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Whereas the Turkish troops are bloodless “broken glass”, and it is the ground, not theflesh, which is torn, the Venetian ones are bloodily ‘slaughtered’. It is difficult to seethe condemnation of the Muslim soldiers as “barbarous” being purely a rhetoricalpose, merely the perspective of the definitely Christian narrator of The Siege ofCorinth, when the following occurs in an editorial comment by the poet on Turkish-Greek relations in The Corsair:Mean time the watch may slumber, if they will,Nor only wake to war, but dreaming kill.Though all, who can, disperse on shore and seekTo flesh their glowing valour on the Greek;How well such deed becomes the turbaned brave –To bare the sabre’s edge before a slave!Infest his dwelling – but forbear to slay,Their arms are strong, yet merciful to-day,And do not deign to smite because they may!Unless some gay caprice suggests the blow,To keep in practice for the coming foe. (C 2.1.14-24).The vacillating statement, the volte-face followed by the volte-face, emphasizes theutter senselessness of the violence being perpetrated against the weak, and soemphasizes the violent nature of the perpetrators.Not only the practices of Muslims, but also teachings of the faith are represented inspecifically violent terms, in, for example, the fisherman’s graphic account of the fateawaiting the Giaour:But thou, false Infidel! shalt writheBeneath avenging Monkir’s scythe;And from its torment ‘scape aloneTo wander round lost Eblis’ throne;And fire unquench’d, unquenchable –195