And banners droop'd, as with dews o'erborne,
And the wailing blast of the battle-horn
Had an alter'd cadence, dull and dead,
Of strange foreboding sound.
—But they blew a louder strain,
When the steep defiles were pass'd!
And afar the crown'd Parnassus rose,
To shine thro' heaven with his radiant snows,
And in golden light the Delphian fane
Before them stood at last!
In golden light it stood,
Midst the laurels gleaming lone,
For the Sun-God yet, with a lovely smile,
O'er its graceful pillars look'd awhile,
Tho' the stormy shade on cliff and wood
Grew deep, round its mountain-throne,
And the Persians gave a shout!
But the marble-walls replied,
With a clash of steel, and a sullen roar
Like heavy wheels on the ocean-shore,
