Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE GIANT WALKER, by SAMUEL FERGUSON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE GIANT WALKER, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Around the mound of sighs
Last Line: The giant went, with stamp and clash, departing south away.
Subject(s): War


Around the Mound of Sighs
They filled the woody-sided vale; but no sweet sleep their eyes
Refreshed that night, for all the night, around their echoing camp,
Was heard continuous from the hills a sound as of the tramp
Of giant footsteps; but so thick the white mist lay around
None saw the Walker save the king. He, starting at the sound,
Called to his foot his fierce red hound; athwart his shoulders cast
A shaggy mantle, grasped his spear, and through the moonlight passed,
Alone up dark Ben-Boli's heights, toward which, above the woods,
With sound as when at close of eve the noise of falling floods
Is borne to shepherd's ear remote on stilly upland lawn,
The steps along the mountain side with hollow fall came on.
Fast beat the hero's heart and close down-crouching by his knee
Trembled the hound, while through the haze, huge as through
mists at sea,
The week-long sleepless mariner descries some mountain cape,
Wreck-infamous, rise on his lee, appeared a monstrous Shape,
Striding impatient, like a man much grieved, who walks alone,
Considering of a cruel wrong. Down from his shoulders thrown,
A mantle, skirted stiff with soil splashed from the miry ground,
At every stride against his calves struck with as loud rebound,
As makes the mainsail of a ship brought up along the blast,
When with the coil of all its ropes it beats the sounding mast.
So striding vast, the giant passed; the king held fast his breath,
Motionless, save his throbbing heart, and still and chill as death
Stood listening while, a second time, the giant took the round
Of all the camp; but when at length, for the third time, the sound
Came up, and through the parting haze a third time huge and dim,
Rose out the Shape, the valiant hound sprang forth and challenged him.
And forth, disdaining that a dog should put him so to shame,
Sprang Congal, and essayed to speak.
"Dread shadow, stand! Proclaim
What wouldst thou, that thou thus all night around my camp
shouldst keep
Thy troublous vigil, banishing the wholesome gift of sleep
From all our eyes who, though inured to dreadful sounds and sights
By land and sea, have never yet in all our perilous nights
Lain in the ward of such a guard."
The Shape made answer none;
But with stern wafture of his hand, went angrier striding on,
Shaking the earth with heavier steps. Then Congal on his track
Sprang fearless.
"Answer me, thou Churl," he cried. "I bid thee back!"
But while he spoke, the giant's cloak around his shoulders grew
Like to a black bulged thunder-cloud; and sudden out there flew
From all its angry swelling folds, with uproar unconfined,
Direct against the king's pursuit, a mighty blast of wind
Loud flapped the mantle tempest-lined, while fluttering down the gale,
As leaves in autumn, man and hound were swept into the vale,
And, heard o'er all the huge uproar, through startled Dalaray
The giant went, with stamp and clash, departing south away.





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