Gustavus Vasa - and other poems by William Sidney Walker
page 130 of 187 (69%)
page 130 of 187 (69%)
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Bursts a third whirlwind with redoubled might;
The congregated clouds in one vast sweep It drives, and bares the bosom of the deep. The sail flies loose, the mast in fragments torn O'er the black surface of the waves is borne Louder, and longer, over heaven's wide field Thro' the rent clouds the bellowing thunders peal'd: In one blue sheet the streamy lightnings glare; A thousand demons ride the flaming air, O'er the dark waves a deeper horror cast, And howl between the pauses of the blast. And now 'twas silence all--a sulphurous smell Spread round: a cloud arose with sudden swell; Slow o'er the ocean's trembling waves it past, And from its bosom, indistinct and vast, A giant form advanced across the gloom Of air, and pointed to the watery tomb. Shuddering with fear, he turn'd.--His guide was gone; A broad chaotic cloud appear'd alone. His limbs no more their chilly weight sustained, A deathlike torpor o'er his bosom reign'd, His stony eyeballs fix'd in silent trance Met the terrific Spectre's withering glance. And lo! the Phantom waves, with sudden glare, His burning sceptre thro' the starless air! High o'er the bark the booming billows spread, The deafening waves were closing o'er his head; When rushing clouds the towering form involved, And all the vision into air dissolved. |
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