374 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
the following beautiful and pathetic lines have 
often occurred to my mind; and though perused 
on the spot with sensations probably unfelt else¬ 
where, I have nevertheless supposed, that could 
the poet have foreseen what has since taken place, 
not only in this island, but throughout the group¬ 
er had he lived in the present day—he would 
never, in anticipation of their abandonment so 
soon after their discovery, have recorded such 
mournful anticipations:— 
u These I can pity, 
But far beyond the rest, and with most cause, 
Thee, gentle savage,* whom no love of thee 
Or thine, but curiosity perhaps, 
Or else vain-glory, prompted us to draw 
Forth from thy native bow r ers, to shew thee here 
With what superior skill we can abuse 
The gifts of Providence, and squander life. 
The dream is past. And thou hast found again 
Thy cocoas and bananas, palms and yams, 
And homestall thatched with leaves.But hast thou found 
Their former charms ? And having seen our state, 
Our palaces, our ladies, and our pomp 
Of equipage, our gardens, and our sports, 
And heard our music ; are thy simple friends. 
Thy simple fare, and all thy plain delights, 
As dear to thee as once ? And have thy joys 
Lost nothing by comparison with ours ? 
Rude as thou art, (for we returned thee rude 
And ignorant, except of outward show,) 
I cannot think thee yet so dull of heart, 
And spiritless, as never to regret 
Sweets tasted here, and left as soon as known. 
Methinks I see thee straying on the beach, 
And asking of the surge that bathes thy foot, 
If ever it has wash’d our distant shore. 
Thus fancy paints thee, and, though apt to err. 
Perhaps errs little when she paints thee thus. 
She tells me too, that duly ev’ry morn 
Thou climb’st the mountain-top, with eager eye 
* Omai. 
