The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-11-20

MARCO BE
FITZCREENE !
At midnight. in his guarded tent. tt
The Turk was dreaming or the
hour
When Greece her knee in suppliance
bent.
Should tremble at his power; TT
In dreams. through camp and court,
he bore TT,
The trophies OF conqueror;
In dreams his song OF triumph III
heard;
Then wore his monarch's signet-
ring; ~,
Then pressed that monarch's throne
"a king "a
AS wild hts thoughts. and gay Of
wing.
AS Eden's garden bird. -,
At midnight, in the forest shades.
Bozzaris ranged his sullote band,
True as tho steel Of their triad p
blades.
Heroes IN HtdTl ana
There had the Persian's thousands
stood, TT
There had the glad earth drunk Al
their blood, CT
On old Platea's day; II
And now there breathed that haunt
ed air c.
The sons OF sires who conquered
there.
With arm 20 strike and soul 10 dare.
AS quick. as far, as they. A
An hour passed on; the Turk awoke;
that bright dream was his last; A
lie woke, to hear his sentries shrek,
ITO arms. they come! the Greek.
the Creek" B
He woke. 20 die midst fame and
smoke, T
And shout. and groan. and saber-
stroke. A
And death-shots falling thick and
fast b
AS lightning from the mountain
cloud;
And heard with voice as trumpet r
loud.
Bozzaris cheer his band: A
''strike-tiu the last armed foe ex'
pires,
strike-for your affairs and your T
fresl +
Striks-for the green graves Of your
sires, o
God and your native land"
Among the heroic poems OF its p
p class. Fitz-Greene HaIlecks Marco q
Bozzaris," most Of which is printed &c
above stands as one Of the very a
best II was written close TO a hun p
dred years ago and has gained in Il
popularity as years have advanced. &
until to-day no collection OF popu- IL
lar poems are printed without In Of
Guiding the story OF the Greek hero. al
The author in a note dated March to
26, 1897, TO his sister says: i am "
somewhat surprised and quite anus Il
ed al your not having heard or my IL
rhymes on Marco Bozzaris.' Keep "
this letter to yourself, as IT con- n
tains more about myself and my n
verses than / have ever said or writ p
ten before. and much more than n
they are worth
This letter well illustrates the >
Tnodesty OF the poet, through the "
curious fact that in the midst Of the L
vast popularity of Marco Bozzaris, Il
even at the time OF its writing, his Il
sister had never heard OF the poem. a
much less that the great work was
written by her brother.
Marco BoZzaris" was composed :.
by Mr.. Halleck in utter unconscious y
ness OF its superior merit. Yet sam
uel Rogers, the venerable English =.
poet. said: 1T is better than any
thing we can do on this side of the T
Atlantic" The scene Of the poem is
the little village of Karpenesion,
where Marco. BozZaris with l,9O
men. on August 90, 1928. fell upon
the Turkish forces, which numbered
1900. and destroyed them with great
slaughter. capturing their camp. =
standards, and a vast quantity OF
baggage.
In this memorable exploit Bozzaris :
lost his life. his last words being :
and not pain" but his body was in
TERED with solemn ceremonies at
Mesoloughi, and his name honored :
with the title THE Leonidas Of Mod :
ern Greece"
HaIleck was born in Guilford. .
Conn. on July 8. 1890. His ances-
tors were among the earliest of the
hA
twenty years of age he left his ma :
tive town TO seek fame and fortune
IN New York. Shortly after his ar !
rival there he met Joseph Rodman
Drake and they became fast friends. T.
severed only by the death of Drake. ;
which event called out Halleeks
beautiful poem. beginning. Green
be the turf above thee"
In the latter part OF 1919 Halleck
wrote his longest poem of Fanny
and IN 1927 published anonymously !
his collected poems. two of the finest ,
being "Alnwick Castle" and Burns"
this volume also including his r
Marco Bozzaris" In 1892 he en-
tered the office OF John Jacob T
Astor, where he remained sew
enteen years. retiring TO his boy I
hood home with an annuity or 7
forty pounds a year" where he G
continued his literary work up q
close to the time of his death. on
November 10. 1867. On the eighteen
anniversary of his birth a fine mon
ument was reared over his grave, 7
which was appropriately dedicated,