How long, O lion, hast thou fleshless lain? What rapt thy fierce and thirsty eyes away? First came the vulture; worms, heat, wind, and rain Ensued, and ardors of the tropic day. I know not -- if they spared it thee -- how long The canker sate within thy monstrous mane, Till it fell piecemeal, and bestrewed the plain; Or, shredded by the storming sands, was flung Again to earth; but now thine ample front, Whereon the great frowns gathered, is laid bare; The thunders of thy throat, which erst were wont To scare the desert, are no longer there; Thy claws remain, but worms, wind, rain, and heat Have sifted out the substance of thy feet. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE LITTLE PEACH by EUGENE FIELD GASCOIGNE'S GOOD MORROW by GEORGE GASCOIGNE HOME (2) by EDGAR ALBERT GUEST A MORTIFYING MISTAKE by ANNA MARIA PRATT SING-SONG; A NURSERY RHYME BOOK: 110 by CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI COCK-CROW by PHILIP EDWARD THOMAS IN PRAISE OF OLD AGE by ANAXANDRIDES SONNETS OF MANHOOD: SONNET 24. BALCOMBE FOREST by GEORGE BARLOW (1847-1913) |