 | Columbia's glory |  |
The appeal was heard in heav'n,
And the success of that important fray
To greater deeds Columbia's sons allur'd,
And to more brilliant vict'ries led the way;
Which, tho' by transient glooms obscur'd,
Were all as harbingers successive giv'n
Of a far brighter day:
Now, with uninterrupted blaze,
That day of glory flames;
Now Heaven at length displays
His favourable face,
In its whole round of smiles array'd,
And with consummate grace,
Without a cloud, without a shade,
Shines on Columbia with continual beams.
So some black dismal night,
Without a ray of cheering light,
Involves the earth awhile;
Like that which Pharaoh's court o'erspread,
Substantial to the touch and shed
Its dusky horrors o'er the land of Nile;
At length, in radiance drest,
The morn salutes our eyes,
Beams from the windows of the east,
And darts its glories streaming o'er the skies.
With ruddy flames bright æther glows,
Wide and more wide the gay effulgence flows,
And puts the shades to flight;
'Till, hast'ning on his morning way,
Like a young bridegroom gay,
The sun, exhaustless source of light,
Victorious o'er conflicting night,
Looks glorious forth and consummates the day.
And the success of that important fray
To greater deeds Columbia's sons allur'd,
And to more brilliant vict'ries led the way;
Which, tho' by transient glooms obscur'd,
Were all as harbingers successive giv'n
Of a far brighter day:
Now, with uninterrupted blaze,
That day of glory flames;
Now Heaven at length displays
His favourable face,
In its whole round of smiles array'd,
And with consummate grace,
Without a cloud, without a shade,
Shines on Columbia with continual beams.
So some black dismal night,
Without a ray of cheering light,
Involves the earth awhile;
Like that which Pharaoh's court o'erspread,
Substantial to the touch and shed
Its dusky horrors o'er the land of Nile;
At length, in radiance drest,
The morn salutes our eyes,
Beams from the windows of the east,
And darts its glories streaming o'er the skies.
With ruddy flames bright æther glows,
Wide and more wide the gay effulgence flows,
And puts the shades to flight;
'Till, hast'ning on his morning way,
Like a young bridegroom gay,
11
Victorious o'er conflicting night,
Looks glorious forth and consummates the day.
| Columbia's glory | |