The March of Intellect
Thomas
McQueen (MacQueen)
McQueen, Thomas
Metadata research and editing
DVPP Project Team
Fukushima
Kailey
University of Victoria Digital Victorian Periodical Poetry Project
Victoria, BC, Canada
In the public domain
Poem signed Barkip, near Beith.
(AC)
The Chartist Circular
1
58
236
It came—and its step was as light as the breath
font-size: 150%; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1em; letter-spacing: 0.03em;
margin-bottom: 0.25em;
margin-left: 0.5em;
margin-bottom: 0em;
margin-left: 1.25em;
font-style: italic;
font-variant: small-caps; letter-spacing: 0.06em; text-align: right; margin-right: 1.5em;
margin-top: 0em; margin-bottom: 0em;
text-align: left !important; margin-left: 2.5em; margin-top: 0em;
display: none;
display: inline;
display: block;
font-size: 1rem; width: 27em;
Auto-tagged instances of cross-stanza rhyme based on existing labels.
CSS remediation, verified.
Created pom_57_incid_poem rendition to reset font-sizes.
Added useful rendition elements in anticipation of CSS reworking.
Marking specific renditions as incidental.
Wrap incidental period with his with rendition (in the head element).
Re-organized change elements in descending date order.
Assigned dominant rhyme-scheme value to poem div using automated XSLT.
Removed catRef with target="dvpp:illustrationNone", now obsolete.
Set status to 'proofed'. Changed CSS to follow updated protocols and maintain consistency
across periodical/year.
The March of Intellect
.
It came—and its step was as light as the breath
Of the gentlest zephyr that fawns on the ev’n—
It came with a stillness as silent as death,
But it breath’d a benignity soothing as heaven ;
It started—it gaz’d, as by stealth, far abroad,
It mark’d the deep bondage of vassaliz’d man,
It shrunk and recoil’d, and it marvell’d if God
Had sketch’d such a doom in the primitive plan.
It came—there was whisp’rings abroad in on earth,
Deep mutter’d to deep in a mystified tone,
Frowns, curses, and threats were heard issuing forth,
And tortures and shackles were forging anon :
It smil’d on the fetters—it triumph’d in scorn,
It spurn’d the frail arm rear’d only to bind,
Its march-hymn afar on the echoes was borne,
Proclaiming the hast’ning redemption of mind !
It comes—and its whispers to thunders have grown—
All nature elastic bends under its tread ;
O’er ocean and earth its fire-chariots have flown,
And the lip of the mighty is quivering with dread ;
Corruption, convuls’d, sees her nostrums turn weak,
And nods to Oppression, in speechless despair,
As the engines roll on, that shall speedily break
The chains they had destin’d the millions to wear.
It will come—and the great ones of earth shall turn pale ;
The yoke of the bondsman, enfeebled shall shake ;
All tyrants shall join in one desolate wail,
And empires’ foundations will tremble and quake ;
Thrones shall crash, and the sceptre, beclotted with blood,
Will shiver to shreds in the hands of its lord :
And a voice, fierce and awful, will echo aloud,
That “ Freedom, the Birthright of Mind, is restor’d.”
Thomas Macqueen
.
Barkip, near Beith
.