University of Virginia Library

SONG OF THE SYRENS.

Oh come to our palace of sunshine and song,
Where the blue bounding billows roll gladly along!
Oh haste to our feast where the pale stars of even,
Come in their bright cars from the broad fields of heaven!
For our glad halls, the lamps of night,
Have from the broad sky ta'en their flight,
And sought our sea green jubilee,
To celebrate a victory,
Which the splendid moon obtain'd,
Over the dark, that blackly reign'd
Predominant; it was her turn,
One night in heaven to sojourn,
When a dark intruding cloud,
Threw o'er her brightness his black shroud.
See—she comes—the yellow moon,
Leaves her highest, brightest noon,
Thro' the dark green waves to glide,
She passes by her daughter tide,
And lights the hidden depths of sea,
Where she walks resplendently.
'Tis sweet to view the shining seven,
March from the splendid ranks of Heaven,
And leave the centinels of night,
To guard their queen of silver light,
Who travels thro' our ocean caves,
To illuminate the waves;
She treads the depths In shining might,
Like some glad citadel of light,
That comes on patrol from the skies,
To show the waves her glittering eyes.
Stay mortal, and I'll tell to thee,
How she obtained that victory,
Over the sullen clouds of night,
And bring it so before thy sight,
That thou shalt easily descry,
All their rage as with thine eye;
See her lustre first emerge,
How she lifts her silvery verge,
Now brightly slow, she rises higher,
While trees seem painted on pale fire;
See her rising o'er the hill,
While all beneath is dark and still,
Now she guides her shining car,
Headed by her herald star;
View her rolling in her might,
In silver mail prepared for fight.
See her starry hosts unfold
Before their Queen their arms of gold.
Now coward darkness rolls away,
Before the bride of golden day;
See him shelter on the trees,
View him mount the midnight breeze,
Now he rests behind a tower,
Now he passes by a bower,
Now he settles in the vale,
Now he hurries o'er the dale,
Now tired, he hastens o'er the plain,
And calls for aid on storms and rain;
Now the battle sternly rages,
Where the frowning squadron wages
War with heaven's beaming ranks.
Now they move, a stern phalanx
Of howling winds and gathered clouds,
Marshal'd 'neath their waving shrouds,
Moving with determined frown,
Bearing every bright star down;
Led on by one black mighty cloud,
Wreath'd with gloom and darkly brow'd,
Tenfold darkness on his breast
Appears in pitchy folds to rest:
Black banners deck his blacker hand,
His shadow hides the shrouded land;
Now on the bright moon he advances,
Now up to heaven her last ray dances,
Which faintly lit a gurgling stream,
That dimly glittered 'neath her beam;
See, she has fled before his blade,
Of blackest gloom and darkest shade;
She stoop'd beneath his raven shield,
But stoop'd to conquer, not to yield,
For as he rushed in all his might,
Upon his foe of lovely light,
Wielding his blade of massive dark,
He sprung too far and miss'd his mark.
There was a moment of black gloom,
As tho' the moon had found a tomb,
And all dark voices gladly cried
Victory! as though she'd died.
Victory! shouts the howling wind,
The owl cries Victory! from behind
An ivied tower where she stood;
Victory! shouts the gloomy wood,
Victory! the raven croaks,
The wolf cries Victory! then stalks,
Sternly to his blood dyed cave;
Victory! echoes from a grave,
Where a murderer was employed
Earthing a corse, quite overjoyed
To think his black crime was concealed,
Nor could to mortals be revealed;
When lo, a pale ray quickly play'd
In sudden gleam upon his spade;
He fell, as in a death-like swoon,
For lo, his voice new nerved the moon,
Who springing from her ambuscade,
Where for a moment she had laid,
To let that massy cloud roll by,
She on the murderer cast her eye.
She chose her time when that cloud pass'd,
Which frown'd as though 'twould frown its last;
Then on a sudden she appear'd,
And through the sable defiles steer'd,
In time before that host of clouds,
Marshal'd beneath their waving shrouds,
That came on lazily behind,
Creeping like the summer wind,
Beneath whose breath no blue wave heaves
Its sparkling head, when even leaves
Will scarcely move; so these clouds stirr'd
Like plumage of a beauteous bird,
Which slowly spreads her wings for flight;
Or like the last fond ray of light,
That lingers on the western hill,
As loath to leave a scene so still;
But when the moon unfurled her sail,
On heaven's blue fields the clouds turn'd pale,
And flew before her shining might,
And as they passed her, turned to light.
Soon from their hiding places came,
The starry ranks of shining flame,
And all were glad their Queen to see,
While heaven rung with Victory!
This anniversary we keep,
Once ev'ry year within the deep.
Come then below the waves with me,
And all the starry host you'll see,
Seated around their queen of light,
To celebrate this glorious fight.
Haste then fair youth; why this delay?
We hold our ocean sports to day.
Then come to our palace of sunshine and flowers,
And hear the wild music that floats through our bowen
Or seat thee where beauty from dancing reposes,
On sofas of amber, all veiled with roses;
Or sleep on our banks where the nectar rill gushes,
With tributes to sea-nymphs of kisses and blushes;
Or lean on the moon's azure bosom of light,
And press the rich lips of the goddess of night.
We'll show thee the bed where the gay rainbow sleeps,
And how, when she's absent, the summer sky weeps;
We'll tell how she steals from the violet and rose,
Those colours she gracefully in her arch throws.
Come then to our feast, or thou wilt be missing,
For we have young sea nymphs whose rose lips want kissing.