Two Nations

Two Nations [with accents]

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Swinburne #7 in our series by Algernon Charles Swinburne
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Title: Two Nations
Author: Algernon Charles Swinburne
Release Date: May, 2005 [EBook #8127] [Yes, we are more than one
year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on June 16, 2003]
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TWO
NATIONS ***

Produced by Mark Sherwood, Marc D'Hooghe and Delphine Lettau

SONGS OF TWO NATIONS
By
ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE

CONTENTS
A SONG OF ITALY
ODE ON THE PROCLAMATION OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC

DIRAE
I saw the double-featured statue stand Of Memnon or of Janus, half
with night Veiled, and fast bound with iron; half with light Crowned,
holding all men's future in his hand.
And all the old westward face of time grown grey Was writ with
cursing and inscribed for death; But on the face that met the mornings
breath Fear died of hope as darkness dies of day.

A SONG OF ITALY
Inscribed
With All Devotion and Reverence
To:
JOSEPH MAZZINI
1867
Upon a windy night of stars that fell At the wind's spoken spell, Swept
with sharp strokes of agonizing light From the clear gulf of night,
Between the fixed and fallen glories one Against my vision shone,
More fair and fearful and divine than they That measure night and day,

And worthier worship; and within mine eyes The formless folded skies
Took shape and were unfolded like as flowers. And I beheld the hours
As maidens, and the days as labouring men, And the soft nights again
As wearied women to their own souls wed, And ages as the dead. And
over these living, and them that died, From one to the other side A
lordlier light than comes of earth or air Made the world's future fair. A
woman like to love in face, but not A thing of transient lot-- And like to
hope, but having hold on truth-- And like to joy or youth, Save that
upon the rock her feet were set-- And like what men forget, Faith,
innocence, high thought, laborious peace-- And yet like none of these,
Being not as these are mortal, but with eyes That sounded the deep
skies And clove like wings or arrows their clear way Through night and
dawn and day-- So fair a presence over star and sun Stood, making
these as one. For in the shadow of her shape were all Darkened and
held in thrall, So mightier rose she past them; and I felt Whose form,
whose likeness knelt With covered hair and face and clasped her knees;
And knew the first of these Was Freedom, and the second Italy. And
what sad words said she For mine own grief I knew not, nor had heart
Therewith to bear my part And set my songs to sorrow; nor to hear
How tear by sacred tear Fell from her eyes as flowers or notes that fall
In some slain feaster's hall Where in mid music and melodious breath
Men singing have seen death. So fair, so lost, so sweet she knelt; or so
In our lost eyes below Seemed to us sorrowing; and her speech being
said, Fell, as one who falls dead. And for a little she too wept, who
stood Above the dust and blood And thrones and troubles of the world;
then spake, As who bids dead men wake. "Because the years were
heavy on thy head; Because dead things are dead; Because thy chosen
on hill-side, city and plain Are shed as drops of rain; Because all earth
was black, all heaven was blind, And we cast out of mind; Because
men wept, saying _Freedom_, knowing of thee, Child, that thou wast
not free; Because wherever blood was not shame was Where thy pure
foot did pass; Because on Promethean rocks