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The New-York Review, and Atheneum Magazine
The NewYork Review and Atheneum Magazine Author:William Cullen Bryant 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 ATHENEUM MAGAZINE. JUNE, 1825. MARCO BOZZARIS, [The Kpaminondas of modern Greece.—He fell in a night attack upon the'Turkish Camp at Laspi, the s... more »ite of the ancient Plataea, August 20, 1823, and expired in the moment of victory. His last words were—"To die for liberty is a pleasure and not a pain."] At midnight, in his guarded tent, The Turk was dreaming of the hour When Greece, her knee in suppliance bent, Should tremble at his power; In dreams, through camp and court, he bore The trophies of a conqueror ; In dreams his song of triumph heard ; Then wore his monarch's signet ring,— Then pressed that monarch's throne,—a king ; As wild his thoughts, and gay of wing, As Eden's garden bird. At midnight, in the forest shades, BozzarU ranged his Suliote band, True as the steel of their tried blades, Heroes in heart and hand. There had the Persian's thousands stood, There had the glad earth drunk their blood On old Plataea's day ; And now there breathed that haunted ak The sons of sires who conquered there, With arm to strike, and soul to dare, As quick, as far as they. An hour passed on—the Turk awoke ; That bright dream was his last; He woke—to hear his sentries shriek, "To aims ! they come ! the Greek ! the Greek !" He woke—to die midst flame, and smoke, And shout, and groan, and sabre stroke, And death shots falling thick and fast As lightnings from the mountain cloud ; And heard, with voice as trumpet loud, Bozzaris cheer h is band ; " Strike—till the last armed foe expires, Strike—for your altars and your fires, Strike—for the green graves of your sires, God—and your native land!" They fought—like brave men, long and well, They piled that ground with Moslem slain, They conquered—but Bozzaris fell, Bleedin...« less