The song of the bell Author:Theodore Martin 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: THE RING OF POLYCRATES. I T PON his palace roof he stood, And gazed in glad complacent mood, Where round lay Samos isle, the fair. " All this is subject... more » to my throne," He said to Egypt's monarch. " Own, That I am blest beyond compare ! " " The gods on thee have favours showered, Thy equals once now bend o'erpowered Beneath thy sceptre's conquering force ; But still revenge inspires one breast, Nor may my lips pronounce thee blest, While that foe's vengeance dogs thy course." And ere he well the words had said, An envoy, from Miletus sped, Rushed in before the Tyrant there. " Let sacrificial odours steam, And vivid wreaths of laurel gleam, My lord, in triumph on thy hair! " Pierced by the spear, thy foeman fell, And I the glad news come to tell From thy leal captain Polydore." And from a huge black bowl he took— Both shrink in horror as they look— A well-known head, still dripping gore. Back drew the monarch, all a-dread : " Be warned !" with shaken voice he said ; " Your fortune, trust it not! Reflect, On faithless seas your fleet is tossed; If by some sudden tempest crossed, How easily may it be wrecked !" And even before the words were out, Broke on the ear a joyous shout, That swelled to a triumphant roar. Ships laden deep with spoils from far— Their masts a very forest are— Have reached again their native shore. Astounded was the royal guest; " To-day thou art by fortune blest, But hold her fickle mood in fear ! The Cretan hosts are up in arms, To crush thee with their whelming swarms, And even now thy coasts they near! " And ere the words have left his lips, A crowd streams upward from the ships, A thousand tongues shout " Victory !" "The war, the war is overpast, The Cretans scattered by the...« less