The Desolator desolate! The Victor overthrown! The Arbiter of others’ fate A suppliant for his own! 40 Is it some yet imperial hope, That with such change can calmly cope? Or dread of death alone? To die a prince--or live a slave-- Thy choice is most ignobly brave! 45 He who of old would rend the oak, Dreamed not of the rebound: Chained by the trunk he vainly broke-- Alone--how looked he round? Thou, in the sternness of thy strength, 50 An equal deed hast done at length, And darker fate hast found: He fell, the forest prowlers’ prey; But thou must eat thy heart away! The Roman, when his burning heart 55 Was slaked with blood of Rome, Threw down the dagger--dared depart, In savage grandeur, home-- He dared depart in utter scorn Of men that such a yoke had borne, 60 Yet left him such a doom! His only glory was that hour Of self-upheld abandoned power. The Spaniard, when the lust of sway Had lost its quickening spell, 65 Cast crowns for rosaries away, An empire for a cell; A strict accountant of his beads, A subtle disputant on creeds, His dotage trifled well: 70 Yet better had he neither known A bigot’s shrine, nor despot’s throne. But thou--from thy reluctant hand The thunderbolt is wrung-- Too late thou leav’st the high command 75 To which thy weakness clung; All Evil Spirit as thou art, It is enough to grieve the heart, To see thine own unstrung; To think that God’s fair world hath been 80 The footstool of a thing so mean! And Earth hath spilt her blood for him, Who thus can hoard his own! And Monarchs bowed the trembling limb, And thanked him for a throne! 85 Fair Freedom! we may hold thee dear, When thus thy mightiest foes their fear In humblest guise have shown. Oh! ne’er may tyrant leave behind A brighter name to lure mankind! 90 Thine evil deeds are writ in gore, Nor written thus in vain-- Thy triumphs tell of fame no more, Or deepen every stain: If thou hadst died as honour dies, 95 Some new Napoleon might arise, To shame the world again-- But who would soar the solar height, To set in such a starless night?