I NOW lette us shede the brinie teare, And lette us heave the pityinge moane!— But whyle we strowe the willowe biere For Ysrael's pryde to lye upon; Oh! lette not Gath the tidynges heare Oh, tell yt not yn Askalon, Lest every wayling sounde of ours Rayse triumpe-shoutes in heathen bowers! II May raine or dew droppe neuer lyghte Upon thy mountaynes, Gilboa! May offerynge flame ne'er crowne thyne heighte In deepe of nyght or noon of daye! Where worsted yn unholie fyghte The myghtie flung hys shielde away; Cast meanlie on the foulèd greene, As he had ne'er anoynted beene! III From battel fyelde they turned them ne'er With bowe unstrunge, or blade untryede— Pleasant They Were Yn Life, and Fayre Nor Yette Did Deathe Theyre Loues Divide— Theyre nervous armes mighte scathelesse dare To bearde the lyon yn hys pryde; Yette theyre lyghte limbs made fleeter speede Than eagles stoopynge o'er the meade. IV Ye daughteres of the lande, deplore, For Saule the bounteous and the bolde, Whose kynglie hande hath founde you store Of crimson geare and clothe of golde. Alack! that hande can giue noe more, That worthie harte ys stille and colde; Unknown amongst the deade and dyinge, The mightie with the mean are lying!— V Ah! Jonathan! my brother! lorne And friendless I must looke to be!— That harte whose woe thou ofte hast borne Is sore and strickene nowe for thee. Young brydegroome's loue on brydal morne, Oh! yt was lyghte to thyne for me. Thy tymelesse lotte I now must playne, Even on thyne owne high places slayne! How lowlie now the mightie are! How still the weapons of the war. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CAPTIVE LION by WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES ON MONSIEUR'S DEPARTURE by ELIZABETH I LONDON VOLUNTARIES: 3. SCHERZANDO by WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY AN ODE TO HIMSELF by BEN JONSON OF MAN'S MORTALITY by SIMON WASTELL SONNETS OF MANHOOD: 35. BALACLAVA by GEORGE BARLOW (1847-1913) FRAGMENT by THOMAS LOVELL BEDDOES |