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These three kingdoms had some internal wars and revolutions during the two centuries which elapsed from the great period 777 (the period of Sardanapalus), until the days of Cyrus, the Persian. By that time the three had become two, the kingdom of Nineveh had been swallowed up, and Cyrus, who was destined to form the Persian empire upon their ruins, found one change less to be effected than might have been looked for. Of the two which remained, he conquered one, and the other came to him by maternal descent. Thus he gained all three, and moulded them into one, called Persia.

VI. Five and Five and Five.–The crowning action in which Cyrus figures is, therefore, that of conqueror of Babylon, and all the details of his career point forward, like markings on the dial, towards that great event, as full of interest for the imagination as any of the events of pre-Christian history. I would fain for once by the aid of metre, fix more firmly in the mind of the reader the grandeur and imposing significance of this event:

Thus in Five and Five and Five did Cyrus the Great of Elam,[21]

On a festal night break in with roar of the fierce alalagmos.[22]

Over Babylonian walls, over tower and turret of entrance,

Over helmed heads, and over the carnage of armies.

Idle the spearsman’s spear, Assyrian scymitar idle;

Broken the bow-string lay of the Mesopotamian archer;

‘Ride to the halls of Belshazzar, ride through the murderous uproar;

Ride to the halls of Belshazzar!’ commanded Cyrus of Elam.

They rode to the halls of Belshazzar. Oh, merciful, merciful angels!

That prompt sweet tears to men, hang veils, hang drapery darkest,–

If any may hide or may pall this night’s tempestuous horror.

Like a deluge the army poured in on their snorting Bactrian horses,

Rattled the Parthian quivers, rang the Parthian harness of iron,

High upon spears rode the torches, and from them in showery blazes

Rained splendour lurid and fierce on the dreamlike ruinous uproar,

Such as delusions often from fever’s fierce vertical ardour

Show through the long-chambered halls and corridors endless,

Blazing with cruel light–show to the brain of the stricken man;

Such as the angel of dreams sometimes sends to the guilty.

Such light lay in open front, but palpable ebony blackness,

Sealed every far-off street in deep and awful abysses,

Out of which rose like phantoms, rose and sank as a sea-bird

Rises and sinks on the waves of a dim, tumultuous ocean,

Faces dabbled in blood, phantasmagory direful and scenic.

* * * * *

But where is Belshazzar the Lord? Has he fled? Has he found an asylum?
Or still does he pace in his palace, blind-seeming or moonstruck?
Still does he tread proudly the palace, fancy-deluded,
Prophets of falsehood trusting, or false Babylonian idols,
Defying the odious truth from the summit of empire!
Lo! at his palace gates the fierce Apollyon’s great army,
With maces uplifted, stand to make way for great Cyrus of Elam.
Watching for signal from him whose truncheon this way or that bids:
‘Strike!’ said Cyrus the King. ‘Strike!’ said the princes of Elam;
And the brazen gates at the word, like flax that is broken asunder
By fire from earth or from heaven, snapped as a bulrush,
Snapped as a reed, as a wand, as the tiny toy of an infant.
Marvellous the sight that followed! Oh, most august revelation!
Mile-long were the halls that appeared, and open spaces enormous;
Areas fit to hold armies on the day of muster for battle;
Hosts upon either side, for amplest castrametation.
Depth behind depth, and dim labyrinthine apartments.
Golden galleries above running high into darkening vistas,
Staircases soaring and climbing, till sight grew dizzy with effort
Of chasing the corridors up to their whispering gloomy recesses.
Nations were ranged in the halls, nations ranged at a banquet,
Even then lightly proceeding with timbrel, dulcimer, hautboy,
Gong and loud kettledrum and fierce-blown tempestuous organ.
Banners floated in air, colossal embroidery tissues
Of Tyrian looms, scarlet, black, violet and amber,
Or the perfectest cunning of trained Babylonian artist,
Or massy embossed, from the volant shuttle of Phrygian.
Banners suspended in shade, or in the full glare of the lamplight,
Mid cressets and chandeliers by jewelly chains swinging pendant.