The death of Icarus Author:Arthur Knowles Sabin Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Interlude. THUS sang my poet as the darkness fell. And whether from the witchery of the eve Enchantment drooped, or cadence of his voice Lulled me as... more » it shook music on the tale, I know not; but I lay upon the bank, Gazing in still consideration down The slope of misty pasture to the west, While Venus like a newer moon of gold Sunk to her setting, and that brother beam, Large calm majestic Jupiter, had trod A span of sky behind her. Then I turned My face unto the zenith, half aware That silently my friend had stole away, And watched the glittering multitude of stars Through heaven advancing slow. They seemed a host Innumerable as that Eastern throng, Swart Cimbri, by the conqueror Marius seen, Pouring untutored legions down the Alp Torrential, into blossoming Italy. Rome trembled to her capitol: but when He the stern Consul, fearless, took the field, Practised in stratagem, and in the toil Of war delighting, knowing every art Of wise defeat and victory,—he led forth Invincible battalions, and with skill Swiftly up-piled huge ramparts, from whose shade His phalanx of grim iron-linked men Were hurled on the barbarian horde, by night Confounding, irresistible by day, Till backward rolled the shattered tide of foes, In vast turmoil and miserable death Enveloped ; till, with heavy carnage strown, Old Earth wept seas of blood, and Heaven her face Darkened in bodeful cloud. Such victory Needful to lift the human from the brute. Thus pondering, my thought slipped into dream. Stars rushed to mighty conflict through the sky Above me: suns and planets led the van. Huge bearded meteors reeled amid the fray, Tumultuous, their wide-gaping jaws a-glow, Devouring stars and galaxies, until, G...« less