[Poems by Bryant in] A biography of William Cullen Bryant with Extracts from his Private Correspondence |
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[Once more the Bard, with eager eye, reviews] |
 | [Poems by Bryant in] A biography of William Cullen Bryant |  |
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[Once more the Bard, with eager eye, reviews]
“Once more the Bard, with eager eye, reviewsThe flowery paths of fancy, and the Muse
Once more essays to trill forgotten strains,
The loved amusement of his native plains.
Late you beheld me treading labor's round,
To guide slow oxen o'er the furrowed ground;
The sturdy hoe or slender rake to ply,
'Midst dust and sweat, beneath a summer sky.
But now I pore o'er Virgil's glowing lines,
Where, famed in war, the great Æneas shines;
Where novel scenes around me seem to stand,
Lo! grim Alecto whirls the flaming brand.
Dire jarring tumult, death and battle rage,
Fierce armies close, and daring chiefs engage;
Mars thunders furious from his flying car,
And hoarse-toned clarions stir the raging war.
Nor with less splendor does his master-hand
Paint the blue skies, the ocean, and the land;
Majestic mountains rear their awful head,
Fair plains extend, and bloomy vales are spread.
The rugged cliff in threatening grandeur towers,
And joy sports smiling in Arcadian bowers;
In silent calm the expanded ocean sleeps,
Or boisterous whirlwinds toss the rising deeps;
Triumphant vessels o'er his rolling tide,
With painted prows and gaudy streamers, glide.”
| [Poems by Bryant in] A biography of William Cullen Bryant | |