 | The poetical works of John Trumbull . |  |
113
ODE TO SLEEP.
1773.
I.
Come, gentle Sleep!Balm of my wounds and softner of my woes,
And lull my weary heart in sweet repose,
And bid my sadden'd soul forget to weep,
And close the tearful eye;
While dewy eve with solemn sweep,
Hath drawn her fleecy mantle o'er the sky,
And chaced afar, adown th' ethereal way,
The din of bustling care and gaudy eye of day.
II.
Come, but thy leaden sceptre leave,Thy opiate rod, thy poppies pale,
Dipp'd in the torpid fount of Lethe's stream,
That shroud with night each intellectual beam,
And quench th' immortal fire, in deep Oblivion's wave.
Yet draw the thick impervious veil
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Command each cypress shade to flee;
Between this toil-worn world and me,
Display thy curtain broad, and hide the realms below.
III.
Descend, and graceful in thy hand,With thee bring thy magic wand,
And thy pencil, taught to glow
In all the hues of Iris' bow.
And call thy bright, aerial train,
Each fairy form and visionary shade,
That in the Elysian land of dreams,
The flower-enwoven banks along,
Or bowery maze, that shades the purple streams,
Where gales of fragrance breathe th' enamour'd song,
In more than mortal charms array'd,
People the airy vales and revel in thy reign.
IV.
But drive afar the haggard crew,That haunt the guilt-encrimson'd bed,
Or dim before the frenzied view
Stalk with slow and sullen tread;
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Wave their pale torches through the troubled air;
And deep from Darkness' inmost womb,
Sad groans dispart the icy tomb,
And bid the sheeted spectre rise,
Mid shrieks and fiery shapes and deadly fantasies.
V.
Come and loose the mortal chain,That binds to clogs of clay th' ethereal wing;
And give th' astonish'd soul to rove,
Where never sunbeam stretch'd its wide domain;
And hail her kindred forms above,
In fields of uncreated spring,
Aloft where realms of endless glory rise,
And rapture paints in gold the landscape of the skies.
VI.
Then through the liquid fields we'll climb,Where Plato treads empyreal air,
Where daring Homer sits sublime,
And Pindar rolls his fiery car;
Above the cloud-encircled hills,
Where high Parnassus lifts his airy head,
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Flow gently through the warbling glade;
And all the Nine, in deathless choir combined,
Dissolve in harmony th' enraptured mind,
And every bard, that tuned th' immortal lay,
Basks in th' ethereal blaze, and drinks celestial day.
VII.
Or call to my transported eyesHappier scenes for lovers made,
Bid the twilight grove arise,
Lead the rivulet through the glade.
In some flowering arbor laid,
Where opening roses taste the honied dew,
And plumy songsters carol through the shade,
Recall my long-lost wishes to my view.
Bid Time's inverted glass return
The scenes of bliss with hope elate,
And hail the once expected morn,
And burst the iron bands of fate.
Graced with all her virgin charms,
Attractive smiles and past, responsive flame
Restore my ***** to my arms,
Just to her vows and faithful to her fame.
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VIII.
Hymen's torch with hallow'd fireRising beams th' auspicious ray.
Wake the dance, the festive lyre
Warbling sweet the nuptial lay;
Gay with beauties, once alluring,
Bid the bright Enchantress move,
Eyes that languish, smiles of rapture,
And the rosy blush of love.
On her glowing breast reclining,
Mid that paradise of charms,
Every blooming grace combining,
Yielded to my circling arms,
I clasp the Fair, and kindling at the view,
Press to my heart the dear deceit, and think the transport true.
IX.
Hence, false delusive dreams,Fantastic hopes and mortal passions vain!
Ascend, my soul to nobler themes
Of happier import and sublimer strain.
Rising from this sphere of night,
Pierce yon blue vault, ingemm'd with golden fires;
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Or Sirius keen outvies the solar ray,
To worlds from every dross terrene refined,
Realms of the pure, ethereal mind,
Warm with the radiance of unchanging day:
Where Cherub-forms and Essences of light,
With holy song and heavenly rite,,
From rainbow clouds their strains immortal pour;
An earthly guest, in converse high,
Explore the wonders of the sky,
From orb to orb with guides celestial soar,
And take, through heaven's wide round, the Universal tour.
X.
And find that mansion of the blest,Where rising ceaseless from this lethal stage,
Heaven's favorite sons, from earthly chains released,
In happier Eden pass th' eternal age.
The newborn soul beholds th' angelic face
Of holy Sires, that throng the blissful plain,
Or meets his consort's loved embrace,
Or clasps the son, so lost, so mourn'd in vain.
There, charm'd with each endearing wile,
Maternal fondness greets her infant's smile;
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Unite and join th' interminable train—
And hark! a well-known voice I hear,
I spy my sainted friend! I meet my Howe again!
XI.
Hail, sacred shade! for not to dust consign'd,Lost in the grave, thine ardent spirit lies,
Nor fail'd that warm benevolence of mind
To claim the birthright of its native skies.
What radiant glory and celestial grace,
Immortal meed of piety and praise!
Come to my visions, friendly shade,
'Gainst all assaults my wayward weakness arm,
Raise my low thoughts, my nobler wishes aid,
When passions rage, or vain allurements charm;
The pomp of learning and the boast of art,
The glow, that fires in genius' boundless range,
The pride, that wings the keen, satiric dart,
And hails the triumph of revenge.
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Our humble station in this vale of woe,
Twilight of life, illumed with feeble ray,
The infant dawning of eternal day;
With heart expansive, through this scene improve
The social soul of harmony and love;
To heavenly hopes alone aspire and prize
The virtue, knowledge, bliss and glory of the skies.
| The poetical works of John Trumbull . | |