The Columbiad: A Poem Part 8

In sweeping haste the bursting gates unbar, And flood the champaign with a tide of war; A cloud of arrows leads the rapid train, They shout, they swarm, they hide the dusty plain; Bows, quivers, girdles strow the field behind, And the raised axes cleave the pa.s.sing wind.

The prince, confest to every warrior's sight, Inspires each soul and centres all the fight; Each hopes to s.n.a.t.c.h him from the kindling pyre, Each fears his breath already flits in fire.

Here Zamor ranged his ax-men deep and wide, Wedged like a wall, and thus the king defied: Haste, son of Light, pour fast the winged war, The prince, the dying prince demands your care; Hear how his death song chides your dull delay, Lift longer strides, bend forward to the fray, Ere flames infolding suffocate his groan, Child of your beaming G.o.d, a victim to our own.

This said, he raised his s.h.a.ggy shoulders high, And bade the shafts glide thicker thro the sky.

Like the broad billows of the lifted main, Rolls into sight the long Peruvian train; A white sail bounding, on the billows tost, Is Capac towering o'er the furious host.

Now meet the dreadful chiefs, with eyes on fire; Beneath their blows the parting ranks retire; In whirlwind-sweep their meeting axes bound, Wheel, crash in air, and plow the trembling ground; Their sinewy limbs in fierce contortions bend, And mutual strokes with equal force descend, Parried with equal art, now gyring prest High at the head, now plunging for the breast.

The king starts backward from the struggling foe, Collects new strength, and with a circling blow Rush'd furious on; his flinty edge, whirl'd wide, Met Zamor's helve, and glancing grazed his side And settled in his groin; so plunged it lay, That scarce the king could tear his ax away.

The savage fell; when thro the Tiger-train The driving Inca turns his force amain; Where still compact they hem the murderous pyre, And Rocha's voice seems faltering to expire.

The phrensied father rages, thunders wild, Hews armies down, to save the sinking child; The ranks fall staggering where he lifts his arm, Or roll before him like a billowy storm; Behind his steps collecting warriors close; Deep centred in a circling ridge of foes He cleaves his wasting way; the prince unties, And thus his voice: Dread Sovereign of the skies.

Accept my living son, again bestow'd To grace with rites the temple of his G.o.d.

Move, heroes, move; complete the work begun.

Crush the grim race, avenge your injured Sun.

The savage host, that view'd the daring deed, And saw their nations with their leader bleed, Raised high the shriek of horror; all the plain Is trod with flight and cover'd with the slain.

The bold Peruvians compa.s.s round the field, Confine their flight, and force the rest to yield; When Capac raised his placid voice again; Ye conquering troops, collect the vanquish'd train; The Sun commands to stay the rage of war, He knows to conquer, but he loves to spare.

He ceased; and where the savage leader lay Weltering in gore, directs his eager way, Unwraps the tiger's hide, and strives in vain To close the wound, and mitigate the pain; And while compa.s.sion for a foe distrest Mixt with reproach, he thus the chief addrest: Too long, proud prince, thy fearless heart withstood Our sacred arms, and braved the living G.o.d; His sovereign will commands all feuds to cease, His realm is concord and his pleasure peace; This copious carnage, spreading far the plain, Insults his bounties, but confirms his reign.

Enough! tis past; thy parting breath demands The last sad office from my yielding hands.

To share thy pains and feel thy hopeless woe, Are rites ungrateful to a fallen foe: Yet rest in peace; and know, a chief so brave, When life departs, shall find an honor'd grave; Myself in princely pomp thy tomb shall rear, And tribes unborn thy hapless fate declare.

Insult me not with tombs! the monster cried, Let closing clods thy coward carcase hide; But these brave bones, unburied on the plain, Touch not with dust, nor dare with rites profane; Let no curst earth conceal this gory head, Nor songs proclaim the dreadful Zamor dead, Me, whom the hungry G.o.ds from plain to plain Have follow'd, feasting on thy slaughter'd train, Me wouldst thou cover? No! from yonder sky, The wide-beak'd hawk, that now beholds me die, Soon with his cowering train my flesh shall tear, And wolves and tigers vindicate their share.

Receive, dread Powers (since I can slay no more), My last glad victim, this devoved gore.

Thus pour'd the vengeful chief his fainting breath, And lost his utterance in the gasp of death.

The sad remaining tribes confess the Power, That sheds his bounties round Peruvia's sh.o.r.e; All bow obedient to the Incan throne, And blest Oella hails her living son.

Book IV.

Argument

Destruction of Peru foretold. Grief of Columbus. He is comforte the promise of a vision of future ages. All Europe appears in vision.

Effect of the discovery of America upon the affairs of Europe.

Improvement in commerce; government. Revival of letters. Order of the Jesuits. Religious persecution. Inquisition. Rise and progress of more liberal principles. Character of Raleigh; who plans the settlement of North America. Formation of the coast by the gulph stream. Nature of the colonial establishments, the first great asylum and infant empire of Liberty. Liberty the necessary foundation of morals. Delaware arrives with a reinforcement of new settlers, to consolidate the colony of Virginia. Night scene, as contemplated by these patriarchs, while they are sailing up the Chesapeak, and are saluted by the river G.o.ds.

Prophetic speech of Potowmak. Fleets of settlers from seyeral parts of Europe steering for America.

In one dark age, beneath a single hand, Thus rose an empire in the savage land.

Its wealth and power with following years increase, Its growing nations spread the walks of peace; Religion here, that universal name, Man's proudest pa.s.sion, most ungovern'd flame, Erects her altars on the same bright base, That dazzled erst, and still deludes the race; Sun, moon, all powers that forceful strike his eyes, Earth-shaking storms and constellated skies.

Yet all the pomp his labors here unfold, The vales of verdure and the towers of gold, Those infant arts and sovereign seats of state, In short-lived glory hasten to their fate.

Thy followers, rushing like an angry flood, Too soon shall drench them in the nation's blood; Nor thou, Las Casas, best of men, shalt stay The ravening legions from their guardless prey.

O hapless prelate! hero, saint and sage, Foredoom'd with crimes a fruitless war to wage, To see at last (thy life of virtue run) A realm unpeopled and a world undone!

While pious Valverde mock of priesthood stands, Guilt in his heart, the gospel in his hands, Bids, in one field, their unarm'd thousands bleed, Smiles o'er the scene and sanctifies the deed.

And thou, brave Gasca, with persuasive strain, Shalt lift thy voice and urge thy power in vain; Vain are thy hopes the sinking land to save, Or call her slaughter'd millions from the grave.

Here Hesper paused. Columbus with a sigh Cast o'er the continent his moisten'd eye, And thus replied: Ah, hide me in the tomb; Why should I live to see the impending doom?

If such foul deeds the scheme of heaven compose, And virtue's toils induce redoubled woes, Unfold no more; but grant a kind release; Give me, tis all I ask, to rest in peace.

And thou shalt rest in peace, the Saint rejoin'd, Ere these conflicting shades involve mankind.

But broader views shall first thy mind engage, Years far advanced beyond this darksome age Shall feast thee here; the fruits of thy long care A grateful world beneath thy ken shall share.

Europe's contending kings shall soon behold These fertile plains and hills of treasured gold; And in the path of thy adventurous sail Their countless navies float on every gale, For wealth and commerce search the western sh.o.r.e.

And load each ocean with the shining ore.

As up the orient heaven the dawning ray Smiles o'er the hills and gives the promised day, Drives fraud and rapine from their nightly spoil, And social nature wakes to various toil; So from the blazing mine the golden store Mid rival states shall spread from sh.o.r.e to sh.o.r.e, Unite their force, its opulence to share, Extend the pomp but sooth the rage of war; Wide thro the world while genius unconfined Tempts loftier flights, and opens all the mind, Dissolves the slavish bands of monkish lore, Wakes the bold arts and bids the Muses soar.

Then shall thy northern climes their seats display United nations there commence their sway; O'er earth and ocean spread their peerless fame, And send thro time thy patriarchal name.

Now turn thy view to Europe; see the rage Of feudal faction every court engage; All honest labor, all commercial ties Their kings discountenance, their lords despise.

The naked harbors, looking to the main, Rear their kind cliffs and break the storms in vain, The willing wave no foreign treasures lade, Nor sails nor cities cast a watery shade; Save, where yon opening gulph the strand divides, Proud Venice bathes her in the broken tides, Weds her tamed sea, shakes every distant throne, And deems by right the naval world her own.

Yet must we mark, the bondage of the mind Spreads deeper glooms, and subj ugates mankind; The zealots fierce, whom local creeds enrage, In holy feuds perpetual combat wage, Support all crimes by full indulgence given, Usurp the power and wield the sword of heaven,

But lo, where future years their scenes unrol, The rising arts inspire the venturous soul.

From all the ports that cleave the coast of Spain, New fleets ascending streak the western main; From Tago's bank, from Albion's rocky round, Commercing squadrons o'er the billows bound; Thro Afric's isles observe the sweeping sails, Full pinions tossing in Arabian gales, Indus and Ganges deep in canva.s.s lost, And navies crowding round Cambodia's coast; New nations rise, all climes and oceans brave, And shade with sheets the immeasurable wave.

See lofty Ximenes with solemn gait Move from the cloister to the walks of state, And thro the factious monarchies of Spain, Curb the fierce lords and fix one royal reign.

Behold dread Charles the imperial seat ascends, O'er Europe's thrones his conquering arm extends; While wealthier sh.o.r.es, beneath the western day, Unfold their treasures to confirm his sway.

Roused at false glory's fascinating call, See Francis train the gallant youths of Gaul, O'erstrain the strength of her extended states, Scale the proud Alps, or burst their granite gates, On Pavia's plain for Cesar's crown contend, Of arms the votary, but of arts the friend.

And see proud Wolsey rise, securely great, Kings at his call and mitres round him wait; From monkish walls the h.o.a.rded wealth he draws To aid the tyrant and restrain the laws, Wakes Albion's genius, neighboring princes braves, And shares with them the commonwealth of waves,

Behold dark Solyman, from eastern skies, With his grim host magnificently rise, Wave his broad crescent o'er the Midland sea, Thro vast Hungaria drive his conquering way, Crowd close the Christian powers, and carry far The rules of homicide, the lore of war.

The Tuscan dukes excite a n.o.bler strife; Lorenzo calls the Fine Arts forth to life, Fair nature's mimic maids; whose powers divine Her charms develop and her laws define; From sire to son the splendid labors spread, And Leo follows where good Cosmo led.

Waked from the ground that Gothic rovers trod, Starts the bronze hero and the marble G.o.d; Monks, prelates, pontiffs pay the reverence due To that bold taste their Grecian masters knew; Resurgent temples throng the Latian sh.o.r.e, The Pencil triumphs and the Muses soar.

O'er the dark world Erasmus rears his eye, In schoolman lore sees kings and nations lie, With strength of judgment and with fancy warm, Derides their follies and dissolves the charm, Tears the deep veil that bigot zeal has thrown On pagan books and science long unknown, From faith in senseless rites relieves mankind, And seats bold virtue in the conscious mind.

But still the frightful task, to face alone The jealous vengeance of the papal throne, Restrains his hand: he gives the contest o'er, And leaves his hardier sons to curb that power.

Luther walks forth in yon majestic frame, Bright beam of heaven, and heir of endless fame, Born, like thyself, thro toils and griefs to wind, From slavery's chains to free the captive mind, Brave adverse crowns, control the pontiff sway, And bring benighted nations into day.

Remark what crowds his name around him brings, Schools, synods, prelates, potentates and kings, All gaining knowledge from his boundless store, And join'd to shield him from the papal power.

First of his friends, see Frederic's princely form Ward from the sage divine the gathering storm, In learned Wittemburgh secure his seat, High throne of thought, religion's safe retreat.

There sits Melancthon, mild as morning light, And feuds, tho sacred, soften in his sight; In terms so gentle flows his tuneful tongue, Even cloister'd bigots join the pupil throng; By all sectarian chiefs he lives approved, By monarchs courted and by men beloved.

And lo, where Europe's utmost limits bend, From this new source what various lights ascend!

See haughty Henry from the papal tie His realms dissever, and the priest defy; While Albion's sons disdain a foreign throne, And learn to bound the oppressions of their own.

Then rises Loyola, a strange new name, By paths unseen to reach the goal of fame; Thro courts and camps he teaches how to wind, To mine whole states and overreach mankind.

Train'd in his school, a bold and artful race Range o'er the world, and every sect embrace, All creeds and powers and policies explore, New seats of science raise on every sh.o.r.e; Till their wide empire gains a wondrous birth, Built in all empires o'er this ancient earth.