Page:Joan of Arc - Southey (1796).djvu/242

This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
230
JOAN OF ARC.
Beneath whose weight one but of common strength 185Had sunk. Untir'd the conflict he endur'd,Wielding a battle-axe ponderous and keen,That gave no second stroke. For where it fell,Not the strong buckler nor the plated mailMight save, nor crested casque. On Molyn's head, 190As at the Maid he aimed his javelin,Forceful it fell, and shiver'd with the blowThe iron helm, and to his brain-pan droveThe fragments. At their comrades death amaz'd,And for a moment fearful shrunk the foes. 195That instant Conrade, with an active bound,Sprung on the battlements. There firm he stood,Guarding ascent. The warrior Maid of Arc,And he the partner of that battle's fame,Followed, and soon the exulting cry of France 200Along the lists was heard, as waved aloftThe holy banner. Gladdisdale beheld,And hasting from his well-defended post,Sped to the fiercer conflict. To the Maid

He

This article is issued from Wikisource. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.