And there lay the steed with his nostril all wide, But through it there rolled not the breath of his pride; And the foam of his gasping lay white on the turf, And cold as the spray of the rock-beating surf. And there lay the rider distorted and pale, With the dew on his brow and the rust on his mail; And the tents were all silent, the banners alone, The lances unlifted, the trumpet unblown. And the widows of Ashur are loud in their wail, And their idols are broke in the temple of Baal; And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the sword, Hath melted like snow in the glance of the Lord! HELPS TO STUDY. Historical: Sennacherib was King of Assyria. His army invaded Judea and besieged Jerusalem but was overthrown; 185,000 of his men were destroyed in a single night. Sennacherib returned in haste with the remnant to his own country. For the Bible story of this event read 2 Kings XIX. 6-36. Notes and Questions. Find Assyria and Galilee on your map. Note the development: 1. Brilliant outset of the Assyrian cavalry. 2. Their summer changes to winter. 3. The angel turns their sleep into death. 4. The steed and the rider. 5. The mourning. 6. Their idols powerless to help them. 7. Their religion broken down. 8. Their power "melted like snow." What two comparisons are found in the first stanza? Note the movement and rhythm. Point out the fitness of the two similes in the second stanza. Find a comparison in the sixth stanza. "Ashur"--Assyria. "Baal"--the sun-god worshipped by the Assyrians. Indicate the rhythm of the four lines of the second stanza by writing them in groups under curves as on page 47: Words and Phrases for Discussion. "cohorts" "sheen" "host" "unsmote" "idols are broke" (broken) "purple and gold" "withered and strown" "rock-beating surf" * * * * * THE EVE BEFORE WATERLOO (From "Childe Harold," Canto III.) LORD BYRON There was a sound of revelry by night, And Belgium's capital had gathered then Her beauty and her chivalry, and bright The lamps shone o'er fair women and brave men. A thousand hearts beat happily; and when Music arose with its voluptuous swell, Soft eyes looked love to eyes which spake again, And all went merry as a marriage bell. But, hush! hark! a deep sound strikes like a rising knell! Did ye not hear, it?--No; 'twas but the wind, Or the car rattling o'er the stony street. On with the dance! let joy be unconfined; No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet To chase the glowing hours with flying feet! But, hark! that heavy sound breaks in once more, As if the clouds its echo would repeat; And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before! Arm! arm! it is--it is the cannon's opening roar!