English Poetry. Charles Tennyson Turner. Arms Old and New. Чарльз Теннисон Тернер.

Charles Tennyson Turner (Чарльз Теннисон Тернер)

Arms Old and New

How changed our warfare and the arms we wield!
The Phalanx, once the Macedonian's pride,
Has fled disheartened from the battle-field,
Since Flamininus pierced its wounded side:
Gone is the Roman Legion's tramp and clang:
The Ram assaults not now the leaguered wall;
Our English Bowman is beyond recall--
The Rifle cracks where late the arrow sang!
The Trumpet lingers yet beyond them all,
But to its voice no mail-clad warrior hies,
Not lifts a shield against the cannon-ball;
High up the Shrapnel holds its burning breath;
Within our bays the grim Torpedo lies,--
We arm the depths above us and beneath!

Charles Tennyson Turner’s other poems:

1. Letty’s Globe
2. The Buoy-Bell
3. The Lattice at Sunrise
4. Her First-Born
5. The Lion’s Skeleton

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