Seven long days, and seven long nights, Wild he wander'd, woe the while! Ceaseless care, and causeless fright, Urge his footsteps many a mile. Dark the seventh sad night descends; Weary, wet, and spent with toil, Where his head shall Frederick hide? Where, but in yon ruin'd aisle, By the lightning's flash descried. To the portal, dank and low, Fast his steed the wanderer bound: Down a ruin'd staircase slow, Next his darkling way he wound. Long drear vaults before him lie! Glimmering lights are seen to glide!"Blessed Mary, hear my cry! Deign a sinner's steps to guide !” Often lost their quivering beam, Thundering voices from within, Mix'd with peals of laughter, rose: As they fell, a solemn strain Lent its wild and wondrous close! 'Midst the din, he seem'd to hear Voice of friends, by death removed ;Well he knew that solemn air, 'Twas the lay that Alice loved.— Hark! for now a solemn knell Four times on the still night broke: As the lengthen'd clangours die, Coffins for the seats extend; All with black the board was spread; Girt by parent, brother, friend, Long since number'd with the dead! Alice, in her grave-clothes bound, High their meagre arms they wave, eee THE BATTLE OF SEMPACH. 'Twas when among our linden-trees Then look'd we down to Willisow, The Austrian nobles made their vow, With clarion loud, and banner proud, In martial pomp and fair array, "Now list, ye lowland nobles all- In such a dangerous land. lot 'This translation first appeared in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine for February 1818. — Ed. "I rede ye, shrive ye of your sins, 1 A skirmish in Helvetian hills May send your souls to woe." "But where now shall we find a priest "Right heavily upon your head He'll lay his hand of steel; 'Twas on a Monday morning then, The stalwart men of fair Lucerne It was the Lord of Hare-castle, 2 "O Hare-castle, thou heart of hare!" Fierce Oxenstern replied. 1All the Swiss clergy who were able to bear arms fought in this patriotic war. In the original, Haasenstein, or Hare-stone. "Shalt see then how the game will fare," There was lacing then of helmets bright, The peaks they hew'd from their boot-points And thus they to each other said, The gallant Swiss Confederates there Against a swarthy cloud. Then heart and pulse throbb'd more and more And down the good Confed'rates bore On the Austrian chivalry. 2 The Austrian Lion 'gan to growl, And toss his main and tail; And ball, and shaft, and crossbow bolt, 1This seems to allude to the preposterous fashion, during the middle ages, of wearing boots with the points or peaks turned upwards, and so long, that in some cases they were fastened to the knees of the wearer with small chains. When they alighted to fight upon foot, it would seem that the Austrian gentlemen found it necessary to cut off these peaks, that they might move with the necessary activity. 'A pun on the Archduke's name, Leopold |