(As the three Anarchists, Vaillant, Henry and Caserio, were led to their several executions, a voice from the prison cried loudly, "Vive l'anarchie!" Through watch and ward the cry escaped, and no man owned the voice; but the cry is still resounding through the world.) A moan in the gloam in the air-peaks heard-- The Bird of Omen--the wild, fierce Bird, Aflight In the night, Like a whizz of light, Arrowy winging before the storm, Far away flinging, The whistling, singing, White-curdled drops, wind-blown and warm, From its beating, flapping, Thunderous wings; Crashing and clapping The split night swings, And rocks and totters, Bled of its levin, And reels and mutters A curse to Heaven! Reels and mutters and rolls and dies, With a wild light streaking its black, blind eyes. Far, far, far, Through the red, mad morn, Like a hurtling star, Through the air upborne, The Herald-Singer, The Terror-Bringer, Speeds--and behind, through the cloud-rags torn, Gather and wheel a million wings, Clanging as iron where the hammer rings; The whipped sky shivers, The White Gate shakes, The ripped throne quivers, The dumb God wakes, And feels in his heart the talon-stings-- The dead bodies hurled from beaks for slings. "Ruin! Ruin!" the Whirlwind cries, And it leaps at his throat and tears his eyes; "Death for death, as ye long have dealt; The heads of your victims your heads shall pelt; The blood ye wrung to get drunk upon, Drink, and be poisoned! On, Herald, on!" Behold, behold, How a moan is grown! A cry hurled high 'gainst a scaffold's joist! The Voice of Defiance--the loud, wild Voice! Whirled Through the world, A smoke-wreath curled (Breath 'round hot kisses) around a fire! See! the ground hisses With curses, and glisses With red-streaming blood-clots of long-frozen ire, Waked by the flying Wild voice as it passes; Groaning and crying, The surge of the masses Rolls and flashes With thunderous roar-- Seams and lashes The livid shore-- Seams and lashes and crunches and beats, And drags a ragged wall to its howling retreats! Swift, swift, swift, 'Thwart the blood-rain's fall, Through the fire-shot rift Of the broken wall, The prophet-crying The storm-strong sighing, Flies--and from under Night's lifted pall, Swarming, menace ten million darts, Uplifting fragments of human shards!