instant, while their eyes were fix'd Upon each other, with dilated glance, In Juan's look, pain, pleasure, hope, fear, mix'd With joy to save, and dread of some mischance Unto his protege; while hers, transfix'd With infant terrors, glared as from a trance, A pure, transparent, pale, yet radiant face, Like to a lighted alabaster vase;-Up came John Johnson (I will not say 'Jack,'

For that were vulgar, cold, and commonplace On great occasions, such as an attack On cities, as hath been the present case):

Up Johnson came, with hundreds at his back, Exclaiming;- 'Juan! Juan! On, boy! brace Your arm, and I 'll bet Moscow to a dollar That you and I will win St. George's collar.

'The Seraskier is knock'd upon the head, But the stone bastion still remains, wherein The old Pacha sits among some hundreds dead, Smoking his pipe quite calmly 'midst the din Of our artillery and his own: 't is said Our kill'd, already piled up to the chin, Lie round the battery; but still it batters, And grape in volleys, like a vineyard, scatters.

'Then up with me!'- But Juan answer'd, 'Look Upon this child- I saved her- must not leave Her life to chance; but point me out some nook Of safety, where she less may shrink and grieve, And I am with you.'- Whereon Johnson took A glance around- and shrugg'd- and twitch'd his sleeve And black silk neckcloth- and replied, 'You 're right;

Poor thing! what 's to be done? I 'm puzzled quite.'

Said Juan: 'Whatsoever is to be Done, I 'll not quit her till she seems secure Of present life a good deal more than we.'

Quoth Johnson: 'Neither will I quite ensure;

But at the least you may die gloriously.'

Juan replied: 'At least I will endure Whate'er is to be borne- but not resign This child, who is parentless, and therefore mine.'

Johnson said: 'Juan, we 've no time to lose;

The child 's a pretty child- a very pretty-I never saw such eyes- but hark! now choose Between your fame and feelings, pride and pity;-Hark! how the roar increases!- no excuse Will serve when there is plunder in a city;-I should be loth to march without you, but, By God! we 'll be too late for the first cut.'

But Juan was immovable; until Johnson, who really loved him in his way, Pick'd out amongst his followers with some skill Such as he thought the least given up to prey;

And swearing if the infant came to ill That they should all be shot on the next day;

同类推荐
  • 士虞礼

    士虞礼

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 敝帚斋余谈

    敝帚斋余谈

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 东阳夜怪录

    东阳夜怪录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • Contributions to All The Year Round

    Contributions to All The Year Round

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大陀罗尼末法中一字心咒经

    大陀罗尼末法中一字心咒经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 北梦琐言

    北梦琐言

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 国王的重担

    国王的重担

    格伦·艾兰比尔有个秘密,这个秘密令他痛苦不堪。他的新婚妻子被一个神秘难测的魔鬼缠身,他的父亲正在一步步走向死亡,而精灵族的命运之重担也压在了他的肩上。他只想躲在森林里,温馨地依偎在自己妻子的双臂间,生养一群孩子。然而这个想要温馨单纯生活的小小愿望也分分钟溜走了。如果想得到和妻子一同过更长生活的机会,他就不得不面对那迎面压来的巨大困难。然而和他可爱妻子的命运相比,他自己的命运要实在不足道。哪怕他只能找到一种方法可以让妻子安全,他身上的担子也都不会这么沉重了。他步伐沉重地走上面前的路,寻觅一个方法,可以令他摆脱深藏心底的秘密。
  • 青铜阙

    青铜阙

    绣花鞋和里面的小脚一度成为晋虚城一个时代女人们的标志。巫奈的奶奶便是这种标志的最后代表。在尾随来此地修行峨眉老道习武的日子里,在通往武义闸的乡村公路上,作为弟子,我和巫奈每早天不亮就跑去,在一棵高大的洋草果树下费力地抬起石狮子的沉重。黑暗中,一根钢管穿过石狮上身空洞处。我们一人蹲在一头,半弯着腰,“呼哧呼哧”,有节奏地用力左右甩动。就像巫奈的奶奶每天必用的灰黑色长布,在黑暗中一点一点、一卷一卷,被小脚收拢、裹紧,再慢慢穿进有着尖尖上翘鞋头的绣花鞋。
  • 多维视野中的《呼啸山庄》

    多维视野中的《呼啸山庄》

    关于《呼啸山庄》的研究成果早已卷帙浩繁,但是,由于经典文学文本的丰富性,往往不断被一代又一代的读者反复研读和阐释。本书是作者多年研究的心得。作者在认真、审慎、反复、仔细地研读原小说的基础上,在作品的主题思想解析、人物形象剖析、艺术建构探析、文本对比分析和故事章节评析中提出了自己的不少的独立见解,让文学研究者能更全面、更客观地去把握和解释小说内涵。该著作的五部分互为关联、互为支撑,构成一个完成的逻辑链来阐释该部小说。
  • 工会趣味文体娱乐活动小百科

    工会趣味文体娱乐活动小百科

    为了把广大基层工会干部和职工的思想行动统一到党的十七大精神上来,把贯彻落实工会十五大精神落实到基层、落实到行动中,因此,非常有必要在新形势下加强基层工会干部培训与日常工作业务指导,使得基层工会能够不断推出新举措,指导基层工会工作在各方面的创新发展。
  • 逆天明尊

    逆天明尊

    一个平凡的少年,遭受背弃,受尽嘲讽,誓要崛起,无意间找到一卷低级功法,便开始了修炼。少年没有令人羡慕的天赋,但却有惊人的修炼速度。强大的高级功法算什么?强大的法宝又算什么?凌傲天凭着惊人的速度和力量,一路过关斩将,人界、仙界、神界闻风丧胆!
  • 劝退大师

    劝退大师

    案情A:一场悲欢一场戏一诚恳婚姻家庭咨询所坐落在D市胜利桥西的一条小街上。街面狭窄,两侧的低矮楼房歪歪扭扭,陈旧得像一幅褪色的油画。走在这条小街上,犹如穿越到了上世纪六十年代。街上的行人都显得懒洋洋的。整个街上唯有诚恳婚姻咨询所充满了现代生活气息。纵观几十年的改革开放,婚姻家庭矛盾问题也是与时俱进的。这一点最有深刻体会的是诚恳婚姻家庭咨询所的老板吴浩梦。
  • 医品庶女

    医品庶女

    梅宜轩从在古代醒来的那一刻起就面临着生死危机,她一路救姨娘、护幼弟,在梅府一波又一波的风波中好不容易有了一个立足之地。可是,却在无意中得知自己的亲人要面临着生命危险。于是,她将计就计,离开了那座人人称羡的高门大院,踏上了逃亡之路。外面的世界虽然跌宕起伏、险象环生,却也自由自在,神秘空间更是让她如鱼得水。可是,正当她建立了自己的商业王国之时,却被某人连哄带骗的又回到了京城。重新回来,改变的不仅是梅府所有人的命运,就连国运也随之改变了。不一样的庶女,不一样的人生。
  • 損齋備忘錄

    損齋備忘錄

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 生命需要绿色

    生命需要绿色

    绿色是生命的本色。生命需要绿色,地球需要绿色,让世界处处是绿色,已成了我们所向往的生活。地球是生命的摇篮,是我们人类的家园。我们的地球母亲只有穿着蓝白相间的衣服,才会美丽动人。可是,现在我们大家看到的却是南极上空的空洞,逐渐变黄变黑的江河湖海,一天又一天的灰蒙蒙的天空,堆积如山的垃圾,日渐频繁的沙尘暴……长此以往,我们的家还像家吗?我们人类还能生存吗?所有这些都给我们敲响了警钟,我们人类的生存与发展正面临着严重的威胁。为了我们的天更蓝、水更清,我们每个人都要从我做起,从点点滴滴做起,大力宣传环保,为保护生态环境作出努力。