The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-05-12
POETRY.
TWO NEW POEMS BY TENNY SON.
ssTo Princess Alice'' and ssThe Defense
of LucknOw.o

The following "dedicatory poem to tie
Princess Alice" by Mr.. Tennyson, opens the
new number of the Nineteenth Century,
Dead Princess, living Power if that which lived
True HE, live on-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 fash not all at once from out
This shadow into Substance-then perhaps
The mellowd murmur of the peoples praise
From thine own State, and all our breadth OF realm
Where Love and Longing dress thy deeds in light,
Ascends to thee; and this March morn that sees
Thy soldier-brother's bridal orange bloom
Break thro' the yews and cypress of thy grave,
And thine Imperial mother smile again,
May send one ray to thee! and who can tell
Thou-England's England-oving daughter-thou
Dying so English thou would'st have her flag
Borne on thy cofin-where is he swear
But that some broken CLEAN from our poor earth
May touch thee, while remembering thee, lay
AZ thy pale feet this ballad of the deeds
OF England and her banner in the East?"
'The defense of Lucknow" is vivid pic
ture of that ever-memorable event in Anglo
Indian history, and must have a keener in
terest for English readers from the uncer-
tainty of the fate of Colonel Person and his
command at Elkowe, surrounded by thous-
ands of furious savages, and waiting for the
long delayed relief:
"Banner of England, not for season, o banner of
Britain, hast thou
Floated in conquering battle or fapt to the battle
Never with brighter glory than when we had reared
:, thee on high,
Flying at top of the roofs in the CHASTITY seige of
Shot thro' the staff or the halyard, but ever we
raised thee anew
And ever upon the topmost roof our banner of Eng
land blew.
Fral were the works that defended the hold that
held with lives
Women and children among us, God help them, our
children and wives!
Hold 1t we might-and for fifteen days or for twenty
at most.
'Never surrender charge you; but every man die
at his p0st!'
Voice of the dead whom we loved, our Lawrence the
best of the brave:
Cold were his brows when we kiss'd him-we laid
him that night in his grave
Every man die at his post!' and there hail'd on
our houses and halls
Death from their rife bullets, and death from their
cannon balls
Death in our innermost chamber, and death at
Death while we stood with the musket, and death
while we stoopt to the spade.
Death to the DYING and wounds to the wounded, for
Striking the hospital WALL crashing thro il, their
shot and their shell.
Ay but the foe sprung his mine many times, and it
CHANGED on day
Soon the blast of that underground thunderclap
Dark thro' the smoke and the sulphur like so many
fends in their hell
Cannon-shot musket-shot volley volley, and yell
upon yell
Fiercey on all the defenses our myriad enemy fell
What have they done? where is it? Out yonder,
Guard the Redan!
Storm at the Wate-gate! storm at the Bailey gate!
storm, and it ran
Surging and swaying all round u.s. as ocean on every
Plunges and heaves at bank that is daily drowned
by the tide
So many thousands that if they be bold enough who
shall escane?
Kill or be kild, live or die, they shall know we are
soldiers and men!
Ready! take aim at their leaders-their masses are
gappd with our grape
Backward they reel like the wave like the wave
finging forward again.
could not subdue;
And ever upon the topmost roof our banner of Eng
land blew;
Handful of men as we were, we were English in
heart and in limb,
Strong with the strength of the to command,
to obey, to endure,
Each of us fought as if hope for the garrison hung
but on him;
Still-could we watch at all points? we were every
day fewer and fewer.
There was whisper among us, but only whisper
that past:
"Chdren and wivesif the tigers leap into the fold
unawares-
Every man die at his post-and the foe may out
Better to fall by the hands that they love than to
'o'into theirsv'
"a morn;rr ono+hor u,;,a oort,,
afenso +or or +,ro,,,a GOOD
1d 4L,. g. a.,
or,;,o ,,.. or,
I'd him too and
N tell but
Srasure !