The Doom of Mac Diarmid (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE DOOM OF MAC DIARMID, CANTO I. Gulnabad, thy fields are bright, Yet 'tis not with the orient beam; Yon sudden glow of crimson light Is not of Heaven's sethereal stream. Yon dense and darkly moving cloud, Whose rolling columns float afar, Is not the pure aerial shroud Was wont to greet the morning star. Why bursts that dread tremendous sound Bending thy still and peaceful vale 1 Why wave the hostile banners round The dawn-lit hill and lovely dale Sure frantic Discord might be sent To rule a less endeared domain, Where rugged mountains ocean rent Repel the boisterous hurricane; There storm-nursed on the billow's foam, While wind and wave contending rise, Proud she'd enjoy her peaceless home Exulting as the daylight dies. To turmoil doomed in scene so meet, Be Discord with her horrors sad, Far from the groves and gardens sweet Of thy fair vale, dear Gulnabad. The passing zephyr's gentle breath Wafts off the lingering smoke of death. The thunder for a moment still No longer echoes from the hill; While blushing from the East a flood Of brightness robes the scene of blood. O'er verdant plain and blooming bower, That welcomed oft the morning hour, Smiling in perfume, as to pay Its sweetness to the new-born day, Foul havoc and revenge arise To desecrate a paradise. The Persian, host on host arrayed, In battle panoply displayed, Eaise the loud shout to Allah's name. Each rank exhorting, chiefs of fame, Eostam, Abdallah, Merdan fly With prayers to conquer or to die. As undulating in the sheen - Flaunted his banner gold and green, The noble Eostam raised his sword, The good, the gallant Georgian lord. " On, on to victory," he cried, " Iberia's sons, Iberia's pride: Before you cowers the deadly foe, Who fraudfully your...