River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-05-01
TWO NEW POEMS Hy TEsNYsoS.
s'To PRINCESS ALICE" AND sTHE DEFENSE c
LUCKNOW

gro PRINCESS ALICE" AND THE DEFENSE OF
LUoKSow.n
The following beautiful "dedicatory poem
to the Princess Alice by Mr., Tennyson,
opens the new number of the NineteeaM Cen
fury:
Dead Princess, living Power, if that which
lived
True life, live ofi-and if the fatal kiss,
Born OF true life and love, divorce thee not
From earthly love and life--if what We call
The spirit flash not all at once from out
This shadow into Substance-then perhaps
The mellow'd murmur of the peoples praise
From thine own State and all our breadth Of
realm,
Where Love and Longing dress thy deeds in
light,
Asqends to thee; and this March morn that
Thy soldier.brother's bridal orange bloom
Break thro' the yews and cypress OF thy
And thine Imperial mother smile again,
MAY send one ray to thcel and who can tell
Thou-England's England loving daughter :
DYING 80 Engllsh thou would1 have her flag
Borne on thy eofiin--where is he can swear
But that some broken CLEAN from our poor
May touca thee, while remembering thee,
lay
At thy pale feet this ballad of the deeds
OF England, and her banner in the EastYn
After this comes a much longer poem on
aThe Defense OF Lucknow by the Laureate.
We present our readers with the following
extracts.
'Banner of England, not for a season, o ban
ner of Britain, hast thou
Floated IN conquering battle or hapt to the
battle cry!
Never with Inightier glory than when we had
reared thee on high,
Flying at top of the roofs in the CHASTITY
siege of Lucknow
Shot thro' the staff or the halyard, but ever
we raised thee anew,
And ever upon the topmost roof our banner
OF England blew
Ay, but the foe sprung his mine many times,
and it CHANGED on q day
Soon as the blast of that underground thun-
derclap echo'd away,
Dark thro' the smoke and the sulphur Ike so
many tiends in their hell
masket-shot, voliey on volley,
and yell upon yell
What have they done? where is 1t? Out yon-
der. Guard the Redan!
Storm at the Wate-gatel storm at the Bailey
gate! storm, and II ran
5urging and swaying all round us, as ocean
on every side
PIunges and heaves at bank that is daily
drowned by the tide
So many thousands that if they be bold enough
who shall escape?
Kill or be kill'd, live or die, they shall know
we are soldiers and men!
Ready take aim at their leaders-their mass
es are gapp'd with our grape
Backward they reel like the wave, like the
wave ilinging forward again,
Flying and fold at the last by the handful
they could not subdue;
And even upon the topmost roof our banner
of England blew.
Then on another wild morning another wild
earthquake out-tore
Clean from our lines of defense ten or twelve
good PAGES or more.
high on the roof, hidden there from
the light OF the sun
One has leaped up on the breach, crying out:
''Follow me- follow MEL
Mark him-he falls! then another, and him too,
and down goes he.
Had they been bold enough then, who can tel.
but the traitors had wor?
Boardings and rafters and doors-an embra.
sure make way for the gun!
Now double-charge it with grape! 1t is
charged, and we fire, and they run.
Praise to our Indian brothers, and let the dark
face have his due!
Thanks to the kindly dark faces who fought
with us faithful and few,
Fought with the bravest among us, and drove
them and smote them and slew,
That ever upon the topmost roof our banner
in India blew.
n
Hank, cannonade, fusillade! is it true what
was told by the scout?
Outram and Havelock breaking tIeir way
through the fell mGtneersi
Surely the pibroch Of Europe is ringing again
in our ears!
All on a sudden the garrison uttered jubi
liant shout,
Havelock's glorious Highlandels answer with
conquering cheers,
Forth from their holes and their hiding our
women and children come out
Blessing the wholesome white faces of Have
locks good fusileers,
Kissing the war-harden'd hand of the High
landers wet with their tearsl
Dance TO the pibrochi-savedl-we are savedl
is it y5u2 is it YOU?
Saved by tn vaIor Of Havelock. saved by the
blessing of heaven
"Hold it FOR fifteen daysw we have held 1t for
eighty
And ever aloft ON the palace roof the old ban
of England blew.