■■■^M 



But, pensive, on the lotos-leaf* he lay, 

 Which blossomed at his touch, and shed a golden ray.f 

 Hail primal blossom! hail empyreal gem! — 

 Kemel or Pedma, or whate'er high name 

 Delight thee, say what powerful Godhead came, 

 With graceful stole, and beamy diadem, 

 Forth from the verdant stem? — 





Full-gifted Brahma, — Rapt in solemn thought, 

 He stood, and round his eyes fire-darting threw: 

 But, whilst his viewless origin he sought, 

 One plain he saw of living waters, blue, 

 Their spring, nor sum, he knew. 



Then, in th' expanded leaf again retired, 

 With restless thought, for hours he inquired 

 What were his powers, by whom, and why conferred: 

 With doubts perplexed, with keen impatience fired, 

 He rose, — and rising, heard 

 Th' unknown, all-knowing word — 

 " Brahma! no more in vain research persist : 

 " My veil thou canst not move. Go, bid all forms exist"\ 



* Did the appearance of water naturally suggest without creation a Nelumbium, or lotos, in it? The leaf is large and hollow, in shape 

 like an umbrella inverted by the wind, and as if fashioned for the reception of a God. 



f The first action of Brahma, was the creation of the flower of the Nelumbium. Sir William Jones uses, perhaps, the word golden 

 for beautiful. Is the yellow Nelumbium a native of any other climate than America ? With a painter's licence, I have introduced the white, 

 red, and yellow together, and placed them all in Egypt, which occasioned the following beautiful impromptu lines to be returned me 

 upon presenting the first impression from the above plate to a charming poet. 



ON DR. THORNTON'S BEAUTIFUL PLATE OF THE SEVERAL NYMPHjEAS. 



Fair offspring of benignant Nile 



Watering old Egypt's fertile plains, 

 Where cloudless skies diffuse their smile 



O'er long lost glory's rude remains; 



Here, nursed amid fictitious waves, 



Its head thy sacred blossom rears ; 

 While, smiling by thy kindred side, 



Nelumbia's rosy form appears. 



And, wafted o'er th' Atlantic main, 

 From far Columbia's purling streams, 



Thy younger sister joins the train, 

 And, bright in golden beauty, gleams. 



But say ; could painting's magic power 

 Catch these bright tints of nature's loom ? 



Did Nile or Ganges rear the flower, — 

 Or Thornton bid its beauties bloom? 



Shaw. 



*; 



+ By his own energies, and the creation of things, he would rise to comprehend somewhat of the King of Kings, the God of Gods, 

 the Invisible Being, by, and in whom, are all things. 



