Woe, misery, sorrow.

35

Wholly, all, entirely.

40

Teach me to feel another's woe, *

To hide the fault I see :
That mercy I to others show,

That mercy show to me.
Mean though I am, not wholly * so,

Since quickened by Thy breath ;
Oh, lead me, wheresoe'er I go,

Through this day's life or death;
This day be bread and peace my lot:

All else beneath the sun,
Thou know'st if best bestowed or not,

And let Thy will be done.
To Thee, whose temple is all space;

Whose altar, earth, sea, skies ;
One chorus * let all beings raise !

All nature's incense * rise !

45

Chorus, a song of joy
and praise in which
many join.
Incense, meaning
here

prayer. Incense is a sweet spice which is burned in religious rites.

GELERT.-Spencer,

66

The Hon. WILLIAM ROBERT SPENCER (1770-1834). His poems, though written in a simple and unaffected style, are marked by deep and genuine pathos.

THE spearman heard the bugle sound,

And cheerly smiled the morn ; Brach (brăk), a female hound.

And many a brach * and many a hound Llewellyn, the last Attend Llewellyn's * horn : independent prince of Wales. And still he blew a louder blast,*

5 Blast, the sound made by blowing a

And gave a louder cheer; horn,

Come, Gelert! why art thou the last

Llewellyn's horn to hear ?

“Oh, where does faithful Gelert roam ?. The flower, the best.

The flower * of all his race :
So true, so brave; a lamb at home,

A lion in the chase.”
In sooth, in truth.
Peerless,

In sooth,* he was a peerless * hound,
compare with him,
Royal John, King

The gift of royal John :
John of England, But now no Gelert could be found,

55 A.D. 1199-1216.

And all the chase rode on.

10

none

to

*

*

*

*

*

manner.

That day Llewellyn little loved
The chase of hart * or hare :

Hart, a male deer,
And scant and small the booty * proved ;

fem, hind.

Booty, the For Gelert was not there. 20

game

taken in the chase. Unpleased Llewellyn homeward hied ; * Hied, made haste

home. When near the portal-seat

Portal-seat, a seat in His truant Gelert he espied,

the porch or entrance Bounding his lord to greet.*

of the castle.
Espied, saw.

Greet, to welcome, 25 But when he gained the castle-door, Aghast * the chieftain stood ;

A ghast, horror-struck The hound was smeared with gouts * of gore ;

# at the dreadful sight.

Gouts, thick lumps His lips and fangs * ran blood.

or spots of blood.

Gore, clotted blood. Llewellyn gazed with wild surprise,

Fangs, very sharp

teeth. 30

Unused such looks to meet ;
His favourite checked his joyful guise,

Guise, appearance,
And crouched * and licked his feet.

Crouch, to lie close

down, to cringe. Onward in haste Llewellyn passed,

And on went Gelert too ;
35 And still, where'er his eyes were cast,

Fresh blood-gouts shocked his view.
O’erturned his infant's bed he found,
The blood-stained covert * rent;

Covert, the covering

of the bed. And all around the walls and ground 40 With recent * blood besprent.*

Recent, new, fresh.

Besprent, sprinkled
He called his child—no voice replied ;

He searched with terror wild;
Blood, blood, he found on every side,

But nowhere found his child, 45 “Monster! by thee my child's devoured!”. Devoured, eaten as by The frantic* father cried ;

a beast of prey. And to the hilt* his vengeful sword

Frantic, mad, furiHe plunged in Gelert's side.

Hilt, the handle of a

sword. His suppliant,* as to earth he fell,

Suppliant, one who 50 No pity could impart;

prays humbly. But still his Gelert's dying yell, *

Yell, a dreadful loud

cry.
Passed heavy o'er his heart.
Aroused by Gelert's dying yell,
Some slumberer wakened nigh;

Nigh, close by, near. 55 What words the parent's joy can tell To hear his infant cry !

B

*

over.

ous.

*

RALPH WALDO EMERSON (1803-1882) is a distinguished essayist and journalist, and was born at Boston, U.S. In style and manner he greatly resembles Carlyle. This poem is taken from his essays on Society and Solitude.

MEN have done brave deeds, Bard, a poet and And bards * have sung them well : singer of the ancient

I of good George Nidiver

Now the tale will tell.

Celts.

California, a moun. tainous country of North America, on the Pacific coast. Keen, sharp or quick. Aim, to point or level a gun at some particular object. Indian, name given to the ancient inhabitants of America. Eager, having an earnest desire, being anxious,

to

Skill, cleverness.

15

Cleft, a narrow rocky passage between mountains or hills.

20

Questing, searching, looking for.

*

Fell, cruel, wicked.

Unawares, suddenly,
unexpectedly.
Dell, a low place be-
tween two hills, as
it were, separating
them.

25

*

And when the bird or deer

Fell by the hunter's skill, *
The boy was always near

To help with right good-will.
One day as through the cleft *

Between two mountains steep,
Shut in both right and left,

Their questing * way they keep,
They see two grizzly bears,

With hunger fierce and fell,
Rush at them unawares *

Right down the narrow dell.*
The boy turn'd round with screams,

And ran with terror wild ;
One of the pair of savage beasts

Pursued the shrieking * child.
The hunter raised his gun,

-
He knew one charge was all,
And through the boy's pursuing * foe *

He sent his only ball.
The other on George Nidiver

Came on with dreadful pace :
The hunter stood unarm’d,

And met him face to face.
I say unarm’d he stood.

Against those frightful paws,
The rifle butt* or club of wood

Could stand no more than straws.
George Nidiver stood still

And look'd him in the face ;
The wild beast stopp'd amazed,

Then came with slackening * pace.

Shrieking, screaming, crying out very loudly.

30

Pursuing, running
after.
Foe, the person or
thing one is fighting
with, an enemy.

35

Rifle butt, the wooden stock of a gun.

40

JEPHTHA'S DAUGHTER.* _Byron. LORD BYRON (1788–1824) was born in London, and died at Missolonghi in Greece, whither he had gone to aid in the struggle for Grecian independence, He was one of the greatest English poets, but it is much to be regretted that he degraded his genius in his last poem. Chief poems: English Bards and Scotch Reviewers ; Childe Harold, one of the greatest poems of the century; The Prisoner of Chillon; Manfred ; and Don Juan. Sire, father.

SINCE our country, our God-O my sire ! *

Demand that thy daughter expire ; Vow, a solemn pro- Since thy triumph was bought by thy vow,* mise.

Strike the bosom that's bared for thee now!

*

And the voice of my mourning * is o’er, 5
And the mountains behold me no more :
If the hand that I love lay me low,
There cannot be pain in the blow :
And of this, O my father! be sure-
That the blood of thy child is as pare
As the blessing I beg ere * it flow,
And the last thought that soothes * me below.