Tho' niggard throats of Manchester may bawl,

What England was, shall her true sons' forget? We are not cotton-spinners all,

But some love England and her honor yet. And these in our Thermopylæ shall stand,

And hold against the world this honor of the land

THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE.

I.

ALF a league, half a league,

H Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
"Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!" he said:
Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

II.

"Forward, the Light Brigade "
Was there a man dismay'd?
Not tho' the soldier knew

Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

III.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them

Volley'd and thunder'd;

Storm'd at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

Rode the six hundred.

IV.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while

All the world wonder'd: Plunged in the battery-smoke Right thro' the line they broke; Cossack and Russian

Reel'd from the sabre-stroke

Shatter'd and sunder'd.

Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

V.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them

Volley'd and thunder'd; Storm'd at with shot and shell, While horse and hero fell, They that had fought so well Came thro' the jaws of Death Back from the mouth of Hell, All that was left of them,

Left of six hundred.

VI.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,

Noble six hundred!

ODE SUNG AT THE OPENING OF THE

INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.

I.

PLIFT a thousand voices full and sweet,

In this wide hall with earth's invention stored. And praise the invisible universal Lord,

Who lets once more in peace the nations meet,
Where Science, Art, and Labor have outpour'd
Their myriad horns of plenty at our feet.

II.

O silent father of our Kings to be

Mourn'd in this golden hour of jubilee,

For this, for all, we weep our thanks to thee!

III.

The world-compelling plan was thine,

And, lo! the long laborious miles

Of Palace; lo! the giant aisles,

Rich in model and design;
Harvest-tool and husbandry,
Loom and wheel and enginery,
Secrets of the sullen mine,

Steel and gold, and corn and wine,
Fabric rough, or fairy-fine,

Sunny tokens of the Line,

Polar marvels, and a feast

Of wonder, out of West and East,
And shapes and hues of Art divine!
All of beauty, all of use,

That one fair planet can produce,

Brought from under every star, Blown from over every main,

And mixt, as life is mixt with pain,

The works of peace with works of war.

IV.

Is the goal so far away?

Far, how far no tongue can say,
Let us dream our dream to-day.

V.

O ye, the wise who think, the wise who reign,
From growing commerce loose her latest chain,
And let the fair white-wing'd peacemaker fly
To happy havens under all the sky,

And mix the seasons and the golden hours;
Till each man find his own in all men's good,
And all men work in noble brotherhood,

Breaking their mailed fleets and armed towers,
And ruling by obeying Nature's powers,

And gathering all the fruits of earth and crown'd with all her flowers.

A WELCOME TO ALEXANDRA.

SEA-KINGS'

MARCH 7, 1863.

EA-KINGS' daughter from over the sea,
Alexandra!

Saxon and Norman and Dane are we,
But all of us Danes in our welcome of thee,
Alexandra!

Welcome her, thunders of fort and of fleet!
Welcome her, thundering cheer of the street!
Welcome her, all things youthful and sweet,
Scatter the blossom under her feet!

Break, happy land, into earlier flowers!

Make music, O bird, in the new-budded bowers i
Blazon your mottoes of blessing and prayer!
Welcome her, welcome her, all that is ours!

Warble, O bugle, and trumpet, blare'

Flags, flutter out upon turrets and towers!
Flames, on the windy headland flare!

Utter your jubilee, steeple and spire!
Clash, ye bells, in the merry March air!
Flash, ye cities, in rivers of fire!

Rush to the roof, sudden rocket, and higher
Melt into stars for the land's desire!
Roll and rejoice, jubilant voice,

Roll as a ground-swell dash'd on the strand,
Roar as the sea when he welcomes the land,
And welcome her, welcome the land's desire,
The sea-kings' daughter as happy as fair,
Blissful bride of a blissful heir,

Bride of the heir of the kings of the sea-
O joy to the people and joy to the throne,
Come to us, love us and make us your own:
For Saxon or Dane or Norman we,
Teuton or Celt, or whatever we be,

We are each all Dane in our welcome of thee,

Alexandra!

A WELCOME TO THE DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH.

MARCH, 1874.

I.

HE Son of him with whom we strove for power

TH

Whose will is lord thro' all his world-domainWho made the serf a man, and burst his chainHas given our Prince his own Imperial Flower, Alexandrovna.

And welcome, Russian flower, a people's pride,
To Britain, when her flowers begin to blow!
"From love to love, from home to home you go,
From mother unto mother, stately bride,

Marie-Alexandrovna.