XII. TO THE LADY FLEMING, ON SEEING THE FOUNDATION PREPARING FOR THE ERECTION OF RYDAL CHAPEL, WESTMORELAND. 1 I. BLEST is this Isle-our native Land; Of hoary Time to decorate; Where shady hamlet, town that breathes II. O Lady! from a noble line Of chieftains sprung, who stoutly bore III. How fondly will the woods embrace 5 ΙΟ 15 20 Bekangs Ghyll-or the dell of Nightshade-in which stands St. Mary's Abbey in Low Furness. To make a fair recess more fair; IV. Well may the villagers rejoice! Nor heat, nor cold, nor weary ways, That would unite in prayer and praise; Shall tottering Age, bent earthward, hear And all shall welcome the new ray V. Nor deem the Poet's hope misplaced, His fancy cheated-that can see 25 30 35 40 Can hear the monitory clock 45 Sound o'er the lake with gentle shock At evening, when the ground beneath VI. Lives there a man whose sole delights Hardening a heart that loathes or slights 50 55 From murmur of a running stream; VII. A soul so pitiably forlorn, If such do on this earth abide, VIII. Alas! that such perverted zeal Should spread on Britain's favoured ground! That public order, private weal, Should e'er have felt or feared a wound From champions of the desperate law 60 65 70 75 Which from their own blind hearts they draw; Who tempt their reason to deny God, whom their passions dare defy, And boast that they alone are free Who reach this dire extremity! IX. But turn we from these "bold bad" men; 80 85 Who means to charity no wrong; With this day's work, in thought and word. 90 X. Heaven prosper it! may peace, and love, To kneel together, and adore their God! 95 100 1823. XIII. ON THE SAME OCCASION. Oh! gather whencesoe'er ye safely may Our churches, invariably perhaps, stand east and west, but why is by few persons exactly known; nor, that the degree of deviation from due east often noticeable in the ancient ones was determined, in each particular case, by the point in the horizon, at which the sun rose upon the day of the saint to whom the church was dedicated. These observances of our ancestors, and the causes of them, are the subject of the following stanzas. WHEN in the antique age of bow and spear Then, to her Patron Saint a previous rite 5 He rose, and straight-as by divine command, They, who had waited for that sign to trace 10 Their work's foundation, gave with careful hand To the high altar its determined place; Mindful of Him who in the Orient born So taught their creed;-nor failed the eastern sky, 'Mid these more awful feelings, to infuse The sweet and natural hopes that shall not die, Long as the sun his gladsome course renews. 20 For us hath such prelusive vigil ceased; rays; gave, That obvious emblem giving to the eye 1823. 25 |