1S33.1 



Mr. Moon's " Loves of the Angels." 



S7 



That very niomeni lier ivhole frame 

 All bi ijriit aud glorified he ■nme, 

 And at'her buck I siiw uiu-Iose 

 Two wings, iniignificeut as tliosc 



That sp.irkle rouud the Eternal Throne, 

 Whose plumes, a< buoyantly she rose 



Above nie, in the moon-beam shone 

 With a pure lijjht, which, — trom its hne, 

 Unknown upon this earth, — 1 liiieiv 

 Was light from Eden, glisteninj; through. 

 Most holy vision! ne'eV before 



Did auuht so radiant — sin.;e the day 

 When Lucifer, in f.illirig, bore 



The third of the bri^''it stus away,— 

 Rise, in earth's bsanly, to repair 

 That loss of light and glory there! 



After llie loss of his mistress, wlio 

 is translated to tlie skies, in liis stead, 

 in the miinncr deseribed with so much 

 fancy and beauty, the angel remains a 

 wanderer upon the face of the earlli, 

 and, yieldii)!;; to despair, falls into 

 abandoned courses, becomes a kind 

 of aimable roue, and has just modesty 

 enough left to be ashamed of his own 

 want of it. 



The second spirit is of higher rank, 

 being of the cherubim, a spirit of 

 knowledge. After roaming the crea- 

 tion, from world to world, !!! gratifica- 

 tiim of that eager thirst of knowledge 

 which was the source at once of his 

 happiness and misery, he is unfortu- 

 nately seized with a strong curiosity 

 to find amongst women- 

 Some one, from out thnt shining thronpr. 



Some abstract of the form and mind 

 Of the whole m::tfhless sev, from wbiclj, 



In my own arms beheld, p.issc^f, 



I might learn all the povi-ers to witch. 



To warm, and (if my fate nublest 



Would have it) ruin, of the rest! 



Into whose inward sonl and sense 



1 might descend, as doth the bee 



Into the tlower's deep heart, and thence 



Uifle, in all its purity. 

 The prime, the quintessence, the whole, 

 Of woud'rous woman's frame and soul. 



His prayer is granted, and the che- 

 rub lixes his atl'ection on a daughter 

 of Eve, wiiose perfections are de- 

 scribed \\i\\\ great richness and 

 warmth. 'I'he lovers spend some time 

 very happily, ranging through all the 

 kingdoms of nature, from which it is 

 the delight of the lady to extract all 

 kinds of ornaments for the benefit of 

 her toilette. Ambitious of further 

 knowledge, she cannot, however, be 

 satisfied without seeing her cherub " in 

 his best pomp;" and, when he impro- 

 vidently assents (o her wishes, sho is 

 destroyed, like Semcle, in the embrace 

 of her angelic visitor. 



Great fjod ! how crinlil thy vengeance light 

 Ko bitterly on one so brii:nt? 

 How could the hand (hat gave such clmring 

 HIast them agaiji in love's own arms? 

 r- Scarce had 1 touch'd her shrinking frame, 



P When,— oh, most horrible!—! felt 



That ncry ".park of that pure tiamr, — 

 * Puce, while auioug the 6Ur6 I dwelt,— 



Was now by my transgression lurn'd 

 Into gross, earthly fire, which buru'd, 

 Burn'd all it touch'd, as fast as eye 



Could follow the fierce ravening flashes. 

 Till there,— oh God, I still ask why 

 Such doom was her's? — 1 saw her lie 



Biack'ning within my arms to ashes! 

 Those cheeks a glory but to see, — 



Those lips, uhose touch, was what the first 

 Fresh cup of immortality 



Is to a new-made ar'gei's thirst! 

 Those arms, within whose gentle round 

 Mv heart's horizon, the whole bound 

 Of its hope, prospect, heaven was found; 

 Which, even in this dread moment, fond 



As when they first were rouud me cast, 

 Loos'd not in death the f;ital bond. 



But, burning, held me to the last. 

 That hair, from under whose dark veil 

 The snowy neck, like a white sail 

 At nioonl gilt seen 'twivt wave and wave. 

 Shone oi.t by gleams, — that hair, to save 

 But one of whose long glossy wreaths, 

 1 could have died ten'thousand deaiLs! 

 All, all that seem'd, one minute since. 

 So full of Love's own redolenee. 

 Now paich'd and black, before me lay, 

 M'itlieriiig in agony away; 

 And mine, — oh misery!— mine the flame. 

 From which this desolation came, — 

 And I the fiend, \vliose foul caress 

 Had blasted all that loveliness! 



The anguish of the miserable angel 

 is increased by Iiis fears for the eter- 

 nal happiness of his beloved, and he 



Breath'd inwardly the voiceless pray'r. 

 Unheard by all but Mercy's ear; 

 And which' if Mercy dlJ not bear. 

 Oh, God would not be what this bright 



And glorious universe of His, 

 This World of beauty, goodness, light. 



And endless love, proclaims He isj 



It is curious to observe the diffi- 

 culty with which any thing grave or 

 religious, or conducive to our spiritual 

 edification, harmonizes with Mr. 

 Moore's style of thought and expres- 

 sion. His angels appear to us rather 

 like the sylphs in the "Rape of the 

 Lock," than the potent messengers of 

 Jehovah's throne. He is ever on the 

 point of falling into levity; and his 

 descriptions and sentiments, charged 

 with warm and voluptuous colotiring, 

 are sometimes on the very verge of 

 the decorous. Woinan is a theme 

 always dangerous to a poet of Mr. 

 Moore's feelings and fancy, even 

 though qualified by the company of 

 angels. 



Enchantresses of soul and fi anic. 

 Into whose hands, from first to last. 



This world, with all its destinies. 

 Devotedly by heaven seems cast. 



To save or damn it, as they please. 



There is nothing very particular in 

 the story of the tliird angel, who is a 

 seraph or spirit of love, and whose 

 connexion with his admired mortal is 

 sanctified by marriage. Humble and 

 faithful in their love, their transgres- 

 sion is partly forgiven, and their only 

 l)unishnient is to remain together on 

 earth till the cud of all things arrives. 

 Where 



