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MARGUERITE OF FRANCE.
75
They told a tale of wavering hearts,
Of treason and dismay:
The blood rush'd through her pearly cheek,
The sparkle to her eye—
"Now call me hither those recreant knights,
From the bands of Italy!"*[1]
Then through the vaulted chambers
Stern iron footsteps rang;
And heavily the sounding floor
Gave back the sabre's clang.
They stood around her—steel-clad men,
Moulded for storm and fight,
But they quail'd before the loftier soul
In that pale aspect bright.
Yes—as before the Falcon shrinks
The Bird of meaner wing,
- ↑
* The proposal to capitulate is attributed by the French historian to the Knights of Pisa.