-^"^Wf^:*^ 



9 . i MUii^tuim'j m jwvrJni»m < 4itamj.-U ' auut m^ 9tJ !T. 



28 



<SI)C iaiiucr'g illontl)Ij) llisitor. 



tlie lliiiit^e of KejiK soiiNitivKs, in whicli station 

 lie liii^ i-.\liibileil ^^ik li |i(;iMiliiir iniiilifications for 

 iilid ileVDiioii to its clnties, lliiit lit; lius lalclv been 

 uniinimoiislv (•|ll)^•(■ll liy.tlie lluiise t(i the office 

 of Clerk — a station, wliicli, vilien the dignity ami 

 [jatronaL'e i-oiineeiiMl i\iili it are c(jn>i(lere<l, is al- 

 most <i]iial to that oC (.•lii<l' of one of the de- 

 parlnjent.s Ainon;.' the hills of his native New 

 llaiMiishire, I\li-. French uas wont to tone his 

 iiarp to son^', and he has found oii|)Oilnnily in 

 llie stMMiy soinii to |pay his devotions to the Mu- 

 ses, h'onie |iassaj;es in his [irescnt I'oeio will 

 bear a ronipinison with ilie liest eflbrts of our 

 native poets — and the whole production is one 

 of very jrreat merit. 



.Aitliouffh llie i'o(?in was not intended for piih- 

 lication, iMr. French lias yielded to onr .solicita- 

 lions lo take a copy (or liie pages of the Month- 

 ly Visitor. Our immerons readers, we doidn 

 not, will he .is nmch pleaseil in the readinij; of 

 this fine Poem, as was the ICdilor at its delivery. 



A POEM, 



rELiVEKEO bkhjre the rvriTiir. nir.i, institute 



WASHINGTON CITY. 

 J!Y BENJAMIN B. IRENCH, ESQ. 



Since Ihc first siuilin;ht Spread itsplf o'er earth, 

 Since rhaos jravc a Ihousnnd systems birth, 

 .Since first tlin innriiii,^ stars tnr;ether puiiij, 

 Since first tins ^luhe was on Us a.vle huna', 

 Unliring c)ian;^e, wilh ever innving lianit," 

 Has waved o'er earlli liis more than iiiaL'ic wand. 

 'Tivas the decree of Him, ulio all thin;;8 made. 

 By whom each world was in a balance weighed. 

 And poised so nicely in its orbed sphere. 

 That, not one vaiynit; second thronali the year, 

 In all .he nmvenieiits of liis inijihty plan, 

 Can he detected by the eye of man j 



Thai all these worlis— iininorial and sublime 



Should know no ehan^je until the death of Time. 

 And they are changeless, as the circlnni blood. 

 And tinc^ pulsations, ol the heart of God ! 

 These, only. chanL'e no(— but llie things of earth — 



Man in his manhood — childhood in its mirth 



The sighing I'orcst, and Ihe spreading plain 



The rolling river, and the heaving main 



'I'he cloud-capped mountain, and the silent dell. 

 All change— and Tunes and Ages change as well. 



Be it eiir task, in this brief hour, to scan, 

 .Some ol" Karlh's many changes, wrought by Man ; 

 The Past to view by history's faithlullight, 

 And mark the teeming Present in its flight. 

 The Past— the mighty Past — where is its bound ? 

 Its end iw noie— where can its germ be found ? 

 To Eden's Idissfnl bower-* we trace man's birth, 

 Bui where begun thin rollincr. teeming earth ! 

 H'e cannot know — years upon years have rolled 

 Since Time first saw, all rohed'iii hues of 2old, 

 The earliest sunbeam gleaming forth in liaht. 

 And bursiinv through the long — long reigii of JNight. 

 Karth then was void — chaotic ruin lay. 

 Spread vast and wide beneath the god n( day. 

 And circling years of order roll'd around 

 Kre an immortal soul creation cr<iwiied — 

 Then the gre.it Uuler, to his miiihly plan. 

 Added his linage, and he called it Man! 

 And man was perfect— o'er each creeping thing 

 He walked erect, and (i.id (jronounced hi7n king. 

 Unnumbered days of happiness were his, 

 JNor sorrow, pain or care alloy 'd his bliss- 

 Blessed v.iih a Being of angelic inould. 

 Time on his course, by him unnoted, rolled ; 

 A Paradise of sweets lo hiin was given, 

 .And daily. Jiourly, he couiiiiMni'd willi Hcaicii ! 



Temptilion came— that bane to all things good. 

 That syren power, winch man has ne'er WMtirstood 

 K'en lo this hour, it entered Ivlen's bowers, 

 And spread iti Iflasting breath o'er ail the (lowers. 

 l!ul chief o'er worn in w.is its dread control— 

 Mer unsui-peeting, pure and spotless soul 



It ( hi( lly sought tt> lure awav to wroii" 



And winnan yielded to the serpent song. 



And man— the first, the noblest of our race 



Could he resist the lempter's dire emhraec ? 

 His belter angel h iving cinalTed the brnvl 

 Whose draught gave wisdom to the human soni, 

 A double tempter led him on lo evjl, 



'J'hc syren, woman, anil the si-rpenl, devil 



So our first sire his innocence resi'Mied, 

 And clumgcU the destinies of all iiiriiikiiuH 



Then sin was born, and Peath received his power 

 To reign Iriiimphant o'er each fleeting hour— 

 'I'hcn earth was peopled— o'er tu surface wide 

 A seaof hufiian life and linmaii pride 

 Soread far and v. si— and all Ivirlh's passions Ihen 

 VV(^ given their dwidlings ia Ihc souls of men. 



Dark II nred— glowing Lave, and coward Ke.ir 



l!looi|..-.iained Revenue— meek Pity with her tear 

 Black-hooded Sorrow — laughing, d'aneiiig Mirth ' 

 Were bom to glad, or curse, llie teeming earlh. 



Time had speil onward— centuries had decayed 

 Man once the foileil of his 8IUS hid paid. 

 Broad o'er the eailh the out-spread llooiriiad whirled 

 And U.jjlh had leapt th.> liarvi:>t of tlic world ! ' 



Again 'twas peopled— man was still ihe same, 

 .\iid, na Ills generation:) onward e ime 



Knowledge increased — fair Science then was born, 



And her soil influence, like the star of morn, 



Glanced o'er the Nile — while Genius, like the ray 



Of the clear sun, amid the perfect day, 



Dirt'used its beaming glories all around. 



And Karth hailed EL'vpt as her classic ground. 



'I'here Hermes dwelt— ihere first the lyre's sweet tone 



By him invented, to mankind was known; 



There great Sesoslris launched forth to the gale 



The earliest ship that ever bore a sail ; 



There first, to man llie wondrous arfwas given 



To trace the courses of the hosts of Heaven, 



To mark the (dauets' blaze with borrowed light. 



And those bright stars that gem Ihe brow of night ; 



Those beauteous groups thai so h iriiionious move. 



Like sister .\ngels, bound in f:ords of love. 



A thousanil .arts h. id birth in Kgyot's clime. 



Destined to live through all the lapse of Time. 



.She rose in splendor, and her noontide ravs 



I-'lashed o'er the world like some vast meteor's blaze; 



Her nooii soon passed — her glories sped away 



And darkness followed her refulgent day. 



The Ambracian gulf and Aetium's towering coast. 



Witnessed Rome's Eagles triumph o'er her host, 



Saw her voluptuous queen ignobly (ly 



.\way from death-i-by her own hand lo die. 



O'er Egypt's lame the clouds of midnight curled. 



And Rome's proud legions had subdued the world I 



E'en now, m inkind, astonished, view her plains, 



-Vnd dream what must have been, from what remains ! 



See her v.ist structures pointing to the sky — 



The tombs of kings, whose names shall never die. 



The Pharaohs, who, as long as Israel's host 



Remain recorded, never can be lo.<t. 



And while Ihe orb of light shall rise and set 



Who can the name of Ptolemy forget ! 



Though Egypt fell before th' all-conquering hand 

 Thatswayed o'er earth its talismanic wand. 

 The arts survived, and seicnee found a home, 

 A nurse — a mother in Imperial Rome. 

 Mankind improved — even in that iron age. 

 The Drama trrjd, in dignity, Ihc stage ; 

 Greece lent her torches to inereasetbe flame,' 

 And art and learning from her Islands came; 

 So bright— so brilliant was the glittering page, 

 That Rome then gloried in her golden age. 

 Then Horace sang — then Ovid tuue.l his lyre. 

 And gave his n.iles of love in tones of fire ; 

 Then the iweet bard of Mantua gave to Fame, 

 That ne'er shall die. the magic of his name. 

 Imperial Rome! thine arms'diil then cinbracc 

 And sway the movements of the human race — 

 Thy navies swept the seas — earth owned thy rod — 

 And kingdoms toppled downward at thy nod ! 

 I.ike some proud queen in regal pomp arrayed, 

 Rome, in her pride, her vas.sal worlds survijyed ; 

 Her sun, her glorious sun, had reached its height. 

 And then was flaming with meridian light. 

 Her great .Vuguslus, dinned in arms and arts. 

 Who reigned, triumphant in the people's hearts. 

 The Paler PatritE — and on history's pasre 

 E'en to this day, whose name defines an age — 

 It was his generous soul's expanded light 

 That led his ('ountry to her envious height. 

 He died ! lo fade, Rome's glorious soon begun. 

 And Science mourned her loved, her cherished son. 



.\ picture of the past we now unroll 



Which glows with beauties lo the Christian soul 



Sin long had ruled man's lile with iron power. 

 Nor suffered Hope to soothe his dying hour; 

 The cur.se of Eden heaved in every breath, 

 And scowled in horror o'er the couch of death; 

 Eternity's broad sea rolled on in gloom — 

 Man knew no certain fate beyond ihe lomb ! 



^ A star appeared — a bright, a brilliant star 

 Glowed in the East, and spread its r.ays afar; 

 Tile '• wise men '' marked its beaming glories shine, 

 ,\iid hailed it as the harbinger divine 

 That should the front of Heaven's blue vault adorn, 

 When Christ, the Saviour of the world, was born. 

 To holy Belhlehem it led their w.iv, 

 Where in his humlile bed Ihe Saviour lay. 

 'I'here did it rest — its glowing radiance, shed 

 From Ihe pure fount of light, u'lowed armiiid liis head ; 

 They hailed the child— they blessed llie nuspicii'Us morn. 

 And the glad tidings sprerd thai Christ was born ! 



Years passed away, a man that child became. 

 Though meek and lowly, in his Father's name 

 .\ power he wielded, which, since lime began 

 J\o earlhly mind has e.xereiacd o'er man ! 

 \s the bright sunbeams pierce the reign of night. 

 The unknown fuiiire he revealed in light, 

 .\nil r.ipturcl thousands in his footsteps trod, 

 .\nil owned the influence of the Son of C.oil. 

 He closed his earthly course, so niihl, so purr, 

 In agony that life could not endure ; 

 To save mankind, he yielded up his breath, 

 kniS laid linn down in the cold arms of death. 



'I'lie boon to aian this Holy Beui;; brought. 

 The priei'lcss change that willi his bloo.l was bought, 

 The worl.l, in all her larlhesl bounds has fell, 

 .And llealhen millions lo our Go(l have knelt ; 

 They. Ihrongh Ihe Kailh by the Redeemer given. 

 H ive sought, with erudide'nee, the Christian heaven, 

 It c.iine ho. 11 God to light this ilaiken'd earth. 

 And sh.ill ritnrn lo Ilim who g.ive it birlh, 

 Whi-n. semnicmed by the last dread Inimpofs lone, 

 Assembled myriads meet before his llirone ; 

 'I'licn shall that Failli, on earlh Ihe Christian's Slav, 

 Sust.uii those inyri.ads on Ihiit dreadful day ! 



Ere we, our way o'er history's path (esuine, 

 Let us. upon Ihe glory and tiic gloom 

 Of .\nrient Greece, but for a moment dwell ; 



That land which, erst, fair Science loved so well 



That land, the bir;h-place of Ihc great, the brave, 

 U'hose war-cry still was, Victory or the grave 1. 

 Thermopylae's famed pass, Platea's plain. 

 Taught Persia's millions that they fought in vain. 

 That Grecian valor yielded with its breath. 

 And that its only conqueror was death! 

 Bravest in arms, and first in cverv art. 

 Of virtue — valor, Hellas seenied'the heart 

 From whence Ihe miglily current started forth 

 That bore Art's life-blo.'.d overall the South. 

 'I'liat was her age of glory — she was free — 

 She was victorious o'er the land — Ihe sea, 

 Uer people, brave, abstemious, virtuous, stern. 

 .\nd bright within each breast did Freedom burn I 



^ A change came o'er them — that sweet syren song 

 That sings no evil, urged Iheir course along, 

 Till, wilhin pleasure's magic circle bound' 

 They, by tli' all-conquering arm of Rinne were found. 

 Ami tiiey were conquered — in a luckless hour 

 They bowed themselves beneath the Rom in power, 

 'i'hen was their age ol gloom, .and since Ihat time 

 Fate's frown has sccincd to lower o'er their (air clime I 



Greece — modern Greece, what orisons for thee 

 Have Freemen raised, thai ihou miahtest ) et be free! 

 And when Ihy sword, for freedom, late was drawn. 

 We hailed the omen as thy day'.s new daw n, 

 Afierthy night of ages — fondly deemed 

 That Gioece — lost Greece, again should be redeemed. 

 We hailed her victories as we would our own. 

 When the proud Tyrant-Turk was overthrown ; 

 We mourned Bozzaris' late, but. in our ericf, 

 ioycA that he died, as should a Suliol chief. 

 In a proud effort his loved land to save 

 While Victory's banner floated o'er his grave ! 



But alt was vain — her blood was poured in vain, 

 Agiapha's heighls and Cheronea's plain, 

 Thermopyloe's proud field — though all were won. 

 These could not stay her fist declining sun — 

 Division, discord, jealonslv, distrust. 

 With these her councils and her camp were curst! 

 Though to the Turk she bows no more the knee 

 She bows to other Powers — she is not free ! 



Once more of Rome — the world's proud mistress fell 

 From Ihe vast height she had maintained so well ; 

 Still, on her downward course were gleams of li'^lit, 

 Like the bright train that marks the meteor's flight, 

 Or. as Ihe parting sun'» reflected rays, 

 Make the arched heavens in gorgeous ginry blaze. 

 So Martial's, Juvenal's, and Pliit.ircirs'[iage. 

 Spread their bright beams o'er Rome's declining age — 

 BiBtliius, skilled in classic learning, l.ist 

 Of the bright throng. Ihat had illumed the past, 

 Wilhin wliose soul still glowed the classic fire. 

 Was doomed to death beneath the jeal.ius ire 

 Of one who, in all else, was truly good — 

 .\nd the la>t st.ir of science set in blood ! 

 Thus Rome declined — ** her glories, one by one," 

 She saw depart, until her litest sun 

 Sunk 'iieath Ih' horizon. Then, like Ocean's foam, 

 Darknjss swept over Literature and Rome! 



Another age commenced — Ihat age of gloom. 

 In which no science did the World illume — 

 Darkness o'erwhelmed the intellectu.d d ly, 

 .\iid iL'norance assumed h^■^ iron sway. 

 The liberal arts were buiished — lellers then 

 Were driven, like lepers, liom the haunts of men, 

 But in their flight they sou:;hi and found a home, 

 A dwelling 'iiealh ihe M(ola^lely*s dome 

 Else had they perished — else the holy fire 

 Had been forever quencli'-d — ihe Poet's Ivre, 

 1'he .-Vrtist's pencil — the Historian's p-oi." 

 Could ne'er have taught a tormer World, lo men, — 

 Ao Spring of I.itio-.iture could e'er unbind 

 That dark, Siberi.in winter of the iniiid ! 

 But Learning lived — thanks to those monks of old, 

 They sacred kept that more Ih in mine cd' gold. 

 The mine of learning, pure and undefiled, 

 \Vhilc iiiau grew savage, and the WorKl ran wild. 



Centuries passed on — still Darkness held, unfurled, 

 His ebon banner, waving o'er the World — 

 Men were divided — all the bonds were riven 

 That erst to Power had strength and union given, 

 As if some moral earthqu.ike's mighty birth 

 H.jd shaken all Ihe iValions of the earlh I 

 The rage and rapine, cruelly and wrong 

 That lo that a^e of ignorance belong, 

 .As they on History's liiilliful page appear, 

 Claim from stern man the tribute of a tear, 

 And leach a lesson, which our age shouhl mark — 

 What iiiankind are when all the mind isilark. 

 And, that, when l\atioiis are in Iragments torn, 

 I'lic people soon in ignorance will mourn ! 



liut pass we onward o'er those d.iys id" gloom. 

 When learning slumbered in her living toiob, 

 When Vandal barbarism and Gothic power. 

 Spread o'er the WorUl and ruled llie tllsuial hour. 

 F'rom those beclouded yeais we turn away. 

 To watch the-xi.iw lung of a brighter d.iy. 



What saw the World — from wdieiice came forth that 

 gleam — 

 That ihreail id' sunlight — like pome silvery dream 

 To the worn heart, depressed with care and wo, 

 'f hat finds in dreams what day cannot bestow — 

 Whence did it come ? From thalGrecji Isle it came — 



