The Isles of Loch Awe and Other Poems of my Youth With Sixteen Illustrations. By Philip Gilbert Hamerton |
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| POEMS OF SCIENCE. |
 | The Isles of Loch Awe and Other Poems of my Youth |  |
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POEMS OF SCIENCE.
“In Science lies the California of Poetry.”
—Hans Christian Andersen.
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[_]
Poetry, like painting, usually deals only with the appearances of things—not the reality. Science, having enlarged our knowledge, opens a new field, in which the imagination is still actively employed in the realisation of truth, and the poetic faculty has the widest possible scope. The Author has ventured on a little excursion to this new and inexhaustible field, and has arranged the fruits of his expedition under the head “Poems of Science.”
333
THE CENTRAL HALL
IN THE NEW PALACE AT WESTMINSTER.
Between those glorious chambers whence proceed
The laws that govern England, lies a way
Through many vaulted corridors and halls,
So straight that—when the folding-gates of brass,
The beautiful gates before the House of Peers,
And those more modest doors of British oak
That close the entrance to the other place,
Are open—from the Speaker's chair direct
Unto the royal throne, a path is clear,
Whereby the golden splendour of that seat
Gleams through a line of halls and corridors
Into the Commons' House.
The laws that govern England, lies a way
Through many vaulted corridors and halls,
So straight that—when the folding-gates of brass,
The beautiful gates before the House of Peers,
And those more modest doors of British oak
That close the entrance to the other place,
Are open—from the Speaker's chair direct
Unto the royal throne, a path is clear,
Whereby the golden splendour of that seat
Gleams through a line of halls and corridors
Into the Commons' House.
And in the midst
There is a Central Hall—an octagon,
Lofty and rich, like some fair chapter-house,
Whence other ways pass forth to other halls,
To one whose frescoes realise the dreams
Of our great poets; and another where
Will stand gigantic statues of the dead
Who in times past made England what she is.
And through this marble avenue you pass
Down to the fine old hall of Westminster,
Where the death-sentence with sad, solemn tones,
Too often sounded in a sterner time.
There is a Central Hall—an octagon,
Lofty and rich, like some fair chapter-house,
Whence other ways pass forth to other halls,
To one whose frescoes realise the dreams
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Will stand gigantic statues of the dead
Who in times past made England what she is.
And through this marble avenue you pass
Down to the fine old hall of Westminster,
Where the death-sentence with sad, solemn tones,
Too often sounded in a sterner time.
Such are the precincts of the Central Hall.
And when I stand beneath the chandelier,
Of Gothic brass most exquisitely wrought,
Suspended through the opening in the roof—
(A ring with eight large bosses richly carved,
To which the ribs of all the vault converge)—
I feel that I am at the very heart
And inmost centre of our modern life;
For in that hall there waits a messenger
More swift and mighty than the Genii
Of whom we read in old Arabian tales.
He is your slave—command him! He will fly
By night or day to far provincial towns,
And take your message—yes! the very words,
And bring an answer instantly. Nay, more—
If you should tell this spirit—for he hath
No substance more corporeal or gross
Than lightest Ariels born of poets' dreams—
If you should tell this spirit to proceed
To one of those old cities on the Loire,
Amongst the vineyards in the south of France,
The sea would not deter him. Where the waves
Sap the chalk cliffs at Dover he will dive,
And shoot as swiftly through the density
Of the deep waters as through summer air,
And rise upon the distant shore of France,
Which as a thin, faint line, the sentinel
At Dover, looking from the castle cliff,
Sees when the day is clear. There is no sign
Upon the sea that our swift messenger
Has passed beneath it and returned again.
He does not break the surface when he dives;
He rises unperceived, invisible
As exhalations on a cloudless day.
And when he leaves the Palace, or returns,
No doors are opened. In his swiftest flight
He moves in perfect silence, like a sphere
Sweeping its noiseless circle round the sun.
And when I stand beneath the chandelier,
Of Gothic brass most exquisitely wrought,
Suspended through the opening in the roof—
(A ring with eight large bosses richly carved,
To which the ribs of all the vault converge)—
I feel that I am at the very heart
And inmost centre of our modern life;
For in that hall there waits a messenger
More swift and mighty than the Genii
Of whom we read in old Arabian tales.
He is your slave—command him! He will fly
By night or day to far provincial towns,
And take your message—yes! the very words,
And bring an answer instantly. Nay, more—
If you should tell this spirit—for he hath
No substance more corporeal or gross
Than lightest Ariels born of poets' dreams—
If you should tell this spirit to proceed
To one of those old cities on the Loire,
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The sea would not deter him. Where the waves
Sap the chalk cliffs at Dover he will dive,
And shoot as swiftly through the density
Of the deep waters as through summer air,
And rise upon the distant shore of France,
Which as a thin, faint line, the sentinel
At Dover, looking from the castle cliff,
Sees when the day is clear. There is no sign
Upon the sea that our swift messenger
Has passed beneath it and returned again.
He does not break the surface when he dives;
He rises unperceived, invisible
As exhalations on a cloudless day.
And when he leaves the Palace, or returns,
No doors are opened. In his swiftest flight
He moves in perfect silence, like a sphere
Sweeping its noiseless circle round the sun.
336
FALLING STARS.
With old traditions all around us dying,
We sometimes tremble for the inner sense
That feeds upon the beautiful; and sighing,
Repeat old tales, though faith is banished hence.
We sometimes tremble for the inner sense
That feeds upon the beautiful; and sighing,
Repeat old tales, though faith is banished hence.
Here, as we sit, unwillingly receiving
More precious truths than they possessed of old,
We envy them the pleasure of believing,
Hoarding old coins in fields of Nature's gold.
More precious truths than they possessed of old,
We envy them the pleasure of believing,
Hoarding old coins in fields of Nature's gold.
Such are the useless treasures we inherit,
No longer current in our modern thought;
But those who made them marked them with their spirit,
And so we keep them fondly, as we ought.
No longer current in our modern thought;
But those who made them marked them with their spirit,
And so we keep them fondly, as we ought.
Such, amongst others, is that explanation
Of falling stars—that every one was tied
By a thread spun at somebody's creation,
And that the thread divided when he died.
Of falling stars—that every one was tied
By a thread spun at somebody's creation,
And that the thread divided when he died.
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It must have been delightful to believers
To take a census on the starry nights,
When the high Fates, those stern, mysterious weavers,
Hung out in heaven a multitude of lights.
To take a census on the starry nights,
When the high Fates, those stern, mysterious weavers,
Hung out in heaven a multitude of lights.
But when they saw one suddenly descending
Down the bright sky—extinguished in the dark,
They knew that some one's earthly life was ending,
And saw a death in every dying spark.
Down the bright sky—extinguished in the dark,
They knew that some one's earthly life was ending,
And saw a death in every dying spark.
Alas! the stories that we leave behind us
Contain what we can ill afford to lose;
And this may still be useful to remind us
Of death. Its warning let us not refuse.
Contain what we can ill afford to lose;
And this may still be useful to remind us
Of death. Its warning let us not refuse.
Though knowledge may have broken the connexion
Between the tenure of our little lives
And the bright stars, their fall excites reflection,
And silent prayers for some one who survives.
Between the tenure of our little lives
And the bright stars, their fall excites reflection,
And silent prayers for some one who survives.
And when you see a meteor wildly leaping
Into the dark, think not the legend lies;
For every moment there are mourners weeping,
And every moment some beloved one dies.
Into the dark, think not the legend lies;
For every moment there are mourners weeping,
And every moment some beloved one dies.
'Tis a worn coin, though marked with the impression
Of human features; but I will unfold
A store of wealth—man's new and bright possession,
Gathered of late in Nature's fields of gold.
Of human features; but I will unfold
A store of wealth—man's new and bright possession,
Gathered of late in Nature's fields of gold.
338
Not long ago, one evening last November,
I walked upon the mountains with my friend;
We started after dusk, and I remember
The stars were bright before our journey's end.
I walked upon the mountains with my friend;
We started after dusk, and I remember
The stars were bright before our journey's end.
And as I told him some romantic story,
I paused to watch a star that suddenly
Shot and, extinguished, left a trail of glory,
That died into faint light upon the sky.
I paused to watch a star that suddenly
Shot and, extinguished, left a trail of glory,
That died into faint light upon the sky.
I said, “There is a deep and sacred mystery
About those glancing lights on heaven's floor
That awes the heart.” “And if you knew their history,”
Answered my friend, “you still would wonder more.”
About those glancing lights on heaven's floor
That awes the heart.” “And if you knew their history,”
Answered my friend, “you still would wonder more.”
“They fly,” said he, “in thick and countless legions,
Whirling in one great orbit round the sun;
And, swiftly coursing through the silent regions
Of empty space, they ever float and run.
Whirling in one great orbit round the sun;
And, swiftly coursing through the silent regions
Of empty space, they ever float and run.
“They have no rest—their life is one migration;
Small bodies banded in unnumbered hosts;
Some drop—not from fatigue, but gravitation—
Upon the mountains, continents, and coasts.
Small bodies banded in unnumbered hosts;
Some drop—not from fatigue, but gravitation—
Upon the mountains, continents, and coasts.
“Though thousands slake their fiery substance, hissing
In the deep waters of the lonely seas,
And every year are some old comrades missing,
Yet still the flock is like a swarm of bees.
In the deep waters of the lonely seas,
And every year are some old comrades missing,
Yet still the flock is like a swarm of bees.
339
“And when, across our orbit swiftly going,
They reach the limits of our atmosphere,
Their dark, invisible bodies, hot and glowing,
Blaze as they pass, then swiftly disappear.
They reach the limits of our atmosphere,
Their dark, invisible bodies, hot and glowing,
Blaze as they pass, then swiftly disappear.
“And some have dropped near human habitations,
Piercing the solid surface of the ground,
And been held sacred by the simple nations
On whose paternal acres they were found.
Piercing the solid surface of the ground,
And been held sacred by the simple nations
On whose paternal acres they were found.
“Mongolian Chiefs and Caliphs had their sabres
Forged of celestial ore, that they might be
Divinely armed against unpleasant neighbours,
Or against slaves aspiring to be free.
Forged of celestial ore, that they might be
Divinely armed against unpleasant neighbours,
Or against slaves aspiring to be free.
“A monk at Crema, when devoutly praying,
Received in answer such a heavy stone
That he was silenced—God's own missile slaying
His humble priest. His death is not alone.
Received in answer such a heavy stone
That he was silenced—God's own missile slaying
His humble priest. His death is not alone.
“Another, taking his accustomed airing
About Milan, was likewise roughly floored,
And picked up dead. And also two seafaring
Swedes met the same fate, they were killed on board.”
About Milan, was likewise roughly floored,
And picked up dead. And also two seafaring
Swedes met the same fate, they were killed on board.”
I answered. If such masses of hot iron
As that in our museum ever fell
On any town, not greater woes environ
The Russian fortress from our shot and shell.
As that in our museum ever fell
On any town, not greater woes environ
The Russian fortress from our shot and shell.
340
I've often stood before it filled with wonder,
Thinking of how it came here long ago—
Of its terrific fall in claps of thunder,
When first it came to settle here below.
Thinking of how it came here long ago—
Of its terrific fall in claps of thunder,
When first it came to settle here below.
How, after rushing through unmeasured distance
In the eternal ages of the past,
It could descend to such a mean existence,
And deign to be exhibited at last.
In the eternal ages of the past,
It could descend to such a mean existence,
And deign to be exhibited at last.
The weary crowds who daily past it wander,
Then go to see some foreign raree show,
Would, if they knew its value, stay and ponder
Over the most outlandish thing we know.
Then go to see some foreign raree show,
Would, if they knew its value, stay and ponder
Over the most outlandish thing we know.
A thing, not only foreign to the nation,
But to the very planet where we dwell,
Wherein it holds as strange a situation
As Orpheus in the corridors of Hell.
But to the very planet where we dwell,
Wherein it holds as strange a situation
As Orpheus in the corridors of Hell.
I've touched it with a thrill of such deep feeling
As vibrates through a saint's excited nerves
When he receives the sacred wafer kneeling,
And touches—tastes—the deity he serves.
As vibrates through a saint's excited nerves
When he receives the sacred wafer kneeling,
And touches—tastes—the deity he serves.
Not that I worship stars—but in this relic
Of some bright courser round the central sun,
I would receive a messenger angelic
From other kingdoms of the Eternal One.
Of some bright courser round the central sun,
I would receive a messenger angelic
From other kingdoms of the Eternal One.
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Saying, “Not only is the earth material,
And made of substance having bulk and weight;
But meteor-stars, so brilliant and aërial,
Are in themselves the same, though not so great.”
And made of substance having bulk and weight;
But meteor-stars, so brilliant and aërial,
Are in themselves the same, though not so great.”
And so does matter glorify its being,
Flying above us as on angels' wings,
And we become philosophers on seeing
These fragments of the universe of things.
Flying above us as on angels' wings,
And we become philosophers on seeing
These fragments of the universe of things.
NOTE.
Humboldt, who always looks upon nature with the eye of a poet as well as the profound knowledge of a man of science, provided the materials for this poem in his wonderful book on the universe. (Cosmos, Bohn's edition, vol. i. from p. 97 to p. 126; also vol. iv. from p. 566 to p. 596.) The assistance derived from other sources is inconsiderable, and does not need specific acknowledgment.
The large mass of meteoric iron alluded to is under the window in the first room of the north gallery in the British Museum. It was sent from Buenos Ayres by Mr. Parish, in 1826. This fragment weighs 1400 lbs. It is supposed to be part of a large mass found at Otumpa, in the Gran Chaco Gualamba, in S. America, by Don Rubin de Celis, who estimated the weight of the whole at fifteen tons. It was, therefore, no exaggeration to compare the effects of such a missile to the havoc of shot and shell.
342
IODINE.
There was a time when we were taught
The elements were only four;
The curse of old Saint Athanase
Might cling to those who dreamed of more.
But now we have enlarged our faith,
And Science widens all her range,
Till recent knowledge holds as truth
What erst had sounded false and strange.
The elements were only four;
The curse of old Saint Athanase
Might cling to those who dreamed of more.
But now we have enlarged our faith,
And Science widens all her range,
Till recent knowledge holds as truth
What erst had sounded false and strange.
But none of all our elements
Is half so wonderful as thee,
Strange extract of the golden weeds,—
Strange daughter of the eternal sea!
And of our sixty elements
Not one has properties like thine,
Thou mistress of the solar light,
O violet-fuming Iodine!
Is half so wonderful as thee,
Strange extract of the golden weeds,—
Strange daughter of the eternal sea!
And of our sixty elements
Not one has properties like thine,
Thou mistress of the solar light,
O violet-fuming Iodine!
343
Oppressed by Nature's vastest forms,
Lie hid in many a mountain chain
Poor souls who dwell from year to year
In shadowed darkness of the brain.
For these thou hast a potent charm
That fills their hearts with health and light,
And makes a sunrise in the soul
That slept before in haunted night.
Lie hid in many a mountain chain
Poor souls who dwell from year to year
In shadowed darkness of the brain.
For these thou hast a potent charm
That fills their hearts with health and light,
And makes a sunrise in the soul
That slept before in haunted night.
I've seen about the western isles,
Encircling zones of golden weed,
A wondrous spirit lurks therein—
By fire alone it may be freed!
An artist-substance that receives
Distinct impressions line for line,
More sensitive than painter's eye,
The wonder-working Iodine!
Encircling zones of golden weed,
A wondrous spirit lurks therein—
By fire alone it may be freed!
An artist-substance that receives
Distinct impressions line for line,
More sensitive than painter's eye,
The wonder-working Iodine!
344
NOTE.
Iodine derives its name from a Greek word, signifying “violet-coloured;” but the transcendent beauty of the colour of its vapour requires further elucidation than simply saying that it has a “violet hue.” If a little iodine be placed on a hot tile it rises into a magnificent dense vapour, fit for the last scene of a theatrical representation. This remarkable substance was discovered by accident about forty years ago. At that period chemical philosophy was in great repute, owing principally to the brilliant discoveries of Sir Humphry Davy. So singular a substance as iodine was to Davy a source of infinite pleasure. His great aim was to prove its compound nature; but in this he failed; and to this day it is believed to be one of the primitive “elements” of the world we live in. The sea furnishes an inexhaustible supply of iodine. Whatever be the food of sea-weeds, it is certain that iodine forms a portion of their daily banquet; and to these beautiful plants we turn when iodine is to be manufactured for commercial purposes. The inhabitants of the Tyrol are subject to a very painful disease called goître, or cretinism; for this malady iodine is a perfect cure. Photography tells the whole truth without flattery; and the colours used in this process are only silver and iodine. —Septimus Piesse, in the Mining Journal.
345
CORAL ISLANDS.
Down in the Tropic sea,
Where the water is warm and deep,
There are gardens fairer than any bee
Ever saw in its honied sleep.
Where the water is warm and deep,
There are gardens fairer than any bee
Ever saw in its honied sleep.
Flowers of crimson bright,
And green, and purple, and blue,
In the waters deep which the golden light
Of the sun sinks softly through.
And green, and purple, and blue,
In the waters deep which the golden light
Of the sun sinks softly through.
And many a proud ship sails,
And many a sea-bird flies,
And fishes swim with silvery scales,
Above where that garden lies.
And many a sea-bird flies,
And fishes swim with silvery scales,
Above where that garden lies.
But the sailor only sees
The ocean barren and bare,
While the fishes know of wondrous trees
That bloom and blossom there.
The ocean barren and bare,
While the fishes know of wondrous trees
That bloom and blossom there.
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For whenever they choose, they dive
Where line and plummet fail,
To beds of flowers that feel and live
Like flowers in a fairy tale.
Where line and plummet fail,
To beds of flowers that feel and live
Like flowers in a fairy tale.
Down in the white sea-sand
They lead a rooted life,
Perhaps to be plucked by the pretty hand
Of the merman's dainty wife.
They lead a rooted life,
Perhaps to be plucked by the pretty hand
Of the merman's dainty wife.
You have seen the bright red stem
Of the wondrous coral tree;
But its living flowers—you saw not them—
They died beneath the sea.
Of the wondrous coral tree;
But its living flowers—you saw not them—
They died beneath the sea.
You have seen the coral white,
The ghastly skeleton;
But the living flowers were a fairer sight
That used to grow thereon.
The ghastly skeleton;
But the living flowers were a fairer sight
That used to grow thereon.
They die—those beautiful links
Between us and the flowers,
Which some despise, but the poet thinks
Most lovely pets of ours.
Between us and the flowers,
Which some despise, but the poet thinks
Most lovely pets of ours.
And the chain is made complete
Between our life and theirs,—
Between the lily pure and sweet,
And man with all his cares.
Between our life and theirs,—
Between the lily pure and sweet,
And man with all his cares.
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But not for their hues alone,
These gardens in the sea
Were by the ocean nursed and sown,
Or sung in verse by me.
These gardens in the sea
Were by the ocean nursed and sown,
Or sung in verse by me.
When the lovely flowers are dead,
And their substance wastes away,
Their skeletons lie on the ocean's bed
Like wrecks in slow decay.
And their substance wastes away,
Their skeletons lie on the ocean's bed
Like wrecks in slow decay.
And over their delicate bones,
The streams of the lower deep
Lay sand and shell and polished stones
In many a little heap.
The streams of the lower deep
Lay sand and shell and polished stones
In many a little heap.
And their descendants bloom
Above their parents' graves;
Like a child that plays on its father's tomb,
They live beneath the waves.
Above their parents' graves;
Like a child that plays on its father's tomb,
They live beneath the waves.
At last they perish too;
And the sea brings sand and shell,
And buries them kindly where they grew
Like soldiers where they fell.
And the sea brings sand and shell,
And buries them kindly where they grew
Like soldiers where they fell.
And this goes on and on,
And the creatures bloom and grow,
Till the mass of death they rest upon
Comes upward from below.
And the creatures bloom and grow,
Till the mass of death they rest upon
Comes upward from below.
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And reefs of barren rocks
In blue unfathomed seas,
Give rest to the feet of emigrant flocks,
But have no grass nor trees.
In blue unfathomed seas,
Give rest to the feet of emigrant flocks,
But have no grass nor trees.
But still the breakers break,
And white along the shore
The surf leaps high, and the waters make
Strong barrows as before.
And white along the shore
The surf leaps high, and the waters make
Strong barrows as before.
Like barrows made of old
For ancient British chiefs,
Wherein they lie with torques of gold,
Are those long coral reefs.
For ancient British chiefs,
Wherein they lie with torques of gold,
Are those long coral reefs.
For many a hundred miles
Those barren reefs extend,
Connecting distant groups of isles
With paths from end to end.
Those barren reefs extend,
Connecting distant groups of isles
With paths from end to end.
And when the tide is high,
It washes daily food
To hungry mouths, and greedily
Out comes the slimy brood.
It washes daily food
To hungry mouths, and greedily
Out comes the slimy brood.
Out of the waste of stone,
Like Roderick's merry men,
Out of the heather bleak and lone
In the gloomy Highland glen,
Like Roderick's merry men,
Out of the heather bleak and lone
In the gloomy Highland glen,
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Those swarming millions rise
From their little hollow caves,
And each looks out for a welcome prize
From the drifting of the waves.
From their little hollow caves,
And each looks out for a welcome prize
From the drifting of the waves.
And a thousand conscious flowers
Open their fleshy leaves
To the ocean spray, whose snowy showers
The thankful mouth receives.
Open their fleshy leaves
To the ocean spray, whose snowy showers
The thankful mouth receives.
Like the golden mouths that gape
In the thrush's happy nest,
Open those flowers of starry shape,
When the sea disturbs their rest.
In the thrush's happy nest,
Open those flowers of starry shape,
When the sea disturbs their rest.
But when the reef has grown
Above the highest tide,
It is a city of lifeless stone,
Whose citizens have died.
Above the highest tide,
It is a city of lifeless stone,
Whose citizens have died.
For they cannot bear to be
Where the waters never rise,
And each one lifted from the sea,
To the parching sunshine dies.
Where the waters never rise,
And each one lifted from the sea,
To the parching sunshine dies.
And bird, or wave, or wind
Brings other seeds to sow;
And on the rock new tenants find
A soil whereon to grow.
Brings other seeds to sow;
And on the rock new tenants find
A soil whereon to grow.
350
And they have other wants
Than the flowers the ocean fed;
The hot sun nurses the living plants,
And withers up the dead.
Than the flowers the ocean fed;
The hot sun nurses the living plants,
And withers up the dead.
And then on the deepening mould
Of many a hundred years,
When the coral rock is green and old,
A stunted shrub appears;
Of many a hundred years,
When the coral rock is green and old,
A stunted shrub appears;
And grasses tall and rank,
And herbs that thickly teem
Out of the soil on a lake's green bank,
Or the margin of a stream.
And herbs that thickly teem
Out of the soil on a lake's green bank,
Or the margin of a stream.
Long ages pass—those isles
Have grown maturely fair;
Green forests wave, and summer smiles,
And human homes are there.
Have grown maturely fair;
Green forests wave, and summer smiles,
And human homes are there.
And in the sunset calms
Swim out with laughing ease,
Shoals of girls from Isles of Palms
In tranquil southern seas,—
Swim out with laughing ease,
Shoals of girls from Isles of Palms
In tranquil southern seas,—
The fairest, sweetest fruit
Of the coral's mighty work!
And still in the deep about the root
Of the rock those creatures lurk.
Of the coral's mighty work!
And still in the deep about the root
Of the rock those creatures lurk.
351
Nothing on earth so small,
Nothing so weak and poor,
But may produce—if it work at all—
Results that shall endure.
Nothing so weak and poor,
But may produce—if it work at all—
Results that shall endure.
The simple men of old,
Who lived and died unknown,
Have left us things more manifold
Than reefs of coral stone.
Who lived and died unknown,
Have left us things more manifold
Than reefs of coral stone.
And we who work to-day
Shall leave results behind,
And build—not isle, nor reef, nor bay—
But the wondrous human mind.
Shall leave results behind,
And build—not isle, nor reef, nor bay—
But the wondrous human mind.
God uses humble hands
To do his bidding here:
The coral shapes extensive lands
Where barren waters were.
To do his bidding here:
The coral shapes extensive lands
Where barren waters were.
And we—myself and you—
However poor and mean,
Shall leave a sign as corals do,
To prove that we have been.
However poor and mean,
Shall leave a sign as corals do,
To prove that we have been.
This was written after reading the sixth Lecture in Dr. Mantell's Wonders of Geology, to which the reader is referred for details.
352
THE EMPTY PUPA CASE.
“You cannot turn a pebble in the stream
In May or June,” an angler said to me,
“Without disturbing things that afterwards
Bright summer flies will be.
In May or June,” an angler said to me,
“Without disturbing things that afterwards
Bright summer flies will be.
“They lead a pleasant life beneath the stones;
Some active ones are clad in waterproof,
And others rest in little huts of sand
Beneath a solid roof,
Some active ones are clad in waterproof,
And others rest in little huts of sand
Beneath a solid roof,
“In separate chambers lined with silk throughout,
Cemented with a mortar of their own,
Wherein each baby insect is enshrined,
Secluded and alone.
Cemented with a mortar of their own,
Wherein each baby insect is enshrined,
Secluded and alone.
“Thus pass the hours of growth. The sun of spring
Shines clearly through their native element;
And all those creatures, now mature and strong,
No longer feel content
Shines clearly through their native element;
And all those creatures, now mature and strong,
No longer feel content
353
“To lie like worms and reptiles under stones,
Hiding in darkness all the summer days;
But one by one they leave their place of birth,
Till not a Pupa stays.
Hiding in darkness all the summer days;
But one by one they leave their place of birth,
Till not a Pupa stays.
“The March-Brown climbs the stone he dwelt beneath,
And dries himself, and basks in summer heat,
And breathes a lighter element, and tries
To extricate his feet
And dries himself, and basks in summer heat,
And breathes a lighter element, and tries
To extricate his feet
“From those old boots, so useful in the stream—
Mere fetters now—and splits his water clothes;
Leaves the case empty, and exhausted sinks
Beside it to repose.
Mere fetters now—and splits his water clothes;
Leaves the case empty, and exhausted sinks
Beside it to repose.
“He is not dead—his little crumpled wings
Dry and expand beneath the pleasant sun.
His body grows—he is a thing transformed—
His new life is begun!
Dry and expand beneath the pleasant sun.
His body grows—he is a thing transformed—
His new life is begun!
“He skims across the pool where he was born,
On his new wings he soars unto the light;
Another world—to infancy unknown,
Spreads out before his sight.
On his new wings he soars unto the light;
Another world—to infancy unknown,
Spreads out before his sight.
“He never lacks an object of pursuit,
Indulging safely every healthy taste;
His life is short, but of his precious hours
No moment runs to waste.”
Indulging safely every healthy taste;
His life is short, but of his precious hours
No moment runs to waste.”
354
I heard the history of the Pupa case,
The simple life of its inhabitant,
And thought—how wise an insect to cast off
A form it does not want!
The simple life of its inhabitant,
And thought—how wise an insect to cast off
A form it does not want!
But men go pinched and bound in swaddling clothes,
Ignoring the enlargement of the mind;
'Twere wiser thus to let our wings expand,
And leave our shells behind.
Ignoring the enlargement of the mind;
'Twere wiser thus to let our wings expand,
And leave our shells behind.
Yet when, as truth advances, we renounce
Notions of science, narrow, out of date,
Some who regard the empty Pupa case
Sincerely mourn our fate,
Notions of science, narrow, out of date,
Some who regard the empty Pupa case
Sincerely mourn our fate,
And say, “Poor soul! he threw his armour off,
And now, no doubt, is dead in helplessness.”
Their dull compassion could not be bestowed
Where it was needed less.
And now, no doubt, is dead in helplessness.”
Their dull compassion could not be bestowed
Where it was needed less.
For he, its object, on the brilliant wings
Of late-unfolded thought doth onward fly,
Disporting in an element more pure
Than that wherein they lie.
Of late-unfolded thought doth onward fly,
Disporting in an element more pure
Than that wherein they lie.
His faculties are bettered by the change;
A new world lies before—a wider field
For enterprise, whose wealth must ever be
From ignorance concealed.
A new world lies before—a wider field
For enterprise, whose wealth must ever be
From ignorance concealed.
355
Whilst others sleep in shallow pools of thought,
In ancient channels, mourning him as dead,
And holding inquests on the empty shell
That he so proudly shed,
In ancient channels, mourning him as dead,
And holding inquests on the empty shell
That he so proudly shed,
He lives in clearer light, with broader views—
Swifter progression—freedom more complete.
It was his very nature to cast off
Those fetters from his feet!
Swifter progression—freedom more complete.
It was his very nature to cast off
Those fetters from his feet!
356
THE BRITANNIA BRIDGE.
Some have iron thews and sinews, some are muscular of mind;
Learned savans, skilful blacksmiths, each are noble in their kind.
Learned savans, skilful blacksmiths, each are noble in their kind.
But to give the savan's wisdom to the hammer and the shears,
Come those intermediate workers,—England's civil engineers.
Come those intermediate workers,—England's civil engineers.
So does thought gain form and substance, and we see its force at length
Doing wonders far surpassing all the feats of brutal strength.
Doing wonders far surpassing all the feats of brutal strength.
Let it organise the masses, let it make them wise and strong,
So that one man's head shall govern all the labour of the throng.
So that one man's head shall govern all the labour of the throng.
357
For mankind—the race—has in it all the elements of power,
Brain and muscle—age in seedtime—early manhood in its flower.
Brain and muscle—age in seedtime—early manhood in its flower.
Ships sail down the straits of Menai, where the current swiftly streams,
And above their lofty mainmasts hang those long colossal beams,
And above their lofty mainmasts hang those long colossal beams,
Hollow corridors of iron, stretched across from shore to shore,
Often murmuring with music like the thunder's distant roar,
Often murmuring with music like the thunder's distant roar,
When the swift trains cross the channel, people thinking as they go
Of the iron walls about them, or the ships that sail below.
Of the iron walls about them, or the ships that sail below.
Long those mighty tubes shall vibrate in the pathway of the winds,
Poems wrought in beaten iron by our most creative minds!
Poems wrought in beaten iron by our most creative minds!
Long those mighty tubes shall murmur on their solid marble towers,
Singing to succeeding ages of the enterprise of ours!
Singing to succeeding ages of the enterprise of ours!
358
FOOTPRINTS IN SANDSTONE.
Listen whilst I tell a story of old Time the sure and slow;
Let the subject of my legend be what happened long ago,
Yet no dim and vague tradition, but a fact we really know.
Let the subject of my legend be what happened long ago,
Yet no dim and vague tradition, but a fact we really know.
Legends of the mythic Arthur, all that Spenser sweetly sings
Of our ancient British heroes and long lines of famous kings,
These are credible no longer—these are all forgotten things.
Of our ancient British heroes and long lines of famous kings,
These are credible no longer—these are all forgotten things.
359
Shakspeare's shreds of ancient story, Hamlet, Lear, and Cymbeline,
Milton's song of Paradise, and Homer's “tale of Troy divine,”
These are ancient, noble subjects—modern still compared to mine.
Milton's song of Paradise, and Homer's “tale of Troy divine,”
These are ancient, noble subjects—modern still compared to mine.
I have seen a block of sandstone with old characters thereon,
Older than the oldest treasure from Egyptian deserts won,
Older than the arrowheads of Nineveh or Babylon.
Older than the oldest treasure from Egyptian deserts won,
Older than the arrowheads of Nineveh or Babylon.
Written, reader, long aforetime, written on the ocean sand,
Long before in God's creation worked the wondrous human hand;
Yet to human hearts it speaketh—let us read and understand,
Long before in God's creation worked the wondrous human hand;
Yet to human hearts it speaketh—let us read and understand,
How long since this block of sandstone was with mystic signs imprest,
How long in her secret archives Nature suffered it to rest,
Which no student ever enters, nor destructive worms infest.
How long in her secret archives Nature suffered it to rest,
Which no student ever enters, nor destructive worms infest.
360
This we cannot tell in numbers—cycles, centuries, and years
Fail us, as they fail to tell of starlight which to-night appears,
How long it has travelled swiftly since it left its native spheres.
Fail us, as they fail to tell of starlight which to-night appears,
How long it has travelled swiftly since it left its native spheres.
But we see whole generations, for their bones are side by side,
And we know that vast creations in that lapse have lived and died,
For they lie above each other whom the shelves of rock divide.
And we know that vast creations in that lapse have lived and died,
For they lie above each other whom the shelves of rock divide.
And in every shelf of rock we see a mighty gulph of time.
So the world seems older—older—and her story more sublime;
Farther still her first creation!—farther still her golden prime!
So the world seems older—older—and her story more sublime;
Farther still her first creation!—farther still her golden prime!
Long ago—I know not how long—on a sandbank near the sea,
Stepped with awkward gait a creature, and a frog he seemed to be,
But on earth there dwells no longer such a mighty frog as he.
Stepped with awkward gait a creature, and a frog he seemed to be,
But on earth there dwells no longer such a mighty frog as he.
361
Gulliver, in his adventures in that huge gigantic land,
Where all nature was colossal, all things marvellously grand,
May have seen such creatures walking slowly on the ocean sand.
Where all nature was colossal, all things marvellously grand,
May have seen such creatures walking slowly on the ocean sand.
So those deep mysterious footprints on the yielding sand were made;
And the tide came calmly, gently; and its little breakers laid
Over them a thin deposit, which the rivulets conveyed
And the tide came calmly, gently; and its little breakers laid
Over them a thin deposit, which the rivulets conveyed
From the inland plains and valleys down unto the ancient shore,
And the sea retired and left it smooth and barren as before;
But the marks of that inscription were preserved for evermore.
And the sea retired and left it smooth and barren as before;
But the marks of that inscription were preserved for evermore.
Every day the waves brought matter from the ocean's deepest bed,
And they laid their sandy treasures where the creature used to tread;
Tracts of sand with marks of ripples did the tidewaves daily spread.
And they laid their sandy treasures where the creature used to tread;
Tracts of sand with marks of ripples did the tidewaves daily spread.
362
Since those days the land has altered; changing are all things that be,
Save the splendour of the planets and the music of the sea,
Still the same the ocean murmurs in its old accustomed key.
Save the splendour of the planets and the music of the sea,
Still the same the ocean murmurs in its old accustomed key.
But the land has altered strangely since the time when creeping things,
Lizards like gigantic dragons such as quaint old Spenser sings,
Mighty reptiles, male and female, were the planets' queens and kings,
Lizards like gigantic dragons such as quaint old Spenser sings,
Mighty reptiles, male and female, were the planets' queens and kings,
When deep forests, tropic jungles, arborescent shrubs and ferns,
Flourished in our northern region, where the pale mechanic earns
Sadly a laborious living, and the furnace fiercely burns.
Flourished in our northern region, where the pale mechanic earns
Sadly a laborious living, and the furnace fiercely burns.
Sinking, sinking, all the country slowly sank beneath the waves;
And the ocean swept the forests, reptiles, dragons, to their graves;
Afterwards with shells old Ocean all the conquered country paves,
And the ocean swept the forests, reptiles, dragons, to their graves;
Afterwards with shells old Ocean all the conquered country paves,
363
Singing, “It is mine for ever!”—not for ever, not for long,
For the subterranean forces laughed at Ocean's boastful song,
Lifting up the sunken country, for their backs were broad and strong,
For the subterranean forces laughed at Ocean's boastful song,
Lifting up the sunken country, for their backs were broad and strong,
Till the sea-shells were uplifted even to the mountain peak.
Far below the waves are moaning, but with voices faint and weak,
Sorrowing for their lost dominion and the toys they vainly seek.
Far below the waves are moaning, but with voices faint and weak,
Sorrowing for their lost dominion and the toys they vainly seek.
Boundless is the retrospection of the great eternal past,
And the mind begins to weary dwelling on a theme so vast.
Let us dwell on it no longer. Man is on the earth at last,
And the mind begins to weary dwelling on a theme so vast.
Let us dwell on it no longer. Man is on the earth at last,
Building towns and blasting quarries; and within the solid stone
Finding traces—footprints merely—having fingers like his own;
Something has been there before him, ere the rock was fully grown!
Finding traces—footprints merely—having fingers like his own;
Something has been there before him, ere the rock was fully grown!
364
Woman's vows in Arab proverbs on the ocean sand are traced,
And the storm-waves of her trials leave her heart a barren waste.
'Tis a false and foolish proverb—deep they lie, but not effaced!
And the storm-waves of her trials leave her heart a barren waste.
'Tis a false and foolish proverb—deep they lie, but not effaced!
Deeper in her faithful bosom lie her vows so “little worth,”
Like these clear and sharp inscriptions in the bosom of the earth,
Growing harder, more enduring, every moment since their birth.
Like these clear and sharp inscriptions in the bosom of the earth,
Growing harder, more enduring, every moment since their birth.
Warlike hosts have crossed the desert, many a well-appointed train,
But they have not left a vestige, and we seek their tracks in vain,
Fainter than a reptile's footprint, or the pitted marks of rain!
But they have not left a vestige, and we seek their tracks in vain,
Fainter than a reptile's footprint, or the pitted marks of rain!
Great men often journey bravely through a weary pilgrimage,
Leaving not a mark behind them speaking to a future age,
Neither public reputation nor a single printed page.
Leaving not a mark behind them speaking to a future age,
Neither public reputation nor a single printed page.
365
Others who are all unworthy, treading on a lucky place,
Leave impressions deep and lasting, which the years will not efface;
Earning thus immortal glory in the annals of the race.
Leave impressions deep and lasting, which the years will not efface;
Earning thus immortal glory in the annals of the race.
See Mantell's Wonders of Geology, (6th edition), p. 553; and Lyell's Manual of Elementary Geology, (5th edition), pp. 339, 349, 402, 403, 417.
366
CASTS.
When the great Napoleon lay
A heap of lifeless clay,
When his proud career was ended on his dreary prison isle,
When all was dark within,
His features pale and thin,
And the selfish lips lay open and relaxed into a smile,
A heap of lifeless clay,
When his proud career was ended on his dreary prison isle,
When all was dark within,
His features pale and thin,
And the selfish lips lay open and relaxed into a smile,
They knew it could not last;
So they took a careful cast
Of the stern face of the conqueror so beautiful in death.
And the bronze is dark and cold,
But the maggot of the mould
Shall never kiss its brazen lips, although they have no breath.
So they took a careful cast
Of the stern face of the conqueror so beautiful in death.
And the bronze is dark and cold,
But the maggot of the mould
Shall never kiss its brazen lips, although they have no breath.
367
So we keep the handsome face
Of the tyrant of the race,
But Nature models carefully the children of her hand;
And little trivial things,
Like Earth's most famous kings,
Leave their lovely forms behind them in the marble of the land.
Of the tyrant of the race,
But Nature models carefully the children of her hand;
And little trivial things,
Like Earth's most famous kings,
Leave their lovely forms behind them in the marble of the land.
And their images shall tell
That Nature loved them well,
And made their form enduring when their substance was no more.
So she modelled trunks of trees,
And the fishes of the seas,
And the fern-leaves of the forest, and the shells upon the shore.
That Nature loved them well,
And made their form enduring when their substance was no more.
So she modelled trunks of trees,
And the fishes of the seas,
And the fern-leaves of the forest, and the shells upon the shore.
And her cabinets of rock,
Let us enter and unlock,
And gather of her treasures in the bosom of the earth;
The medals of her reign,
And the records that have lain
Unopened by our ancestors who never knew their worth.
Let us enter and unlock,
And gather of her treasures in the bosom of the earth;
The medals of her reign,
And the records that have lain
Unopened by our ancestors who never knew their worth.
368
ENGINE DRIVING.
“Stand steady, sir! close up, close up!
The fire will warm your toes;
Stand close, or you 'll be wet with steam!
All right, Tom?—Off she goes!”
The fire will warm your toes;
Stand close, or you 'll be wet with steam!
All right, Tom?—Off she goes!”
I stood between two bearded men,
Like demons dark and grim;
The fire was hot—the devil himself
Would have thought it hot for him.
Like demons dark and grim;
The fire was hot—the devil himself
Would have thought it hot for him.
A tap was turned—a deafening scream
Pierced through from ear to ear;
Beneath us shook the iron floor,
And rattled the engine-gear.
Pierced through from ear to ear;
Beneath us shook the iron floor,
And rattled the engine-gear.
The wind blew cold—the steam rolled off
In many a cloudy mass,
And the March moon dropped a spot of light
On the dome of polished brass.
In many a cloudy mass,
And the March moon dropped a spot of light
On the dome of polished brass.
369
Away we went!—above the roofs
Of a town that slept below,
And mills with windows lighted up
In many a fiery row.
Of a town that slept below,
And mills with windows lighted up
In many a fiery row.
Away we went to the crimson west,
After the sunken sun;
And on the ridges of the hills
The evening star did run.
After the sunken sun;
And on the ridges of the hills
The evening star did run.
Our speed increased—the bearded men
Looked out both left and right—
A sharp look-out the driver kept,
For it was almost night.
Looked out both left and right—
A sharp look-out the driver kept,
For it was almost night.
And soon I heard a louder noise,
A loud and fearful roar—
The stoker pulled an iron chain,
And opened the furnace door.
A loud and fearful roar—
The stoker pulled an iron chain,
And opened the furnace door.
And lo! a burst of light shone forth,
A dazzling, steady glare
From the white-hot furnace suddenly—
It had been prisoned there!
A dazzling, steady glare
From the white-hot furnace suddenly—
It had been prisoned there!
The light shone full on faces grim,
The roar was long and loud;
And over our heads there swiftly ran
A silver stream of cloud.
The roar was long and loud;
And over our heads there swiftly ran
A silver stream of cloud.
370
It rushed and ran along the roof
Of the arch through which we sped,
With solid rock on every side,
And a mountain overhead!
Of the arch through which we sped,
With solid rock on every side,
And a mountain overhead!
The light shone full on faces grim;
The roar had died away;
The hill that we had hurried through
Behind us dimly lay.
The roar had died away;
The hill that we had hurried through
Behind us dimly lay.
And bright was the glow on the stoker's face,
And black the sky behind;
But straight before, the evening star
Grew brighter in the wind.
And black the sky behind;
But straight before, the evening star
Grew brighter in the wind.
A factory with a thousand lamps
Beneath our dizzy height
We passed, as swiftly as a bird
That holds its homeward flight.
Beneath our dizzy height
We passed, as swiftly as a bird
That holds its homeward flight.
Then down a lonely vale we went,
Between a frozen mere,
And crags that stood against the sky,
So cold, and deep, and clear.
Between a frozen mere,
And crags that stood against the sky,
So cold, and deep, and clear.
And many a dark ravine we crossed,
And many a hill passed through;
And as the night advanced, the moon
And planets brighter grew.
And many a hill passed through;
And as the night advanced, the moon
And planets brighter grew.
371
And when the last faint flush had died
Out of the western sky,
Our shadows were distinct and swift,
We could not pass them by.
Out of the western sky,
Our shadows were distinct and swift,
We could not pass them by.
Over the roughest land they flew,
And where the banks were steep,
Sank down, and on the quarried rocks
An equal speed did keep.
And where the banks were steep,
Sank down, and on the quarried rocks
An equal speed did keep.
Long glaring lines of lurid fires
Flared past us as we sped,
But still the moon hung steadily
In the deep sky overhead.
Flared past us as we sped,
But still the moon hung steadily
In the deep sky overhead.
She followed us from first to last
Till we arrived at home,
And always kept her spot of light
Upon the brazen dome.
Till we arrived at home,
And always kept her spot of light
Upon the brazen dome.
372
THE NIGHT TRAIN.
The night 's as dark as pitch,
Heavily falls the rain;
But through the darkness and the storm
Speeds the Night Train.
Heavily falls the rain;
But through the darkness and the storm
Speeds the Night Train.
We sit on cushioned seats
In a little snug room;
The window-pane keeps out the rain,
And the lamp keeps out the gloom.
In a little snug room;
The window-pane keeps out the rain,
And the lamp keeps out the gloom.
We are darting through a hill;
Through subterranean halls
Thunder our thousand wheels, yet still
The steady lamp light falls
Through subterranean halls
Thunder our thousand wheels, yet still
The steady lamp light falls
On the tunnel side that streams
Across the window-pane;
'Tis gone—the noise has ceased—we are
In the outer night again.
Across the window-pane;
'Tis gone—the noise has ceased—we are
In the outer night again.
373
Past us on the railway side
Fly lines of glaring fires,
And now I see wave up and down
The long festoons of wires,
Fly lines of glaring fires,
And now I see wave up and down
The long festoons of wires,
On which, unseen at midnight dark,
And when the sun is high,
Our swift, invisible messengers,
The sparks of lightning, fly.
And when the sun is high,
Our swift, invisible messengers,
The sparks of lightning, fly.
And as they go they overtake
A hundred flying trains,
They pass them by as swallows pass
Old, clumsy, rustic wains.
A hundred flying trains,
They pass them by as swallows pass
Old, clumsy, rustic wains.
So swift and silent in the world
Is thought—it moves unseen;
And in the darkness finds the goal,
And leaps what lies between.
Is thought—it moves unseen;
And in the darkness finds the goal,
And leaps what lies between.
Action is slower, and the world
Moves like the peopled train,
With labour and tumultuous noise,
And cries of fear and pain.
Moves like the peopled train,
With labour and tumultuous noise,
And cries of fear and pain.
'Tis noble, through the stormy night
To keep appointed time,
Although the rule of watch and clock
May not be so sublime
To keep appointed time,
Although the rule of watch and clock
May not be so sublime
374
As careless life in Arab tents,
Or ships that slowly sail;
Or that lone horseman who is lost
At night in many a tale,
Or ships that slowly sail;
Or that lone horseman who is lost
At night in many a tale,
I know not. If the planets keep
Their hours both day and night,
And poets praise them none the less,
Nor quarrel with their light,
Their hours both day and night,
And poets praise them none the less,
Nor quarrel with their light,
We need not call our faithful train
A thing of humble prose,
Because he follows day and night
Examples such as those.
A thing of humble prose,
Because he follows day and night
Examples such as those.
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