FROM him did forty million serfs, endow'd
Each with six feet of death-due soil, receive
Rich freeborn lifelong land, whereon to sheave
Their country's harvest. These to-day aloud
Demand of Heaven a Father's blood,—sore bow'd
With tears and thrilled with wrath; who, while they grieve,
On every guilty head would fain achieve
All torment by his edicts disallow'd.
He stayed the knout's red-ravening fangs; and first
Of Russian traitors, his own murderers go
White to the tomb. While he,—laid foully low
With limbs red-rent, with festering brain which erst
Willed kingly freedom,—'gainst the deed accurst
To God bears witness of his people's woe.
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Comments1I was just reading this poem and it's pretty intresting. I like how it talks about how Czar Alexander gave land to forty million serfs, like "endow'd each with six feet of death-due soil." It's really sad how they all turned on him and demanded his blood. The poem also shows his murderers as traitors and how he suffered so much like "laid foully low with limbs red-rent." I didn't realize how much he tried to help the people and how tragic his story really is.