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Low, murmuring sounds along their banners fly,
Revenge, or death!—The watchword and reply;
Then pealed the notes, omnipotent to charm,
And the loud toesin tolled their last alarm!—
In vain—alas! in vain, ye gallant few!
From rank to rank your vollied thunder flew:
O! bloodiest picture in the book of time,
Samartia fell, unwept, without a crime!
Found not a generous friend, a pitying foe,
Strength in her arms, nor merey in her woe!
Dropt from her nerveless grasp the shattered spear,
Closed her bright eye, and curbed her high earreer:
Hope, for a season, bade the world farewell,
And freedom shrieked — as Kosciusko fell!
The sun went down, nor eaesed the earnage there,
Tumultuous murder shook the midnight air—
On Prague's proud arch the fires of ruin glow—
His blood-dyed waters murmuring far below.
The storm prevails! the rampart yields away—
Bursts the wild cry of horror and dismay!
Hark! as the mouldering piles with thunder fall,
A thousand shrieks for hopeless merey call!
Earth shook!—red meteors flashed along the sky!
And eonseious nature shuddered at the ery!
O righteous Heaven! ere Freedom found a grave,
Why slept the sword, omnipotent to save!
Where was thine arm, O Vengeance! where thy rod,
That smote the foes of Zion and of God?
That erushed proud Ammon, when his iron car
Was yoked in wrath, and thundered from afar?
Where was the storm that slumbered till the host
Of blood-stained Pharaoh left their trembling coast;
Then bade the deep in wild eommotion flow,
And heaved an ocean on their mareh below?
