 | Poems of Freneau |  |
Occasioned By GENERAL WASHINGTON'S Arrival in Philadelphia,
on his way to his residence in Virginia. (December, 1783)
1
The great, unequal conflict past,The Briton banished from our shore,
Peace, heav'n-descended, comes at last,
And hostile nations rage no more;
From fields of death the weary swain
Returning, seeks his native plain.
2
In every vale she smiles serene,Freedom's bright stars more radiant rise,
New charms she adds to every scene,
Her brighter sun illumes our skies;
Remotest realms admiring stand,
And hail the Hero of our land:
3
He comes!—the Genius of these lands—Fame's thousand tongues his worth confess,
Who conquered with his suffering bands,
And grew immortal by distress:
Thus calms succeed the stormy blast,
And valour is repaid at last.
89
4
O Washington!—thrice glorious name,What due rewards can man decree—
Empires are far below thine aim,
And sceptres have no charms for thee;
Virtue alone has your regard,
And she must be your great reward.
5
Encircled by extorted power,Monarchs must envy thy Retreat,
Who cast, in some ill-fated hour,
Their country's freedom at their feet;
'Twas yours to act a nobler part
For injured Freedom had thy heart.
6
For ravaged realms and conquered seasRome gave the great imperial prize,
And, swelled with pride, for feats like these,
Transferred her heroes to the skies:—
A brighter scene your deeds display,
You gain those heights a different way.
7
When Faction reared her bristly head,And joined with tyrants to destroy,
Where'er you marched the monster fled,
Timorous her arrows to employ:
Hosts caught from you a bolder flame,
And despots trembled at your name.
8
Ere war's dread horrors ceased to reign,What leader could your place supply?—
Chiefs crowded to the embattled plain,
Prepar'd to conquer or to die—
90
Could save our lives and freedom too.
9
In swelling verse let kings be read,And princes shine in polished prose;
Without such aid your triumphs spread
Where'er the convex ocean flows,
To Indian worlds by seas embraced,
And Tartar, tyrant of the waste.
10
Throughout the east you gain applause,And soon the Old World, taught by you,
Shall blush to own her barbarous laws,
Shall learn instruction from the New:
Monarchs shall hear the humble plea,
Nor urge too far the proud decree.
11
Despising pomp and vain parade,At home you stay, while France and Spain
The secret, ardent wish conveyed,
And hailed you to their shores in vain:
In Vernon's groves you shun the throne,
Admired by kings, but seen by none.
12
Your fame, thus spread to distant lands,May envy's fiercest blasts endure,
Like Egypt's pyramids it stands,
Built on a basis more secure;
Time's latest age shall own in you
The patriot and the statesman too.
13
Now hurrying from the busy scene,Where thy Potowmack's waters flow,
May'st thou enjoy thy rural reign,
91
Thus He whom Rome's proud legions swayed,
Returned, and sought his sylvan shade.
14
Not less in wisdom than in warFreedom shall still employ your mind,
Slavery shall vanish, wide and far,
'Till not a trace is left behind;
Your counsels not bestowed in vain,
Shall still protect this infant reign.
15
So, when the bright, all-cheering sunFrom our contracted view retires,
Though folly deems his race is run,
On other worlds he lights his fires!
Cold climes beneath his influence glow,
And frozen rivers learn to flow.
16
O say, thou great, exalted name!What Muse can boast of equal lays,
Thy worth disdains all vulgar fame,
Transcends the noblest poet's praise,
Art soars, unequal to the flight,
And genius sickens at the height.
17
For States redeemed—our western reignRestored by thee to milder sway,
Thy conscious glory shall remain
When this great globe is swept away,
And all is lost that pride admires,
And all the pageant scene expires.
1783
| Poems of Freneau | |