 | Young Arthur |  |
Young Allan he stood 'neath the sultry sky
Of the barren, yet beautiful, Araby:
Where ever a parching sun is known,
And the withering grasp of a burning zone;
Where the spices and gums the charm'd senses assail,
And with incense impregnate the soft breathing gale:
There wild, like its rider, the far carol'd steed
Is unmatched for sagacity, beauty and speed;
There the mild camel paces the plain, or the steep,
His days without drinking, his nights without sleep;
A membrane organical solely possessing,
A cistern where water when drank remains pure,
Whence a muscular motion, if thirst is distressing,
A medium to moisten his food can procure.
When crossing the desart the caravan, spent
With parching fatigue, mark his exquisite scent;
If within half a league well or stream may be found
He looks kind assurance, and, rais'd from despair,
To his guidance submitting, with bosoms that bound,
The caravan follow and find water there.
Nor fancy the camel, doom'd labour to know,
Confin'd in his paces to stately and slow;
Whose feet soft and spongy, yet rough, never crack
As o'er burning sands he pursues his drear track:
There oppress'd by rude burthens he'll calmly proceed;
Yet he vies with the courser in trials of speed;
The distance extended the fleet courser fails,
And by vigour o'er speed the rude camel prevails.
Unwieldy his form, and, tho' sombre his hide,
In the garb nature dress'd him bright beauty takes pride;
For the shawl which encircles the graceful and fair
Was first worn by the camel; whose pliable hair
The painter supplies with his medium of art,
The pencil, which tinted can magic impart;
Which gives to the canvass, when Genius designs,
All the features of soul Taste's creation combines;
Who, grasping sublime, spurns mechanical care,
And we view only nature, no canvass is there.
The camel, a lesson to pomp, pride, and spleen,
Who dare to God's forming give epithets mean;
All nature created from moss to the man,
Inform'd or inanimate, serve heaven's plan;
All requisite; all can some blessing bestow,
And, save man, all obedient discharge what they owe.
Of the barren, yet beautiful, Araby:
Where ever a parching sun is known,
And the withering grasp of a burning zone;
Where the spices and gums the charm'd senses assail,
And with incense impregnate the soft breathing gale:
There wild, like its rider, the far carol'd steed
Is unmatched for sagacity, beauty and speed;
There the mild camel paces the plain, or the steep,
His days without drinking, his nights without sleep;
166
A cistern where water when drank remains pure,
Whence a muscular motion, if thirst is distressing,
A medium to moisten his food can procure.
When crossing the desart the caravan, spent
With parching fatigue, mark his exquisite scent;
If within half a league well or stream may be found
He looks kind assurance, and, rais'd from despair,
To his guidance submitting, with bosoms that bound,
The caravan follow and find water there.
Nor fancy the camel, doom'd labour to know,
Confin'd in his paces to stately and slow;
Whose feet soft and spongy, yet rough, never crack
As o'er burning sands he pursues his drear track:
There oppress'd by rude burthens he'll calmly proceed;
Yet he vies with the courser in trials of speed;
The distance extended the fleet courser fails,
And by vigour o'er speed the rude camel prevails.
Unwieldy his form, and, tho' sombre his hide,
In the garb nature dress'd him bright beauty takes pride;
For the shawl which encircles the graceful and fair
Was first worn by the camel; whose pliable hair
The painter supplies with his medium of art,
The pencil, which tinted can magic impart;
167
All the features of soul Taste's creation combines;
Who, grasping sublime, spurns mechanical care,
And we view only nature, no canvass is there.
The camel, a lesson to pomp, pride, and spleen,
Who dare to God's forming give epithets mean;
All nature created from moss to the man,
Inform'd or inanimate, serve heaven's plan;
All requisite; all can some blessing bestow,
And, save man, all obedient discharge what they owe.
| Young Arthur | |