13
But hardly landed on those Orient ends,
and, leaving with the royal Unbeliever
of Cochim-realm, some native troops where bends
its salty branches Cochim’s snakey river;
the Nayrs’ infernal bands he breaks and rends,
in the Pass Cambalam,196 whereat shall shiver
with freezing fear the Orient’s fiery glow,
seeing so few so many men o’erthrow.
14
The Samorim shall summon fresh allies;
Kings hurry’ing come from Bipur and Tanor,197
and where Narsinga’s serrièd crests arise
vowing high valour to their Grand Seignior:
Lo! at his bidding every Nayr-man hies,
that dwells ’twixt Calecut and Cananor,
two hostile peoples linkt at War’s demand,
by sea the Moormen come, Géntoos by land.
15
Again shall scatter all their strong array
Pacheco grandly bold on shore and Main;
the mighty Meiny he shall crush and slay,
and be the Marvel of the Mal’abar plain:
Again shall dare the Pagan sans delay
to offer battle for his bitter bane;
taunting his Host and off’ering vainest vows
his deaf, and dumb, and heedless Gods to ’rouse.
16
No more the Passes only now defending,
he shall with fire consume thorpe, fane and town:
The Hound, waxt wood to see with toil unending
his fencèd Cities on the plain bestrown,
shall drive his soldiers, life so freely spending,
against Pacheco, who with wings hath flown
for double movement: But at single bout
hither and thither all he puts to rout.
17
Shall come in person Sam’orim fight to dare,
to cheer his forces and fresh force enjoin;
but soon a bullet singing through the air
shall stain him red in lofty palanquin.
Naught now availeth him, ne wile ne snare
ne force Pacheco deemeth like to win;
he shall vain venoms deal, deal treasons base
which aye gain less of gain by God’s good grace.
18
“He198 shall a seventh time,” she sang, “aspire
the brave beleaguer’d Lusian to assail,
whom toil and travail lack the strength to tire;
but save confusion nothing shall avail:
Then shall he bring to battle dread and dire
machines of timber, unknown, terrible,
to sink the Carvels by the board assailèd,
when force and fraud both tried alike have failèd.
19
“On water-plain upheaping fiery hill
he now shall ’tempt the Lusian Fleet to ’flame:
But soldier-science and the war-man’s will
the strength shall weaken wherewithal he came.
Ne’er hath a Baron famed for martial skill,
that starward soarèd on the wings of Fame,
rivallèd this, who Palms from all hath won:—
Illustrious Greece, or Rome, my words condone!
20
“For, such fierce battles in such manner gainèd
by a poor hundred or few more, such fight,
such feints, such strength, such stratagems sustainèd
so many hounds not heartless hurled to flight;
such feats, I say, must seem as Fables feignèd,
or that the Hosts of Heav’en invoked, alight
earthward to aid him, shall to him impart
daring and doing, heart and warrior art.
21
“Nor he who in the chàmpaign Marathonian,
Darius’ mighty powers piecemeal rendeth;
nor with four thousand men Lacedaemonian
he who the Pass Thermopylae defendeth;
nor youthful Cocles of the strain Ausonian,
who with the whole Etrurian host contendeth
the Bridge to hold, nor Quintus Fabius e’er
like this in war showed strength and savoir-faire.”
22
But here the Nymph’s triumphant measure dies,
shifting to sadden’d murmur low and slow,
she sings ’mid tears and ill-suppressèd sighs
the mighty Gestes that did no grat’itude know.
“Oh, Belisarius! thou who aye shalt rise
in ninefold Choir, and ever nobler grow,
if Mars dishonour’d didst behold in thee
one to console thee here thy Shade shall see!
23
“Thou hast a Rival, not alone in deed
but in his dolence and his guerdon dour:
In thee and him two breasts of noblest breed
we see degraded to low state obscure:
To die in ’spital, on the bed of need,
who King and Law like wall of i’ron secure!
Thus do capricious Kings, whose will demandeth
more than what Justice or what Truth commandeth:
24
“Thus do the Kings who, drunk with flatt’ery, feel
the charm of show that gains their hearts’ content;
the doles of Ajax’ arm the due they deal
to tongue of vain Ulysses fraudulent:
But—oh Revenge!—these goods of little weal,
wasted on those who ghosts of Good present,
if brave and gentle Knights miss all their grants,
such grants but glut their greedy sycophants.
25
“Yet thou! who paidest in such sorry ways,
such liege, oh King! unjust in this alone,
if ne’er ’twas thine to give him grade and praise,
’twas his to give his King a golden throne.
Long as Apollo bathes with blessèd rays
this ball of Earth, I swear, shall aye be known
amid the Great and Good his name and fame,
and thine for Av’arice aye shall bear the blame!
26
“See now!” she sang, “another199 comes in pride
of the Blood Royal, and he brings from home
the Son, whose name shall sound o’er Ocean-tide,
high as the Roman’s in best days of Rome.
The two with warrior arms to hearts affied,
shall deal to fertile Quiloa dreadful doom,
and crown a gentler King of loyal strain,
who ends the Tyrant’s fell perfidious reign.
27
“Mombasah-city, with her brave array
of sumptuous palace, proudest edifice,
defaced, deformed by fire and steel shall pay
in kind the tale of byegone malefice.
Thence on those Indian shores which proud display
their hostile fleets, and warlike artifice
’gainst the Lusians, with his sail and oar
shall young Lourenço work th’ extremes of war.
28
“What mighty vessels Sam’orim’s orders own
covering Ocean, with his iron hail
poured from hot copper-tube in thunder-tone
all shall he shatter, rudder, mast and sail;
then with his grapples boldly, deftly thrown,
the hostile Ammiral he shall assail,
board her, and only with the lance and sword
shall slay four hecatombs of Moors abhor’d.
29
“But God’s prevision ’scaping human sight,
alone who knows what good best serves His end,
shall place the Hero where ne toil ne might
his lost young life availeth to forfend.
In Cháúl-bay, where fierce and furious fight
with fire and steel shall fervid seas offend,
th’ Infidel so shall deal that end his days
where
