| |
| I SEE thee ever in my dreams, | |
| Karaman, | |
| Thy hundred hills, thy thousand streams, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman | |
| As when thy gold-bright morning gleams, | 5 |
| As when the deepening sunset seams | |
| With lines of light thy hills and streams, | |
| Karaman! | |
| So thou loomest on my dreams, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | 10 |
| |
| The hot, bright plains, the sun, the skies, | |
| Karaman! | |
| Seem death-black marbles to mine eyes, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| I turn from summer blood and dyes; | 15 |
| Yet in my dreams thou dost arise | |
| In welcome glory to my eyes, | |
| Karaman! | |
| In thee my life of life yet lies, | |
| Karaman! | 20 |
| Thou still art holy in mine eyes, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| |
| Ere my fighting years were come, | |
| Karaman! | |
| Troops were few in Erzeroum, | 25 |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| Their fiercest came from Erzeroum, | |
| They came from Ukhbar’s palace dome, | |
| They dragged me forth from thee, my home, | |
| Karaman! | 30 |
| Thee, my own, my mountain home, | |
| Karaman! | |
| In life and death, my spirit’s home, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| |
| O, none of all my sisters ten, | 35 |
| Karaman! | |
| Loved like me my fellow-men, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| I was mild as milk till then, | |
| I was soft as silk till then; | 40 |
| Now my breast is as a den, | |
| Karaman! | |
| Foul with blood and bones of men, | |
| Karaman! | |
| With blood and bones of slaughtered men, | 45 |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| |
| My boyhood’s feelings newly born, | |
| Karaman! | |
| With life’s young flowers were all uptorn, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | 50 |
| And in their stead sprang weed and thorn; | |
| What once I loved now moves my scorn; | |
| My burning eyes are dried to horn, | |
| Karaman! | |
| I hate the blessed light of morn, | 55 |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| |
| The Spahi wears a tyrant’s chains, | |
| Karaman! | |
| But bondage worse than this remains, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | 60 |
| My heart is black with million stains: | |
| Thereon, as on Kaf’s blasted plains, | |
| Shall nevermore fall dews and rains, | |
| Karaman! | |
| Save poison-dews and bloody rains, | 65 |
| Karaman! | |
| Hell’s poison-dews and bloody rains, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| |
| But life, at worst, must end erelong, | |
| Karaman! | 70 |
| Azreel avengeth every wrong, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| Of late my thoughts rove more among | |
| Thy fields; o’ershadowing fancies throng | |
| My mind, and text of bodeful song, | 75 |
| Karaman! | |
| Azreel is terrible and strong, | |
| Karaman! | |
| His lightning sword smites all erelong, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | 80 |
| |
| There ’s care to-night in Ukhbar’s halls, | |
| Karaman! | |
| There ’s hope, too, for his trodden thralls, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| What lights flash red along yon walls? | 85 |
| Hark! Hark! The muster-trumpet calls! | |
| I see the sheen of spears and shawls, | |
| Karaman! | |
| The foe! The foe! They scale the walls, | |
| Karaman! | 90 |
| To-night Muràd or Ukhbar falls, | |
| Karaman! O Karaman! | |
| |
