There Elsie stands among them ! How came she
To join my countrymen!
Oh, loving heart !
Now first, now I divine thy stratagem.
Thou wast the guide, that brought assistance here,
When every other means proved unavailing!
What seemed confused, entangled hopelessly,
Quickly the magic of thy love dissolves;
What deemed impossible my doubting mind,
Thy loving courage lightly executes.—
But see! what means that joyful agitation
And curious flutter 'mong my countrymen ?
Ah, I observe! my Elsie's magic charm
Has proved effective; for a flag of truce
Advances from the barrack-gate. 'Tis Bradburn!
How hard, how grievous must his every step
Appear to him ! how painful his defeat!
How ominously he must around him feel
The pinions of the gloomy spirits waft,
Whose counsels lured him on his giddy way,
Whose voices shut his ear and heart against
The warnings of his better genius,
And whose triumphant mockeries and sneers
Now point him to the wreck of all his plans.
So it has been, and so 't will ever be:
The harvest sown upon the poisonous soil
Of tyranny, will bear no other fruit
