THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES ECHOES OF THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE. Smitfj Oliver ^0£m0. BT W. WATMAN SMITH. LONDON : TRtJBNEE & CO., 8 & 60, PATERXOSTEE ROW. 1870. INDEX. The Past. Part I - - - 1 „ Present „ II - - - 37 „ Future „ III - - - 79 Time and Eternity ... 115 Monody - - - - - 121 In Memoriam . . . . 127 Home - - - - - 132 The Wedding - - - - 136 To One in a Decline - - . 140 A Valentine - - . . 143 The Closing Scene ... 144 The Blighted Blossom . . - 148 Transformation - - - - 152 Our Missing Friend - - - 155 Our Little Pet - - - - 159 The Night Lamp- ... 163 The Spectre .... 166 A Sigh for the Days that are Gone - 170 The Portrait Gallery ... 177 Music - - - - - 182 837636 IV Apostrophe to a Human Skull - - 187 The Cathedral - - - . 193 ROKEBY ----- 198 Fountains Abbey - - . 202 The Echo - - - - 205 Reminiscence - - . . 2O8 A Prayer - . . . 21I Epitaph - - - - . 219 Death ----- 220 Melancholy Hours - . - 222 Epitaph on Lord Byron - - - 224 To A Favourite Parrot - - - 226 Melody - - - . . 229 The Valley . - . . 231 The Brook - . . . 234 A Child- .... 237 Stanzas ..... 240 PREFACE. As a head without a heart may be compared to a soul without a body, so a book without a preface may allegorically be said to resemble a ship without a pilot : what a pilot is to a ship, a preface is to a book ; and as the former often saves the ship from foundering, so the latter frequently presei-ves the book from slumbering in neglect on the shelf. The Title Deeds of this property belong to many proprietors, who may figuratively be termed the ft-eeholders of the ground upon which from time to time have been erected the several edifices which compose the titles of this work. The division of the major poem into three parts, with their an-angement, was planned by the author, who alone is responsible for the metrical composition. In a short poem it would VI be uttet'ly impossible to give more than a brief outline of the important themes it embraces, any- one part of which possesses materials sufficient to swell a folio ; nor would an elaborate treatise on one or all, be suitable for a poetical work, how- ever interesting in a prose one. Some critics will take exception to the adoption of the simple lyric measure, and think that blank verse would have been more appropriate for such a composition, inasmuch as it affords more free- dom of thought than cramped rhymes admit of, and if not so musical, is at once more stately and eloquent. I must confess that 'half of that opinion's also mine,' but when the fragmentary sketches were first conceived, it was not contem- plated that this bantling of the Muse would have grown to the stature it has since assumed, or the style would not have been adopted. As however we live in a prosaic and not in a poetical age, when a hundred readers of prose may be counted for one of poetry, it may possibly entice some by its attractive form and titles to open the infant volume, while blank verse would probably have condemned it as a sealed book. vu Poetry has been eclipsed by Prose since the days of Byron, Scott, Rogers, Moore, Campbell, Shelley, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and gone out of fashion like the drama, which has given place to the opera : if the reason is sought, the simple answer is that either taste has changed, or that we have few good living poets. I am inclined to believe in the last supposition rather than the first, for, with the advance of education, the number of readers of light literature such as novels has steadily increased, as well as of works of more solid and useful instruction. If asked what are the elements that con- stitute poetry 1 the question may be laconically answered by saying not rhymes alone, which are mere versifications to give a musical sound to the ear ; these, however sweet and harmonious, unless they embody feeling and fancy, with a special intellectual faculty of mind, cannot con- tain the true essence of poetry. To be original and creative requires genius, which may be cultivated and improved. Poetry is nearly as old as prose, and is found scattered over all nations, barbarous or civilized ; Vlll it is the diction of the improvisatore and minstrel ; and has also been described as the lan- guage of passion and vivid imagination, as in songs and hymns of praise, liberty, triumph or sorrow. Cold climates seem to freeze up the imagin- ation, while the warm sunbeams kindle and in- spire it. The beauties of nature charm the sight as glowing sunshine cheers it, and thence draw upon the fancy for comparisons, along with the imitative arts. Love is a powerful incentive to arouse the passions, while rural and mountain scenery present us with pleasing landscapes and poetical pictures. Music and melody, with figurative language, emblems, and metaphors, are the graces of com- position, and adorn the writings of our best poets. Blank verse, the epic, and tragedy, are considered the most stately and dignified, and come nearer to the prosaic style of composition than all others. The Hebrew poetry of scripture is full of ima- gery, sublime sentiments, and exalted ideas, which constitute true poetry ; such also are the works ' Ossian,' the ' Messiah', and ' Telemachus'. IX A great book has long been pronounced a great evil, and therefore if this dwarf possesses no other recommendation, it will have the merit of being brief, and containing midtum in parvo,or thoughts for study. "We hear of times gone by when authors composed their twenty thousand lines in a poem ; but we do not seek to build up such a pyramid and to weaiy the reader with a superfluous quantity of letter -press in times like the present, so fruitful of book publications awaiting the leisure of the reader, but to condense in a small compass the work in question : besides trying his patience, his daily avocations would prevent him giving the necessary time for perusing works of magnitude, so peculiar to our forefathers who had more leisure to write, read and digest, than we of the present toiling generation. In the Alpha and Omega of the principal poem, we have been obliged to draw largely upon the imagination ; for the revelations of prophets, poets and divines thi-ow a very glimmering light upon the past of History, or the future of our destiny. Man hopes and instinctively believes in a spiritual existence hereafter, and in a forgiving b and merciful, rather than in a cmel and re- vengeful Deity. . The Miscellaneous effusions are mostly hvmg pictures of the scenes and incidents they describe •md their composition scattered over a period ot many years, dra.vn .vhile fresh in the memory, and are chiefly moral, pathetic, and descriptive. Three Sages pass before me in my dream Different in genius, cliaracter, and face. United with the links of Time and Space, In high priest's robes. Like oracles they seem. The Past revealing and the Future scheme Of Providence, foreshadowing to sight. Creation's wonders with the infinite And Past of Ages, lost in Lethe's stream ! They too unroU Time's hieroglyphic screen ; And all obHterated things restore. With the great drama of life's shifting scene Now Present, and th' invisible far shore. In the horizon of Eternity, Which dimly shadows the Soul's destiny. THE PAST, OR CREATION, NATURE AND DEITY. ANALYSIS. Part I. Invocation to the Muse — Creation — The planetary Systems of the Universe — Nature's God — Earth — Infinity — Etemifr of the Past— The Pre-adamite Earth— The Great Deluge • — Nature — The Seasons — Heavenly Bodies — Divine contemplation — Speculative Inquiry — Review of Ancient Nations — Ruins — Deitv- Oh I Lyric ]\Iuse I thy gloiy shed Arouud me and inspire ! Celestial influence o'er me spread, And tune my sacred lyre ! "While I attempt a loftier theme, And search out Nature's plan ; ^^liich unrevealed appears a dream And mysteiy to Man I Of the ethereal and subUme, Divinely let me sing ! Of things anterior to Time, Or man's imagining. From local scenes let us ascend The Universe to trace ! From finite being comprehend The infinite of Space ! ( >h ! for a telescopic mind Creation to look through ! And undiscovered Worlds to find All open to our view ! Kise from this groveling world below Of anxious care ; — ascend To Nature's gallery and show ! And systems without end ! The Universe expanded lies, — Immensity's wide range : There 's life and motion in the skies. With panoramic change. Whence did this Exhibition spring ? Vast, wondrous and subHme ! Can sages say or poets sing Its birth, foundation, time 1 We meditate amongst the stars, — Their origin would know, From distant Uranus to Mars, Around, above, below. Like clock machinery all seem On chains and wheels to turn : Perpetual motion is no dream, Its action we discern. Thousands of Solar systems rise In the broad arch of nisfht : And myriads more are hid in skies Beyond the reach of sight ! Yon sister spheres that picture night In luminous aiTay ; Whence drew they being ? — first saw light Across the ethery way 1 All active and revolving there, Siis])ended in the Heaven, Some purpose serve, and all declare A vital influence a;iven. &' As all the systems of the sky. Have each their central sun ; ( 'reation has its Deity, A\ith whom all worlds bejrun. "b^ God formed Creation ! whence sprang He ? When, where, and how produced 1 Profound, eternal mystery ! Which all things introduced ! A Being infinite as Space, Which fancy can't conceive ! But whose omniscience we can trace Through Nature and believe ! AVere we to soar to any star, That lights the spacious skies ; We might by search discover far, The Earth ! a ball in size, Minutely small amidst the host Of planets in the air : (.'ircling its Sun, and almost lost yiid constellations there. 'l"he broad back'd Ocean looks a blot : The highest mountain low ; The widest continent a dot ; The whole a speck below. A dwarfish crawling biped '" there, For optics too minute, Is busied with a world of care. Instinctive to the brute. The zodiacal signs we trace Of heaven's celestial map, And soar aloft through twilight Sfxxce, But find an endless gap. The dizzy heights we now explore, In this aerial flight, To scan Creation's roof and floor, Bewilder sense and sight. * Man. Infinity and endless sky, Dim the fiirsighted mind ; \\'here etheiy fields all open lie, — A vacuum iniconfincd. Whence come and go with threat'ning glare, (Spreading alarm around,) The wandering Comets of tlie air, Lost in the gulf profound 1 Mysterious auguries of Fate ! The heralds of the sky ! ( JoUision would annihilate A world in passing by. A shower of meteors cross the skv, And shooting stars down fall, By Earth attracted as they fly, Are atmospheric all. The tinted rainbow smiles above. And hdls the storm to rest ; As the soft melting eye of love, Tames down the savage breast. ^Miat are those changeful skies but ah', Through which our planet 's hurled ? In rotatory motion there, On its own axis whirled 1 Eternity ! cycles of years, Nor measurement define ! A hollow, dark abyss appears Where Systems cease to shine ! Ages of Time have rolled away Since first discerned by man ! — Eternal Ages since the day Creation's works began ! Our Earth was wrapt in blackest gloom Still as the sleep of death ! Dense, cold and torpid as the tomb, Without life's vital breath ! Darkness sealed up the face of day, And clouds obscured the night ; Lost in the firmament it lay 'NMthout a ray of light ! Before its elements were form'd, Th' embryo Earth was changed ; For storms and humcanes deform'd,- Convulsions disarranged. 'o^ Dark clouds hung on the brow of Heaven, A nightmare of the Earth, Encompassed round, half wreck'd and driven, While struggling into birth. At last a lamp appeared to rise. And dissipate the gloom ; Unveiling all the glittering skies, Immured as in a tomb ! Darkness retreated ! clouds dissolved !- The vapoury curtains rose As by enchantment ! and evolved. The radiant sphere disclose ! The mist of night recedes from shore. And the sun's light reveals A hidden world unknown before ! Which slept in ethery fields. (,'old, barren, dead, inanimate, For ages there it lay ; An undigested mass of slate, Itock, "water, limestone, clay ! Ere tree, shrub, flower, or greensward grew. Organic life began ! Or Nature's face dav/n'd into view, Anterior to man ! Avvakening from oblivious sleep. Our planet teems with life ! The earth, the air, the heavens, the deep. With living things are rife ! The birds pour forth their music sweet. The earth is robed with flowers ; Warm'd with the sun's inspu-ing heat, And cloud-distilling showers. Creation thus began to dawn, God's purpose to fulfil ; And worlds with suns to light them born. Submissive to his will ! 10 AVhen the first Deluge drowii'd the Eai-th, Which monsters wild o'erran ; Man had not issued into birth, Nor order's laws began. Earthquakes have rent the solid earth, Piecemeal, and fauna slain ! Their spectral ruins yawning forth, And fossil forms remain ! The agitated mountains burst, With labour pains of birth, Struggling to penetrate the crust Of our volcanic Earth. The partial Flood submerged the land, And left the deep sea dry ! The inland rocks memorials stand, And hills that pierce the sky. The subteiTancau depths luifold The foi'est and the sea ! The extinct animals of old, Prove Earth's antiquity ! 11 Antediluvian ^Tecks appear, And mines of fossil coal, ^larine remains found everywhere. And plants from pole to pole. These transformed relics of blank date, Embodied in the Earth, AVhile in an embryonic state, Disclose their ancient birth. They were the eldest bom of Time, Growth of a distant Age ; Long ere this planet reached its prime. Or Adam trod the stage. A hundred thousand years or more. May bridge the gulf between The earliest age of man, before The recent pliocene. The flooding rains in torrents pour. The vivid lightnings flash ! The claps of thunder bursting roar, With an explosive crash ! 12 Ttie Ocean grapples with the wind. Its waves in mountains roll ; Its fury continents can't bind, For it o'erwhelms the whole ! The foaming billows lash the shore, — The stormy tempests sigh, — The upheaved mountains tumbling o'er. Confused and scattered lie. Night, anarchy, disorder, spread And tjll'd with gi'oans the air ; The elemental strife made head, And Death stalked everywhere ! The Earth convulsed in pieces flew, And rock'd and rolled witli ire ; And its volcano mouths upthrew, Columns of smoke and fire ! Explosions crack'd and whirlwinds roU'd As if 'twere rent in twain ! It's drift and debris we behold. In ruins that remain I 13 Fragments of rocks, bones, shells and trees, Were seething in the rand ; Wash'd from all countries and all seas, Tossed by the angry flood ! Leviathans of monstrous form Lay struggling in the mire ; And all, — all perished in the storm ; That rained stones, rocks, and fire ! Vrhat graveyards underlie the whole Earth's surface, pile on pile ! Slate, granite, sandstone, limestone, coal, Mammalia, fish, reptile ! ]!\ature at last proclaims a tnice. Exhausted, wild, distrest ! The raging elements let loose, Sink calmly into rest ! The Alps and Andes first arose. From then- chaotic birth ; And subsequent conyulsive throes. Have water- logged the earth. 14 The waters settle or recede, The drown'd land reappeai's, And useful animals succeed Th' extinct of former years. A paradise of flowers and fruit, Perfume the balmy air ; And ornamental trees take root, And flourish everywhere. The risen Earth in rainbow skies, Looks green, fresh, young and foir : And noble Man in Princely guise, Is God's vicegerent there ! The Seasons change as onward rolls Our planet round the Sun ; And each its character unfolds. As through the Year they run. The youthful Spring with garlands fair, Unveils her blushing face ; Diffusing through the earth and air. Her gladd'ning smiles of grace. Let heart rejoice ! returning Spring, Reanimates the Earth ! And all that has been slumbering, Revives, — renews its birth ! ^Vho has not felt the joyous Spring With raptui-e throb his heart ? Who has not heard his spirit sing. And joining take a part ? Sweet Summer's warm inspiring rays. Bring on her charming flowers ; And minstrel birds pour out their lays, From Eden's happy bowers. The fruitful Autumn ! ripe, serene, Draws on her twilight shade ; And tints the foliage changing gi'een, As youth and beauty fade. Stem Winter ! desolate and cold ! Is capp'd in ice and snow ; Inanimate, dark, nude, and old, Wears Time upon his brow I 16 How Life is typified by all ! How like its Seasons change ! Its morning rise, — its evening fall I And evanescent range ! Creation's wondrous works we view With deep emotion here; And feel exalted searching through The Heavens and our own sphere. The kindi-ed orbs that o'er us roll, Mysterious and sublime ! Abstract the contemplative soul, From transient things of Time ! Who can that staiTy dome sui-A'ey, And musing not admire 'I AVho would not if he could convey Himself to i-egions higher 1 The flight of fancy cannot soar Beyond the orb-fill'd sky ; Or follow the receding shore Of dark Eternity ! Regious of solitude lie there, Blank, desert-like to view ; Perpetual niglit and breathless air ; With firmament of blue. Oui* plebeian thoughts confined to Eartli, Contracted to a span, Determine not their dateless birth, Or the Creator's plan ! The raind that 's circumscribed by Time, And history of our race ; Conceives nought of those works sublime Which populate all space ! There 's wise aiTangement and design Throughout the spacious whole ; For globes opaque and suns that shine, Are subject to control ! The earliest times of man record Some knowledge of the sky : Wizards with cabalistic word Eeveal'd futurity. 18 'I'lie liieroglyphic symbols there, Astrologers translate ! Prophetic Sybils there repair, To learn our earthly Fate ! These preternatural divines, Agents 'twixt heaven and earth, Magicians seem, whose occult signs Gave Superstition birth. Kgypt ! Greece ! Rome ! viewed and admired The firmament above ! And glowing poets felt inspired, Rapt in Platonic love. Roam through the broad expanse of Night ! The star-sown sky survey ! What showers of gold-dust crowd the sight. Far as the Milky Way ! Through the tube's magnifying glass, Behold the galaxy ! How some in brilliancy surjjass ! What strata 'bove them lie ! 19 There 's Saturn with his numerous zones Of wind and amber light ! And Jupiter with all his moons, Like sentinels of Night. The clast'ring Pleiades afar, As if in concert met ! And sailors' friendly pilot star. Deep in the north-sky set ! How radiant beams the Eye of Day, On all the globes around ! How life and nature would decay To-morrow if not found ! Serenely calm the Queen of Night Sails through the concave skies ! An area grand and infinite. Beaming with lustrous eyes ! xVwakening Day, — reposing Night, Wheel round from Age to Age Alternately, and shew Time's flight Upon the dial's page ! 20 How small the space these distant orbs I'ill in tlie vanlted sky ! Til' nnfatlioniod void al)stracts, absorbs The contemplative eye I Their origin 1 and how produced 1 Their author? — use? — and end ? Did Chaos always reign confused 1 And world on world depend ? Does that dim vapoury mist on high, Refuge of matter, — scum, — Grow dense and hard within the sky, — A living World become 1 Is it an oifshoot of the San ? Or atoms that adhere 1 Of varied elements, and spun By motion into sphere ? Had matter any pristine shape I Was space the void we sec 1 From whence did wind, storm, air, escape ? And dim Eteniitv I 21 Was there Beginning ? — is there End 1 Can finite creature say? Or the world's wisdom comprehend, And solve the problem, eh ? Can depth of thought, or sages fix The periods of their birth ? Do the same elements commix There, as compose our Earth ? Are worlds inhabited above ? By man, or angel race, United in the bonds of love. Or empty globes of Space 1 If peopled, are they half divine, With body and a soul 1 Do they their mortal part resign 1 The spiritual them control 1 Does vice their nature e'er pollute ? Has sin found entrance there 1 Is man the tyrant, slave, and brute. He has been found elsewhere 1 22 Or arc they formed of jjurcr clay? With gentler passions born 1 Doth the night interchange with day ? And the four Seasons warn ? Are they of rough or finer mould, As distant from the Sun ? T' endui'c th' extremes of heat and cold, Our feeble natures shun? In scorchcd-up climes to suns so near, That water is not found ? Or so remote, the rolling year In ice and snow is bound? (!an finite knowledge comprehend The infinite and vast? — Our ciiltured faculties ascend The heights where worlds are cast ? *o' Do tlicy our Earth take into view, And cross the bridge of Tinie ? — These philosophic thoughts ]nn'sue, Inspired with the sublime? 23 Have they the same inquiring mind And faculties as we 1 — As curious to explore and find Out more than they can see ? How pass they and beguile their Time 1 Is life a round of 3'ears 1 Have birds, beasts, insects, fish, a clime In yonder rolling spheres 1 Do sunny landscapes feast the sight, And groves and gardens smile, The soul bewitching with delight, As through this past'ral isle 1 Some narrow minds in little men, This vein of thought would bind ; And shut these visions from our ken, Or manacle the mind. Exalted Reason will inquire, (God's noblest gift to man !) And elevate a little higher His chef-d'oeuvre if it can ! 24 Nature has stereotyped on all, Tli;it all who breathe iiiust die ; And ;dl that rises up must fall ; It is their destiny ! Who has not felt within him glow Th' impulsive Soul's desires 1 And his best feelings overflow, When music's voice inspires ] Nature ! thy sweet pictorial charms, \Vith rapture fill my breast ! Oh ! I could rush into thy arms, And there contented rest ! The dce])-toned Ocean's anthem swells,- The voice of Nature sounds ; A vital essence inward dwells, In all that us surrounds. The Mountain of stern solitude Sits regally on high ; And beacons, torn by tempests rude, Watch Ages passing by ! The grandeur of the lightning's glare, Th' artillery of Heaven ; The earthquake's throes which rend and tear, And stormy tempests driven, Attest the presidence of God ! And genius Divine ! Sinai was once his brief abode, And Nature's face his shrine ! How Time withdraws and veils from view The Nations of the Earth ! If we its chronicles look through, Few long survive their birth ! Their memories flash across the mind, Like shadows of a dream That haunt us when we wake and find Them bubbles on life's stream. Babylon ! Nineveh ! Judea ! Lie prostrate in the grave ; With all their Kings and Priests held dear. The proud ! — the great ! — the brave ! 26 Eutomb'd near mount Vesuvius' feet, In ashes Pompeii And Herculaneum almost meet, Forgot, unknown, pass'd by ! O'er proud Jerusalem we mourn ! On its famed Temple gaze ! And cities no less glorious born. And great in ancient days. Palmyi'a ! in the desert lies, A relic of the past ! And ruins of the great arise. All blotted out at last ! Phojnicia ! Petra ! India ! Tyre ! Recall the days of yore ! "With Persia in her silk attire. And Arab's spicy shore ! Sjn'ia and holy Palestine ! Th' celestial of the earth ! Oppress'd with ^loslcm's yoke decline, But have a phoenix birth. 27 Egypt's proud Pyramids survive T' immortalize her name ! And sacred in our memory live, Her temples and her fame ! Illustrious Greece ! to bards divine, And orators gave birth ; Her monuments the great enshrine ! And wisdom of the Earth ! Imperial and all conquering Rome ! The world knelt at thy feet ; Till luxury debauchd thy home, And vice usurp'd thy seat. Imagine an anterior Age, With nations gone before ! Reveal their history, — con the page. And countries lost deplore ! The sleeping cities of the dead, An empire's dust contain : Youth, beauty, wealth and rank have fled, Their memories but remain ! 28 ( '\ rus and Xerxes pass in view Down Time's oblivious tide ! Cfesar ;ind Alexander too, 'Whose conquering arms spread wide ! I'owor and distinction underlie 'I'he tombstones of the ground : No dust of their mortality, Is in Death's chambers found. ( )ld relics of a former age, The learned still admire, While poring o'er the antique page, Or 'niongst their sights inquu-e. Sacred to thought ! to memory dear, Are remnants of the past ! In sympathy we drop a tear, When life is ebbino- fast ! 'O Is eveiything to ruin doom'd, An universal wreck 1 AVill all decay or be consum'd? And Time not leave a speck ? 29 Shall worlds decline and pass awa}', And leave no trace behind Of kino-doms oreat ! — and mortal c]a\- ! By monuments enshrin'd 1 Shall this Earth e'er extinguish'd be ? Its elements dissolve 1 And chaos' rude antiquity In atoms all involve ? Shall shores of time and oceans vast, Be driven from their place ? Shall generated globes at last, Be swallowed up in Space 1 And who the last of mortal race, To see this change begun 1 When wrecks of worlds are hurled through space, And eclipsed is our Sun ! The laws of Nature govern all The Systems of the sky : And in their orbits great and small, Rotate in harmonv. 30 Each journeys round its central sun, And on its axis rolls ; Each has its daily course to run, Where gravitation holds ! There is elaborate mr^ design, An architectural plan ! And He who form'd it a divine Enigma is to man ! God's glorious works our eyes admire, Till contemplation 's blind ; We feel entranced while they inspire, And captivate the mind ! The ignorance that us surrounds. Is proof we little know Beyond the verge of this world's bounds, Fix'd as we ai'e below. Suppose man driven from this sphere ! The works he left behind, W^ould indicate he had been here. With his exalted niiiid ! 31 And so Creation's works attest, Creator ! though conceal'd ; ^Vhose Spirit in the human breast, And Nature's face reveal'd. Effects to causes let us trace. In proof of nature's laws, And moral government embrace, Which springs from a first cause. From Nature up to Nature's God, We natiu'ally rise : The Universe is his abode, Throughout the spacious skies ' Who could this wondrous scheme devise, Create, fix, form, control 1 — Who launch those worlds into the skies, But Him who heads the vv'hole 1 In solemn Majesty sublime, From his exalted throne, Th' Eternal views the wrecks of Time, Throughout our planet shewn. 32 His goodness, power and wisdom fill The Universe arouna . Through Science all may ti'ace his skill, Who rides the vast jjrofound ! Creation infinite obeys Omnipotence divine ; And he mnst worshij) who surveys Heaven's Temple niglitly shine ! The wide ])ictoi'ial fields above, Absorb the studious mind ; And fill with homage, praise and love, Tile hoiU'ts of all mankind. To bring down knowledge from the skies I Th' invisible to view ! Man's daring genius nobly tries To find out something new ! Creation's lord must still aspire, And wing his thoughts above ; — His intellectual mind inquire, After the God of love ! 33 Heaven ! Earth ! immortal Man we trace, To an Almighty hand ! But He who animated Space, We fail to imderstand. Before those stars created were. Or local found their place ; God's spirit floated in the air, His presence filled all space ! Essence miraculous ! divine ! Nature's imperial soul ! In which all elements combine In parts to form the whole ! God is a Spirit we are told ! Father of spirits too ! But where 's the artist to unfold. His image to oiu- view 1 He in his works is recognized, Omniscient and sublime ! In them reveal'd and idolized, Throughout all worlds and time ! 34 Tncomproheusible and great ! Invisible to all ! To live in all he does create, Is preternatural ! Were all the intellects of men, Of scattered worlds combined ; They would not bear comparison, With God's all-knowing mind ! The unexpounded miracle Of wonder ! the first cause Of all existence ! spiritual ! Centre of souls and laws ! Mysterious nding Providence ! Who governs by his will ; Inscrutable his ways to sense, An unsolved problem still ! We feel his influence here below ! Discern it in the sky ! While not the meanest thing wo know, Escapes his watchful eye ! 35 His wisdom is beyond all praise, Of beings here below : Yet man his humble voice will raise, His gratitude to shew ! Praise God from whom all blessings flow, And Nature's laws obey ! Fulfil youi' duties here below, And with devotion pray ! All reverence, worship, and adore, The undefined of all. That's Spiritual ! and upward soar To one Original ! Father of all ! Eternal ! One ! Impartial, just, and wise ! The source, the essence, mind and sun, Of all within the skies ! Let all the Earth in concert rise. And homage pay to Thee ! Great Ruler of the Earth and Skies ! Unravell'd Mystery ! 36 •'Thy kiugdom cume" is still oiu" prayer, Our longing, fond desire ! The future home we hope to share, To which our souls aspire ! From Thee we all first took our rise, Thy providence we share ; ^Ve seek Thee in the inner skies, But find Thee everywhere ! Unseen, unknown, and yet confest, In eveiy age and clime ; Thy spirit dwells in every breast. Oracular I Sublime ! The Universe is full of thee ! Most wonderful, profound ; Ubiquitous o'er space, we see Thy presence all around ! Author of being ! source of light I Of Nature and of ]\Iau ! The Universe displays thy miglit ! Creation is thy plan I THE PRESENT, OR MAX, THE WORLD, AND THE0L0(;Y Part II. Man, liis primitive and civilized state — Time Present — England— Modern discoveries— The Old World— Pro- gression — Intellect — Art — Science — Death— Theo- logies — Bible — Jesus and other luminaries — The great Eternal— Creeds— Priestcraft— Eeligion. Angel of light, thy grace impart To my deep thirsting mind ! Teach, guide, and stimulate my heart Thy sacred porch to find ! Oh ! fill my soul with beams divine. Thy seraph form to see ! Unveil thy face and on me shine, Handmaid of Deitv ! 38 With lark-like warblers of the sky, Who carol on the wing, My soul in ecstacy would fly, — In cloudless heav'ns to sing ! God's greatest — noblest work is Man ! Creation's youngest birth ! The last link in the general plan ! God's image vipon earth ! Of all conceived ideas the best, With attributes divine : Beyond :ill living creatures blest, ^Vhere light and wisdom shine ! Man seems an instrument of power, — An agent to fulfil The schemes of Providence ! a tower Of strength to do His will. The Lord reveals himself to man, In whispers to all hearts ; Through conscience since the race began, He communes and imparts ! 39 His mental faculties and brain, Genius and power attest ! The windings of the nerve and vein, And wave -tides of the breast ! The symmetry, — reflective face, — The lungs, — eye, — heart and hand, — With senses which protect and grace The noblest creature plann'd ! Endowed with reason, sense and speech, Is proof of God's design T' ennoble, elevate and teach, And rank him half divine. In form, in spirit and address, Superior to all ! Placed here for what ? the problem gues.s To rise ! fulfil ! and fall ! Did he from rebel Angels spring. Half human, half divine? Or is he such as poets sing, From father Adam's line ? 40 Or t'lom the elder simian race, Anatomists describe ? The Physiologists him trace To the gorilla tribe. Races of men pre-adamite Were scattered through the earth : Their flint remains are brought to light, With brutes of monstrous birth. AVas he originally wild, As savage tribes arc found ? Or Nature's pet and darling child, Who smiled on all around 1 Vice, immorality and sin, Lead all mankind astray. When untamed nature reigns within, And conscience scares away. Affliction, madness, dire distress, All classes fill with gloom ; While grief, and want, and wretchedness Pursue us to the tomb. 41 Labour, anxiety and care, Are stamp'd on every face, Death, disappointment and despair, Crush, wound and scourge the race. Misfortune, penury and age, Cast down the weary soul, Now reconciled to quit the stage. For its translated goal. How many would dissolve the tie, That binds the soul to earth 'i And like a chrysalis would lie, Till launched into new birth ? If Angels sympathize above, With human suffering here, 'Tis proof that mercy, gTace and love, Flow from their councils there. Lo ! primitively wild and rude, He wanders on the shore, Fishing the streams and hunting food, Like nomad tribes before. 42 Wc find liini (in the barren coast, TTnfixthom'd seas divide ; — ( )n isles remote, in oceans lost, — He migrates fai* and wide. We trace him through Earth's varied climes. In language, colour, race ; From modern up to early times, Jn wild and cultured place. 1 11 barb'rous slavery confin'd, And brutal ignorance bred ; (.'louded with darkness is his mind, When by his passions led. Ambition, war, lust, murder, stain And petrify his heai't : Heroes for glory, — kings for gain, Take their dramatic part ! Survey the busy hives of men. How each performs his part : Their various employments ken, In nature and in art / , 43 Shall savage war extinguish VI be, And cursed serfdom cease 1 — The wild be tamed ? the wliole wurld free I United and at peace 1 The world in miniature is shewn, Assembled at one view, In the circumference of a town. Stirring with life all through. Nature predominates o'er all. But custom schools us here ; As constituted, great, and small, Fill their peculiar sphere. Art, Science, Commerce pass in view, And vanities of life : With hostile armies marching through, 'Midst politician's strife. Life's active duties still supply, A place for aU to fill : Trade, manufactures, tillage lie, All open to our skill. u Wealth, pleasure, fame, will not content, Nor pow'r or beauty bless ; AVhen youth and health and strength are spent, In servile worldiness. There is a paradise above, A God to pray to here. For mei'cy, peace of mind and love ; And our salvation there. This world's a temporary sojourn. For wisest purpose giv'n ; To train, refine, exalt and learn, Preparat'ry for heaven ! There seems, on supci-ficial view. Injustice done to man : Reflect and seai'ch th' enigma thro' ; Then censure if you can. Birth, fortune, destiny and fate, Are riddles to the mind ; And emblem forth life's chequered state, Cajiricious as the wind. 45 There must be different degrees, With rulers to comrtiand : Law, constitution, order please, And socialize a land ! Life, property and sacred ties. And all he holds most dear, Protection claim ! and hence man flies. To government 'tis clear ! Thus illustrated life appears, A stage to play a part, In characters a few brief years ; Then one by one depart ! If we attempt to look Time tlu'ough. Chronology is brief; And leaves of history so few, Doubt mingles with belief. Time is made up of Ages past, Which present hours supply ! Its wrecks are graves and empires vast We quit it when we die. 46 The undeveloped world will grow, Like youth from age to age ; And infant states expanded so, in turn will trend the statje. France, Russia, Germany, and Spain, Alay change but still be gi'eat ; ( )]• vestiges of Time remain. In a chaotic state. Oh ! where will dear old England be 1 And what her station then ? The honoured birthplace of the free, — Th' asylum of all men ! Her restless children spread and root On many a foreign shore ; And like a vigorous off-shoot, Their shadows cast before. India, China, and Japan, Each with a swarming race ! Like infant colonies began. Ere they rank'd high in place. 47 All change with age, and some expire, Their ruined walls we find ! We like our ancestors retire, And leave our seed behind. Another flood may sweep away ! A volcano entomb ! Earthquake destroy ! or conqueror slay O'er all there hangs a doom. What is proud England's destiny 1 Will she be ever great ? Or Tyre-like of antiquity Succumb at last to fate 1 Age may add wrinkles to her brow ! Her prestige disappear ! But memory of her glories now, Must make our countiy dear I Her laiu-els Time will not eflface, Her power it may subdue I Her history shall survive, and race, Tho' sunk and lost to view. 48 T'^nknown, forgot, an Empire's dust, May lie entomb'd below, Like Pompeii ! another crust Our Island overgrow ! Some distant Age in her decline, Send pilgrims to our shore ; Some Marius o'er her sacred shrine, Weep, meditate, deplore ! New worlds arc opening on our sight. Whose being was unknown. Till Science shed her beams of light, And on a genius shone ! Three centuries scarce have closed their eyes, And opcn'd iip to view A Continent ! — a world in size I AVith savage tribes all through. A dark and spell -bound Hemispliere. Was first unveiled to light ! The two Americas lay there, Reveal'd to Europe's sight ! 49 The trackless forest, — boundless plaiu, The mountain, prairie, stream ; For unknown ages there had lain, A phantom ! myth I and di-eam ! Disclosed to view Australia lies, A wilderness of wood : And New South Wales, another prize, Rescued from solitude ! New Zealand ! Mexico ! Peru ! Columbia and the sea, Resemble a Creation new ; Nations in infancy ! The New World promises to be The rival of the Old ! Great, pow'rful, enterprizing, free, And rich in mines of gold. The dreary regions of the Pole, Imperfectly we know : In ice imprisoned is the whole. And everlasting snow ! 50 'Tis thus from nature iinrefin'd. Progressive man we trace ; Who now unfolds the god-like mind Of his immortal race. Rank, honor, title, wealth and fame, Mark th' illustrious great : Castles and palaces and name. Give dignity and state. Rich marble mosques and monuments, Mid towers and temples stand. With pyramids to mark events, O'er all the eastern land. The intellectual gifts of mind, — The tongue of eloquence, With imagery and taste combin'd, And cultured elegance, Incline us to the sister arts. That elevate the soul ; And stamp their image on our hearts. And soften and control. 51 Painting and Sculpture and design, Our admiration raise : Music and poetry refine And fill -with songs of praise. The rich auriferous vein of thouo^ht. Embedded in the mind ; By genius curiously is wrought, Adorn'd, enriched, refin'd ! From knowledge, ti-uth and wisdom spring, Genius and learning shine : To contemplate 's a noble thing, Inspiring and divine ! MTiat from the ancients was conceal'd. Of star-lit heaven and earth, To us lies open and reveal'd, And have a modern birth. Columbus mapp'd the unknown Sea, And Newton measured Space ; Impell'd, — inspired by Deity, Who guides our sovereign race ! Discoveries have opeu'd wide The knowledge of mankind ; And mnst with Reason be the guide And cuiupass of our mind. Each Age adds wisdom and new hght Unto the fruitful past : The telescope expands our sight ! The printing type is cast ! Astronomy has much reveal'd, And open'd up to sight The springs of Nature long conceal'd, In barren fields of night. Th' electric wires that cross the sea ! The rail that girds the earth ! Gas, powder, guns, machinery, And steam of magic birth. Geology has brought to light. The secrets of the past I And giv'n with Chymistry insight To Nature's earth-stores vast. 53 Chronology begins with man ! But when did Earth begin 1 Time's chronicles had not began, When Chaos enter'd in. Man now begins to think and read, T' examine and inquire Into Life's purpose and his creed, And thirsts for regions higher. He finds himself a child of earth, A pilgrim to the tomb ; With few brief years betwixt his birth, And Death's eclipsing doom ! The painful thought that he must die. To him alone is giv'u : Tho' it create a worldly sigh, It wings his Soul to heav'n ! The hemisphere that bounds our ken, Cuts every earthly tie : But through death's screen Light shines again On Immortality ! 54 Hope's rainbow promise seems to say, The spirit never dies ! But after life shall pass away To its own native skies ! This elevates, resigns, inspires, And fills his grateful heart With prayer and praise, and warm desires. To Heav'n ! when lov'd ones part. Divinity is dew from Heav'n, An antidote for sin : — A holy inspiration giv'n ! — ' The still small voice ' within. Oh ! glorious mind that looks beyond The present changing scene Of life's romantic journey round. And lives the two between ! I'hen when Death's solemn hour draws nigh, (Woni out on life's rough road,) How peaceful to lie down and die ; Prepared to meet oiir God ! 55 When round about our senses swim, And Earth recedes from view ; Th' expiring lamp of life grows dim, The soul is passing through ! Absorb'd, unconscious, in a trance, We sleep and wake no more ! Or waking take one parting glance, Of this world's fading shore ! Salvation is the soul set free, From cares and ills of life ; — Deliverance from captivity, Sin, sickness, sorrow, strife ! Theology ! alas, thy schools Are factious, — full of strife ! All orthodox by logic rules, But heterodox in life. The Catholic insidious rules The unenlighten'd crowd ; Anathemas and papal bulls Are hurl'd in thunders loud. 56 Their impious mummery is a sham, — A scenic interlude : With superstitions gross they cram The ignorant multitude. The Protestant, with kindred zeal, His faith spreads far and wide ; And both a rival interest feel, Christ taking for their guide. That cruel, false, and treacherous race, The Jews ! th' elect of heaven ; Whose doctrines christians half embrace, Through earth are wanderers driven I Mohammedans are zealots born ; The Koran their belief ! Despising infidels with scorn, Who worship not their Chief ! The simple Hindoos reverence pay To all their household gods ! The Brahmin and the Buddhist pray With special forms and modes. 57 The Pagans, primitive and rude, To Temple worship fly ; With sacrifice themselves delude. And idol imagery ! Jehovah ! from his throne on high, On weak deluded man, Looks down in pity with a sigh, At his frustrated plan. Are things divine as we conceive ? Whose creed is wrong or right 1 AVe scarcely know what to believe. And need more spiritual light ! Belief or doctrine will not s^ave The sinner from his fate : We nothing know beyond the grave, But, hoping on, must wait. Heroes and saints are deified Throughout the peopled earth ; With bards divine who prophesied, Aud gods of monstrous birth. 58 Temples and groves and altars rose, And sacrifices made With pious homage ; games and shows Lent ostentatious aid. Church and Dissenters split, divide, The learned disagree : Dogmatically all decide The old controversy. Divoi'ce the firm of Church and State, And plural livings drop ; The mercenary sales abate, And base corruption stop. In morals all mankind agree, And cordially unite ! Religion seems a mystery. For which fanatics fight. With governments Religions change, For all think theirs the best ! Believing others false and strange, Each would destroy the rest. 59 Above all this my Soul aspires To search out Truth on high ; Apart from doctrine it desires To feel Divinity ! Oh ! for that heav'n-felt spiritual glow, That fills the heart with love ! When our best feelings overflow, Soften'd by dews above ! "Whatever spot of Earth we share, Has its establish 'd creed ; Which time and custom nourish'd there, And still preserves the seed. Religion 's native to the breast, — Instinctive to our race : With special forms each sect 's imprest, But all find equal grace. The hopes and fears of future life. Influence our actions here ; They tame our nature ; — crush our strife, And draw our Maker near. 60 What numbei's worship in thch' zeal, From superstitions fear And ignorance ! who never feel, Or question what they hear ! Creatures of habit sent to school, And trained to all that 's taught ; They learn Theology by rule. Without a doubting thought. To inbred dogmas man will cling, Howe'er absurd and strange : Opinion 's a capricious thing ! Divine laws never change ! How whimsical the forms and modes False piety inspires ! What bigotry in blood-writ codes Blaze up the martyrs' fires ! Enough in natural laws is found, T' illuminate the Mind ! The supernatural confound, And mystify the blind ! 61 How many thought in days of yore, This thought that still will rise ; After deep search and pondering o'er, — That ' Truth in Nature lies !' Simple and governed by one plan, Unchangeable ! divine ! The only book revealed to man ; — God's universal sign ! The Bible is the Word of God, The christian world believes ! The chart, the anchor, fingei-'d road To Heaven, which ne'er deceives. Is it infallible or no ? Was every pen inspired 1 Does it reveal all man should know ? And all the world required ? The Word of Life is everywhere, In nature aud in man ! (Not partial creeds or books we share ;) An universal plan ! 62 Growing intelligence will spurn, And science oft confute, The instill'd doctrines which we learn, While understanding 's mute. To blast and undermine the rock. On which the Bible stands, Would echo like an earthquake's shock, Throughout all christian lands. Investigation leads to doubt ; Doubt makes the sceptic pause. Reflect, examine, reason out Of all things a First Cause ! Engi-aved upon the sage's mind. The shadow will not pass For substance, though it cheat the blind, Unthinking, ignorant mass I Entail'd opinions, — fixed belief, Are undermined and fall ; Conventionalities are brief, Knowledge enlightens all ! 63 The -world 's fast waking from its dream ! The Mind receiving light ! Darkness and superstition seem To blind the human sight. The glorious light of Reason sheds Its rays on all around ; Truth over falsehood reigns and spreads Her flowers where weeds abound. The intellectual gift divine, In flashes first began, Is now a glory made to shine And emblems God in man ! Were man to mark, learn and digest God's teachings in the heart ; The anxious mind might be at rest He 's there reveal'd in part. How melancholy 'tis to see. Such enmity and strife In different sects, when such should be The bread and salt of life ! 64 Alas ! unrighteous wars are bred, — Deluded millions die, Martyrs to special faith, instead Of serving the Most High. The holy wars we all deplore, For they were fought in vain : What rivers flow'd with human gore ! What hecatombs were slain ! If Heav'n appoints its missions here, 'Tis proof of some great plan. Which Providence will make appeal-, A blessing unto Man ! Ab oracles of truth and light. In characters divine. Who bless'd the world with spiritual sight, Christ, Paul, and Moses shine ! Such pious guides we must admire, As ministers from Heav'n ! To lead, convert, and raise us higher, These righteous men were giv'n. 65 As other lights of wisdom shine, God's purpose to fulfil ; So these, as part of his design, Were agents of his WiU. Jesus ! the holiest of our race, The model we adore, Preach'd moral truths we aU embrace, And angels could no more ! This philanthropist of mankind, So holy, good, and pure, Gave mental sight unto the bhnd. And Heaven to bless the poor. The gospel is a song of joy, To those who Christ believe ; But is there truth without aUoy, And must we all receive ? Of all religions we yet know. The Christian 's most divine And spiritual ! a heaven below, Where all the virtues shine ! 66 Another Saviour may arise, By Providence inspired ! To open up the inner skies, By all mankind desired ! — The harbinger of spiritual Light, About to shine on man ! Discerned by intellectual sight. Dim, distant, yet began ! When man, superior to our race, With giant strength of mind, In later times shall take our place, And ffodlike wisdom find. t3^ The shadow of a Faith appears, The whole world will embrace Fraternally in after years. And all the rest displace. The Universal church of God Is struggling into sight ; While doctrines of the past explode ' Fore scientific light. 67 How many prodigies appear, To gem the world with light ! Distinguish 'd in their natural sphere, Gifted with clair'vant siorht ! '*&' All homage to th' illustrious great. Whose genius we admu-e ! The model men we imitate, Whose lofty works inspire ! Homer and Shakespeare still inspire, And thrill the soul within ! Plato and Socrates raise higher, And light divine let in. As the world's teachers, and our guides. We honor, praise, esteem ! But to believe them Gods besides. Is impious, and a dream ! The great Eternal will not share His sov'reignty with man ! 'Tis blasphemy in those who dare Plurality to plan ! 68 Societies spread far and wide Their doctrines false or true, And missionary work provide From their own points of view. A dreantiy phantom of the brain, The thing we Demon call ; Vice, passion, crime, affliction, pain, Alas ! are bred in all. Remote traditions, dreams obscure, Descend from sire to son ; Myths, legends, miracles endure. And ghostly stories spun. If the foundation is not sound, The edifice must M\ : Examine, search, and prove the ground, Before you build at all. Uproot the fabric if corrupt. And Church and State reform ; The reformation re -construct, Before the gathering storm. 69 'Twas quite as natural to die, As live before the ftill ! Age brings decay ; — 'tis destiny ! Death ravenous swallows all ! In death we have no power to rise, The soul has pass'd away ! And tenantless the castle lies In ruin and decay. To hberty mankind aspire ! In free thought they delight ! Then why deprive the soul that's higher, Of intellectual light ? To common sense we would appeal, And the imbiassed mind : Not to the Jesuit's frantic zeal, So credulous and blind. Instead of winning hearts by love, They'd govern all by fear ! — Would bring down vengeance from above, And shew no mercy here. 70 Church persecutions are a blot Of dark dehxdcd times ; Some tyrant king's or priesthood plot ; Inquisitorial crimes. Religion, how we blush to hear Thy sacred name profaned, By hypocrites, who would appear The monkish saints they feign'd. Ignobly lowering God to man. With passions they inspire The holy Spirit ! and would (an His anger into fire. Kevenge, hate, malice, jealousy. They impiously impute To the all-loving Deity, As if a savage brute. If we in miracles believe. And Nature's Laws suspend, We supernatural powers conceive, But fail to comprehend. 71 Could Roman Priests absolve from sins, To them we'd daily fly ; — Repent, confess with offerings, — Do penance, fast and die. Such legends we cannot receive From pious saint or bard : Enthusiasts themselves deceive, And truth with fiction lard. Some visions look like mystic dreams, Poetical ! sublime ! With metaphor the language teems. O'er all the eastern clime. The incantations of the night. Mysterious are to all ; Revealing to our mental sight The preternatural ! But who will say they are divine Whisperings of God to man 1 The word, the oracle, the sign. To shadow forth his plan 1 72 Read, mark and leam ! seek God and truth, Take wisdom for thy guide ; Think for thyself in age and youth, And let plain sense decide. God publishes his wise decrees, Through the wide heavens and earth ; Though man but indistinctly sees Their purpose, end, or birth ! The inspired oracles to man, Are written in his breast ! The decalogue with life began, But where are all the rest ? War, incest, slavery, swearing, pride, Intemp'rance, lust, are ci-imes ; Cheating, gambling, forgery, beside A host that stain our times. The trials we here undergo, Which make our earth a hell ; May be God's judgments here below. For aught that man can tell. 73 Can we perceive in this world's school A nursery for heaven ? To weed out vice, and passions cool, And rectify the leav'n ? What is our being's end and aim ? To propagate and die 1 Or culture mind and nature tame, For all eternity 1 Delightful pleasure to possess Benevolence of heart ; — To feel, — to mitigate distress. And charity impart ! Sisters of mercy, truth and love, Who worship and adore. Receive their mission from above, To tend the sick and poor. The zealous pastor all admire. Who comes the Soul to save ; — To pui-ify and raise it highei', And worthier Him who gave ! ■ &'• 74 Let conscience regulate and steer, And virtue be onr aim ; They bring their own reward while here, And leave a deathless name ! Morality is worldly bliss, A blessing unto man ! Essential to a world like this, By criminals o'erran. Apart from special doctrines taught. Who can indiff'rcnt be To calm religious holy thought. And genuine piety. The vital principle within A spark fans into flame, And, like an antidote for sin, Our inbred passions tame. Religion 's bliss to all our race, A glass we all look thro' ; It brings our Maker face to face, And keeps our Heav'n in view. 75 It is the twilight of the soul, Catching a glimpse of heav'n ; Attractive as th' magnetic pole, Or rock for safety di'iv'n. Abstracted, prayerful and sincere, 'Tis like a heav'n within ; A peaceful calm and comfort here, With light divine let in ! In meUow age and sunset years, Its softeuiug influence spreads A tranquil smile o'er hopes and fears, With angels o'er our heads. Exalted, spiiitual, and sublime, It is a sacred tie And covenant with God ! thro' time, And all eternity. The pious soul, when snared in sin. To its Creator flies For comfort and support within, In realms of ungauged skies. 76 This golden rule to all impart, ' Unite thyself to God ' With all thy soul, and mind, and heart, ' And walk His heav'nly road.' To nobler being we aspire ! A world of spiritual bliss ! AVhere thought will be exalted higher, Than it can reach in this. Devotion elevates the Soul, Refines and draws us near To Him who regulates the whole Of Being everywhere ! The Sabbath is a day of rest. From w^orldly toil set free, With heav'nly aspirations blest. And sweet tranquillity. Prayer is the heart's melodious strain. An anthem of the Soul ; Its tones vibrate thro' every vein And nerve from pole to pole. 77 He who communes with God alone, In privacy retired, And penitence before the thi'one Of Mercy, gi'ows inspired ! The intellectual and refined High cultivation shew. The spiritual and righteous mind Tastes Heav'nly bliss below ! Angelic beings here appear, And minds like jewels shine. Belonging to a higher sphere, Celestial and divine ! Benevolence, and truth, and love. Are virtues which outshine ; And pious Faith, which points above, Is saint -like and divine ! Oh ! give to me that spiritual light, Its influence let me feel ! Which Heav'n can open up to sight, And God himself reveal ! 78 Teach mc, ray God ! thy patlis to tread, And by thy compass steer ; If I am heretic in head, My understanding clear ! As penitents we bow the knee, With reverence, faith and love ; And pom- out all our Soul to Thee, The gi-eat Unknown above ! THE FUTURE, OK SOUL, HEAVEX AXD IMMORTALITY. Part III. The eternal shore— The Ghostly state — The spiritual world —Purgatory— The Exiled Soul— Heaven— Creation's works — Death — The released Spirit — Phantoms and Shadows — Problem of the future State — Immortality — The soul's pre-existent state — Eternity. The past's a pictui-e half defaced ! The present like a stream ! The future to which all things haste, An unrevealed dream. Prophetic sybil ! now unfold Our destiny and fate ! Prepare my genius to behold, And sketch the shadowy state. 80 To look into the rolls of Time, Its secrets to disceni ; T' miveil the spiritual and sublime, Their mysteries to learn. With preternatural sight inspire, And photogi-aph my mind, With views about wliich all inquire. And which th' immortal find. Where Souls live in a conscious state Of blessedness and peace ; Disfranchised from the world's estate, And Time's contracted lease. Here let us bridge the gulf between Life and th' eternal shore ! And look across the ghostly scene Of spectres passing o'er. As o'er the rainbow's arch they go. Their figures melt away : Released from earth they onward flow In crowds the same highway. 81 The Earth recedes ; ^e skimbering lie Unconscious in a trance, Dreaming of immortality, Of which we get a glance. At a pavilion's entrance there, A priest in orders stood ; Who scattered incense tlu-ough the aii- From spice and sandal wood. Th' ambrosial exhalations rose In clouds of rich perfume ; O'erpowering with a drowsy doze Our senses with the fume. , Sight, scent, and hearing slowly fade. Like a dissolving view : Stars, suns and moons sink into shade In firmament of blue. Sweet dulcet sounds of music rise. Harmonious, soft, and clear. Such as a saint hears when he dies When heralds wing'd appear ; 82 Blending their voices with tlie airs Celestial and divine ; ^lingling tlieir symphonies and prayers, As they in concert join. Through flowing robes of white attire, Transparent forms we see, While the melodious lute and lyi'e Pour forth their minstrelsy. Their graceful shadows glimmering past, Aerial, upward soar To realms above, profound and vast, Beyond the ethery shore. Legions of seraphs wing the skies, Airayed in vestures white, Inscrutable to mortal eyes, But clear to spiritual sight. How playful fancy shifts the scene From this globe's bounded view ! And from behind peers through the sci'een. All curious to search through. 83 Oh ! for a sense of spiritual sight, Those regions to explore ! Illumined with ethereal light, And Heaven's bespangled floor. Th' imaginative Future draws The distant landscape near ; And o'er its imagery we pause, With glowing fancy here. Those regions are a spectral state, On which the mind's eye feeds ! And speculative as our fate, In spite of worldly creeds. A dream nocturnal, — unrevealed, — Unvisited, — unknown ! A foreign shore from sight concealed. Foreshadowed if not shewn. We shape, build, theorize, decide. And image to our view : But Where's the chart and helm to guide Or soul to pierce them through ? 84 Exalted thoughts which elevate The intellectual mind, CoDie nearest to the spiritual state, We shall hereafter find. Philosophei'S of great renown, — And priests who worked their spell, — The visions of their minds have shewn ! But what can mortals tell 1 ^Verc Bards inspired who touched the theme, Original ! sublime ! Profane or sacred ! did they dream, Of unbogottcn Time 1 Tlie master mind of Dante drew Th' infernal shades to light ! And Milton's genius open threw The gates of Paradise ! [Shades of immortal men, arise, Th' shadowy world foreshevv ! Return to us in spectral guise ; And unfold all ye know ! 85 llliiine our darkness and make clear Your destiny and state ! And if confined or free ! — appear, And let us know our fate ! The oi'acles prognosticate, And prophecies proclaim, The secrets of the Book of Fate, As if from Heaven they came. Who can interpret things divine ? The spiritual reveal 1 Fathom the mysteries of design ; And break th' eternal seal 1 Astrologers consult the spheres, — Foretell our earthly fate : Divines work on om- hopes and fears. And sketch our future state ! An omen dark, foreboding ill. Is pictm-ed in the sky ! A dream at night when all is still, Comes like a prophecy ! 86 Where mountain chains close up the sky, A supernatural choir Of voices issue from on high, And gradually expire. Chain'd in oblivious bonds of sleep, Strange phantoms haunt us here ; Aerial shapes and shadows deep, Emblem a spiritual sphere. Is evil not personified, To work upon our fears 1 And our worst passions deified. By some infernal Peers 1 Have we a Genius at our side, A guardian angel dear ? To counsel, influence, prompt and guide. Our wandering footsteps here 1 Magnetic influences attract, And kindred souls unite ! An unsolved problem, but a fact, To charm'd mesmeric sight. 87 The soul communion holds with soul, Though hemispheres may part : And instant thovight from pole to pole, Thrills through the human heart. Let 's pause upon the Soul's estate, Worthy of thought sublime : Its present life, — its futm-e state ! Eternity and Time ! What silly symbols of the Soul Imagination draws ! Reflective minds from pole to pole, Still o'er the problem pause. Th' invisible we would explore, And draw aside the veil That separates us from the shore Of shadows ghostly pale. Shall there be held that gi'eat Assize, A general judgment da}^ 1 Or are we judged as each one dies, Can tawny sybil say ? 88 In nether circles of the air, Are solitudes profound, Where miseiy, suffering, and despair In dungeons deep abound. Shall we for sins of Earth atone ? In living tombs abide 1 AVill friends and relatives be known Across the Stygian tide ? For sin, impiety and crime. There may be banishment To shadowy regions for a time ; Not endless punishment : Where guilty souls in angiiish mourn Mid groans and awful cries. By conscience, terror, torture woni. And lamentable sighs. A dreary wilderness of wo, A desert, cavern, wood ; Where evil spirits pine below In dismal solitude. 89 A place of horror, fear and pain, Black, lonesome, silent, sad ; Where gnawing conscience feeds again On thoughts that drive them mad. 'o* Dark, cheerless, desolate and cold, A pnrgat'ry for sin ; Where guilt and dread torment the bold, And racking pains within. Grief, toil, anxiety and care Distract th' afflicted mind ; And sting with madness and despair. The lonely wretch confined. Regret and soitow for the past. Will reach the ear of Heaven ! The most corrupt of Earth's outcast, May hope to be forgiven ! The exiled Soul will reappear, Reformed, regenerate, pure, From realms of agony and fear, And prisons that immure. 90 Transporting thought ! the spiritual clime, To which we all aspire ; Celestial ! heavenly ! and sublime ! ^Vhere reigns Creation's Sire ! 'C5' The stars that gem the vaulted sky, A dense and glittering host, To us unfold infinity, In endless mazes lost. But what is Heaven 1 that heav'n of love, A real and conscious state ? A local dwelling-place above. Which prophet-bards create? — Perpetual sunshine ever cheers With gladness and delight, The Soul released from mortal feai-s Of darkness, death and night. Delicious odours fill the air Of this transparent clime ; Where all is heavenly, bright and fair. Grand ! infinite ! sublime ! 91 A world of purity and bliss, Where kindred spirits meet, After a short sojourn in this, Their dearest friends to greet 1 Whei'e Eden's happiness is found, And peace serenely dwells ; Where harmony 's in every sound, And not a thought rebels. No anxious cares disturb the Soul, So tranquil, and serene ! Xo struggling passions to control, In that Elysian scene ! All that is beautiful to view, Or vision can create ; The good, the righteous, just and true, Will there illuminate A nobler state of being, — new, On which we speculate, xVnd miiTor to our ideal view ; A theoretic state ! 92 Robed in ethereal vestures white, The choir of Heaven appear, With instruments rcveal'd to sight, And vocal songsters there. "Where singing anthems to the throne Of Heaven's exalted King, With chants of praise and worship crown Our fond imagining ! Oh ! for the better life beyond, Which brightens with its beams The Soul like break of day when found After fantastic dreams. Where soul communings are inspired, — And warmest feelings rise, — Identity of mind acquired, In those transforming skies ! Our senses will be more acute, Our faculties refined ; And memory take deeper root In Heaven's all-seeing mind. 93 Shall the appointed, vigils keep, Each in their several spheres 1 — In missions cross the skyey deep, Commission'd by their peers ? How many heavens shall we ascend. The topmost height to climb ? How long a period in each spend, Ere reaching the sublime ? Shall we in holiness excel ? Perfection there attain ? Wisdom and knowledge store as well, And fame unbounded gain ? Will brightest intellects below. And genius most sublime, Distinguish'd be, — and social gTow, — In that seraphic clime 1 Shall the immortal great, whose fame Was noised abroad through Earth, Be known by instinct, like or name. In this their spiritual birth ? 94 "Will graphic memory recall The faded things of Time 1 Will life's dramatic scenes at all, Be mingled with sublime 1 Sliall souls revisit Earth again, In spiritual disguise ? And o'er the grave cold corpse remain To watch and sympathize 1 Shall we progress 1 wnll knowledge charm, As it expands the mind 1 Shall W' e enjoy a sweeter calm ? And bliss of angels find 1 ■'o^ The wonders of Creation fill With admiration all ! But what discoveries will still Attract beyond this ball 1 The distant spheres to comprehend, Examine and explore, Will be our privilege, and tend To make us thirst for more. 95 From knowledge new ideas will flow, Enlarge, exalt, and root, For out of stems young branches gi'ow. Bud, blossom, set, and fruit. Possession will not damp desire, But relish stimulate To further action, and inspire The soul to emulate. There, souls of sentiment and sonsr. And eloquence will meet ; While some to festivals will thronsr. And some to calm retreat. Perhaps, aspiring to excel, We shall the centre climb ! Until we reach the place where dwell Th' celestial and sublime ! Where dazzling rays of glory shine Resplendent round the throne ! Where sits th' Exalted Judge Divine ! To whom all things are known ! 96 Th' Holy of Holies there is found, Revealed to those forgiv'n : Angelic beings there suiTonnd, With Hierarchy of Heav'n ! In circles thus Creation lies Developed to our view ! Where the aspiring spirit flies In quest of something new. Philosophers and learned men, Their worldly knowledge gain In the brief three score years and ten, Of life's extended chain. If so much wisdom is acquired By intellectual Mind, And dint of labour uninspired, What may wc hope to find I a spiritualities sublime ? And special influence 1 Surpassed by all we know of time. Derived from natural sense ? 97 The new, the glorious and unknown, Will be to i;s reveal'd ; The infinite eternal shewn, And secrets here conceal'd. The heavenly mansions of our rest, Pavilion 'd courts above. Are fiU'd with spirits of the blest, AU join'd in bonds of love. Orders of angels, — spirits bright, And saints divinely fair, Assembled round, will glad our sight With things all holy there ! With wreaths of glory round their head, And flowing robes divine, They move with gTace on wings outsj)read, And all illumined shine. Eewards will differ in degree, For vuluous conduct here ; Those who best serve the Deity Conspicuous will appear. 98 III dignity and robes of state, In countenance and tone, Who on imperial Godhead wait, In glory round his throne. Sense, faculties, and objects new AVill there exalt the Mind, Inheriting all it here knew, With all it longs to find ! The rays of gladness and dehght Will fill our souls above With wisdom's intellectual light And pure seraphic love. Choice harps and lutes of richest tone. And harmony divine, Fill heaven's melodious courts and throne. Where suns perpetual shine ! Ethereal treasures ! heavenly calm, The haven of our rest ; Thou hast within a healing balm, For every troubled breast. 99 A foretaste of that heav'n above Is realized below, By those who 're extasied with love And feel a rapturous glow. If small things may with gi-eat compare, 'Tween this world and the next, WTiat myriads will be gather'd there. Should all worlds be annexed ! All who inhabited afar, The globes that stud the sky. In farthest nebiilse or star. Will meet their God on high ! What swarms of beings crowd the scene Of our industrious hive ! Whole generations pass unseen ! Yet millions more siu'vive ! Life's drama must be acted through, And each one take a part Upon the stage, his work to do, Ere he this scene depart ! 100 When Death's dissolving hour draws uigh, And leaves of autumn foil ; 'Tis our translation to the sky ; A passport given to all. Into Death's valley we descend, The world recedes from view ; Heaven opens o'er us, we ascend To prospects wide and new. Released from bonds the Spirit flies, In wandering mazes lost ! Doubtful it navigates the skies, By sportive breezes tost. Like an imprison'd bird set free, It pants with wild delight. In phrensy and with ecstasy. And soft ethereal light ! 'O' Pent up in alabaster shrine. While pilgriming the Earth ; The twinkling stars too dazzling shine, Launched forth to its new birth. 101 From star to star it swiftly flies, An alien from its home j And half the firmament descries Beneath the spacious dome. Until some fleet wing'd seraphs see, In starlit spaces lost, The wandering exiled refugee, And guide it to its post. As gravitation to the Sun Is one of natvire's laws ; The Soul, when its career is run, To central Godhead draws. Hope beckons us through yonder skies, Where Faith has fix'd her home ; There our pictorial visions rise. Of heav'nly joys to come ! Yet destiny is so obscure, — The futvire so profovmd And reachless, -we deem nothing sure Beyond this planet's bound. 102 WTiere are our frieuds who 've gone before, The great, — ^the good, — the wise ? What influence guides'? what loadstone shore Attracts within the skies ? Phantoms and shadows fan the air. Invisible as wind ; Wand'ring instinctively to share Th' electric spark of mind. The whispering breezes round us play, Laden with rich perfume ; Meeting and fluttering on their way, Aerial shapes assume. The breath of heaven they seem to bring ; — Are musically sweet ; — And playful as the gladdening Spring, Which comes with smiles to greet. to'- These may be friends in spiritual guise, Whose sympathy and love, Though undiscern'd by mortal eyes, Attracted from above. 103 Their hallowed memories flit before The visionary mind, \Miose latent faculties restore And reproduce our kind ! They walk in secret, veiled in light Of gossamer around ; Pale spectral forms, half hid from sight, In lonely regions found ! Is that an apparition bright, That speeds o'er land and sea, Communicating in the night A friend's death instantly ? Delusive phantoms of the mind. The imagery of thought, The curtain'd scenic views behind, By fertile genius wrought. Till death we must with patience wait, These problems to unfold ; And what shaU be om* after state, By bards in visions told. 104 Then the great secret will be known, And Truth and Light appear ; Discoveries there will be our own, We tried to find out here. Each one a character unfolds, Distinct from all the rest ; By Nature cast in different moulds, And in their souls imprest. Oh ! withering thought, when all is o'er, To perish when we die ! Annihilation 1 — ^live no more ? — A blank Eternity 1 — That all we see, admire and love, Will like the flow'rets fade 1 Utopian dreams of heav'n above. Sink into sunless shade ? Oblivion is a state of death, Like to unconscious sleep Without revival, motion, breath ; Dark, viewless, senseless, deep ! 105 Mankind will build their hopes on high, Delusive though it be ! — Believe in a futurity, And in the Soul set free ! The disembodied Sovil will rise To its Creator there. Through brilliant shining jewel'd skies, And soft ambrosial air. The hope of Immortality Revives the spirit here ; For though its twin companion die, The Soul will reappear ! Our onward destiny and doom A secret must remain : 'Tis vain presumption to assume ; We hope to live again ! In this mankind are all agreed, It suits their wishes best ; However opposite their creed, It animates the breast. 106 Till Life's dream shall have passed away, We '11 place our trust in God ; With reverence worship and obey, While journeying on the road. Hope cheers us with her smiling face, And angel brightness there ! Imagines a superior place, To this we mortals share ! We have enshrined within the breast, — Creative brain, and eye, — The noblest, — most exalted test. Of our Divinity ! When half the world lies in a trance, And visions haunt the mind, Unconsciously we get a glance Of shadowy realms behind. The gentle, light and graceful shades, Who timidly retire, Were once the sweet and lovely maids, Whose magic charms inspire. 107 Whose feminine attractions melt The coldest, proudest heart ; Whose influence and dominion 's felt In every counterpart. Their symbols, like the painter's art, Embody forth to view The scenes in which they take their part, Creations grand and new ! Pale spectres flit about the air, — In groups assemble round, And sweet communion seem to share, In bowers of bliss profound. Dim figures of the living type. Transparent, fill the scene : Babes, youths, the middle aged and ripe. Are chang'd from what they 'd been. AU active and in motion seem, On some great errand bent ; Invisible and like a dream. Each on its mission sent. 108 The resurrection of the dead Is but a myth we share ! The mortal parts dissolve and spread In vapours through the air. The glorified and vital spark Soars on expanded wings, And hke the heaven descending lark, Midway its carol sings. Oh ! let us more familiar grow With our Immortal part ! Ethereal essence. Thee I 'd know ! Oh ! teach me what thou art ! Great luminary of the mind, Of intellectual light! I'm curious to search out and find Thy origin and flight ! Thy sphere and birth ] — primeval state 1 Thy wand'rings to and fro ? Thy antecedents, — future fate 1 And change to undergo ? 109 Mysterious, flick'ring, shadowy thing ! "WTiat is thy mission, pray 1 Thou art but briefly tenanting This mansion-house of clay. To think, feel, hope, reflect, aspire. Are attributes divine ! Which rank thee in creation higher Than this transparent shrine ! Oh ! wilt thou in a conscious state, From crucible refined. With other gentle spuits mate 1 And divine favour find ? Hast thou remembrance of the past. The interior world to shew 1 Where fate and destiny are cast. And laws of nature flow 1 Does life beyond resemble this, T\Tien mind and heart are pure ? Is it that paradise of bliss Of which we make so sure 1 110 Not unremembered shalt thou go, But leave a deathless name Behind thee, if thou 'It wiser grow. And seek immortal fame. Not undistinguish'd wilt thou be, In heavenly courts above, If thy works here are wox-thy thee, And the great God of love ! Incarnate traveller ! — restless guest ! Gifted with memoiy, tell Thy former state and place of rest, — And star where thou didst dwell 1 We know that thou wilt pass away, — This solid crust must die ; And all sublunary things decay ! But thou 'rt a mystery ! How oft we theorize and view, In speculations lost. Thy lineage, like, ethereal hue, And what resemblest most ! Ill Through iutellect the soul doth shine, In eloquence of tongue j — In imagery and light divine, And all inspiring song. It mantles in the glowing cheek, And flashes in the eye ; In conscience it is heard to speak, And through our senses sigh. To fancy, recreate, and feel The high poetic vein Of imagery around us steal, Is music to the brain. Our sentimental thoughts will rise Above this vale of tears ; And spring to more congenial skies. And brightei*, happier spheres ! Doubts and pei-plexities surround, As clouds obscure the light ; For truth, like gold, is often foxmd In depths beyond our sight. 112 We cannot penetrate the veil That hides our future fate ; But without chart or compass, sail Life's ever changing state. The vital spark returns to heaven,- In God it puts its trust ; And if in exile here 'tis driv'n, Who doubts the sentence just 1 It ranges through infinity, In tortuous mazes lost ; Spectator of eternity, — A pre-existent ghost ! Oh ! what a change to undergo. The soul from bonds set free ! It almost puts one in a glow, 'Tis such felicity ! Ah ! how we love to iniminate, And on the futm-e draw ! Forecasting our hereafter state. With sight oracular ! 113 Th' eternal regions, how profound ! A sea without a shore ! Space dotted with the globes around ! And unseen millions more ! Eternity ! thou 'rt everywhere ; All other things have place ; — The sea, the sun, and every sphere ; But thou art lost in Space ! The infinite above, — below, Without a centre, — height Or limit to which thought might go, Or links of chain unite ! The source ! the fountain ! and the head. Who ? whence 1 and how produced ? Whose essence through all things is spread, And Providence diffused ! A living miracle, which mind Can't comprehend or reach ! The infinite and undefined Intelligence all preach ! 114 The Past has vanished like a dream ! The Present still flows on ! The Future, like a mirage stream, Recedes, and draws us on ! TIME AND ETERNITY. The tie is broken : soul and body part, For Death dissolves their union here at last, After a rapid journey o'er the stage Of active life ! and the enchanting spell Of this world's busy scenes has pass'd away ! The tenant of that chamber is no more, Where all is dark and silent as the tomb ! Thus one by one we 're snatch'd from off the earth We live on, tracking the steps of those Who pass'd before us on the stage of Time ; Succumbing to the fate allotted all Without distinction ! sparing neither sex. The leaf of Autumn, or the flower of Spring, Nor wealth which could afford to purchase life, •< Nor ties that twine around the human heart, Nor worth and goodness which we ill can spare, 116 Nor genius sublime, or wisdom deep ! All ! all ! this debt of nature soon must pay, Some in the morn, tlie noon, the eve of life, Making their exit many kind of ways ! So hath it ever been from time remote ! The past, the shadow of the things that were, Succeeded and perpetuated by The fleeting present ! ever on the wing And by the rising generation will Be called the past ! Thus youth creeps on to age Throughout the feverish term of anxious life, Revealing the dark future, which is near, Deep and unfathomable as the void We see above us, which we cannot gauge ! Time measured is, its boundary we define, In circling periods of days and years, And trace its progress from the birth of Man ; Th' events of which are briefly chronicled In history's diary, while the world was young, And heaven held intercourse with fav'rite man ! While Nature's cheerful face was lit with smiles Of summer sweetness and inspiring rays, 117 Imparting blessings to the fruitful earth, Green, flowery, full of promise, budding forth ! Ages have roll'd, but not in silence pass'd ! Nations of eminence been swept away ! And conquering heroes, powerful in their day, Lie like their prostrate empires in the dust ; The sad memorials of an Age remote ! Egypt, Assyria, Persia, where are ye ? Greece, Rome, Judea, Carthage, Palestine ! Whose scatter'd ruins shew were once they stood. War, conquest, age, have left them solitudes ! While countless numbers famous in their hour. Are lost for ever in the lapse of Time, Trod under and their names quite blotted out ! So perish all ! the world is fvill of change ; The powerful wither, and the weak arise To dignity and station by their deeds ; And for a season lord it o'er the earth ; Then plunge like meteors down oblivion's gulf ! The inquiring Traveller visits oft the spots Which fame has consecrated, and the tombs Held sacred for their antiquarian dust, 118 Of warriors, poets, statesmen, patriots, kings, Philosophers and others of renown, While breathing o'er their ashes in deep thought Absorbed ! transported into distant times ; (irowing familiar with the things that were, But passing not the barrier of the gi'ave ! Oh ! for some magic lamp ! some genii's power ! Some supernatural agent to foreshew And work a miracle, — to shadow forth And picture the creations of a mind, Snaring poetical on fancy's wing ; The invisible and futui'e to unfold ! And draw the curtain of the spectral world, 'I'hat wc might witness all that's passing there ! ( 'ould this enchanting scene be conjured up, Then might the intellectual mind's-eye view, And recognise the shades of those we knew ! The dear companion and the bosom fi-iend, Whose social intercourse illumed the hour, Wliile pilgrims passing through this lower sphere ! Have souls unbodied any thought of Eai'th ? Do they revisit it and sympathize 119 With those they were faniiUar with before ? Or are they doing penance for tlieir sins Committed here, before they can ascend The highest heav'n to join the immortal throng ? And mix with holy angels bright and pure, Where spiritual felicity abounds, With innocence and loftiness of thought, And bliss celestial mortals dream not of ! Oh ! what a world of intellectual light, — Of love and happiness should we behold Assembled there in their seraphic charms ! Immortal, bless'd, united, equal all, The family of Deity itself ! Where virtue is triumphant ! — love divine ! — Truth ever sacred ! — piety sincere ! — Sweetness with elegance and grace combin'd. And all that here ennobles and endears Mankind to man, — all that we praise, admire And love of goodness is exalted there ! The generoiis of heart, and noble mind, — The amiable, the pious, good and kind, — And wisdom with her oracles of truth ! And prophet bards inspired ; and nature's sons. 120 With classic orators of flowery speech, And philosophic sage well read and Icarn'd, Stripped of all human passions, — thoughts con-upt,- Degenerate vices, — base and sordid views, — And the long catalogue of mortal ills, And human frailties which afflict the earth ! MONODY. As when a cloud o'erhangs the mountain's brow. Its shadow flings and darkens all below ; So doth th' insatiate avarice of the Tomb O'er SLinbright spirits cast a mournful gloom ; When those we loved and honoured, and held dear, Are summon'd hence, and from us disappear ! Not he who leaves his father-land to go To climes beyond the sea he does not know (Though friend or brother), when his home departs, Will so depress our fall, — our breaking hearts : The emigrant can write, and we may hear ! The dead are silent through the circling year ! Our bliss suspended, and ovir serious air, Our pensive thoughts, and visage hung with care, Our restless spirits in their cells confin'd, — Our mental sickness, and our absent mind, — 122 Our inward feelings, and oni- outward guise, Bespeak a sorrow deeper than the eyes ! Indift"'rent to tlic w(jrld, dejected, still. Absorbed ! reflective ! melancholy ! ill ! How measureless our steps are to the grave ! How brief the journey to the martial brave ! Alas ! when lengthened to its widest span. How short the thread of life allow 'd to man ! But yesterday (so swift-wing'd Time appears) He we lament, though in the vale of years, In health sat smiling in his easy chair, A patriarch amidst the young and fiiir : The jocund laugh, the rapt'rous kiss went around, And he amongst the Christmas sports was found. The spirit-stirring tale, — harmonious song. With social discourse cheer'd the hours alonff. All cheerful, patient, humble, frank, and plain. His face was index of his musing brain, Ennobling virtues of the wise and great. Inspired his soul the best to enmlate. His disposition affable and mild, Diffused a cheerfulness, and gladness smiled Around like summer's rays diffusing joy. 123 When man feels all the transport of the boy. Reason's bright lamp illumed his virtuous soul, And kept the latent passions in control. No angry feeling lurk'd within his breast, No inward monitor disturbed his rest. The voice of pity reached his tender heart, And nature triumphed over selfish art : Distress found sympathy, and age a friend, To each would he some words of comfoi-t send : He sought to heal the wounds he could not cure, And soften down the miseries of the poor. As to the summer's day succeeds the night, Whose long drawn shadows curtain up heav'n's light, And shuts the glorious landscape from our sight ; So to our dazzling eye and sunbright face. Our sparkling spirits, happy dwelling-place. Our smoothly gliding life and tranquil breast. Succeed the sorrows of our souls distressed. The flickering hope which glisten'd in the eye. Like the arched iris of the stormy sky. Which flatter'd and beguiled, though mixed with fears. Ceased to illumjne and left all in tears. The link which chain'd his mortal part to earth. 124 Has passed the boundaries of its second birth ; And unencuniber'd of its mortal load, In heav'n appears with angels round its God ! As the rude tempest or autumnal breeze Sweeps off in showers the foliage of the trees, So nips the withering blight from off the stage The wintry honours of a ripe old age. If melting sorrow and pathetic grief, Can in mute loneliness afford relief, AVhile pining o'er his tombstone, it is this, — The mourn'd, the lov'd, dwells in the realms of bliss We in oblivion bury every fault, The good alone rememb'ring of the past. Speak of his virtues, and with gladness hear All that 's familiar and to memory dear. Admire his maxims and whate'er was great, Dwell on his proverbs and his tales relate ! But chiefly we recite beyond the rest. His dying words engraven in the breast. So meteor like and rapid was his flight From earthly regions to the realms of light ; So recently in festive scenes we met, 125 'Tis like a dream to thiuk his sun has set. Reflected in our fancy he appears, In all the mellowness of riper years ; When Time's invasions round his fabric spread, And mowed the honours of his snow-white head. Experience tells how hard it is to part, With the dear treasures of a loving heart ; How sacred relics of departed time ! How treasured antiques of a foreign clime ! When curious cabinets their stores unfold, How many time-worn fragments we behold, Preserv'd in coats of sacred mould or rust ; Remains of nations prostrate in the dust ! If such their worth in antiquarian eyes, Much more should be the gift of friends we prize. Those friends removed, though trifle 'twas before, A keepsake is, and trifle is no more : Time sanctifies, — its value will increase, And sacred 'twill be held till our decease. Say should the portrait of a friend appear, To raise emotions and to draw a tear. Where we can every living feature trace, With thoughts which dawned through his reflective face 126 And reading eye ; how valuable the boon, With which instinctively our hearts commune : Which brings the dead to mind, — revives the past, Ere life's fresh bloom by sickness was o'ercast. While pondering thus, our memory reviews A much lov'd parent through the sorrowing Muse ; May we in actions emulate our sire, And imitate the virtues we admire : Like him, our thoughts 'twixt heaven and earth divide, And in an all-wise Providence confide ! May pious actions and inspiring prayer, The mortal for th' immortal state prepare ; That when the ethereal spirit leaves behind Its tenantless abode, we may be join'd With those who shared our friendship and our love, While passing thro' this world to that above. May we ne'er try his memory to efface, But in our musing bring him face to face. Withdrawing from the world in pensive gloom, We '11 visit oft the ashes of his tomb ; In tenderness bedew them with our tears, AVhile th' immortals watch from yonder spheres ! IN MEMORIAM. She like a broken column rent in twain Mourns o'er the sacred spot where he was lain, Brooding upon the memories of the past, Afflicted, sorrowful, and overcast. Her broken spirit, and her contrite heart, Shew'd that with life and empire she could part. Now the dear Prince who shared her nuptial bed, Grasp'd in the iron hands of Death lay dead ! No sympathy of feeling can console The deep emotions of her trembling soul ; The world cannot seduce, nor time efface The index of that melancholy face, Once lit with sunny smiles, whose lustre shed The rays of glory round her wreath-crown'd head. The nation joins its sorrows with her own. In fond remembrance, and pathetic tone, Her loss bewailing wdth its generous tears, 128 While offering up to Heav'n its earnest prayers For since her people have his praises sung, And his rare virtues hang on every tongue, Connecting charities with Albert's name. And exhibitions with his world-wide fame, His worth and goodness burst into a blaze Of glorious sunshine and immortal praise. When his last sunset closed upon the scene. And then reveal'd the past of what he 'd been ; — A guardian angel of th' imperial crown, Whose counsel ruled the empire and the throne. What would we give could we our friends restore, And be to them all we had been before ? — United, happy, loving, faithful, true, With heaven below and paradise in view ! Conscience reproaches us when we reflect Upon the hasty word, or cold neglect ; We lavish praises on the missing dead, And o'er their ashes streams of sorrow shed, Then on the tomb inscribe the tender line, ' In Memory' of those for whom we pine, — With wreathes immortal sanctify the ground, And strew fi-esh flowers upon the little mound ; 129 Then raise a mausoleum to their fame, Adorn'd with garlauds round their honour'd name. We visit oft the hallowed spot held dear, And consecrate it with a silent tear, Reviving the remembrance of the past, And solemn death-sleep when we watch'd his last. Absorb'd in thought and musing o'er his tomb, We pause upon the universal doom, And feel that we must soon or later share The common lot which ends this world of care. To silvan shady groves would she retire, T' indulge her grief in mourning's black attire, Pour out her soul in lamentations loud, And shun the notice of the vulgar crowd. To find that solace which the world can't give, And in the paths of heaven and virtue live. The crimson tint has left her hollow cheek. And she is humbled to the dust, and meek ; Though once high-spirited and proud withal, She is subdued, and pride has had its fall. Paternal love and fondness intertwine. Like the embracing tendrils of the vine. 130 The weaker branches chnging to the strong, Which nourish and support the frail and young ; Where th' affections tenderly unite, And joys Elysian gladden and delight. His darling children he appeared to rule, But play'd and frolick'd with them out of school ; His thoughts were imaged in his earnest look, And they his prudent counsel always took : The works he cherished, and the books he read, Will be remembered with the things he said. How doubly charming will appear to view, TJds work of art, and that his fancy drew ; The treasured relics which he most admired, Shew taste refined and knowledge well-acquired ; But chiefly one attracted her fond gaze, And such a portrait merited her praise. So like in features, semblance, grace, and dress. It seemed his thoughts and actions to express ! Mother of princes, whose ancestral line In ancient records eminently shine, Whose wide dominions stretch beyond the sea. The compass round of all geography : Receive a people's homage and regards, 131 Of inspir'd orators aud Attic bards, Who with one heart thy widowhood deplore, And sigh to think thy Albert is no more ! The Constitution claims thee for its own, With Lords and Commons circled round thy throne ; Admired and loved wherever known or seen, A pattern mother, and a model Queen ! Thy progeny, now fatherless and young, Who from the happiest of unions sprung, Demand protection, and thy care require, Depriv'd of the example of their sire, To guide, instruct, inspire them what to do. This vice to strangle, and that good pursue ; And last not least, religion to instil. To curb their tempers and rebellious will ! HOME. "When the shadowy wings of evening enfold the orb of day, And the nightingale is singing in the copse her sprightly lay, How sweet it is to wander by the clear meandering stream. Lit by the struggling moonbeams and the glowworm's starry gleam. The softly flowing rivulet that 's warbling at our feet, Kecalls to memory the voice of one so loved and sweet, Which like the tuneful echoes of the distant village chimes, Revives those thrilling ecstacies we felt in early times. As we grow the streams of life into other channels flow, Where struggling with the swelling deep and raging winds that blow, Like the hapless maid whose bosom into little billows swells, 133 We anchor on the past o'er which remembrance fondly dwells. Thus the scenes of our childhood pass in panoramic view, And yonth and its connexions with a crowd of friends ensue, And though absence long has weaned us from the old paternal dome, If our fancies don't deceive us there 's no spot Hke that of home. There we recognize the tree haply planted at our birth, The venerable church, drilling school, and social hearth ; But above these chronicles of youth, our sire in his arm chair. With his snowy locks and wintry looks sits like a Druid there. Oh ! how oft his heart has sung, and his face been lit with joy. When praises have been showered upon his dear, his hopeful boy, ^V^lile through this picture of himself he images a race. Inheriting his honoured name and lineaments of face. 134 But oh ! on our revisiting, how moving 'tis to hear The voice which sung the lullaby so sweetly in our ear, And with a mother's love to enrapture us with blisses, Imprinted on our infont lips her sweetest, warmest kisses. While watching o'er our slumbers then and filled with tender feeling, In silent thought how many tears would through her eyes be stealing ; How many a tln-ob her heart would fetch, when picturing in her mind Our future history which she like an oracle divined ! If pure affection ever dimm'd with tears a sister's eye. When we have stood upon the brink of dark eternity, How absence wiU endear us to each other when we meet. Where love and sympathy have caused our kindred hearts to beat. If to Friendship, Love, and Truth, we our sorrows would impart. We seek to enshrine them in a virtuous woman's heart; 135 And where can -we hope to find, if we look the wide world through, A heart more kind and feeling than a mother's that beats true 1 How feelingly the emigrant will miiTor in his mind The dear companions of his youth whom he hath left behind ! In pensive mood how oft will seek the grove or winding- stream, And of his past, his home, his friends, indulge a pictured dream ! THE WEDDING. The auspicious smiles of heaven welcome in the nuptial day, And scented thorns and lilacs sweeten all the brea^ of May ; The laburnum's ringlets flowing like a rocket's sparks on high, Look like a shower of firework stars descendino- from the sky. iMoniing breaks the gates of slumber, and the chamber of the fair Opens to the blooming bridesmaids who attend her toilet there : While the tuneful village bells from yon ivy-mantled tower. Proclaim the joyful tidings of the happy bridal hour. 137 Now in stately equipage comes the timid lovely bride, With a pretty group of nymphs in white satin by her side; Her countenance is veiled like a rose in silver dew, Whose modesty unfolds its blush of innocence to view. To the village church in state the invited guests repair, And meet encircled by his friends the hopeful bride- groom there : Through a silvan grove of trees lined with gossips smart but poor, Who strew the path with choicest flowers, she enters Hymen's door. All that 's fair in heaven or earth that can captivate the heart. The beautiful of nature and the elegant of art. Adorn the timid maiden as she passes up the aisle. Met with the warmest welcome and an all-inspiring smile. They met like familiar friends who 've not been long- apart. With affection's smiles of love and with o'erflowing heart : ]3S Tlieir spirits sink into tlicir breasts which quicken with deep feeling, And through the maid's transparent clieelc the crimson clouds are stealing. The richest silks of India, with the jewels of Peru, Vic with licr clust'ring ringlets, and her languid eye of l)luc : The expression of her countenance eifeminately mild. And she comes as if from heaven to tame and cultivate the wild. Before the sacred altar, with their bosom friends around. They plight their troth together and in wedding chains are bound, How beautiful the virgin blushes hang upon the tree ! How like a saint of heaven she looks upon her bending knee ! Here the pledges of affection which all true lovei's bind Are redeemed with the promises late emblem'd in the mind ; The tutelary father gives away the charming bride, As she agitated stands close by her adorer's side. 139 The bridegroom takes his wife with a tremulous emotion, And the bride looks on her husband with a confident devotion ; Her looks are looks of tenderness, and his noble and sincere. He struggles with his feelings, and she stems the pearly tear. In token of his sacred vows he weds her with a ring. Her heart speaks through her quivering lips, as she covenants to cling, In sickness, health, and fortune, or adversity's feU stroke, To the idol of her heart, like the ivy to the oak. Through the passages of life, tiU our pilgrimage is o'er. How many of its incidents are dated from this hour ! When two congenial spirits, wandering like the stars above. Gravitate towards each other and are linked in bonds of love. TO ONE IN A DECLINE. " Forget" thee ! oh, no never, while the lamp of life will burn. And that which had existence will through memory return : The dazzling world may spread its snares, and I entangled bo. But my w^andering thoughts will ever and anon return to thee. There's nothing in thy maiden bloom that I could wish to blot, But still if tliou hast blemishes, by me they 're all forgot. May I live and die like thee, — " hear, kind Heaven, my earnest prayer !" And possess those heavenly virtues which will be thy passport there. 141 I have seen the rainbow tints in thy countenance at play, I have watched the fairest flower in thy soft cheek fade away ; And drooping as thou sat'st, with thy chistering ringlets bending, I have seen the pearly shower in thy snowy breast descending. From those coral lips of love sweetest gems of fancy sprung, But now only whisjjers float from thy melodious tongue. That spai'kling soul which shone so bright in thy resplendent eye, Waned like the moon and vanished like that torch from out the skv. Beneath the weeping willow that o'erhangs the limpid stream, Sequestered in thy loneliness, how saint-like didst thou seem. When I have seen thee musing, as the sun was fast declining, On an unseen world beyond us with rays of glory shining. 142 If devotion can endear, or o'ei*flow the heart with feeling, It will before her God to see a lovely woman kneeling ! Thy vigils have been constant at the hallowed hour of nine. For through thy chamber's lattice we have seen the taper shine. Sweetest minstrel of the lyre ! are thy inspirations o'er? Shall we hear the muses weep in thy elegies no more 1 Will the embers of thy genius with thyself consume away 1 Will our feehngs like a river swell o'er thy pathetic lay ? It clouds the mind to see thee, Ellen, sickening in thy prime, And separating from the world, alas ! before thy time : 'Tis painful to behold the rose-bud wither on the tree, But melancholy to behold the blight of death on thee ! A VALENTINE. Like comets waudering through the sky, Amid the solar systems free, About this nether world we fly On pinions of full liberty ; Till destiny directs our flight, And then like doves on the same bough, In search of pleasure we alight, And feel our heart's blood warmer flow. With one consent the feathered pair Receive each other's fond addresses. And to their bridal nest repair, FiUed with afiectionate caresses. Oh ! could I thus be wed to thee, I freely would my all resign, — Forego unfettered liberty. To league my destiny with thine, My Valentine ! THE CLOSING SCENE. Fast sinking in the sleep of death, Ere ebbing hfe resign'd its breath, He woke as if from dreams subhnic, As he cross'd o'er the bridge of Time ; To take one parting, last adieu. Of Eartli receding from his view ! He fix'd his spirit-speaking eye On his dear friends assembled nigh, Absorbed and watching by his side, In solemn silence as he died ! That thoughtful look showed more of mind, Than thoughts outspoke by half mankind ! It was an index to his breast, Which told of peace and heav'nly rest ; And seemed to say with smile of love, — 145 " HoTV beautiful shines all above I A new Creation seems to rise Beyond th' illuminated skies ! " Half mortal ! half immortal too ! On the world's edge, I 've heaven m view ; Wing'd Seraphs whisper, — ' Haste away,' While distant music cheers the way : My mind 's confused, — my eyes grow dim. And round about my senses swim. " Sylph-like forms, — aerial graces, Phantoms look of angel faces ; The magical illusions seem Enchantment's spell ! — or fairy's dream ! And fancy so bewilders me, I feel I must a spirit be ! " Oh ! for some occult art to find Entrance to his pictorial mind ! That all these grand enchanting views Of th' inner world, we might not lose ! A foresight thus to mortals giv'n, Would surely win their souls to heaven ! 146 The Soul rusli'd full iuto Lis eyes, Transient scenes but to survey ; Then springing to its native skies, Left the warm expiring clay ! Thus these twin companions sever. When his blue eye closed for ever ! Still the pulse is slowly beating ; Gently dies the breath away ; Life itself is fast retreating ; Darkness clouds the face of day ; O'er him steals the marble coldness, Now his mortal part is soulless ! The great Secret 's now discovered, Which thi'ough life remained conceal'd ; Doubts and fears dispersed, which hover'd. And th' invisible reveal'd ! Death ! Death alone presents the key And shows our futm'e destiny ! If that tranquil sleep is dying, Dreaded Death is not so trying, As is Life with sickness shrouded, 347 Fill'd with wants, — with miseries crowded ! 'Tis in parting friends feel sorrow, For they meet not on the morrow ! A generation swept away, Proves all are hast'ning to decay ; The past reflected but reveals How swift-wing'd Time o'er all things steals. That we 're but travellers on the road, And Life encumbered with a load. THE BLIGHTED BLOSSOM. Like the flickering lamp that fodes In its crystal shrine that shades, Is the soul that dimly shincth, When its mortal part declinctli. The slow disease wastes her away Into a shadow day by day ; The form and features of her face, So altered, we can scarcely trace. The teasing cough, — perspiring frame,- The crimson flush, and inward flame, Shew dissolution to be near, And from us draw affection's tear. To-day her health and spirits rise. How large and bright her glassy eyes ! Alternate hope and timid fear, Kaise and deject while lingering here. 149 The clammy hand aud stifling breath, Are signs of her approaching death ; And sleep, the nurse of every kind, Steals o'er her calm unconscious mind. The plaintive whisper travels round, As soft as snow flake on the ground ; And friends look on her sweet repose, As on a summer evening's close. The holy calm that settles round, Is proof another world is found ; And this, so full of care and strife. No longer 's object of her life. Oh ! what 's the busy world to one On whose spring time the setting sun Hath cast its shadow ! — a wide stage With mortals fill'd on pilgiimage ! The shifting scenes of life but seem The dim remembrance of a dream : How few those scenes on which we look, Live in the page of memory's book ! 150 Her spirit struggling to get free, Pants for ethereal liberty ; And all her hopes are fix'd above. In realms of everlasting love. No longer doubtful of her fate, She lives for her immortal state : With prayer and praise on bended knee, fShe worships the great Deity ! She, like a distant sail at sea, Glides from our watch-tow'r gradually And as th' horizon shuts our view, The meeting heavens enshrine her too. The mystery of Death is o'er, And doubt and dread perplex no more : Her spirit hence has taken flight, — But where 's ! unknown and veiled from siaht. 'to' To scale Creation, — search tlie skies, — Imagination vainly tries ; To find Eternity and Fate ; Intent to learn our future state. 151 Where highest solar systems roll, And lowest depths we seek the soul ! And while the map of heaven we trace, Eternity is found in Space ! Illimitable ! vast ! profound ! A vacuum without a bound ! Where planetary systems rise. And worlds look mere specks in the skies No sign of change ! no trace of Time ! But fix'd, perpetual, and sublime ! The work of an Almighty power, Whom all with one consent adore ! Transported to some heav'nly sphere, Souls cannot hold communion here. The sacred Future to reveal ; For Death alone can break its seal ? TRANSFORMATION. As mountaiu springs and silver streamlets glide To tidal rivers and to oceans wide ; — So human life in channels passes by To the dark open of Eternity ! As when the evening shadows gather round, And the soft twilight flickers on the ground ; — Her soul withdrew its warm inspiring light, And curtained up those glassy orbs of sight. As when the distant strains of music rise, And the deep echo of the hills replies ; A supernatural voice foreboding flxte. Summons the soul to its ethereal state ! As when the last faint murmur of the breeze, Is heard to linger in the quivering trees ; The nervous spirit, ere it joins the blest, Gives one convulsive throb and quits its nest. 153 As emigrant forsakes his father land, Seeks a new country by description gi'and ; So Marianne calmly settling both in view, Gives up the old world and flies to the new. As 'neath the horizon day retii'es to sleep, And sets the lamps of night their watch to keep ; So we her setting sun and absence deem A short eclipse, — an evanescent dream ! As when the seed embedded in the ground. Swells and bursts through the husk that hems it round ; The hiunan gerna, impatient for its birth, Struggling for freedom 's born a child of Earth. Exhausted nature sinks and pants for breath. The bud of promise proves the mother's death ! Afiection, joy, and hope, appeared in sight, A few short hoiirs, when all was hush'd in night. Her nobler part, pure, vapouiy and free. Ascends to join in tuneful harmony The swelling chorus of the Saints above, To the all merciful, — the God of love ! 154 What distant latitudes, — what depths profound ! AVhat space those dim eternal regions bound ! What other worlds to pass ! what skies to clear ! Time must run out ere we can reach that sphere ! Inspired by their creations bards have been, And vision'd forth the blest Elysian scene : And ai-tists, too, have pictured heaven, and drew The angel state of being down to view ! "What that state is and where, no one can tell ! The invisible hereafter holds its spell O'er mind, imagination, reason, sight, Bewildering all with vacancy and night ! Death is the barrier through which we must pass To spiritual regions ; science has no glass To search the undiscovered fields of space ; Nor chart the lines to track the hidden place ! Yet like the faithful compass that ne'er veers. The thoughtful mind to one point ever steers ! In wandering mazes lost, the soul may roam, Still natural instinct guides it to its home ! OUR MISSING FRIEND. AN ELEGY. Her memory like a shadowy dream, Floats dimly through the mind ; And like the wreck o'erflowing stream, Some fragments leaves behind. O'er these we fondly musing dwell. Since she has ta'en her last farewell ! Throughout the volume of her days, Her narrative we trace ; And all we can admire and praise, While looking in her face ; As when we knew it lit with smiles Of gladness in these sunless isles. How many scenes we linger o'er, With pleasure and delight, And sigh to think we can't restore Our best beloved to sight ! 156 To share those bright, — those earthly joys Tlie mowhig hand of Death destroys. Another tie of life is gone ; A tear o'ei-flows the eye : Deserted, we seem left forlorn To bury those who die ! If we recall a few brief years, A generation disappears ! How many hearts that once were gay, Buoy'd up with hope and song ; Have like a vision pass'd away ! Cut off from those among They journey'd with in youthful spring, And in their tombs are withering ! We walk in paths where they have trod, Repeat what they have said. And with full hearts approach the sod. That marks their narrow bed : And while engaged in silent prayer, ' A still small voice ' is whispering there. 157 Our hope is iu Eternity, To meet those friends again ; When life is Immortaht j, Unfetter'd by the chain Of brief existence here below, No futiu-e change to undergo ! Affliction there will not intinide, Or gTief consume the heart ; Nor passions fierce to be subdued, Or conquering Death to pai*t : But soul with soul be link'd in love, In unknown latitudes above I Though fame or fortune spread renown, On life's capricious road ; Our only record is a stone, That tells of our abode, When ^e shall all have pass'd away, Like beings of a former day ! As ocean tides rush to the shore, — As day succeeds to night, — 158 So Man, till Time shall be no more. From earth will take his flight ; For like the wind impell'd he goes, But where his destiny, Avho knows? OUPt LITTLE PET. Hee little round of life is past, Her angel spirit fled ! On her remains we 've looked cm' last, And tears of memory shed. So swarming Nations passed away, Now vision' d as a dream ; So all things hasten to decay Down life's oblivious stream ! At opening dawn in youthful Spring, When flowers perfume the gale, And passage birds return to sing, AVhere warmer skies prevail : When trees put forth then- maiden bloom Of promise for the year ; A withering blight, — an early tomb, In soiTow found us here. 160 Her artless innocence and love, And sweet engaging ways, Were emblems of the blest above, Foreshadowing her days. The simple, chaste and pure e'er win Th' affections of our kind ; For they reflect the soul within. And the angelic mind I The crimson flush upon the cheek, — The quivering in the breast, — The sensitive of mind bespeak, And modesty express'd. Too delicate for sunbright eyes, — Too meek to dwell below ; She left for more congenial skies. The inner world to know ! Ah ! life is such a fleeting thing, We scarce can call it ours ; For youth and age alike take wing. In a few transient hours ! And while we weep at others' fate. And loss of friends deplore ; 161 We 're shortly mentioned as ' the late,' Lamented and siojh'd o'ei' ! 'o* Her image flits across the mind. As if she lingered near : We look where we were wont to find, And half believe we hear Her timid voice ! small things recall ; She haunts our dreams at night ; Not like the shadow on the wall, But bodied forth to sight ! \^Tio has not lost, ' to memory dear,' Some much beloved friend 1 Who has not shed a silent tear. And paused on his own end ? When blotted from Creation here. His vital spirit flies To vmdiscovered regions, where God's chosen never dies ! That much conjectui'ed heav'nly state, We would give worlds to know ! 162 'Tis wisely hid ! the book of fate A problem is below ! Prolific fancy loves to soar Beyond the milky way ; Where Time's chronology 's no more, But one Eternal Day ! THE NIGHT LAMP. Behind yon hills the sun has set, And left its streaks of glory there ; While in heav'n's arch in concert met, The stars their nightly watch prepare. The glimmering twilight steals away. And gathering vapours dim the sight. Extinguishing the beams of day, O'ershadowed with the wings of night. Without, the crescent Moon is slung, To guide the traveller on his way ; — Within, a glare of fire-light 's flung, To chase the tedious hours away. Enclosed within our curtain'd rooms. Where in soft slumbers we repose, The modest burning lamp illumes Our darkness when we restless doze. 164 This faithful vigil of the night, Companion to the chamber'd sick, Cheers with its little flickering light, As does the clock's alarm or tick. hi sweet communion with her God, The whispered prayer ascends on high. Her future spiritual abode ; For saint -hke she prepares to die. The weary sufferer sinks to sleep. Losing all consciousness of pain. In still repose ! oblivion deep ! Which calms and lulls the aching brain. Her dreamy fancy fills the air With seraphs in their flowing robes, Whose harps and voices blended there, Are beckoning her to yonder globes. 'Tis like a guardian angel here. Watching the slumberer's passive hours ; Returning consciousness to cheer. And glad the sight with fragrant flowers. 165 Before the Stin at break of day, The tiny lamp grows dim and pale ; It faintly gleams and fades away, Like yonder distant Ocean sail. How long and wearisome the hours Pass'd in the chambers of the sick ! A lull precedes the storm that lours, An omen in that death-watch tick ! How dismal is that dying gi-oan ! Her spirit flashes through her eyes ! Her pulse beats slow, — her breath is gone And there insensible she lies ! THE SPECTRE. In the grey shades of evening, — the dusk of twilight, When the moon is on watch Mke a warder of night ; When the atlas of Heaven with its stars is unfurl'd. And the black pall of death is thrown over the world ; When man has retired from the toil of the day, And all hnt remembrance seems fading away ; The earth looks deserted, its tenants all fled, Asleep and unconscious as if they were dead ! Oh ! this is the all hallowed season to find. Alone in their studies, the wakeful of mind ; — The wrestler of thought, and the genius sublime. Whose ideal creations anterior to Time, Like the work of enchantment, when internal sight Steals over our senses like a dream of the night ; When the soul in a trance deserting us here, Is viewing Creation from some higher sphere ! Abstracted, absorbed in reflection, the eye 167 Sees a flick' ring light passing suddenly by ; Which slowly recedes as we onward advance, But dodges our steps like a ghost of romance ; And haunting our fancy entwines like a spell, As if it had something mysterious to tell. The phantom we view through the mist of the eye, Looks on with emotion and heaves a deep sigh ; As if it had known us and seen us before It was summon'd hence to the shadowy shore ! Now it lingers, — now leads, — and ascending above, Invites us to join ; — and we instinctively move. All curious to learn, absorbed we pursue, Intent at all risks this fixed world to break through, For a glimpse of the next, however remote, Which we can't conjure up in the flashes of thought ; And whither our fancy continually flies, As it glasses itself in the innermost skies ; Which it peoples with shades of a multitude vast, That have through the death gates of our planet past. Shut out from the world, not a whisper or word, In the deep solemn silence of midnight is heard, Not a life breath is near to soothe or console, The pensive ideas of a sensitive soul. 168 How solitude frowns as we look o'er the deep, Alone on the shore, with all life wrapt in sleep ! Like those in their grave-clothes who withering lie, Heap'd up in the fields of Death's cemetery ? Who paid the great debt of nature and fled To the regions of fancy and light overhead ; Where the veil of the future, too sacred and bright For vision of mortals, thrown over our sight. Eternity's broad, boundless space is before, A mirage in the desert, — a'receding shore ! An ever hereafter, — yet now everywhere, Like the viewless wind, or an echo of air ! From whence is this wandering spirit of light, Revisiting earth in the darkness of night ? Perchance 'tis the shade of some friend we held dear. Impatient to guide us to some better sphere ! ^Vhere all that invention or fancy e'er drew Of th' invisible world is unfolded to view ! It may be our Genius descended in love. It may be a herald to summon above ! It flits, — disappears, — but again is in sight ; Like a will-o'-the-wisp in a thick misty night. Which glimmers and flies like an electric spark. That vividly flashes past us in the dark ; 169 ^lysterious it comes, aud timid with fears, Apprehensive, alarm'd, at once disappears Down the gulf of oblivion ! it seems to have past, And, if apparition, has vanished at last ! A SIGH FOR THE DAYS THAT ARE GONE. To look back on our youthful pinnic, When all was beaming bright ; And mark th' invasions of old Time, Is morn compared to night ! 'Tis pleasing to recall the past Of life and budding Spring ; Though it be dim and overcast With Time's dark shadowing. When all was innocence and love, — Our path strewed o'er with flowers ; — When we were smiled on from above, And happy passed the hours. When childhood's prattling tongue ran wild, On every new-born joy ; And trifles light as air beguiled The restless, playful boy. 171 When hope was buoyant, — spirits gay, Unclouded yet with care ; When smiles of gladness cheer'd our way, And all was fresh and fair. Our childhood 's like a running stream. That swiftly passes by ; And memory of it but a dream That fades but cannot die. 'Tis like a glorious summer day, All lovely and serene ; When with our little friends we play Upon the village green. At evening soiree, — Christmas cheer, The merry laugh went round : The ball or show throughout the year. Amusement for us found. Oh ! these are dreams worth ling'ring o'er, And not to be forgot : The magic wand should these restore, — The cloudy parts should blot. 172 The jDoetry of life is here, — Its harmony and song ; The heaven below of all that 's dear, To memory belong ! How interesting is our birth, How faiiy-like we seem ! It is the music-time of mirth, The hopeful mother's dream ! The nestling is the parents care. Who watch it night and day ; And for it every danger share. Ere fledged it flies away. The buds of promise op'ning spread, And flower and fruit succeed : The sheltering oak that rears its head. Was once an acorn seed ! If into times remote "we leap, The world was but a speck ! And torpid as an infant's sleep. Ere it became a wreck ! 173 Nations from individuals grew ; — Empires from hamlets rose ; — Oceans from streams ; — the old from new, Each changes as it grows. As passing o'er the bridge we view, An open prospect round ; The charming landscape rises new, And life 's a garden found. When youth comes budding into thought, More staid and steady grown ; School'd, disciplin'd, well train'd and taught, With manly air and tone : — The fallow mind is planted now, And stock'd with new ideas ; Studious and hungry to know, The world of former years ! How memory loves again to pore. O'er these dissolving views ; As if it would the past restore. Which we so quickly lose. 174 We feel an interest in tlie young And new of every race : And minstrels in all times have sun^. Their heavenly dwelling place. The part of life's enchanted ground, The home of ripening yeai-s, Is in the varied landscape found, Like April's smiles and tears. 'Tis like an old friend's face we knew, Wlio left for foreign skies ; Returning after years : we view, But scarcely recognise. The golden hours of youth are fled, The harvest time of joy; And feelings that we felt are dead, Or mixed with base alloy. All have their dark and sun-bright days,- Their stations on the road : And from life's summit backward gaze On all the paths they trod. 175 Oh ! what a gap there Mas between The dates of child and man ! How changed in feature, form, and mien, Since Life's voyage first began. The beautiful remains of art, Relics of bygone time ; Awake emotions in the heart, Like our departed prime. How like a ruin ivy-hung, — A spectre of the past, — Is venerable Age among The youthful living cast ! To see the withering touch of Time, — When blind and deaf with age, — To look back on our early prime, When moving off Life's stage ; Are signs of our approaching fate, Whom chance has left behind ; Waiting like pilgrims at the gate Eternal ! old and blind. 176 At evening's close, if we review The shoals and quicksands past Of being, our life looking through. Amazed we stand aghast ! All things at last, in turn, declare That Time is on the wing ; Decay and ruin everywhere, Death's shadows round us fling ! THE PORTRAIT GALLERY. How many things we daily see and hear, And trust to memory will soon disappear, And when departing scarcely leave behind A shadow of remembrance in the mind ! Hence to preserve to future times and men The voice of hist'ry, we unsheath the pen, And aught that of antiquity remains Recorded thus, our library contains : Lo ! the dear relics round our gallery hung, The lineage of those from whom we sprung ; Saved from the general wreck and waste of j^ears, A regiment of our ancestors appears ; Whose names and portraits, since they are no more, We with a sacred reverence adore. Allied by blood we fondly love to trace The ancient line of our ancestral race. And find a family likeness in each face. N 178 Each looks upon us with admiring ej'es. And in their look our own we recognise. Not all alike will our attention claini, For we are partial as regards their fame. The martial spirit, who to battle flew ^Vheue'er the trumpet of his country blew, Looks proudly in his military 'tire, Which damsels in their teens so much admire. The privy councillor who served the state, The doughty knight, and honour'd magistrate. And tliat illustrious gentleman the squire, Who ruled tlie village as a king empire ; Are here assembled in their age's guise, For their posterity to criticise. That righteous prelate, in his silken gown, Thought more of others' wants than of his own ! The good old pastor earned an honest fame, And all who knew esteem'd and bless'd liis name. Yon beardless youth of melancholy mood, Shunn'd the gay world and courted solitude ; His arduous studies promised to illume, But slow consumption brought him to the tomb. And here amidst the unforgotten dead. The female branches rear their flow'r-deck'd head ; 179 The maiden, blushing like an infant rose Displays fresh beauties as she ripening grows, She like a winsome wee thing standing by, Smiles on her grave and bearded ancestry. The cherub group in clusters round the chair, Are faithful copies of their parents there ! Each cheerful face expressive of its bliss. Looks sweetly up to supplicate a kiss ; With tenderest love she hugs them to her breast. And all the mother in her is confess'd : To grace of person, — harmony of mind, A meek and lively disposition 's join'd. To know his origin and trace his sires. The nobleman ambitiously aspires ; Consults the archives of his native place, Arms, hist'ry and traditions of his race ; Wills, title-deeds and registers of trust, Wormeaten, rent, and coated thick with dust. Examined with an antiquary's zeal. The Norman lineage of his blood reveal. In his research the family confide. And in their breasts all feel a swelling pride- Oft will they boast of their ancestral squire. 180 And serfs and villains of their feudal sire : And that enthusiastic age admire ; ^^1lcu crusades in the cast were once the rage, And nations sent their armies to engage Tlie infidels who Europe's power defy ; When zealots swore to conquer or to die ! "With what deep feeling interest they dwell Upon the cause, and those who fought and fell ! The days of chivalry, and popish thrall, — Monastic sanctuaries, and arraour'd hall, — The pride of archery, the chase, the court, — Old English hospitality and sport: — The splendid tournament where courage strove To win fair ladye to the arms of love : Arm'd cap-a-pie the flower of Europe shone ; For single combat threw the gauntlet down. Where princes and the fairest of the land, The conflicts witness'd from the royal stand. These mural monuments in gilded frame, Are frail memorials of an ancient name ; The household gods of their descendants, who But wait a little to be hung there too. Our absent friends and all we hold most dear 181 In life or memory are assembled here. On him who lately breath'd we feast our eyes, And half imagine he to us replies ; The artist immortality bestows On those whose faithful likenesses he shows. The withering hand of death is on us all, And the tomb closes o'er us ; — ere we fall. Some anxious thoughts will occupy the mind, About the trifles we may leave behind : The richest legacy is virtuous fame, The rarest relic is oneself in frame. Look where we will the march of Time appears, And human sympathy melts into tears : The Gothic ruins, once the blest retreat Of godly saints, lie mould'ring at our feet ; The monuments of sieges in their day, In ruins laid are crumbling fast away ; The few remains preserved entire from birth. Look like grim spectres rising from the earth ; These venerable fragments scattered wide, Were once our country's boast, and fathers' pride. MUSIC. Like dreams which o'er our shimbers steal, When midnight silently draws near, The heavenly sound of music falls Melodiously upon the ear. All other sounds have died away, And all around is calm and still As twilight when the silver beams Are lingering 'thwart the western hill. It speaks a language all its own, In symphonies of those above ; It drowns our worldly cares, and thaws Our coldest feelings into love. It lulls our senses which are fix'd. As if a spell upon them hung ; And restless thoughts that cross'd the brain Lie mute and motionless as th' tongue. 183 What tenderness it doth instil ! Impulsively our feelings rise ! "What sweet remembrances it brings Of sirens fled to yonder skies. It tames the savage, and subdues The passions of the human breast ; It tunes the soul to ecstacy, And soothes the heart that is distress'd. Pathetic airs fall soft as dew, But deeply as a last farewell ; Awak'ning memory from its doze, And feelings which the bosom swell. How joyous sound the village bells, As through the vale their voices rise : 'Tis like the minstrelsy of heaven, Descending through dissolving skies. Hark ! hark ! it heralds Christmas tide. And breaks our death-resembling sleep Charming us in the dead of night, Like angels who their vigils keep. 184 How billowy its rise and fall, Its dulcet softness, — organ swell ; It thrills the nerve-strings of the heart, Or ravishes it in its cell. Romantic visions it inspires, And sentimental feelings raise ; Till in a trance we seem to live In fairy land and halcyon days. Its harmony subdues the mind, And stills emotions of the breast, — Illuminates the face with smiles, By gloomy pensiveness imprest It is the poetry of heaven, Diffusing influence through the soul Like magic, op'ning to our view Ethereal worlds which round us ix)l]. How sweet it issues from the grove. How cheering in oiu* solitude. When the lark's trill is in the sky ; Or Philomela in the wood ! 185 Its plaintive sigh is in the wind, Its solemn mumnur on the shore, Its minstrelsy in insect hum, And deep tones in the thunder's roar. It stirs the martial breast to war, When marching to the battle plain, Amidst the din of blood-stain'd arms, And cannons' roar, and heaps of slain. It draws the tear-drops from the eye, Exhilarates the lively dance ; It animates the noble chase, And th' excited steed to prance. It peals along cathedral walls. Filling the empty space with sound Of infant voices' sweetest strains. Or age's hoarse notes echoing round. It fills us with devotion there. All meek and holy and sincere ; Our sacred best of feelings flow. Mingling bright hope with timid feai'. 186 The whulc soul haugs upon the hps Of lovely woman wheu she sings ! Euraptur'd Ave scarce seem to breathe, When she her witchery round us flings. The infant's cry is lull'd to sleep While cradled in its mother's arms, By her melodious soothing voice, And her mesmeric magic cliarms. APOSTROPHE TO A HUMAX SKULL. Alas ! poor skull, who dared to disinter Thee from thy sepulchre ? the final home And destiny of man's terrestrial reign ! Thou apparition of the living man, And representative of that we dread, Couldst thou reveal all I would wish to hear. Then thou wouldst tell the period of thy death, And travel o'er thy pilgrimage again. Narrating thy brief history while here ! This cannot be ! oblivion was thy doom, Though thou didst strut with noise upon the stage That we inherit from you ; — you from times Remote and generations long extinct. How changed from what thou wert ! — thy dearest friends "Would fail to recognise thee in disguise ! Assembled in these gloomy catacombs, Thy skull companions ranged in tiers around, (Like a museum of grim and spectral heads) 188 Gaze like the listeners of a ci'owdcd luill ; Anxious to hear the sonnd of human voice Break on the solemn silence of the vault. We look on thee as one who walked the earth, And fed upon the vital air we breathe ; Who felt the influence of the summer sun, .Vnd all the seasons' changes as they roll. We would inquire thy pedigree and place, And how the world behaved itself to thee : — If nursed in poverty's or plenty's lap 1 If bred in affluence, or obscure thy lot 1 And what thy fortune through the chequer'd scenes Of life's eventful stage 1 — how spent the hours As each succeeding year fill'd up thy days ? And what the circumstances of thy death ? Oh ! could remembrance stamp upon thy brow. And life's warm cuiTcnt glow upon thy cheek. Those eyeless orbs fl^sh fire, — that lock'd jaw break The silence of the tomb, — inspire thy tongue ; What interesting scenes and strange events Would fill thy narrative while on life's road ! Ah ! shall we with phrenological skill. Determine from the organs of thy skull, *- 189 The beut and constitution of thy mind ? Or with precision trace each organ's use, And from this index fix iipon thy will, Purpose, or disposition ; we could tell Thy weakness and in what thou didst excel. All that thou wert we are ! and what thou art. We must be ! this life is but a journey Over a hill of loose disjointed rocks, Whose ridge looks o'er a vast eternity Of endless space, depth, and infinity ! Within our range, life's mirror here presents The helpless infant crawling at the base, Its safet}^ watch'd with anxious speaking looks, And tender feelings of a mother's love. Another stage presents the jocund boy. With colleagues mixed in recreative play, Let loose from school the prototype of mirth. All sunshine is ; no intervening cloud Here casts its shadow on th' Elysian scene. The next act ushers him upon the stage. Just opening into life, when anxious thoughts 190 Begin to hang their sigiis upon his brow. Emancipated from parental rule, The restless ardour of ambitious youth Impels him forward in his new launched bark. And drifts him down the running stream of life Without a compass. Where'er fote or chance May cast his lot, he spreads his little sail, And is into the sultry tropics driven, Or arctic regions of eternal snows ! The fourth age comes, and finds the fire of youth. With its ambition like a dim-lit lamp, That has consumed tlic oil on which it fed. Increase of years hath brouglit increase of cares ; For now upon the bosom of the hill, The man appears like Saturn in his ring, Surrounded with his satellites of love ; On him they fix their hopes and round him shine, And in return he smooths their rugged path. Shielding them from the world's malignant frown. These with some other scenes of varied life, Fill up the measure of his middle age, Tlie last and closing scene that ends the play, (If he escapes the hidden snares of death, 191 Fatal to millions as they upward climb,) Finds him a lone and solitary thing Upon the rocky cliff ! a chilling scene Of winter wretchedness and human woe ! The siege of Time sad havoc there hath made, And left the ruins on his snow-capp'd head. Age, withering age, hath bow'd his manly frame, His tottering steps supported with a staff, And stript him of the health and strength of youth, With every lineament deform'd and changed ! The twilight calm that settled on his brow. And sweet serenity of evening's close, Have shut their pleasing landscapes from his view, For now th' horizon's light has sunk beneath. And left him groping sightless in the world, A prey to all the miseries of life. Death's shadow soon around his couch is thrown, And wasting sickness hurries on the foe That sinks him in oblivion, — veils the past. And opens on the future ! depth profound ! A vast eternity ! an endless round, Of starry systems unrevealed to man ! The flickering spark of life at last dies out, 192 And he expires I the grave receives the dead, The curtain falls and closes up the scene ! And in ;i few brief years he comes to this, The wreck and remnant of a living man ! THE CATHEDRAL. Yox lofty towers, that top the country round, Look like a beacon in the distance found. And to the foreign or familiar eye Are objects full of curiosity. Their sculptur'd pinnacles and gothic dress, With coloured lancet windows, all confess The fabric to belong to Popish times, When temples rose confessionals for crimes ; Their mould'ring walls and venerable cast. Remains of Time, through centuries have past, And with the dust of ruins round them thrown. Leave an antiquity upon the town. These proud creations of the hand of man, Oonceiv'd in fancy ere drawn into plan, Attest the genius of a lofty mind, Akin to that which heav'n and earth design'd ; 194 And whose sublime conceptious forra'd the whole Divine niachineiy and th' immortal soul ! These gothic structures of the days of yore, Recall the past, and Time's mile-posts restox'e. Un thenx we proudly look and fondly trace The exalted genius of our ancient race. With eager curiosity survey The sacred relics of a bygone day ; With interest listen to the tales they tell Of feudal times and on their memories dwell ; Their early chronicles and moss-grown wall, A long forgotten age at once recall. With reverence we approach their creaking doors, And entering read their pav'd inscription floors ; The storied window with its rich stain'd glass, Who can in silent admiration pass? Adoring Saints around their Saviour kneel, With looks expressing all they see and feel ; The cnicifixion serves to keep in mind The idolized reformer of mankind : The branching pillars, stretching through the aisle, Run into arches of the pointed style ; ]95 Up to the roof these lofty cokimns rise, And there we fix our contemplative eyes ; The sculptured screen divides the nave and choir, And here we lingering look on and admire ! Our grand old race of monarchs side by side, Renown'd for valour, dignity, and pride ; Around the swelling organ tunes the soul, And in its bass notes drowns and shakes the whole. Reverberating thunder fills the space. And drives th' afirighted soul into the face. The service choir adorned with curious stalls Of tabernacle work along the walls, And closet seats beneath the gallery seen, Are relics of what our old church has been, The splendid carving of the bishop's throne. The holy calmness round our feelings thrown, The sacred altar, — oracles divine, Preserved in stone, and treasured in a shrine ; No offer'd sacrifice, — no incense burns, But God's all-seeing eye its sunbeams turns, AVith the loud anthems chanted to his praise, The pious soul to its Creator raise ! The chapter-house preserv'd, attention draws, Its tracery windows meeting our applause ; 196 The Library shelves are fill'd with books divine, The hidden treasures of a lock'd up mine ; The chilly Crypt with taper we descend, And pause to think our miseries here will end ! The Cloisters next attract the stranger's eye, And fleeting phantoms seem to pass him by ; In human form they promenaded here For healthy exercise from year to year. Other memorials of our christian church Are still prcserv'd and open to our search ; But chiefly these the curious engage, With marble monuments of ev'ry age, Which crowd the aisles ; o'er these we lingering pause, Reading the stem decrees of Nature's laws : The victories of Death, and man's brief hour, How snatch'd from earthly honours, wealth, and power. The virtuous, wise, and great, and all whom fame Hath handed down with garlands round their name ; The buds of promise, and the youthful bloom Of summer withering in the silent tomb ; The virgin flower and beauty ever dear. Will thaw the frozen heart and draw the tear. Should mem'ry awakening now descend On some dear relative or bosom friend, 197 How will our sympathetic feelings rise, O'ei-flow their banks and inundate our eves ! O'er her we weep and picturing fondly trace As in a glass each feature of her ftice, Dwell on her excellence and virtues rare, Her blest benevolence and graceful air, Her cheering smile, — her happiness confest, With all the gentle throbbings of the breast. The only consolation 'midst our giuef, That softens sorrow, — ministers relief, Is that we hope to meet our friends above In realms of bliss and everlasting love. ROKEBY. We viewed the scenery around, And felt we trod on classic ground ; The craggy flood, and sylvan spot, Alike are full of Walter Scott ; His shadow seems to linger near Each interesting object here ; There 's music in the fragrant breeze, As it comes rushing through the trees. Tiiese noble monarchs of the wood, Invite to musing solitude ; Amidst such charming scenes as these, The nervous soul finds rest and ease ; No worldly cares disturb its rest, No passion agitates the breast ; Serene, contemplative, and mild, Nature adopts him for her child. Here distant forests seem to meet. Assembling kingdoms at our feet. 199 Here Lebanon's proud cedars rise, And noble pines from kindred skies ; The spreading chestnut's spiral bloom, Sweetens the gale with its perfume : With fostering care the ivy climbs Up noble elms and fragrant limes : The sheltering beech, with arms outspread, Looks like a forest overhead : In native dignity and dress, All claim oiir praises with success. The graceful shrub and evergreen. Mix and adorn this sylvan scene ; Here opening vistas glad the sight. Through which the sunbeams shed their light. Yon cluster down the sloping glade. In contrast forms a friendly shade. The group of oaks on yonder side. Looks o'er a landscape rich and wide ; A winding path through wood and dell, Descending meets the Greta's swell : Deep in the glen and hid from view. The amber current courses through Its rocky channel ; — far in shore, Is heard its deep and solemn roar ; 200 It follows lis along the height, And breaks at last upon the sight : No silver sound salutes the car, In gentle tone and accent clear ; But roaring down, the rapid seems Divided into frothy streams, By beds of rocks which shallow lie, Scattered in fragments deep and hiijh : O'er these the leaping cascades pour Their deaf 'ning thunder's shouting roar ; The foaming torrent fierce and wild, With rage o'erboils like Passion's child, In whose tumultuous throbbing breast, A fever burns and breaks its rest. On either side its narrow bed Rise verdant banks, with ti'ees o'erspread, Whose foliage adds a dismal gloom, (As drooping cypress to the tomb.) Luxuriantly wild they grow, Diffusing solitude below : Between their steep and rock-ribb'd sides, The white-wreath'd river proudly rides. Secluded in this lovely spot. With life's dramatic scenes forgot. 201 The pilgrim strays, admiring more The spot his fancy travelled o'er ; Pictured in his creative mind, And looks around in hope to find. Some trace of genius left behind, By Rokeby's bard ! a pleasing theme On which the fancy loves to dream. FOUNTAINS ABBEY, Enclosed from public view the Abbey stands In sweet seclusion 'midst romantic lands ! An interesting cosmoramic view, Seen from the distant terrace window through ! Surprised we see this relic of an age, Where pious brethren pass'd their pilgrimage. Preserved from sacrilege, it now appears In all the venerable weight of years ; Fragments of stone lie scatter 'd o'er the ground. And ivy binds the crumbling walls around. Where beavitj's freshness shadows forth its prime, Are soft decay and downy moss of time : The gothic windows of exalted height. Which shed within a dim religious light, Are open to the cloud-encompass'd sky, And to the hermit-owls sepulchral cry. A mystic stillness o'er the ruin falls. And fancy fills with shades its empty walls ; 203 The lofty tower which once to vespers rung, And fill'd with grateful notes the whisp'ring tongue, Is now an eyry for the birds of wing, A lone, deserted, solitary thing ! Ancestral relics of departed days, Will soft emotions in the bosom raise, And move our sympathies as we behold The spectral shadows of the days of old ! And like the monuments of Greece restore A nation from oblivion now no more ; Between whom and our age a broader space Bridged over Time, divides the human race. A short eternity ! a dreary night ! Ere half the world revealed itself to light ! Or infant Europe struggled into sight. As o'er these ruins lingering we tread Upon the sleeping ashes of the dead. Time's hour-glass seems to measure out the span Of life to nations as it does to man ; Raising them from obscurity to fame, — From scatter'd tribes to an immortal name, — 204 From petty chieftainship to regal state, — inustrious, powerful, eminent, and great ! Kenowned in war and flourishing in peace, Heaven smiles and favours, and renews their lease. Until the blood-stain'd sun gives signs from far, And omens dire presage the coming war ; Weakened with luxury and declining yeai'S, Some conquering hero in the field appears ; — O'erruns the lands, depopulates, o'erthrows, Plunders, destroys, exterminates his foes. Their temples, altars, and their gods thrown down, To smoking ruins he condemns the town ; Then leaves the wreck to ravenous wolves a prey. And Time, which sweeps all earthly things away I THE ECHO. What voice is that repeating what is said 1 Came it from you lone chaniel of the dead 1 List to the sound ! it mocks you word for word, — " 'WTio walks abroad V — its solemn voice is heai'd ! Hear it again, — " the moon is in the sky !" The very words are echoed in reply ! The deep and hollow sound sinks in the ear ; 'Tis not the music of the voice we hear ; It seems to issue from yon sacred pile Of ancient ruins, whose deserted aisle, And roofless nave, once throng'd with holy men ; Whose wandering spirits stalk the earth again ! Ages have roll'd since this retreat they trod, And knelt in worship 'fore the shrine of God ! But still their footsteps seem to linger near, As by enchantment summon'd they appear. Amazed we stand beneath the hollow rock. And hear the deep reverberating shock 206 From hill to hill retreating like the sound Of flying hoofs along the answering ground ! Awakening like the huntsman's echoing horn, The pastoral meadow and the timorous fawn ; And in the distance softly sinks and dies In feeble whispers down the archway skies ! The air is breathless as the slumbering night, Or catacombs of death, or meteor light ; A mystic stillness hovers round the place, Stealing us from the world to empty space, AVhere restless spirits wander unconfin'd, Viewless but self existent as the wind. The supernatural voice and magic scene, Are airy phantoms of what they have been ; The ghostly spectres of departed days, O'er which the shades of evening's twilight strays, On which creative fancy loves to dwell, "Wrapt in the past which casts its magic spell. 'Tis like the dim remembrance of a dream. Or floating clouds reflected in a stream. Or voices issuing fmm the mountain side, Or tuneful bugle \a^ the waters wide ; 207 (jr the repeating tunnel's rumbling sound, Or labouring earthquake in the rocking ground ; Or wild bird's scream as it pursues its flight To woodland coverts in the drowsy night ; Or the responses of a whisp'ring crowd, Too full of feeling to be heard aloud ; Or dying murmurs of the roaring wind, Or melody that haunts the musing mind ; Or the last groan from ocean's throbbing breast, That swallowed up the shipwreck's crew distrest ; Or the rack'd slave, or madman's dismal yell, Or supematiu'al cries of ghosts from hell ; Or sullen murmurs of the sea-beat shore, Or bellowing thunder, and the cannon's foar. REMINISCENCE. To scan the beauties of our land, From King Lud city did we turn, And following out the tour we phuui'd, Hail'd the bright morn of our return. The picturesque above the rest, With int'rest deep, the mind will till, And plant a wish in every breast To visit what is famous still. But oh ! their fame will pass away, Like those renown'd in days of yore ; And pilgrims visit in decay, Till Time shall know their place no more. We see the withering hand of Time, Scatter'd abroad throughout the earth ; And as we o'er its relics climb, Ransack their history, rise, and birth. 209 Monastic ruins ivy bound, And mould'ring walls of bygone days, Will fix the stranger to the ground, And sentimental feelings raise. The glassy lake's serene repose, The broad back 'd mountain topt with snow ; The waterfall which wildly flows, And landscape scenery below ; Will throw a witchery round the place, And stamp their image on the mind ; Which Time's screen will not soon efface, However far they 're left behind. While these romantic spots we view, And picture glowing scenes to come, Should fancy bid all these adieu, And light upon our distant home. What pleasing hours shall we recall, What festive scenes shall travel o'er. When maiden beauty graced the ball. And music wove its magic pow'r ! p 210 Or if to trace domestic bliss, 111 all its sweet endearing ties ; The hour to tliink and feel is this, When man to other objects flies. The carrier dove, by instinct's light, (Transported to a foreign shore,) Circles the heavens, then wings its flight, And finds the nest she owned before. So he whom other climes invite, Where scenes of interest long detain, Will feel transported with delight To view his native land again. A PRAYER. Great Ruler of the Earth and Sea, With rev'rence we draw near to thee ; And at thy sacred altar kneel, To pour out all we think and feel. In solemn, thovightful, secret prayer, Deeming thy Spirit's influence there. Almighty Father ! we confess Our earthly sins and helplessness. Rebellious we have gone astray. And so become the snarer's prey. By natvu-e we 've inherited Infirmities ; and in us bred Are dormant passions, which aroused. Speak like the thunder in the cloud ;»- Which stimulate, enslave, impel Our pliant nature to rebel ; Fed by the vanities of life, And all the elements of strife, War, pleasure, pride, desire and gain. And vices which corrupt and stain. Creator ! Spirit ! source of all ! For help and strength on Thee we call ; Sad, spirit-broken, — penitent. And contrite-hearted, Ave repent. And grieving for the past, implore Thy grace that we may sin no more. If 'tis thy pleasure or thy will. With grief and trial us to fill, To wean us from the world we love, And draw us to tliy realms above. If this thy plan, ere set of sun. In mercy let thy Will be done ! Teach us, great Judge, to know thy ways. And from its mortal bondage raise Th' immortal Soul to prayer and praise ! Inspire us with a life divine, Let rays of glory round it shine, 213 Fill with intelligence and sight Oracular, its wandering flight ; And elevate with thoughts sublime, Its destiny when done with Time ! With purer, nobler being fill, And thy divine commands instil ; Who reig-ns majestic over all, Above, below, through great and small. May we of life review the past, And live each day as if the last ; May conscience regulate and guide, Through this world's rough and mazy tide ; And every circling year contain Some proof we have not lived in vain ; That after we have pass'd away. Like beings of a former day. We may not be at once forgot. As if we ne'er had been begot, But leave our footprints here behind, To bless and benefit mankind. Great Being ! though to us unknown. Thy Providence we freely own ; 214 And thank thee for existence, — birth, And every blessing known on earth ;— Our preservation, health and place, And social comforts of our race ; — For every mercy round us spread, — Foi- nature's gifts and daily bread ; — For country, liberty and right, — For earthly bliss and heavenly light. In thee, great God, we piit our trust And confidence, for thou art just And merciful, and full of love Throughout Creation ! skies above, Suns, stars and planets, Heaven's own choir, Thy praises hymn, and own Thee sire Of all the Universe ! while man Reasoning from nature reads thy plan, — As lord of the Creation, kneels To Thee ! ' our Father' and appeals ! Hear, we beseech Thee, when we call At morning rise or evening fall ; Protect and shield, when buried deep And senseless in the arms of sleep. 215 And when from that short trance we wake, And life restoring sense partake, May we for Death's great change prepare, Though busied with this world of care ; And lead a holier life below, Walking thy paths where'er we go : Let Conscience whisper, Virtue guide, And Wisdom follow side bv side. Be thou our refuge in distress, A Father to the fatherless ; Implant in us thy righteous laws. Ere sin committing may ^e pause. Our first and noblest effort be, To know ourselves and worship Thee I Let self alone be not the shrine AYe idolize as if divine ; But may our faculties subdue The ills of life in passing through : Teach us to feel another's woe, Inspire us to all good below, And if the Lord has given us more, May heart respond and help the poor. Ami witli til' afflicted shed a teai* Of sympathy wliile lingering here ! Oh ! let the curse of slavery cease, And the whole world be blcss'd with peace ; Make ns contented with our lot, And be our sins by Thee forgot : Should Fortune's fickle smiles ns raise. To God (not man) be all the praise, And if misfortunes on us light, Reveal thyself, oh God ! to sight. Save us from fixmine, plague and drought, From sudden death, and foes without ; From epidemics, loss of sight. And sleepless tortures of the night ; — Mental disease, with fear and dread. And all contagions round us spread : Preserve us all on land and sea. And teach us Lord, humility. May superstition never blind Or turn the balance of our mind ; May we to others do as we Would be done by, and honest be. 217 If we have enemies, forgive And shew to them how they should hve. Humble our pride, and let us shun Temptation, till om' course is run ; And then, when this soul's temple dies, May it be wafted to the skies ! Soul of the Universe and Man, Eternity with Thee began ; Ubiquitous, — invisible, A preternatural miracle ! Veil'd, infinite, and undefin'd, The life of worlds, and light of miud ; Whose spiritual essence is infused Through Nature's life-pulse and diffused. Reflected in thy works we see, Thv greatness and sublimitv ; Imaged in distant Ages past. Heard in the thunder and the blast ; Felt in the conscience when we sigh, ' The still small voice' of Heaven is nigh. The echo of thy voice is heard Through the rent mountain-pass : thy Word 218 Inspired, extends from pole to pole, And divine influence rules the whole. Th' instinctive savage of the wood. Invokes Thee from his solitude ; And those who never heard of Thee, Have sacrificed to Deity ! Enlighten'd nations own thy power. Kneeling before Thee and adore ! EPITAPH. By sweet remembrance and affection led, To hold communion with the withering dead ; Retired and private in a place like this, Sacred to memory is spiritual bliss ! Where unobserved the mourner's silent grief, In these sequestered spots may find relief In pious meditation when alone, And in recorded Fate may read his own ! DEATir. His empire is the grave, Which feasts upon the coward and the brave ; The monster who o'crthrows Youth, beauty, sex and age, with friends and foes ; We mourn, deplore, and wail O'er our dear relatives, stone-cold, and pale. How long can we survive. If fleeting time and fate thus onward drive ? Amid rude gulfs we steer. Where treacherous rocks the flying vessel spear ; Tide, wind, may disappoint. Yet, compass led, we sail to one main point ; And hide our heads in dust Where all our pride and splendour come to rust : Death 's oft a wished relief, Annihilating misery, pain, and grief; . 221 Yet wears a cold stem face, Frowning on ours and eveiy foreign race ; Raffing: in the world unseen. And passing away like a midnight dream. Like the flickering life of man, Without a compass, chart, or plan. Mown down, the lords of earth, With wealth, fame, power, or honoured noble birth And triumphs o'er the slave. With haughty nile o'erwhelming as the wave ; Insults the freeborn mind And tyrannizes o'er all human kind. MELANCHOLY HOURS. When hopes which have blossom'd are withered away, And the lamp of the mind is extinguished for ever, Reflection succeeds like the twilight of day, And our thoughts in confusion are mingled together. Oh ! then how the memory will feed on the past, And recall with a sigh all those moments of feeling. Which vanished like visions of glory too fast, But imprison'd the heart in the snares round it stealing. Oh ! then what a gloominess hangs o'er the mind, Which is laden with visions all misty and dreary, As that of the madman, or prisoner confined In the earth's darken'd bowels half famished and weary. 223 The sufferer will pine who is gi'ieved to the core, When all which affection has cherish'd is blighted, When those we have loved we must never see more, By whom we 're rejected, forgotten, and slighted. Yes ! those who have once felt this nursling of sorrow, With the mental derangement and gi'ief-moistened eye, Whose spirits depress'd shaD not rise with the morrow. Bereft of all comfort, shoxild lie down and die. EPITAPH ON LORD BYRON. Here rest the ashes of a bard whose fame Spread through the world a lustre round his name ; The flowers of fancy nurtured in his mind, Sprung from that nursery to delight mankind. He, like the sun, rose slowly into view, Immured in clouds, and glimmei'ing through the dew ; But left the frigid regions here below, For other worlds on Heaven's exalted brow. Admiring nations listen'd to his l}-re. And rapturously felt the poet's fire Sink deep into their breasts, and homage paid To him who in his narrow cell is laid : Whose lyre is hung upon the willow tree, Mourning o'er him in plaintive melody ; Whose lay is but an echo of the past, Whose harp is silent, and whose shade is cast 225 Before xis as a vision, where we see Earth's pilgrims hast'ning to eternity. Thus all the great who to distinction rise, Are but as meteors passing through the skies. TO A FAVOURITE PARROT. Sweet Polly ! pretty Polly dear ! Thy prattle still rings in my ear, Though perch'd and shrin'd in that glass-case, With others of the feathered race. Vain and conceited little thinjr. Shall I your minstrel be, and sing 1 How you would coax, and kiss, and love. With all the fondness of a dove. How beautiful thy plumage green, With blue, red, yellow, mixed between ! Then thy coquettish, winning way. With always something sweet to say. Pragmatic, whistling, singing dame. Dull echo oft repeats thy name ; For thy weakest point and folly, And song's burthen was " Poor Polly." 227 Who was loudest, chattering bird, In company and would be heard ? Who brought the wilderness to mind When screaming through the hollow wind 't Capricious, peevish, jealous pet. Thy loying ways we can't forget : Returning home made thee rejoice With outspread wings and calling voice. When perched outside thy prison cage, In dialogue thou wouldst engage. And humorous be, and join thy song With mimic laughter loud and long. Though friendly, yet if stranger dar^" To touch thee, thou wouldst scold and swear And like a little savage bite. Then in their faces laugh outright. To scratch thy poll thou didst invite The privileg'd, who had a right ; Perch on their finger, dance and play, And sing to music lustily. 228 But all thy winsome ways to tell, Would take too long, and so farewell ! Though life 's extinct, we look on thee, Enshrined in glass and memoiy ! MELODY. Those joyous chimes ! those joyous chimes ! Recall the past of happier times, When home and its companions dear Look'd gay and sunbright through the year. If we their number now review Of all our dearest ones, how few To us remain. Alas ! the best Are svimmon'd to their heavenly rest. And so 'twill be with you and I, When underneath the turf we lie ; That merry peal will yet ring on, — That sun return which o'er us shone. The seasons roll as heretofore, And will till Time shall be no more ! The sea and land will change their place, And future times our footsteps trace. 230 How musical and sweet they sound O'er all the lovely landscape round, Tlieir clear and singing voices rise In answering echoes from the skies. THE VALLEY. Sweet valley ! thy charms kindle pleasing delight, Which over us steals and enraptures the sight ; The bald rocky mountains arise and inspire Apollo's sweet minstrel to waken his lyi-e. The serpentine river that babbles between, Through the white foaming rocks and bright raiment of green, Is an emblem of life in its changes below. And the mazes and wrecks which it meets in its flow. Thy patchwork of garden which hedges enclose, The stillness that reigns, and the tranquil repose. With the kine in the stream just now drinking their fill. And the flocks' tinkling bell on the brow of the hill, 232 Is a picturesque scene ai-tists love to behold, Fresh and gay as the summer that never grows old ; Though like the chameleon that changes its hue, Are the seasons that roll with their chai'ms ever new. Here Ceres presides o'er her rich golden grain, Until gamer'd in barns from the winter and rain : Thy soft graceful slopes in their liveries vie. And the fruits and the roots of our cottage supply. The rugged ravine in the midst of the wood, With the roar of the torrent and wild solitude, All speak of convulsions anterior to man, With floods and volcanoes ere order began. -to"' The meeting of waters, and the waterfall's leap, Down the glen's frowning mountains and precij)ice deep, Wind through the rent chasm which ages have worn, And bared the foundations which Cyclops had torn. All around the bright smiles of yon luminous sphere, With the emerald pastures in grandeur appear, The skylark from heaven its glad tidings brings, And the joys of its heart in a wild transport sings. 233 The small scatter'd hamlet that shelters the poor, And the Imsbandman's farm with his ricks and his store, Mark the spot of contentment where harmony grew. With the village church spire ever peeping in view. In love with the landscape you view and admire, And warm with the subject into glowing desire, As a painter or bard in his fervor of mind, Is impress'd with the beauties left far far behind. In this rural retreat, and the absence of care, With pastime amusements and scented fresh air, Retired we may live in an Eden of pleasure. With the friends of our heart and the Muse of our leisure. THE BROOK. Conceived in the mountain and launched into hght, It crawls through the channel and bursts into sight ; Then threading and warbling right onward it goes, With its sad plaintive music as softly it flows. Tell me, pretty Nymph of the wood and the dale, Thy simple, engaging, and innocent tale ! Who wooed and who won thee ? — if happy thy lot 1 And whether thy union young streamlets begot 1 The mountainous rocks in disorder are spread, Obstructing thy journey, and choking thy bed : The full reservoir o'er the precipice sweeps. And descends in a tori*ent in its falls and its leaps. Assembled above us the waters o'erflow. Then plunge headlong down to the chasm below ; Through the clefts of the rocks into broken cascades, Dividing but meeting again in the shades. 235 Enclosed in the passes, thy echoes' loud roar Is heard when the floodgates their volumes down pour : Excited with anger, all foaming and wild, Until bursting with rage like a passionate child. Oh ! say little wanderer, where art thou going, Dreaming along without ebb in thy flowing. And on what errand bound 1 — dost thou tribute pay To ocean or river that crosses thy way 1 If swallowed up there and engulfed in the sea, As a soul in the skies of Eternity ; So chrysalis-like, now transform'd and new born, On the wings of a seraph to God it has gone. If thou, limpid stream, looking back could recall The dawn of Creation before Adam's fall. You 'd tell how our planet first burst into birth. With the earthquakes and floods and convulsions of earth. How in embryo state there for Ages it lay, Ere fully matured, when it sprang into play, And on its own axis revolving it turn'd. When the day and the night and the seasons retum'd. 236 These cavernous earthquakes the Earth undermine, When charged with foul gas in the depths of a mine ; They swallow up mountains in vacuums below, And entomb men alive and their cities o'erthrow. In the caves of the earth, and the dark shaggy glen, Pre-Adamite brutes left their bones in the den, Long, long before Nature and Art had combin'd, Or man had appear'd with his almiglity mind. Here Nature reposing, lies taking her rest ' In a chaotic form, — in green vestments di'ess'd ; But the Muses of Art with their sweet winning smile. Shed a halo of glory round our happy isle ! The features of Nature and her sternness of face, "When embellish'd with Art, lend refinement and grace ; So the cold of man's heart in his looks is expi-ess'd, Until softened by love in the feminine breast. A CHILD. The sweet little rosebud that hangs on the tree, Is not half so lovely to look on as thee : The emblems of innocence, beauty, and grace, Ai'e grouped altogether in thy pretty face. Dependent and helpless this stranger of Earth, His troubles begin soon as launched into birth : Appease but his hunger, he sinks into rest. And wakes to be dandled, and kiss'd, and caress'd. The voyager gave signs of approaching the shore, When quickened and wrestling for some time before, New worlds to discover with freedom and light, And a welcome reception from new friends in sight. Modelled and fashioned is this miniature creature In exquisite taste both in limb and in feature. He clings to embraces which fondly entwine As a tendril clings to the branch of a vine. 238 Oh ! list to the praises which o'er him are sung By cherub admirers of cloc[UCut tongue ; An ' angel,' — a ' seraph,' — a * darling,' a ' dear,' Melodiously sound in the proud mother's ear. Its natural instincts prompt to eat, drink, and sleep. Like inferior creations, who bleat, whine, or weep. He has not learn'd to think, remember, or talk, — To read and to write, — or to play and to walk. How helpless this pledge of affection and love. Resembling a fairy from Eden above ; A link in the chain that knits firmer the tie, — The family pet, and their idolatry. A glimmering light, like the rays of the sun, Through the haze of the night at dawn has begun. To light up with reason the lamp of his mind, "Wliere all was obscure, undeveloped, and bhud. As he ripens and gi'ows, and increases in size, So his mental ideas from their slumbers arise, Like seeds of the earth as they burst into sight, AVith intellect, thought, understanding, and light. 239 Thus equipp'd and appointed by friends he holds dear, The journey of life is commenced in this sphere : But who can foresee what misfortunes await Midst the conflicts of life, and the arrows of Fate ? STANZA S. Who has not had friends and parted 1— Lovers who proved insincere 1 — Fickle-minded and false-hearted 1 Such we 've known and once held dear. Who has not his private sorrows, In this pilgrimage below, Writ in hieroglyphic furrows, In the wave lines of his brow ? Disappointment, gi'icf, and trouble. And a crowd of ills beside, Are but as an empty bubble, Floating on the ruffled tide. From forefathers we inherit Lion courage and renown ; And must arm Avith martial spirit ; — Or for ever be cast down. 241 We have duties that require us In life's battle to engage, — Social duties -which inspire us, To take part upon the stage. Enter into competition. With the self -raised nobly great ; Occupy their proud position. With rank, title, and estate. Enterprise and emigration, From the old world to the new. Have raised up a powerful nation, From the union of a few. Be warm-hearted and ambitious To do all the good you can ; Be both moral and religious. And a standard, model man ! Reverence wisdom, follow nature, And in Providence confide ; Grasp the present, — leave the future. Taking reason for your guide ! 242 When to Fate yoii have surrendered, Mourned by wife and children dear, Thou shalt fondly be remember'd. And lamented with a tear. THE END. T. BICHAKBS, PKINTEE, 37, CHEAT QUEEN STBEET. This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. I OM- 11 -50 (2355; 470 REMrNGTON RAND INC. 20 / PR Smith T ^h:^9 Schoes of the nn-"""mim//l S^le past^ present and ^^O 3^s ^in future, '^ PR S5le