Where the live crimson, through the native white Soft-shooting, o'er the face diffuses bloom,
nameless grace; the parted lip,
Like the red rofe-bud moift with morning-dew, Breathing delight; and, under flowing jet,
Or funny ringlets, or of circling brown,
The neck flight-fhaded, and the fwelling breaft; 1590
The look refiftless, piercing to the foul, And by the foul inform'd, when drest in love She fits high-fmiling in the confcious eye. Ifland of blifs! amid the fubje&t feas, That thunder round thy rocky coafts, fet up, At once the wonder, terror, and delight, Of diftant nations; whose remotest shores Can foon be fhaken by thy naval arm; Not to be shook thyself, but all affaults Baffling, as thy hoar cliffs the loud fea-wave.
O Thou! by whose almighty nod the scale
Of empire rifes, or alternate falls,
Send forth the faving Virtues round the land, In bright patrol: white Peace, and focial Love; The tender-looking Charity, intent,
On gentle deeds, and shedding tears through smiles Undaunted Truth, and Dignity of mind; Courage compos'd, and keen; found Temperance, Healthful in heart and look; clear Chastity,
With blushes reddening as fhe moves along, Disorder'd at the deep regard fhe draws; Rough Industry; Activity untir'd,
With copious life inform'd, and all awake:
While in the radiant front, fuperior fhines That first paternal virtue, Public Zeal; Who throws o'er all an equal wide furvey, And, ever mufing on the common weal, Still labours glorious with fome great defign. Low walks the fun, and broadens by degrees, Juft o'er the verge of day. The shifting clouds 1620 Affembled gay, a richly-gorgeous train,
In all their pomp attend his setting throne.
Air, earth, and ocean fmile immenfe. And now, As if his weary chariot fought the bowers Of Amphitritè, and her tending nymphs, (So Grecian fable fung) he dips his orb; Now half-immers'd; and now a golden curve Gives one bright glance, then total disappears.
For ever running an enchanted round, Paffes the day, deceitful, vain, and void; As fleets the vifion o'er the formful brain, This moment hurrying wild th' impaffion'd soul, The next in nothing loft. 'Tis fso to him, The dreamer of this earth, an idle blank : A fight of horror to the cruel wretch, Who, all day long in fordid pleasure roll'd, Himself an useless load, has fquander'd vile,
Upon his fcoundrel train, what might have chear'd A drooping family of modest worth.
But to the generous ftill-improving mind,
That gives the hopeless heart to fing for joy, Diffufing kind beneficence around,
Boaftlefs, as now defcends the filent dew;
To him the long review of order'd life Is inward rapture, only to be felt.
Confefs'd from yonder flow-extinguish'd clouds, All æther foftening, fober Evening takes Her wonted ftation in the middle air;
A thousand shadows at her beck. Firft this
She fends on earth; then that of deeper dye Steals foft behind; and then a deeper ftill, In circle following circle, gathers round, To close the face of things. A fresher gale Begins to wave the wood, and ftir the ftream, Sweeping with fhadowy guft the fields of corn; While the quail clamours for his running mate. Wide o'er the thiftly lawn, as fwells the breeze, A whitening fhower of vegetable down Amufive floats. The kind impartial care
Of Nature nought difdains: thoughtful to feed Her lowest fons, and clothe the coming year, From field to field the feather'd feeds the wings. His folded flock fecure, the fhepherd home
Hies, merry-hearted; and by turns relieves The ruddy milk-maid of her brimming pail; The beauty whom perhaps his witless heart, Unknowing what the joy-mixt anguish means, Sincerely loves, by that beft language fhewn Of cordial glances, and obliging deeds. Onward they pafs, o'er many a panting height, And valley funk, and unfrequented; where At fall of eve the fairy people throng, In various game, and revelry, to pafs
The fummer-night, as village-ftories tell. But far about they wander from the grave Of him, whom his ungentle fortune urg'd Against his own sad breast to lift the hand Of impious violence. The lonely tower
Is alfo fhunn'd; whofe mournful chambers hold, So night-ftruck Fancy dreams, the yelling ghoft. 1680 Among the crooked lanes, on every hedge, The glow-worm lights his gem; and, through the dark, A moving radiance twinkles. Evening yields The world to Night; not in her winter-robe Of maffy Stygian woof, but loose array'd In mantle dun. A faint erroneous ray,
Glanc'd from th' imperfect surfaces of things, Flings half an image on the ftraining eye;
While wavering woods, and villages, and ftreams, And rocks, and mountain-tops, that long retain'd 1690 Th' afcending gleam, are all one fwimming fcene, Uncertain if beheld. Sudden to heaven Thence weary vifion turns; where, leading foft The filent hours of love, with purest ray Sweet Venus fhines; and from her genial rise, When day-light fickens till it springs afresh, Unrival'd reigns, the faireft lamp of night. As thus th' effulgence tremulous I drink,
With cherish'd gaze, the lambent lightnings fhoot Across the sky; or horizontal dart
In wondrous fhapes: by fearful murmuring crowds Portentous deem'd. Amid the radiant orbs,
That more than deck, that animate the sky,
The life-infufing funs of other worlds; Lo! from the dread immensity of space Returning, with accelerated course, The rufhing comet to the fun defcends; And as he finks below the fhading earth, With awful train projected o'er the heavens, The guilty nations tremble. But, above Thofe fuperftitious horrors that enflave The fond fequacious herd, to myftic faith And blind amazement prone, th' enlighten'd few, Whofe godlike minds philofophy exalts, The glorious ftranger hail. They feel a joy Divinely great; they in their powers exult,
That wondrous force of thought, which mounting spurns This dufky fpot, and measures all the sky;
While, from his far excurfion through the wilds Of barren æther, faithful to his time, They fee the blazing wonder rife anew, In feeming terror clad, but kindly bent To work the will of all-fustaining Love: From his huge vapoury train perhaps to shake Reviving moisture on the numerous orbs, Through which his long ellipfis winds; perhaps To lend new fuel to declining funs,
To light-up worlds, and feed th' eternal fire.
With thee, ferene Philofopy, with thee,
And thy bright garland, let me crown my fong! 1730 Effufive fource of evidence, and truth!
A luftre fhedding o'er th' ennobled mind,
Stronger than fummer-noon; and pure as that,
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