A Metrical History of England Or, Recollections, in Rhyme, Of some of the most prominent Features in our National Chronology, from the Landing of Julius Caesar to the Commencement of the Regency, in 1812. In Two Volumes ... By Thomas Dibdin |
 | I. |
| II. |
 | A Metrical History of England |  |
“Ye chiefs of the ocean your laurels throw by,
“Or the cypress entwine with each wreath,
“At the shrine of humanity heave a soft sigh,
“And a tear now let fall for his death:
“Yet the genius of Britain forbids us to grieve,
“Since Cooke ever honoured, immortal shall live.”
So sang a Bard, when Cooke's regretted blood
Ting'd on Owyhee's fatal shore the flood;
Unrival'd chief! who found a cruel grave
From those his generous feelings sought to save!
“Or the cypress entwine with each wreath,
240
“And a tear now let fall for his death:
“Yet the genius of Britain forbids us to grieve,
“Since Cooke ever honoured, immortal shall live.”
So sang a Bard, when Cooke's regretted blood
Ting'd on Owyhee's fatal shore the flood;
Unrival'd chief! who found a cruel grave
From those his generous feelings sought to save!
| A Metrical History of England | |