For Life.
A
fight
for his life with a horse !1
A man, for his life, with a horse !2
A terrible grappling of strong young arms,3
Lusty, but almost o’erpowered.4
Life or death in the struggle :5
Life, full-pulsing and joyous,6
A young man’s life in its spring-tide,7
Or Death, still-faced and grey.8
‘ Ah ! see you not ’tis a groom,9
Who is training a vicious brute10
From the stud of my Lady Diana ? ’11
Yes ; but a groom loves life,12
And now he must fight for it madly,13
With clenched teeth, grim in their setting,14
And dark eyes glittering fiercely,15
While he feels his muscles relaxing.16
All very well in the Gardens,17
Where there is space sufficient,18
But before him the Park gates widen,19
And all the stream of a city20
Pours into Piccadilly.21
As in a vision he sees it,22
That swirling, eddying torrent :23
Lo ! now it runs like blood,24
Slowly and sluggishly here,25
Blocked by excess of traffic.26
As in a vision he sees it,27
Heavy and thick and slow-moving,28
Crawling, creeping before him,29
Right in the teeth of his coming,30
His terrible, headlong on-coming.31
Is it a horse he is riding,32
Or the demon of Death incarnate,33
That with wide nostril distended,34
And wicked, hot ears back-turning,35
Gathers its awful strength36
From foam-wreathèd flank to shoulder ?37
Now for one mighty endeavour,38
One more bracing of sinews !39
If the brute conquer at last,40
He shall know he’d a man to deal with.41
He shall know, by the bloody mouth-piece,42
By the sudden grip as of iron,43
Throwing him back on his haunches,44
While the red spume shows redder,45
Flung in the face of the rider.46
He shall know it, though he recover,47
Mad with the strength of his fury,48
Pausing only a moment49
To gather fresh force for the on-leap,50
And to plough his horrid passage51
Through that sullen human river.52
Now for muscle to muscle !53
Now for the final contest !54
But the rider’s cheek it is ashen,55
And the fearful grip on the curb-rein56
Is the clutch of his stiffening fingers.57
A fight for his life with a horse !58
A man, for his life, with a horse !59
The groom of the Lady Diana—60
Yes ! but a man for all that.61
Call him a man for one minute,62
Give him some brief adulation.63
If he be king or servant,64
It will matter little directly ;65
Monarchs and grooms turn to clay,66
And we speak softly of either,67
With reverent pity of either.68
A man—not a groom—for one minute.69
What ! is the tragedy over ?70
They are crowding about the gateway.71
Follow and learn the sequel,72
How a groom fought with the devil,73
How a young man fell fighting,74
How a king died in the battle !75
Yes ! a king. Do not wonder,76
Though I say it with sudden passion.77
Ah ! I am sick : is it over ?78
Constable, say, did you see it ?79
Did you see—the—king—fall ?80
The young man—whatever you call him—81
The groom of the Lady Diana ?82
What do they say, the people ?83
‘ Somebody caught at the bridle84
Just as his strength gave over ;85
Somebody caught at the bridle ! ’86
Here through the crowd disparted,87
Who is this that comes striding ?88
Monarch or groom that comes striding ?89
Demon or horse is he leading ?90
See ! the brute noses him kindly,91
Asks of him dumb forgiveness.92
Poor silly horse !— not a demon.93
Poor tired boy !— not a monarch.94
Now Heaven defend you, young hero,95
Though you may stammer and redden,96
Because the horse had the best of it.97
Well, yes, the brute is a beauty ;98
And you—why, you did your duty,99
And God will take care of the rest of it.100