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The temple of nature

or, the origin of society: a poem, with philosophical notes. By Erasmus Darwin
Darwin, Erasmus (1731-1802)

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THE TEMPLE OF NATURE;
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CANTO I. PRODUCTION OF LIFE.
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CANTO II. REPRODUCTION OF LIFE.
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CANTO III. PROGRESS OF THE MIND.
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CANTO IV. OF GOOD AND EVIL.
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29

“Next when imprison'd fires in central caves
Burst the firm earth, and drank the headlong waves;
And, as new airs with dread explosion swell,
Form'd lava-isles, and continents of shell;
Pil'd rocks on rocks, on mountains mountains raised,
And high in heaven the first volcanoes blazed;
In countless swarms an insect-myriad moves
From sea-fan gardens, and from coral groves;
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Leaves the cold caverns of the deep, and creeps
On shelving shores, or climbs on rocky steeps.
As in dry air the sea-born stranger roves,
Each muscle quickens, and each sense improves;
Cold gills aquatic form respiring lungs,
And sounds aerial flow from slimy tongues.
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