Alfred Austin

The Human Tragedy Alfred Austin

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1876. Excerpt: ... Aid then Thy suppliant, Love divine! for Thou In youth's warm days didst generate this strain. Longwhile it brooding slept: O quicken it now, And give me soon fruition of my pain! I do no longer sicken: on my brow, And on my breast, a peace descends like rain, And with death's eyes a fair strong child I see, Which shall immortal as one parent be! Nor do ye spurn or lightly turn away, Whose living glance may light upon the page, Because I tell a story of to-day, And reap my harvest from the waving Age. When ye and I are dumb and deaf for aye, It may the young and glowing chance engage, And all your honour in those days unborn Will be, the poet was not paid with scorn. Rude Winter, violating neutral plain Of March, through April's territory sallied, Scoured with his snowy plumes May's smooth domain, Then, down encamping, made his daring valid. Nor till June, mustering all her gallant train Of glittering spears, Spring's flying legions rallied, Did the usurper from the realms of sleet Fold his white tents, and shriek a wild retreat. VII. VIII. Then, all at once, the land laughed into bloom, Feeling its alien fetters were undone; Rushed into frolic ecstasies; the plume The courtly lilac tosses i' the sun, Laburnum tassels dripping faint perfume, White thorn, pink blossoms, showed, not one by one, But all in rival pomp and joint array, Blent with green leaves as long delayed as they. The dog-rose, simplest, sweetest of its kind, Brocaded every hedgerow ere as yet, In tufted hollows screened from sun and wind, The primrose paled and perished. The violet Closed not blue eyes, to early doom resigned, Ere it beheld the clambering woodbine wet With honey self-distilled, and knew that earth Would, spite its death, be sweet as at its birth. And to its grassy grave wi...