Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE FRONTIER GUARD, by ANTON ALEXANDER VON AUERSPERG First Line: The sentinel his weary hours Last Line: Could such good christians make! Alternate Author Name(s): Grun, Anastasius Subject(s): Danube (river) | ||||||||
THE sentinel his weary hours Keeps guard in quarantine; Across the stream, in paths of flowers, The Turkish maid is seen. Between, the roaring Danube's tide, Like death's dark river, rolls, Whose waters earth and heaven divide, Mortals and blessed souls. What things are done in that bright sun, To those who linger here, Like memory's lost or hope's unwon And unborn joys appear. The flowers that there perfume the air So far from him they seem, As if Heaven's bowers, in long-gone hours, Had shown them in his dream. The golden fruits that glow among Yon groves of balm and spice Are in his eyes as if they hung On trees of Paradise. You Turkish maid, who walks beside The pleasant river-shore, Seems like a gentle ghost to glide, -- A shape of earth no more. Through the white veil her lustrous eyes In liquid beauty gleam, As when, mild-glimmering from the skies, The stars through cloud-fleece beam. The soldier kindles at the sight With such a yearning love, As draws by night, in full moonlight, The wanderer's soul above. His vision seems about to pass To that far spirit-land, -- But other images, alas! Quite earthly, are at hand. Full many a scout, to-night, is out, He hears them brushing by; Bright gleams the steel, and from the heel Dust-clouds -- hoof-lightnings -- fly. In moss-divan, upon the shore, The Aga's smoke-pipe-cup See, like a musket-barrel, pour Its peaceful salvos up! Then, full of wrath, the soldier grounds His musket on the shore So heavily, the welkin sounds With hollow ring and roar! "Shame that these vigorous limbs all day Must haunt this lazy shore, Dead as a boundary tree, to play Nurse at a pest-house door! "Your bridges here, come, Pontoneer, For wagon and for horse! Come, Commissary, boats for the ferry, Over with all the force! "We, too, must battle for the Lord! The fight our sires begun, Yonder, by our good Christian sword, Must be fought out and won! "See on yon mosque the crescent fly! Sir Captain, what disgrace! Up, plant the holy cross, there, high, Far worthier of the place! "Sir Priest, you see how error's veil Shrouds many a lovely brow, That prays, within the Church's pale And at her font, to bow!" Take courage, Faith, be not afraid! Who would have dreamed, awake, An unbelieving Turkish maid Could such good Christians make! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...BISHOP BRUNO by ROBERT SOUTHEY THE DANUBE RIVER by C. HAMILTON AIDE DANUBE AND THE EUXINE by WILLIAM EDMONSTOUNE AYTOUN EN TOUR; A SONG SEQUENCE: 2. TREASURE by ALBERTA BANCROFT THE WOUNDED HUSSAR by THOMAS CAMPBELL A WEDDING SONG by JEAN INGELOW TWO LOVERS by EDUARD FRIEDRICH MORIKE A SALON SCENE by ANTON ALEXANDER VON AUERSPERG |
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