ON THE CASTLE OF CHILLON. by LORD BYRON.
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| ON THE CASTLE OF CHILLON. | |
| Eternal Spirit of the chainless Mind! Brightest in dungeons, Liberty, thou art-- For there thy habitation is the heart-- The heart which love of Thee alone can bind; And when thy sons to fetters are consign'd, To fetters, and the damp vault's dayless gloom, Their country conquers with their martyrdom And Freedom's fame finds wings on every wind. Chillon! thy prison is a holy place And thy sad floor an altar, for 'twas trod Until his very steps have left a trace Worn as if thy cold pavement were a sod, By Bonnivard! May none those marks efface! For they appeal from tyranny to God. |
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| LORD BYRON., THE GOLDEN TREASURY Of the best Songs and Lyrical Pieces In the English Language Selected by Francis Turner Palgrave | |
| Notes: The Château de Chillon (a.k.a. Castle of Chillon) is a 13th Century castle just outside Montreux, Switzerland. In 1816, whilst on a pilgrimage to the places described by Rousseau, Lord Byron, wrote his famous poem The prisoner of Chillon. This account describes the sufferings of François Bonivard (1493-1570), prior of Saint-Victor in Geneva, who was shackled to a stone pillar in Chillon from 1530 - 1536 because he spoke out in favour of the Reformation. |
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| Tags: Chillon, Switzerland, history poetry | |
