1866.] 



Original Poetry. 



251 



As thus, on infpirarlion'sglafs pourtray'd, 

 The Prophet faw his country s nlory fade ; 

 " I'urn, Il'rael, turn ! (exchiiiu'd the fainted 



Seer) 

 Heiiounce thole fins which freeze my foul 



witli fear ! 

 Turn to that God whofe mercy never fails, 

 • 'Where Penitencej meek child of faith, pre- 

 vails 1" 



Bu* though the feer, with pious zeal, re- 



prov'd 

 Judaia's boutdlefs caiiues, no heart was 



niov'd 

 To follow virtue's courfe : — th' ehdurate 



crowd. 

 Of Satan's ignominious ftiackles proud, 

 Vaunt their profaDLnefs, glory in their Ihame, 

 j^ay dare, with Pharifaic guile, to blame 

 Thofe lips ordaiu'd Heav'n's mandates to re- 

 peat, 

 For utt'ring ufelcfs truths, and cenfures in- 



difcreet. 

 And tho' Adverfity, wilh ruthlcfs hand, 

 Year following year, afflltls the finful land ; 

 'I'ho' Belus' Ions 'gainft trembling Zion pour 

 Of iron dcatlis a terror-kindling Ihow'r ; 

 Tho' Aniorites, Armenians, and the train 

 Who bend beiore fphinx-guardcd Apis' lane. 

 Scourge her with woes to vvliich her crimes 



give birth, 

 Till with fuch piteous plaints fiie fills this 



earth, 

 ThatlMercy, lovelicft handmaid of the Iky, 

 Pardons her fins, and bids her forrows Bv ; 

 Yet, fcarce are war's difaftrous clouds o'er- 



blown. 

 Ere Vice ufurps deferted TJcafon's throne, 

 Dp|'(iotic fway o'er ev'ry tribe regains. 

 And once more binds them faft in Satan's 



chains. 



At length — but how fliall earth-born fong 



rchearl'e 

 Scenes ojily meet for infpiration's vcrfe ? 

 At length, to fear alike and virtue dead, 

 .Tuda-a'b fons their Lord, their Saviour led 

 To Cjulgotlia's cuift field — Amazement dipe. 

 And ftill'ning horror, leiz'd the he.av'nly 



(juire — 

 Affrighted earth to her foundations qunk'd— 

 '1 he graves were open'd, and the dead were 



wak'd — 

 Tlic blu:.ungSun his orb in darknefs veil'd 

 V\ hen, to the agonizing crols, wasnail'd 

 'Jiiat awfnl God, who freely died to fave 

 Man, tiianklefs man, from an eternal grave. 



But Vengeance, in the Latian garb dif- 



play'd, 

 ^ engeance, with pow'r omnipotent array 'd. 

 Hurls hideous ruin on the guilty (rain, 

 I'.ids c'ucl carnage o'er their cities reign. 

 And t(i(n!» Jerulalei.! of ev'ry ftonc 

 i)\\ rtliicli her prcitlne grancjeur might have 



flloiie, 



While her loft fons, who 'fcape the vjftor'* 



fword. 

 Wander thro' earth a fainine-ftricken horde> 

 ReviI'd, detefted, chas'd from land to land. 

 And mark'd with infamy's eternal brand. 



But whence this fadnefs which pervades 



my foul, 

 A fadnefs reafon vainly wou'd controul. 

 Tor thee, my country, e'en than life more 



dear. 

 For thee, my anxious bofom throbs with fear. 

 Left thy omilfions with thy crimes confpire 

 To route o'erwhelming ftorms of heav'nljf 



Oft have I ponder'd on that joyous time 

 When, diltant far from manhood's fev'tifh 



prime. 

 On thy maternal lap T carelefs trod. 

 With infant feet tliat fcarcely prefs'd the fod; 

 While the fweet thought of blamelefs plea- 



fures jiaftj 

 Each day became more pleafing than th« 



laft. 

 13ut now, like fome fond parent who, with 



dread 

 Beholds the child her foft'ring cares have 



bred, 

 Heedlefs and gay, with young-ey'd Hope 



elate, 

 Difporting near the iitmoft verge of fata ; 

 As down her cheeks big drops of anguiih 



flow, 

 Thus fiom my eyes defcend fait ftreams of 



woe. 

 Whene'er I gaze on thee, my native land, 

 AVhoie Ions full oft, impell'd by Folly's hand. 

 Plunge deep in error's tide ; and tho' thy 



crimes, 

 Compar'd wirh Salem's guilt in other times, 

 ^Veigh hut as golamer ; ftill, ftill repent! 

 O, mark the woes on difobediencei'ent ! 

 To Confcience, hcav'nly mouitrefs, attenJ, 

 And take Repentance as thy bofom-friei-.d j 

 The one inltrutls us from each bane to liy. 

 The other quickly fits us for the iky. 



But fee I in Fancy's tints what fcenes ap- 

 pear ! 

 What clouds portentous fill the troubled air! 

 From Gallic lliores, for deeds of blood ac- 



curtt. 

 The ruin-breatliing tempeft feems to burft. 

 Livoiiio's fainted guardian ihrinks with dread; 

 Fircnze's lily droops her blufiiing_hcad ; 

 Parlhenope's fweet ftrains no longer fiuw, 

 And Rome's imperial eagles fhrlek with woe: 

 ■\Vhile, 'relt of mariners, each efiurt fails 

 J'y which Italia fain wou'd ilem tlie gales 

 Which rend her feeble bark. — Pale light- 

 nings llafii. 

 And furious waves her ftmtter'd vefiTel dafii 

 'Ganilt dire Dcftrucimu's rocks :— appali'd 



fiic ftands, 

 Implotiiig 4uick relief from foreign bauds ; 



1 i ;j yo.t 



