Fugitive Poetry. 1600–1878/The Siege of Belgrade

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The Siege of Belgrade.

Probably the most ingenious specimen of alliteration extant.

An Austrian army awfully arrayed,
Boldly by battery besieged Belgrade;
Cossack commanders cannonading come,
Dealing destruction's devastating doom:
Every endeavour engineers essay
For fame, for fortune—fighting furious fray.
Generals 'gainst generals grapple—gracious God!
How honours Heaven heroic hardihood!
Infuriate—indiscriminate in ill,
Kinsmen kill kinsmen—kinsmen kindred kill!
Labour low levels loftiest, longest lines—
Men marsh 'mid mounds, 'mid moles, 'mid murderous mines,
Now noisy noxious numbers notice nought
Of outward obstacles opposing ought;
Poor patriots, partly purchased, partly pressed,
Quite quaking, quickly quarter, quarter 'quest:
Reason returns, religious right resounds,
Suwarrow stops such sanguinary sounds.
True to the Turkey—triumph to thy train!
Unjust, unwise, unmerciful Ukraine!
Vanish vain victory, victory vanish vain!
 ​Why wish we warfare? Wherefore welcome were
Xerxes, Ximenes, Xanthus, Xaviere?
Yield ye, youths, ye yeomen,—yield your yell;
Zeno's, Zarpeter's, Zoroaster's zeal,
And all attracting—arms against appeal.

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