 |
 | Poems, chiefly occasional, by the late Mr. Cliffton |  |
Quis desiderio sit pudor aut modus
Tam cari capitis? Præcipe lugubres
Cantus, Melpomene, cui liquidam pater
Vocem cum Cithara dedit.
Ergo Quintilium perpetuus sopor
Urget? cui Pudor, et Justitiæ soror
Incorrupta Fides, nudaque Veritas,
Quando ullum invement parem?
Multis ille bonis flebilis occidit;
Nulli flebilior quam tibi, Virgili.
Durum: sed levius fit patientia
Quicquid corrigere est nefas.
Tam cari capitis? Præcipe lugubres
Cantus, Melpomene, cui liquidam pater
Vocem cum Cithara dedit.
Ergo Quintilium perpetuus sopor
Urget? cui Pudor, et Justitiæ soror
Incorrupta Fides, nudaque Veritas,
Quando ullum invement parem?
Multis ille bonis flebilis occidit;
Nulli flebilior quam tibi, Virgili.
Durum: sed levius fit patientia
Quicquid corrigere est nefas.
59
THE CHIMERIAD.
61
ARGUMENT
Chimeria, the terra incognita of modern Philosophy— invocation—locality of Chimeria—description—her discoverers —Philosopher's opinions—Jacobins—Sansculottes—of Christian Philosophers—her realization in France—Friends in America—Jefferson—Giles—Gallatin—Nicholas—Livingston —exhortation to Adventurers—Conclusion.
The Patriot's meed, the modern Sage's theme
The madman's kingdom and the Poet's dream:
The Statesman's Thesis, ere he learns to know
Those tempting Treasures in her mines that glow;
Folly's dear creed receiv'd at second hand,
Of every factious Knave the promis'd land;
The Peasant's wonder, irreligion's prize,
Curse of the Good, and terror of the Wise,
I sing: come Satire all thy weapons bring,
Thy awful eve, thy guilt annoying sting,
Nor leave behind, sweet Nymph! the smile severe
That sets in blushes the repentant tear,
Teach me while thro' the varying task I go,
To urge with energy thy fiercest blow,
And oft when lighter ridicule may please
Oh teach me, Nymph, to loll and laugh with ease.
The madman's kingdom and the Poet's dream:
The Statesman's Thesis, ere he learns to know
Those tempting Treasures in her mines that glow;
Folly's dear creed receiv'd at second hand,
Of every factious Knave the promis'd land;
The Peasant's wonder, irreligion's prize,
Curse of the Good, and terror of the Wise,
I sing: come Satire all thy weapons bring,
Thy awful eve, thy guilt annoying sting,
Nor leave behind, sweet Nymph! the smile severe
That sets in blushes the repentant tear,
62
To urge with energy thy fiercest blow,
And oft when lighter ridicule may please
Oh teach me, Nymph, to loll and laugh with ease.
Renown'd Chimeria! who shall dare invade
The deep arcana of thy mystic shade,
Who shall explain where all thy wonders lie,
In what fair clime, beneath what peaceful sky?
Bright world in prospect! like the watery toy,
A breath may make thee, and a breath destroy,
Who must, if e'er thy beauties flourish here
Live, like the splendid bow upon a tear.
From realm to realm thy far fam'd glories fly,
Unnumber'd volumes pall the sated eye;
Sick of thy praise, the long disgusted ear
Loaths the street ditties of thy friends to hear.
Seductive Songs! thy blisful plains recede,
At our approach, and mock our utmost speed.
The spot to find in vain thro' earth we go,
Where thy fruits ripen, and thy flow'rets blow,
Tho' clad in robes of joy, in smiles array'd;
Tho' still the fairest of the fair thou'rt made,
The seat of love, of liberty and rest,
Where Passion slumbers in her harpy nest;
Tho' oft 'tis said, with thee contentions cease,
Thy ways are pleasant, and thy paths are peace;
Yet shall the muse, indignantly severe,
Arrest the progress of thy curst career;
Expose thy secret soul, thy arts deride,
And strip thy name of all its harlot pride.
Yes, with a voice that shall be heard, she'll make
Thy baseless fabric to its centre shake;
She'll bid the world, the slumbering world beware
Why tempting shades, for rain loiters there;
There Faction howls, there Rapine rears his head,
Prostrates the fane, and violates the dead,
Lust gloats on lust, want mourns her wasted store,
And feverish Murder slakes his thirst in gore.
The deep arcana of thy mystic shade,
Who shall explain where all thy wonders lie,
In what fair clime, beneath what peaceful sky?
Bright world in prospect! like the watery toy,
A breath may make thee, and a breath destroy,
Who must, if e'er thy beauties flourish here
Live, like the splendid bow upon a tear.
From realm to realm thy far fam'd glories fly,
Unnumber'd volumes pall the sated eye;
Sick of thy praise, the long disgusted ear
Loaths the street ditties of thy friends to hear.
Seductive Songs! thy blisful plains recede,
At our approach, and mock our utmost speed.
The spot to find in vain thro' earth we go,
Where thy fruits ripen, and thy flow'rets blow,
Tho' clad in robes of joy, in smiles array'd;
Tho' still the fairest of the fair thou'rt made,
The seat of love, of liberty and rest,
Where Passion slumbers in her harpy nest;
Tho' oft 'tis said, with thee contentions cease,
Thy ways are pleasant, and thy paths are peace;
Yet shall the muse, indignantly severe,
Arrest the progress of thy curst career;
Expose thy secret soul, thy arts deride,
And strip thy name of all its harlot pride.
Yes, with a voice that shall be heard, she'll make
Thy baseless fabric to its centre shake;
She'll bid the world, the slumbering world beware
Why tempting shades, for rain loiters there;
63
Prostrates the fane, and violates the dead,
Lust gloats on lust, want mourns her wasted store,
And feverish Murder slakes his thirst in gore.
How long permitted, will the insatiate foe
Of human quiet, triumph here below?
In reason rich, with generous feeling fraught
Prone to delight in mutual change of thought;
Indu'd with all the social laws which bind
The deed of kindness to the grateful mind,
Born with a pulse to love's sweet tale sincere,
A heart for friendship and for grief a tear;
Man, wretched man, with every hope serene,
Looks round to smile, and sickens at the scene.
Lo! hate, ambition, envy, pride, and rage,
Eternal war with tranquil order wage,
Hell mix'd her poison in the draught of life,
A torch gave discord, and revenge a knife,
Destroy'd deliberation's just controul
And drove the passions on the abject soul.
Yet would the Bark of Order ride secure,
The rude surge breast, and ev'ry storm indure;
If hateful vice, in native colours seen,
Assum'd not wisdom's voice and virtue's mien;
But dress'd in light with truth's resplendent wings,
On halcyon seas the Syren sits and sings,
Points to Chymeria's flo'wry shores that rise,
In the mild radiance of Utopian skies,
Displays a chart her victim's course to guide,
And winks at ambush'd death beneath the tide.
Who but the muse of all her wiles aware,
So well can hold them forth, so well prepare
The honest mind her coaxing leer to meet?
Her aim to baffle and her end defeat?
She, lovely nymph! of man the constant friend,
Delights to please him and delights to mend.
Of human quiet, triumph here below?
In reason rich, with generous feeling fraught
Prone to delight in mutual change of thought;
Indu'd with all the social laws which bind
The deed of kindness to the grateful mind,
Born with a pulse to love's sweet tale sincere,
A heart for friendship and for grief a tear;
Man, wretched man, with every hope serene,
Looks round to smile, and sickens at the scene.
Lo! hate, ambition, envy, pride, and rage,
Eternal war with tranquil order wage,
Hell mix'd her poison in the draught of life,
A torch gave discord, and revenge a knife,
Destroy'd deliberation's just controul
And drove the passions on the abject soul.
Yet would the Bark of Order ride secure,
The rude surge breast, and ev'ry storm indure;
If hateful vice, in native colours seen,
Assum'd not wisdom's voice and virtue's mien;
But dress'd in light with truth's resplendent wings,
On halcyon seas the Syren sits and sings,
Points to Chymeria's flo'wry shores that rise,
In the mild radiance of Utopian skies,
Displays a chart her victim's course to guide,
And winks at ambush'd death beneath the tide.
Who but the muse of all her wiles aware,
So well can hold them forth, so well prepare
The honest mind her coaxing leer to meet?
Her aim to baffle and her end defeat?
64
Delights to please him and delights to mend.
In times of old, ere yet the sacred page,
Display'd its treasures to a graceless age,
When from his Fields and flocks first urg'd to roam,
Man found in crouded towns a restless home;
The witch Chymeria into being came,
Her sire Ambition, Discontent her dam,
Exulting passions hail'd the monstrous birth,
And choral demons stalk'd the frighted earth,
Mysterious, wild, aspirant, fierce and bold,
No Art could tame her, and no mandate hold.
Change was her dear delight; her eye of fire,
Forever burnt with uncontroul'd desire;
With maniac flight, through pathless Skies pursu'd,
Some vision painted on the filmy scud.
The heavenly impulse which decreed the Fane
Of Social compact to protect the Plain;
Its various grades from Capital to Base,
Which give the Building all its strength and grace;
Content and comfort shelter'd by its Shade,
From the proud Palace to the Cot display'd,
Obtain'd not her regard, her roving mind,
Left meek Content, and Order far behind.
Too light to study, and too dull to scan,
The temper, state and faculties of man;
Full of herself she soar'd aloft to prove,
The joys which float in endless change above;
And saw obedient to her mad command,
Incongruous nothings into chaos plann'd.
She saw her Empire form'd, and day by day,
Saw systems spring to light and pass away;
Saw Idiots dazzled with her tinsel zone,
And Genius sometimes sporting round her throne;
There Plato walk'd his academic round,
And there his shadowy Prototypes were found;
His spectre cave he pompously display'd,
Talk'd of a world, of endless essence made,
Pour'd forth of eloquence an airy storm,
And lick'd his cub Republic into form.
There too the Stagyrite, with plastic hand,
Fill'd with new shapes her metaphysic land,
And the proud Stoic sought her dœdal train,
To writhe in transports of delicious pain,
While Epicurus press'd the breeze to kiss
His flow'ry visions bright with golden bliss,
And pass'd on banks of bad delight the day,
Free as the Gods, and overjoy'd as they.
Plan'd and replan'd by each succeding sage,
The riddle, pest, and pastime of the age,
The hair-suspended sword of every clime,
She puff'd the gilded bauble down thro' time,
With pomp or poverty beguiled the ken,
An Empress now, and now a Citoyenne.
But tho' unquestion'd seem'd her strong controul
Throughout the impassive idol of her soul.
Yet deep sequester'd in its inmost shades,
Where no pure ray the cheerless dusk invades;
A fearful vale begirt with rocks there lay,
Which tho' submissive still disown'd her sway;
Submissive when she sought its deadly aid,
But to her protean wand impervious made.
Fixt, and immutable, the dire abode
Of fierce oppression with his scourge and goad,
In this vast Hell, relentless fiends disport,
There hungry slaughter, holds his bloody court,
His wolf-drawn chariot madly drives along
Kindles his eye and howls his Gorgon song.
Behold yon peek! amid whose beetling ways
Laborious ants, their little hillocks raise,
Eternal clouds its daring brows embrace,
And envy's serpents writhe around its base;
There on the topmost verge, ambition stands,
Grasps at the World, and as he grasps expands;
Shoots into heaven his bold aspiring head,
And bids his bulk to other systems spread;
The heedless Phantom as he swells above,
Treads on the necks of innocence and love,
On kneeling Misery stamps the grinding chain,
While justice frowns and pity pleads in vain.
Display'd its treasures to a graceless age,
When from his Fields and flocks first urg'd to roam,
Man found in crouded towns a restless home;
The witch Chymeria into being came,
Her sire Ambition, Discontent her dam,
Exulting passions hail'd the monstrous birth,
And choral demons stalk'd the frighted earth,
Mysterious, wild, aspirant, fierce and bold,
No Art could tame her, and no mandate hold.
Change was her dear delight; her eye of fire,
Forever burnt with uncontroul'd desire;
With maniac flight, through pathless Skies pursu'd,
Some vision painted on the filmy scud.
The heavenly impulse which decreed the Fane
Of Social compact to protect the Plain;
Its various grades from Capital to Base,
Which give the Building all its strength and grace;
Content and comfort shelter'd by its Shade,
From the proud Palace to the Cot display'd,
Obtain'd not her regard, her roving mind,
Left meek Content, and Order far behind.
Too light to study, and too dull to scan,
The temper, state and faculties of man;
Full of herself she soar'd aloft to prove,
The joys which float in endless change above;
And saw obedient to her mad command,
Incongruous nothings into chaos plann'd.
She saw her Empire form'd, and day by day,
Saw systems spring to light and pass away;
Saw Idiots dazzled with her tinsel zone,
And Genius sometimes sporting round her throne;
65
And there his shadowy Prototypes were found;
His spectre cave he pompously display'd,
Talk'd of a world, of endless essence made,
Pour'd forth of eloquence an airy storm,
And lick'd his cub Republic into form.
There too the Stagyrite, with plastic hand,
Fill'd with new shapes her metaphysic land,
And the proud Stoic sought her dœdal train,
To writhe in transports of delicious pain,
While Epicurus press'd the breeze to kiss
His flow'ry visions bright with golden bliss,
And pass'd on banks of bad delight the day,
Free as the Gods, and overjoy'd as they.
Plan'd and replan'd by each succeding sage,
The riddle, pest, and pastime of the age,
The hair-suspended sword of every clime,
She puff'd the gilded bauble down thro' time,
With pomp or poverty beguiled the ken,
An Empress now, and now a Citoyenne.
But tho' unquestion'd seem'd her strong controul
Throughout the impassive idol of her soul.
Yet deep sequester'd in its inmost shades,
Where no pure ray the cheerless dusk invades;
A fearful vale begirt with rocks there lay,
Which tho' submissive still disown'd her sway;
Submissive when she sought its deadly aid,
But to her protean wand impervious made.
Fixt, and immutable, the dire abode
Of fierce oppression with his scourge and goad,
In this vast Hell, relentless fiends disport,
There hungry slaughter, holds his bloody court,
His wolf-drawn chariot madly drives along
Kindles his eye and howls his Gorgon song.
Behold yon peek! amid whose beetling ways
Laborious ants, their little hillocks raise,
66
And envy's serpents writhe around its base;
There on the topmost verge, ambition stands,
Grasps at the World, and as he grasps expands;
Shoots into heaven his bold aspiring head,
And bids his bulk to other systems spread;
The heedless Phantom as he swells above,
Treads on the necks of innocence and love,
On kneeling Misery stamps the grinding chain,
While justice frowns and pity pleads in vain.
On every side the grizzly shapes appear,
Blast the scar'd eye and stun the broken ear;
Mark you pale rattling Skeleton who churns
His spumy malice and with fury burns;
His quicken'd locks around his temples crawl,
He views the visionary shroud and pail,
With clench convulsive waves around his head,
An heated dagger flush'd with sullen red,
O'er the bleak shore with furious hurry flies,
The night-bird screams, and lo! his victim dies.
Blast the scar'd eye and stun the broken ear;
Mark you pale rattling Skeleton who churns
His spumy malice and with fury burns;
His quicken'd locks around his temples crawl,
He views the visionary shroud and pail,
With clench convulsive waves around his head,
An heated dagger flush'd with sullen red,
O'er the bleak shore with furious hurry flies,
The night-bird screams, and lo! his victim dies.
There in the center of a trackless wild,
With burning blasts and putrid sloughs defil'd;
Where never cheerful sound composed the soul,
Blind faction burrows in her secret hole,
Curst is the spot, upon the famish'd ground,
No flower is seen, not one lone leaf is found,
But scragged rocks with human sculls between,
Swell the wild horrors of the bloody scene;
The wandering moon fast hurrying on her way,
Flings thro' the yelling clouds her livid ray;
And the shagg'd Wizard of the vapourish sky,
Streams his cold tresses as he shivers by;
Within this cavern'd home with gore bedy'd,
Where fevers burn, and creeping chills abide.
The boney Savage sits; her woolly hair
Curls o'er her shuddering eye; her bosom bare.
Bristly and black, bespeaks the soul within,
Crusted with crime, and foul with every sin.
The glow worm there, whose covert gleamings shun
The tell-tale splendour of the ingenuous sun,
Throws on the hag his sad and sickly glare,
And steals her carcase from the dusky air.
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
With burning blasts and putrid sloughs defil'd;
Where never cheerful sound composed the soul,
Blind faction burrows in her secret hole,
Curst is the spot, upon the famish'd ground,
No flower is seen, not one lone leaf is found,
But scragged rocks with human sculls between,
Swell the wild horrors of the bloody scene;
The wandering moon fast hurrying on her way,
Flings thro' the yelling clouds her livid ray;
And the shagg'd Wizard of the vapourish sky,
Streams his cold tresses as he shivers by;
Within this cavern'd home with gore bedy'd,
Where fevers burn, and creeping chills abide.
67
Curls o'er her shuddering eye; her bosom bare.
Bristly and black, bespeaks the soul within,
Crusted with crime, and foul with every sin.
The glow worm there, whose covert gleamings shun
The tell-tale splendour of the ingenuous sun,
Throws on the hag his sad and sickly glare,
And steals her carcase from the dusky air.
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
[OMITTED]
93
SONG.
[_]
[Song at a Festival in Philadelphia in commemoration of the ever memorable Victory of Lord Nelson of the Nile.]
From Britain's proud Island, the Queen of the Main,
Hear the heart-chearing music of conquest again;
As Vincent and Duncan in their triumphs unfurl'd,
So Nelson, brave Nelson amazes the world.
Hear the heart-chearing music of conquest again;
As Vincent and Duncan in their triumphs unfurl'd,
So Nelson, brave Nelson amazes the world.
Hearts of oak are her ships, hearts of oak are her men,
They always are ready,
Steady boys, steady,
To fight and to conquer, again and again.
They always are ready,
Steady boys, steady,
To fight and to conquer, again and again.
Like cliff-guarded Islands his squadron was moor'd
His guns with the bolts of destruction were stor'd,
As the Angel of vengeance, he ordered the fight,
And flash'd its red flame on the visage of night.
His guns with the bolts of destruction were stor'd,
As the Angel of vengeance, he ordered the fight,
And flash'd its red flame on the visage of night.
Hearts of oak, &c.
How dread was the scene, on the gloom-shrouded flood,
When Nile's oozy waters were mingled with blood,
While darkness and horror encompass'd the foe,
And death in all shapes laid the infidels low.
When Nile's oozy waters were mingled with blood,
While darkness and horror encompass'd the foe,
And death in all shapes laid the infidels low.
Hearts of oak, &c.
94
With a burst as from Ætna, their Chief blown in air,
And their bare flagless hulks wrap'd in silent despair;
The conflict subsided, and Nelson sublime,
In triumph sent home a whole fleet at a time.
And their bare flagless hulks wrap'd in silent despair;
The conflict subsided, and Nelson sublime,
In triumph sent home a whole fleet at a time.
Hearts of oak, &c.
Exult little Island! fair Queen of the Main,
We'll echo thy songs of rejoicing again,
And soon shall our Eagle, combin'd in the cause,
Display his sea laurel and gain thy applause.
We'll echo thy songs of rejoicing again,
And soon shall our Eagle, combin'd in the cause,
Display his sea laurel and gain thy applause.
Hearts of oak, &c.
IL PENSEROSO.
I hate this soungy world, with all its store,
This bustling, noisy, nothingness of life,
This treacherous herd of friends with hollow core,
This vale of sorrow, and this field of strife.
This bustling, noisy, nothingness of life,
This treacherous herd of friends with hollow core,
This vale of sorrow, and this field of strife.
Me, shall some little tranquil thatch receive,
Some settled low content, remote from care,
There will I pipe away the sober eve,
And laugh all day at Lady Fortune there.
Some settled low content, remote from care,
There will I pipe away the sober eve,
And laugh all day at Lady Fortune there.
Why should I mingle in the mazy ring
Of drunken folly at the shrine of chance?
Where insect pleasure flits on burnished wing,
Eludes our wishes, and keeps up the dance;
Of drunken folly at the shrine of chance?
Where insect pleasure flits on burnished wing,
Eludes our wishes, and keeps up the dance;
95
When in the quiet of an humble home,
Beside the fountain, or upon the hill,
Where strife and care and sorrow never come,
I may be free and happy, if I will.
Beside the fountain, or upon the hill,
Where strife and care and sorrow never come,
I may be free and happy, if I will.
SONG.
Boy, shut too the door, and bid trouble begone,
If sorrow approach, turn the key,
Our comfort this night from the glass shall be drawn,
And mirth our companion shall be.
If sorrow approach, turn the key,
Our comfort this night from the glass shall be drawn,
And mirth our companion shall be.
Who would not with pleasure the moments prolong,
When tempted with Friendship, Love, Wine and a Song.
When tempted with Friendship, Love, Wine and a Song.
What art thou, kind power, that soft'nest me so,
That kindlest this love boding sigh,
That bid'st with affection, my bosom o'erflow,
And send'st the fond tear to my eye.
That kindlest this love boding sigh,
That bid'st with affection, my bosom o'erflow,
And send'st the fond tear to my eye.
I know thee! Forever the visit prolong,
Sweet spirit of Friendship, Love, Wine and a Song.
Sweet spirit of Friendship, Love, Wine and a Song.
See the joy-waking influence rapidly fly,
And spirit with spirit entwine,
The effulgence of rapture enamels each eye,
Each soul rides triumphant like mine.
And spirit with spirit entwine,
The effulgence of rapture enamels each eye,
Each soul rides triumphant like mine.
96
On a sea of good humour floats gayly along,
Surrounded with Friendship, Love, Wine and a Song.
Surrounded with Friendship, Love, Wine and a Song.
And now to the regions of Fancy we soar,
Thro' scenes of enchantment we stray,
We revel in transports untasted before,
Or loiter with love on the way.
Thro' scenes of enchantment we stray,
We revel in transports untasted before,
Or loiter with love on the way.
Resolv'd like good fellows the time to prolong,
That cheers us with Friendship, Love, Wine, and a Song.
That cheers us with Friendship, Love, Wine, and a Song.
For Friendship, the solace of mortals below,
In the thicket of life, loves a rose,
Good wine can content on misfortune bestow,
And a song's not amiss, I suppose.
In the thicket of life, loves a rose,
Good wine can content on misfortune bestow,
And a song's not amiss, I suppose.
Then fill, my good fellows, the moment prolong,
With a bumper to Friendship, Love, Wine and a Song.
With a bumper to Friendship, Love, Wine and a Song.
SONG.
Soul of Columbia, quenchless spirit, come!
Unroll thy standard to the sullen sky,
Bind on thy war robes, beat the furious drum,
Rouse, rouse, thy Lion Heart, and fire thy Eagle eye.
Unroll thy standard to the sullen sky,
Bind on thy war robes, beat the furious drum,
Rouse, rouse, thy Lion Heart, and fire thy Eagle eye.
Dost thou not hear the hum of gathering war;
Dost thou not know
The insidious Foe
Yokes her gaunt wolves, and mounts her midnight ear.
Dost thou not know
The insidious Foe
Yokes her gaunt wolves, and mounts her midnight ear.
97
Dost thou not hear thy tortur'd seamen's cries?
Poor hapless souls in dreary dungeons laid;
Towards thee they turn their dim, imploring eyes:
Alas! they sink—and no kind hand to aid.
Poor hapless souls in dreary dungeons laid;
Towards thee they turn their dim, imploring eyes:
Alas! they sink—and no kind hand to aid.
Thou dost, and every son of thine
Shall rest in guilty peace no more;
With noble rage they pant to join,
The conflict's heat, the battle's roar.
Shall rest in guilty peace no more;
With noble rage they pant to join,
The conflict's heat, the battle's roar.
Loose to the tempest let thy banner fly,
Rouse, rouse thy Lion Heart and fire thy eagle eye.
Rouse, rouse thy Lion Heart and fire thy eagle eye.
ADDRESS OF The Devil, To the United Irishmen.
United Irishmen. This description of Republicans
began about the time of this publication to make
a very conspicuous figure in the politics of the United
States. Composed of murderers ejected from Ireland,
or of villains who had there united in the most murderous
purposes, they advanced to the attack of the Commonwealth
with all that outrageous daring and ferocity, which
may be supposed to characterize such wretches.
The pen of the Poet was very soon drawn against them,
and this apt harangue of their patron and founder, the devil,
with the annexed reply written, and published in the
Gazette of the United States. The Editor of Porcupine's
Gazette sallied forth upon them at the same time with his
accustomed spirit, and, aided by humbler efforts, was enabled
completely to thwart the designs of those sanguinary
assassins. The persons who had distinguished themselves
on this occasion, were repeatedly assailed with incendiary
letters. Soon followed clubs, pistols and swords. Their
preservation was little less than miraculous. The public
surveyed their perils with apathy, and when one of the
ruffians had been sentenced to a fine of fifty dollars for forcible
entry, with intent to kill, a Jacobin Governor stood
ready to remit the sentence, as he did in another case of
conviction for assault and battery.
Such were the rewards of men, who had preserved at
least the City, from inevitable massacre, conflagration and
pillage.
United Irishmen. This description of Republicans began about the time of this publication to make a very conspicuous figure in the politics of the United States. Composed of murderers ejected from Ireland, or of villains who had there united in the most murderous purposes, they advanced to the attack of the Commonwealth with all that outrageous daring and ferocity, which may be supposed to characterize such wretches.
The pen of the Poet was very soon drawn against them, and this apt harangue of their patron and founder, the devil, with the annexed reply written, and published in the Gazette of the United States. The Editor of Porcupine's Gazette sallied forth upon them at the same time with his accustomed spirit, and, aided by humbler efforts, was enabled completely to thwart the designs of those sanguinary assassins. The persons who had distinguished themselves on this occasion, were repeatedly assailed with incendiary letters. Soon followed clubs, pistols and swords. Their preservation was little less than miraculous. The public surveyed their perils with apathy, and when one of the ruffians had been sentenced to a fine of fifty dollars for forcible entry, with intent to kill, a Jacobin Governor stood ready to remit the sentence, as he did in another case of conviction for assault and battery.
Such were the rewards of men, who had preserved at least the City, from inevitable massacre, conflagration and pillage.
[_]
At a late nocturnal cabal of United Irishmen, a curious circumstance took place, which, for a moment, threw the whole assembly into confusion. The cavern, wherein they had been accustomed to mature their deeds of darkness, was forsaken during the late season of trepidation and chastisement. On their return to this unhallowed den, the most shocking derangement appeared in every corner; initiatory apparatus lay in fragments scattered
98
Incarnate Patriots, Guillotins,
Reformers, Democrats and Jacobins,
Whether in Brothel or in Limbo cramm'd,
Old sinning miscreants, “damn'd or to be damn'd,”
This string of friendship to your hopes I send,
Ere Catch's cordage brings you to an end.
Gives a halter.
99
Relax not in the good old cause;
Down with the Constitution, burn the Laws;
Dissolve this paradox, for who can be,
At once, to Law a shackled slave, and free.
Sure he, who made you the Creation's pride,
A will dispensed, and sense that will to guide;
Made you free agents on this nether sphere,
With Hell to hope for, and with Heaven to fear.
And meant no power, but Nature, should restrain
The blissful wanderings of the human brain.
A halter.
Brothers,
Be bold, be resolute; what e'er
Ye will to do, that do and never fear.
Seek your own good, ask nothing from the wise,
In man's own strength, man's own protection lies.
All men are equal: not a lowly hind,
The shivering object of the winter's wind;
But justly claims, in common right with all,
An equal portion of this teeming ball:
His birthright 'tis, incorp'rate with his breath,
And yields to nothing, 'till it yields to death.
A halter.
Brothers,
And yet full many a villain lives,
Unfed, amid the stores that Nature gives,
Without one sod to yield a kind repast,
And scarce allow'd his lubber's length at last.
A halter.
100
Arouse; your long lost rights regain;
Survey the Earth, and measure out the Main;
Fire, light and air with curious skill divide,
Then sit ye down and rest ye satisfied.
A halter.
Brothers,
Be bloody; let no tears controul,
Nor mawkish pity hang about your soul.
When beauty pleads, tho' as the morning fair,
Tho' angel sweetness breathes thro' all her pray'r,
Tho' e'en with love, her panting bosom swells,
Be deaf as adders to the tale she tells;
And, in return for many a gentle word,
Such mercy give as daggers' points afford.
A halter.
Brothers,
The task unnumber'd pains await,
Your toils are many, and your dangers great,
But fear not you, whatever ills betide.
I am your friend, your patron and your guide.
A halter.
101
ANSWER OF The United Irishmen to an Address from The Devil .
With hearts overflowing with consideration,
We tender our thanks for your joyous Oration;
Our hopes never fluttered with half so much grace,
As now at the good looking gloom of your face;
But permit us to say there is not to be found,
Upon Christian or Jew, or Mahometan ground,
Among all your breed, such a comfortless crew,
With “Sorrows” so many, and “Blisses” so few;
Cross'd, evermore, cross'd from the tail to the head,
And doom'd of affliction to mumble the bread.
A string of lies and blasphemies.
We tender our thanks for your joyous Oration;
Our hopes never fluttered with half so much grace,
As now at the good looking gloom of your face;
But permit us to say there is not to be found,
Upon Christian or Jew, or Mahometan ground,
Among all your breed, such a comfortless crew,
With “Sorrows” so many, and “Blisses” so few;
Cross'd, evermore, cross'd from the tail to the head,
And doom'd of affliction to mumble the bread.
A string of lies and blasphemies.
When first we were bless'd with a flattering sky,
When the wind whistled round and the tempest was nigh,
We thought, the storm over, a living to gain,
And a snug little palace to keep out the rain;
Your maxims we conn'd, it was clear as the sun,
When the laws which cemented the mass were undone,
That the true rights of man were to quarter the land,
And each draw a share of the stock upon hand.
But out on the lubbers they stuck to their stuff,
And swore British freedom was freedom enough.
Not a clown of us all his allowance could draw,
For we'd nothing in common, but curst common law;
So with Senates and Judges they kept up the ball,
And it proved to be no revolution at all;
Thus our Rights imprescriptible vanish'd och hone!
And your own little biters were bit to the bone.
A string of lies and blasphemies.
When the wind whistled round and the tempest was nigh,
We thought, the storm over, a living to gain,
And a snug little palace to keep out the rain;
Your maxims we conn'd, it was clear as the sun,
When the laws which cemented the mass were undone,
That the true rights of man were to quarter the land,
And each draw a share of the stock upon hand.
But out on the lubbers they stuck to their stuff,
And swore British freedom was freedom enough.
Not a clown of us all his allowance could draw,
For we'd nothing in common, but curst common law;
102
And it proved to be no revolution at all;
Thus our Rights imprescriptible vanish'd och hone!
And your own little biters were bit to the bone.
A string of lies and blasphemies.
Half starved and half naked we ruggled along.
While law, peace and order contented the throng;
Till France bow'd to liberty, goddess adored,
And her Image carved out with the edge of the sword;
Genet with a croud at his Citizen heels,
His songs, his commissions, harangues and appeals,
Our courage reviv'd, and to top off the jest,
We kicked up a good thumping row in the West;
To be sure thought ourselves we're among it at last,
Here'll be forage enough to atone for the past;
But Edmond too anxious to feather his bed,
With his musty meal merchants knock'd all in the head;
So our rights imprescriptible vanished once more,
And the sin of rebellion was laid at our door.
A string of lies and blasphemies.
While law, peace and order contented the throng;
Till France bow'd to liberty, goddess adored,
And her Image carved out with the edge of the sword;
Genet with a croud at his Citizen heels,
His songs, his commissions, harangues and appeals,
Our courage reviv'd, and to top off the jest,
We kicked up a good thumping row in the West;
To be sure thought ourselves we're among it at last,
Here'll be forage enough to atone for the past;
But Edmond too anxious to feather his bed,
With his musty meal merchants knock'd all in the head;
So our rights imprescriptible vanished once more,
And the sin of rebellion was laid at our door.
A string of lies and blasphemies.
MARY WILL SMILE.
[1]
The morn was fresh, and pure the gale,
When Mary from her cot a rover,
Pluck'd many a wild rose of the vale
To bind the temples of her lover.
When Mary from her cot a rover,
Pluck'd many a wild rose of the vale
To bind the temples of her lover.
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As near his little Farm she stray'd,
Where binds of love were ever pairing
She saw her William in the shade,
The arms of ruthless war preparing.
Where binds of love were ever pairing
She saw her William in the shade,
The arms of ruthless war preparing.
Tho' now, he cried, I seek the hostile plain,
Mary shall smile, and all be fair again.
Mary shall smile, and all be fair again.
2
She seized his hand, and ah! she cried,
Wilt thou to camps and war a stranger
Desert thy Mary's faithful side,
And bare thy life to every danger?
Wilt thou to camps and war a stranger
Desert thy Mary's faithful side,
And bare thy life to every danger?
Yet go, brave youth! to arms away!
My maiden hands for fight shall dress thee,
And when the drum beats far away,
I'll drop a silent tear and bless thee.
My maiden hands for fight shall dress thee,
And when the drum beats far away,
I'll drop a silent tear and bless thee.
Return'd with honor, from the hostile plain,
Mary will smile, and all be fair again.
Mary will smile, and all be fair again.
3.
The bugles thro' the forest wind,
The woodland soldiers call to battle,
Be some protecting angel kind,
And guard thy life when cannons rattle!
The woodland soldiers call to battle,
Be some protecting angel kind,
And guard thy life when cannons rattle!
She sung—and as the rose appears
In sunshine, when the storm is over,
A smile beam'd sweetly thro' her tears
The blush of promise to her lover.
In sunshine, when the storm is over,
A smile beam'd sweetly thro' her tears
The blush of promise to her lover.
Return'd in triumph from the hostile plain,
All shall be fair and Mary smile again.
All shall be fair and Mary smile again.
104
TO SLEEP.
Hence with thy palsied hand detested sleep!
Go seal the lids of wretchedness and care:
Seek thou the couch where injur'd Beauties weep
And rescue these one moment from despair.
Go seal the lids of wretchedness and care:
Seek thou the couch where injur'd Beauties weep
And rescue these one moment from despair.
For me, I charge thee o'er my busy brain,
Thy stupifying influence never fling,
Fancy is there, with all her lovely train,
And dreads the shadow of thy raven wing.
Thy stupifying influence never fling,
Fancy is there, with all her lovely train,
And dreads the shadow of thy raven wing.
But when exhausted is my ling'ring breath,
And songs of joy, and every transport o'er,
One sleep I'll take, the last cold sleep of death,
To wake where thou canst never plague me more.
And songs of joy, and every transport o'er,
One sleep I'll take, the last cold sleep of death,
To wake where thou canst never plague me more.
TO A ROBIN.
From winter so dreary and long,
Escap'd, ah! how welcome the day,
Sweet Bob with his innocent song,
Is return'd to his favorite spray.
Escap'd, ah! how welcome the day,
Sweet Bob with his innocent song,
Is return'd to his favorite spray.
When the voice of the tempest was heard,
As o'er the bleak mountain it pass'd,
He hied to the thicket, poor bird!
And shrank from the pitiless blast.
As o'er the bleak mountain it pass'd,
He hied to the thicket, poor bird!
And shrank from the pitiless blast.
By the maid of the valley survey'd,
Did she melt at thy comfortless lot?
Her hand, was it stretch'd to thy aid,
As thou pick'dst at the door of her cot?
Did she melt at thy comfortless lot?
105
As thou pick'dst at the door of her cot?
She did; and the wintery wind,
May it howl not around her green grove
Be a bosom so gentle and kind,
Only fann'd by the breathings of love.
May it howl not around her green grove
Be a bosom so gentle and kind,
Only fann'd by the breathings of love.
She did; and the kiss of her swain,
With rapture, the deed shall requite,
That gave to my window again
Poor Bob and his song of delight.
With rapture, the deed shall requite,
That gave to my window again
Poor Bob and his song of delight.
TO FANCY.
Airy traveller, Queen of song,
Sweetest Fancy, ever young,
I to thee my soul resign;
All my future life be thine:
Rich or beggar'd, chain'd or free,
Let me live and laugh with thee.
Sweetest Fancy, ever young,
I to thee my soul resign;
All my future life be thine:
Rich or beggar'd, chain'd or free,
Let me live and laugh with thee.
Pride perhaps may knock, and say,
“Rise thou sluggard, come away:”
But can he thy joy impart,
Will he crown my leaping heart?
If I banish hence thy smile
Will he make it worth my while?
“Rise thou sluggard, come away:”
But can he thy joy impart,
Will he crown my leaping heart?
If I banish hence thy smile
Will he make it worth my while?
Is my lonely pittance past,
Fleeting good too light to last,
Lifts my friend the latch no more,
Fancy, thou canst all restore;
Thou canst, with thy airy shell;
To a palace raise my cell.
Fleeting good too light to last,
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Fancy, thou canst all restore;
Thou canst, with thy airy shell;
To a palace raise my cell.
At night while stretch'd on lowly bed,
When tyrant tempest shakes my shed,
And pipes aloud; how bless'd am I,
All cheering nymph, if thou art by,
If thou art by to snatch my soul
Where billows rage and thunders roll.
When tyrant tempest shakes my shed,
And pipes aloud; how bless'd am I,
All cheering nymph, if thou art by,
If thou art by to snatch my soul
Where billows rage and thunders roll.
From cloud, o'er peering mountain's brow
We'll mark the mighty coil below,
While round us innocently play
The light'ning's flash, and meteor's ray,
And, all so sad, some spectre form
Is heard to moan amid the storm.
We'll mark the mighty coil below,
While round us innocently play
The light'ning's flash, and meteor's ray,
And, all so sad, some spectre form
Is heard to moan amid the storm.
With thee to guide my steps I'll creep
In some old haunted nook to sleep,
Lull'd by the dreary night-bird's scream
That flits along the wizard stream,
And there, till morning 'gins appear,
The tales of troubled spirits hear.
In some old haunted nook to sleep,
Lull'd by the dreary night-bird's scream
That flits along the wizard stream,
And there, till morning 'gins appear,
The tales of troubled spirits hear.
Sweet's the dawn's ambiguous light,
Quiet pause 'tween day and night,
When, afar, the mellow horn
Chides the tardy gaited morn,
And asleep is yet the gale
On sea-beat mount, and river'd vale.
Quiet pause 'tween day and night,
When, afar, the mellow horn
Chides the tardy gaited morn,
And asleep is yet the gale
On sea-beat mount, and river'd vale.
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But the morn, tho' sweet and fair,
Sweeter is when thou art there;
Hymning stars successive fade,
Fairies hurtle thro' the shade,
Love-lorn flowers I weeping see,
If the scene is touch'd by thee.
Sweeter is when thou art there;
Hymning stars successive fade,
Fairies hurtle thro' the shade,
Love-lorn flowers I weeping see,
If the scene is touch'd by thee.
When unclouded shines the day,
When my spirits dance and play,
To some sunny bank we'll go
Where the fairest roses blow,
And in gamesome vein prepare
Chaplets for thy spangled hair.
When my spirits dance and play,
To some sunny bank we'll go
Where the fairest roses blow,
And in gamesome vein prepare
Chaplets for thy spangled hair.
Thus through life with thee I'll glide,
Happy still whate'er betide,
And while plodding sots complain
Of ceaseless toil and slender gain,
Every passing hour shall be
Worth a golden age to me.
Happy still whate'er betide,
And while plodding sots complain
Of ceaseless toil and slender gain,
Every passing hour shall be
Worth a golden age to me.
Then lead on, delightful power,
Lead, Oh! lead me to thy bower;
I to thee my soul resign,
All my future life be thine,
Rich or beggar'd, chain'd or free,
Let me live and laugh with thee.
Lead, Oh! lead me to thy bower;
I to thee my soul resign,
All my future life be thine,
Rich or beggar'd, chain'd or free,
Let me live and laugh with thee.
108
A FLIGHT OF FANCY.
For lonely Shades, and rustic bed,
Let philosophic spirits sigh;
I ask no melancholy shed,
No hermit's dreary cave, not I.
Let philosophic spirits sigh;
I ask no melancholy shed,
No hermit's dreary cave, not I.
But where, to skirt some pleasant vale,
Ascends the rude uncultur'd hill,
Where 'midst its cliffs to every gale,
Young Echo mocks the passing rill:
Ascends the rude uncultur'd hill,
Where 'midst its cliffs to every gale,
Young Echo mocks the passing rill:
Where Spring thro' every merry Year,
Delighted trips her earliest round;
Sees all her varied tints appear,
And all her fragrant Soul abound.
Delighted trips her earliest round;
Sees all her varied tints appear,
And all her fragrant Soul abound.
There let my little Villa rise,
In Beauty's simple plumage drest,
And greet with songs the morning Skies,
Sweet bird of Art, in nature's nest!
In Beauty's simple plumage drest,
And greet with songs the morning Skies,
Sweet bird of Art, in nature's nest!
Descending there, on golden wing,
Shall fancy, with her bounties roam;
And every laurell'd art shall bring
An offering fair to deck my home.
Shall fancy, with her bounties roam;
And every laurell'd art shall bring
An offering fair to deck my home.
Green beds of moss, in dusky cells,
When twilight sleeps from year to year,
And fringed plats, where Flora dwells,
With the wild wood shall neighbour near.
When twilight sleeps from year to year,
And fringed plats, where Flora dwells,
With the wild wood shall neighbour near.
109
The Fairies thro' my walks shall roam,
And Sylphs inhabit every tree;
Come Ariel, subtlest spirit, come,
I'll find a blossom there for thee;
And Sylphs inhabit every tree;
Come Ariel, subtlest spirit, come,
I'll find a blossom there for thee;
Extended wide, the diverse scene,
My happy casement shall command,
The busy farm, the pasture green,
And tufts where shelter'd hamlets stand.
My happy casement shall command,
The busy farm, the pasture green,
And tufts where shelter'd hamlets stand.
Some dingle oft shall court my eye
To dance among the flow'rets there,
And here a lucid lake shall lie,
Emboss'd with many an islet fair.
To dance among the flow'rets there,
And here a lucid lake shall lie,
Emboss'd with many an islet fair.
From crag to crag, with devious sweep,
Some frantic flood shall headlong go,
And, bursting o'er the dizzy steep,
Shall slumber in the lake below.
Some frantic flood shall headlong go,
And, bursting o'er the dizzy steep,
Shall slumber in the lake below.
In breezy isles and forests near,
The sylvans oft their haunts shall leave,
And oft the torrent pause to hear
The lake-nymph's song, at silent eve.
The sylvans oft their haunts shall leave,
And oft the torrent pause to hear
The lake-nymph's song, at silent eve.
There shall the moon with half-shut eye,
Delirious, hear her vocal beam,
To fingering sounds, responsive sigh,
And bless the hermit's midnight dream.
Delirious, hear her vocal beam,
To fingering sounds, responsive sigh,
And bless the hermit's midnight dream.
No magic weed nor poison fell
Shall tremble there; nor drug uncouth,
To round the mutt'ring wizard's spell,
Or bathe with death the serpent's tooth.
Shall tremble there; nor drug uncouth,
To round the mutt'ring wizard's spell,
Or bathe with death the serpent's tooth.
110
No crusted ditch nor festering fen
With plagues shall teem, a deadly brood,
No monster leave his nightly den
To lap the 'wilder'd pilgrim's blood.
With plagues shall teem, a deadly brood,
No monster leave his nightly den
To lap the 'wilder'd pilgrim's blood.
But on the rose's dewy brink,
Each prismy tear shall catch the gleam;
And give the infant buds to drink,
The colours of the morning beam.
Each prismy tear shall catch the gleam;
And give the infant buds to drink,
The colours of the morning beam.
The waters sweet, from wispering wells,
Shall loiter 'neath the flowery brake;
Shall visit oft the Naiad's cells,
And hie them to th' silver lake.
Shall loiter 'neath the flowery brake;
Shall visit oft the Naiad's cells,
And hie them to th' silver lake.
The muse shall hail, at peep of dawn,
Melodiously, the coming day;
At eve her song shall sooth the lawn,
And with the mountain echoes play.
Melodiously, the coming day;
At eve her song shall sooth the lawn,
And with the mountain echoes play.
There spring shall laugh at winter's frown,
There summer blush for gamesome spring,
And autumn, prank'd in wheaten crown,
His stores to hungry winter bring.
There summer blush for gamesome spring,
And autumn, prank'd in wheaten crown,
His stores to hungry winter bring.
'Tis mine! 'tis mine! this sacred grove,
Where truth and beauty may recline
The sweet resort of many a love;
Monimia come and make it thine.
Where truth and beauty may recline
The sweet resort of many a love;
Monimia come and make it thine.
For thee, the bursting buds are ripe,
The whistling Robin calls thee here,
To thee complains the woodland pipe;
Will not my lov'd Monimia hear?
The whistling Robin calls thee here,
To thee complains the woodland pipe;
Will not my lov'd Monimia hear?
111
A fawn I'll bring thee, gentle maid,
To gambol round thy pleasant door;
I'll cull thee wreaths that ne'er shall fade,
What shall I say to tempt thee more?
To gambol round thy pleasant door;
I'll cull thee wreaths that ne'er shall fade,
What shall I say to tempt thee more?
The blush that warms thy maiden cheek,
Thy morning eye's sequester'd tear,
For me, thy kindling passion speak
And chain this subtle vision here.
Thy morning eye's sequester'd tear,
For me, thy kindling passion speak
And chain this subtle vision here.
Spots of delight, and many a day
Of summer love for me shall shine;
In truth my beating heart is gay,
At sight of that fond smile of thine.
Of summer love for me shall shine;
In truth my beating heart is gay,
At sight of that fond smile of thine.
Come, come my love away with me,
The morn of life is hast'ning by,
To this dear scene we'll gaily flee,
And sport us 'neath the peaceful sky.
The morn of life is hast'ning by,
To this dear scene we'll gaily flee,
And sport us 'neath the peaceful sky.
And when that awful day shall rise,
That sees thy cheek with age grow pale,
And the soul fading in thine eyes,
We'll sigh and quit the weeping vale.
That sees thy cheek with age grow pale,
And the soul fading in thine eyes,
We'll sigh and quit the weeping vale.
112
[O'er a lost land, long night of ruin low'rs]
[_]
[The following Tribute of ardent friendship, to the memory of a much-lov'd Friend, is inserted on a spare leaf, as a memorial of an attachment which nothing but death could ever have destroyed. The claims of this effusion, to consideration and candor, it is unnecessary to state; since the author is aware how much need there is, that very extensive claims on this score be allowed.]
O'er a lost land, long night of ruin low'rs,
“Good things of day” low droop and drowze apace;
O'erwhelming woes descend in frequent show'rs,
And frighted virtue hides her hated face.
“Good things of day” low droop and drowze apace;
O'erwhelming woes descend in frequent show'rs,
And frighted virtue hides her hated face.
Yet these are general and promiscuous griefs,
Which on their Authors, as on us must fall,
Alike obdurate tow'rds the guilty chiefs,
And the poor, patient slaves that bear them all.
Which on their Authors, as on us must fall,
Alike obdurate tow'rds the guilty chiefs,
And the poor, patient slaves that bear them all.
Amidst these general perils of the hour,
The yielding, servile temper of the time,
The storm of Anarchy, the still of Pow'r,
The fall of Virtue, and the flush of Crime.
The yielding, servile temper of the time,
The storm of Anarchy, the still of Pow'r,
The fall of Virtue, and the flush of Crime.
A private sorrow aggravates my lot,
For Friendship ardent, and for Truth sincere,
Too lately rescu'd from this painful spot,
Where strife and sorrow hold their mid career.
For Friendship ardent, and for Truth sincere,
Too lately rescu'd from this painful spot,
Where strife and sorrow hold their mid career.
113
'Tis mine to bend o'er Cliffton's early urn,
To bow beneath th' afflicting Angel's ire,
That doom'd to silence, in its hapless turn,
His wisdom temper'd and his muse of fire.
To bow beneath th' afflicting Angel's ire,
That doom'd to silence, in its hapless turn,
His wisdom temper'd and his muse of fire.
A flower of delicate and beauteous hue,
'Midst the rank herbage and the blatant throng,
Its fragrance strengthen'd, as its beauties blew,
And soon it tow'r'd the noxious weeds among.
'Midst the rank herbage and the blatant throng,
Its fragrance strengthen'd, as its beauties blew,
And soon it tow'r'd the noxious weeds among.
Alas! the flow'r adorn'd with brightest hues,
Choak'd by rank weeds, its rich distinction yields;
Cut by the insensate boor, the earth embrues,
Or drench'd by storms, bestrews his sultry fields.
Choak'd by rank weeds, its rich distinction yields;
Cut by the insensate boor, the earth embrues,
Or drench'd by storms, bestrews his sultry fields.
Such are our wayward destinies on earth,
That the relentless Fates with hurried hand
Delight to sweep away peculiar worth,
And spare, to lengthen'd date, the impious band.
That the relentless Fates with hurried hand
Delight to sweep away peculiar worth,
And spare, to lengthen'd date, the impious band.
Their office still it seems, with thriftless toil,
To pluck th' unweeded garden of its flow'rs:
Shorn are the radiant honors of the soil,
Whilst many a thorn, and rugged briar tow'rs.
To pluck th' unweeded garden of its flow'rs:
Shorn are the radiant honors of the soil,
Whilst many a thorn, and rugged briar tow'rs.
114
What but some star malign, prolongs the day,
Destin'd to yield—to vengeance due,
What but some min'string demon op'd the way,
And hurried Cliffton from our ling'ring view?
Destin'd to yield—to vengeance due,
What but some min'string demon op'd the way,
And hurried Cliffton from our ling'ring view?
What but some influence dark, and blind and drear,
Quench'd this bright orb in an ill-omen'd hour,
Untimely stop'd, 'midst many a falling tear,
The tuneful tongue, that charm'd affliction's pow'r.
Quench'd this bright orb in an ill-omen'd hour,
Untimely stop'd, 'midst many a falling tear,
The tuneful tongue, that charm'd affliction's pow'r.
Yes, sure, 'twas uncontroul'd by Heav'n the day
That gave thy virtues to an early tomb;
To silence gave thy soul enlivening lay,
Transferr'd forever to the life to come;
That gave thy virtues to an early tomb;
To silence gave thy soul enlivening lay,
Transferr'd forever to the life to come;
Thy mind enrich'd with deep and various lore,
Thy heart, to friendship's warm pulsations true,
That still uncompromising hatred bore,
To wrong, whilst daily swell'd her haggard crew.
Thy heart, to friendship's warm pulsations true,
That still uncompromising hatred bore,
To wrong, whilst daily swell'd her haggard crew.
Ah! what avail the student's anxious hours,
His thirst for knowledge, and his zeal to learn,
His eye of fire, and all his various pow'rs?
Can these one hour enliven his cold urn?
His thirst for knowledge, and his zeal to learn,
His eye of fire, and all his various pow'rs?
Can these one hour enliven his cold urn?
Cease we to mourn the high behest of heav'n!
To death we owe, ourselves, and all we have,
Bound to yield up breath, for a season giv'n,
And pay due homage to the silent grave.
To death we owe, ourselves, and all we have,
Bound to yield up breath, for a season giv'n,
And pay due homage to the silent grave.
115
Thither his steps must every pilgrim bend,
And there at last his wearied spirit rest;
This path be trode, ere yet his troubles end,
And, Heav'n appeas'd, he sits beside the blest.
And there at last his wearied spirit rest;
This path be trode, ere yet his troubles end,
And, Heav'n appeas'd, he sits beside the blest.
Where envy, malice, vanity and pride,
Pollute not with alloy th' extatic hour,
Where faction's storms, and passion's varying tide,
Cease from their turmoil and submit to pow'r.
Pollute not with alloy th' extatic hour,
Where faction's storms, and passion's varying tide,
Cease from their turmoil and submit to pow'r.
Where raging patriots, gorg'd with guilty gold,
Of dire rebellions fan no more the fires;
Nor murderous ruffians in long crime grow old,
Brandish the bloody means to their desires.
Of dire rebellions fan no more the fires;
Nor murderous ruffians in long crime grow old,
Brandish the bloody means to their desires.
But where, in realms of empyreal day,
Meet, in according throngs congenial souls;
All sense of pain shuffled off with mortal clay,
In one unclouded sky, their being rolls.
Meet, in according throngs congenial souls;
All sense of pain shuffled off with mortal clay,
In one unclouded sky, their being rolls.
No tyrant demagogue, with footstep rude,
And ideot roar profanes this blissful seat,
Here goodness greets with joy, congenial good,
Here brethren dwell, and sunder'd sisters meet.
And ideot roar profanes this blissful seat,
Here goodness greets with joy, congenial good,
Here brethren dwell, and sunder'd sisters meet.
Sure the lov'd youth, whom we this day deplore,
His soul in peace possessing, here is blest;
Hence smiles on those, so much belov'd before,
Here waits to greet them in the realms of rest.
His soul in peace possessing, here is blest;
Hence smiles on those, so much belov'd before,
Here waits to greet them in the realms of rest.
| Poems, chiefly occasional, by the late Mr. Cliffton | |