540 



Original Poetry, 



[Jan. 1, 



Thou Lord of Life and Light and Joy, 

 Oreat to preferve but not delhoy, 

 On us thy favaur'd offspring ftin? ! 

 Who know their God muftgrjw divine. 

 And when thy radiant courfe is done, 

 Thou^ ihadcw of another Sun, 

 Shalt fade into his brighter iky, 

 And time btcome ettrnitv." 



But paft, long part, the Druid reign ; 

 The Crofs o'ertopt the Pagan fane. 

 To this rerfiote afyium fiew 

 A prieftliood of another hue. 

 More like tlie raven than the dove, 

 Though murm'ring nr.uch of faith and love. 



A lazy fullen virtue (lept 

 O'er the dull lake : around it crept 

 The felf-tormenting anchorite, 

 And ftunn'd th' approach of cheerful light ; 

 Yet darkly long'd to hoard a name. 

 And in the cavern grop'd for fame. 

 Where Nature reign'd, in folenin ftate. 

 There Supeiftition chofe her ft at ; 

 Her vot'ries kiAw, with fubtle art, 

 Thro' wond'ring eyes to chain tlie hesrt ; 

 By terrors of the fcene to draw 

 And tame the favage to their law. 

 Then feat themfclves on Nature's. throne. 

 Ana make her mighty fpell tlieir own. 

 The charming forc'ry of the place 

 Gave Miracle a local grace ; 

 And, from the mountain top fuhlinie. 

 The Genius of our changeful clime 

 A fort of pienfing panic threw. 

 Which felt each paffing phantom true. 



E'en at a more cnlighten'd hour 

 We feel this vifionary pow'r ; 

 And when tlje meaneft of his trade. 

 The ragged minfirel of the glaJe, 

 With air uncouth, and vifage pale, 

 Pours fort!i the legendary tale. 

 The Genius, from his rock-built pile, 

 Awcful, looks down, and checks our fmile. 

 We hft.'M— (hen a pleafing thriU 

 Creeps thrj' our fra.Tie, and ch.irms our will. 

 Till, fili'd with forms, fantaitic, wild, 

 "We feign — and then become the child. 



We fee the horded fatiiers take 

 Their filent circuit rciind the lake : 

 Silent — txcept a v/ailful fcng, 

 Extorted bv the le.ithcrn thong ; 

 Cronac, Coriiloch, Lrchaun, tJoquain, 

 Superiors of the ftrvile train, 

 Envelop'a in their cowls, Ihcy irove, 

 And fhun the God of Light and Love. 



Who leads the black proceffion on .* 

 St. Reivin's living ikeleton, 

 That travels thro'.this vale of tears,, 

 Beneath the yoke of ^lx-fc.^r^ years ; 

 Suft.iins his ftep a crofier wand, 

 Extended ftifFone wither'd lian.d j 

 To which the blackbird flew diftrefs'd. 

 And found a kind proletting neil: 

 There dropt her eggs, while outftretch'd 



fiood 

 The liand— till Cie had hatch'd her brood. 



Hark '.—What a pea!, fonorous, clear. 

 Strikes, from yon tow'r, the tingling ear 5 

 (No more of fire the worfliip'd tow'r. 

 The holy wa'er quench'd its pow'r) 

 And now, from every floor, a bell 

 Tolls Father Martin's fun'ral koell. 

 Who flipt his foot on holy ground. 

 And plung'd into the lake profound ; 

 Or, by the load of life opprefs'd, 

 Sought refuge in its peaceful breaft. 



What !— Did not peace-delighted dwell 

 The herrnit of the mountain-cell ? 



No — 'twas a cage of iron rule, 

 Ofprideand felfifcnefs the Ichool, 

 Of dark dtfires, and doubts profane. 

 And harfli repentings, late but vain : 

 To faft — to watch — to fccurge— to praife 

 The golden legend q( their ilays j 

 To idolize a flick or bone. 

 And turn the bread of life to ftone ; 

 'Till, mock'd and marr'd by miracles, 

 Creat Nature from her laws rebels. 

 And man becomes— by monkifli art— ^ 

 A prodigy — without a heart. 

 No friend fincere, no fmiling wife. 

 The blefiing and the bjlm of life ; 

 And knowledge, by a forg'd decree. 

 Still (lands an interJi<3ed tree. 

 Mdieftic tree ! that proudly waves 

 Thy branching words, thy letter leaves. 

 Whether with ftrength, that time commands, 

 An oak of ages Homer (lands ; 

 Or .Milton, high-topt mountain pine, 

 Afplring to the light divine j 

 Or laurel nf perennial green. 

 The bhakefpe^re of the living fcene, 

 Whate'crthy form, in profe fublime, 

 Or train'd by art and prun'd by rhyme. 

 All hail — thou prieft.forbidden tree ! 

 For God kaj bhj's'd, and made thee free; 

 God did the foooful blc.Ting give. 

 That man might eat of it, and live : 

 But they who have ufurp'd his throne. 

 To keep his par.idife their own, 

 Have fpread arourd a demon's breath. 

 And nam'd thee Up.'.s, Tree of Death. 

 Thy toot is Truth, thy fiero is Pow'r, 

 And Virtue thy confumraate flow'r. 

 Receive thy circling nations' vows. 

 And the world's garUnd deck thy boughs, 

 , From the bleak Scandinavian Ihore 

 The Dane his raven ftandard bore : 

 1: rofe amidft the v.hit'ning foain, 

 When the fierce robber hated home ) 

 And, as he plough'd the wat'ry way, 

 The raven feem'd 10 fcent its prey ; 

 Outftretch'd the gloomy om'noos wing, 

 For feaft of c .rnage war muft bring. 

 'Tw3S here the Chriltian favage ftood. 

 To leal bis faith in fl'.me and blood. 

 The fword of mid.'iight murder fell 

 On the calm fieeper of the cell. 

 F;a(h'd thro" the trees with horrid glare ' 

 The flames — and poifon'd all the air. 

 Her fong the lark began to raife, 

 As Ihe had fcen th; fclar blaze j 



Bat, 



