22 
M0UNTAIS3, 
MOUNT HECLA, 
IN ICELAND. 
Still pressini on bpyond Toi nea’s lake, 
And Hecla flaming tlirongii a waste of snow, 
And farthest Greenland, to the Pole itself, 
AVhere, falling gradual, life at length goes out, 
The Muse expands her solitary flight; 
And hov’ring o'er the wide stupendous scene, 
Beholds n#w scenes beneath another sky. 
Throned in his palace of cernlcan iee. 
Here Winter holds his nniejoicing court. 
And through his iiiry hall the loud misrule 
Of driving tempest is for ever heard ; 
Here the grim tyrant meditates his wrath ; 
Here arms his winds with all subduing frost. 
Moulds his fierce hail, and treasmes up hit snows, 
dtj proceeding along the soutliern coast of Iceland, and 
at an inconsiderable distance from Skaalholt, this mountain) 
with its three summits, presents itself to the view. Its 
height is five tliousand feet, or nearly a mile above the 
level of the sea. It is not a promontory, but lies about 
four miles inland. It is neither so elevated nor so pictu- 
resque as several of the surrounding Icelandic uiountaiiis , 
but has been more noticed than many otlier volcanoes of aU 
equal extent, partly tlirough tile frequency of its eruptions) 
and partly from its situation, which exposes it to tlie vieW 
cf many ships sailing to Greenland and Nortli America- 
The surrounding territoiy has been so devastated by thesd 
eruptions, that it has been, deserted. 
Vast regions dreary, bleak, and bare 1 
There on an icy mountain’s height, 
.Seen only by the Moon’s pale light, 
Stern Winter rears his giant form, 
His robe a mist, his life a storm : '• 
His frown the sliiv’riug nations fly, 
Aind, hid for half the year, in smoky caverns lie 
The natives asserted lliat it was impossible to 3Bcefl<^ 
the mountain, on account of tlie great number of dangef' 
ous bogs, which, according to them, are constantly emit' 
ting sulpliureous flames, and exhaling smoke j while th® 
