Melodies, duets, trios, songs, and ballads, pastoral, amatory, sentimental, patriotic, religious, and miscellaneous Together with metrical epistles, tales and recitations |
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 | MELODIES.
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 | Melodies, duets, trios, songs, and ballads, pastoral, amatory, sentimental, patriotic, religious, and miscellaneous |  |
119
MELODIES.
IV...NATIONAL AND PATRIOTIC.
120
A MASONIC ODE.
Dark was the hour, when Columbia, despairing,
Breathed her petitions for succour in vain,
While in her vallies the war-torch was glaring,
Sweeping her hamlets and cots from the plain.
Wounded and bleeding her sons were retiring,
Flush'd with successes, the foeman pursued;
Freedom and Hope seem'd in tortures expiring,
Heroes were sleeping in death, unsubdued
“Great source of light!” she cried,
“No more thy presence hide,
“Is there no help? We are sorely beset.”
Soon as the mourner spoke,
Bright rays of glory broke,
Round a young hero—the brave La Fayette.
Breathed her petitions for succour in vain,
While in her vallies the war-torch was glaring,
Sweeping her hamlets and cots from the plain.
Wounded and bleeding her sons were retiring,
Flush'd with successes, the foeman pursued;
Freedom and Hope seem'd in tortures expiring,
Heroes were sleeping in death, unsubdued
“Great source of light!” she cried,
“No more thy presence hide,
“Is there no help? We are sorely beset.”
Soon as the mourner spoke,
Bright rays of glory broke,
Round a young hero—the brave La Fayette.
Lo! from the east, with a mystic resplendence,
Rose the bright star which enlightened the gloom;
Led by its ray, and our loved Independence,
Came the young knight, with his bright glossy plume.
Washington saw, and with rapture elated,
Press'd to his bosom the chivalrous boy;
Tyranny frown'd, and with hate unabated,
Sought, like a Herod, the youth to destroy.
Fierce raged the vengeful fray,
Till freemen gain'd the day,
Age-frosted veterans remember it yet:
Then gallant Washington
Hail'd Gallia's godlike son,
Champion of freedom, the brave La Fayette.
Rose the bright star which enlightened the gloom;
Led by its ray, and our loved Independence,
Came the young knight, with his bright glossy plume.
Washington saw, and with rapture elated,
Press'd to his bosom the chivalrous boy;
Tyranny frown'd, and with hate unabated,
Sought, like a Herod, the youth to destroy.
Fierce raged the vengeful fray,
Till freemen gain'd the day,
Age-frosted veterans remember it yet:
121
Hail'd Gallia's godlike son,
Champion of freedom, the brave La Fayette.
Thus was the temple of freedom erected,
Crown'd with the key-stone of union and love;
Wisdom, and Beauty, and Strength, were connected,
Three noble pillars which nothing can move.
Tyrants may rage, and in triple alliance,
Seek to demolish so sacred a dome;
Trusting in Heaven, we bid them defiance,
While we thus welcome its architect home.
Hail! friend of Washington!
Hail! Gallia's godlike son!
Brother! companion! as such dearer yet,
Long may thy friendly smile
Our festive hours beguile,
Long may freemasons thus hail La Fayette.
Crown'd with the key-stone of union and love;
Wisdom, and Beauty, and Strength, were connected,
Three noble pillars which nothing can move.
Tyrants may rage, and in triple alliance,
Seek to demolish so sacred a dome;
Trusting in Heaven, we bid them defiance,
While we thus welcome its architect home.
Hail! friend of Washington!
Hail! Gallia's godlike son!
Brother! companion! as such dearer yet,
Long may thy friendly smile
Our festive hours beguile,
Long may freemasons thus hail La Fayette.
122
HAIL, LA FAYETTE!
Hark! the martial drum hails the approach of the brave!
The hero who comes o'er the proud-swelling wave,
To the land he defended, the land of the free,
Which greets his return with a grand jubilee,
While her sons, to acknowledge sweet gratitude's debt,
Now awake the loud bugle, to hail La Fayette.
The hero who comes o'er the proud-swelling wave,
To the land he defended, the land of the free,
Which greets his return with a grand jubilee,
While her sons, to acknowledge sweet gratitude's debt,
Now awake the loud bugle, to hail La Fayette.
All hail, gallant soldier! thy fame shall extend,
As Liberty's champion, and Washington's friend,
Till all, in the light of its glory, shall see
A world disenthrall'd, independent, and free;
While millions, inspired by sweet gratitude's debt,
Shall awake the loud bugle, to hail La Fayette.
As Liberty's champion, and Washington's friend,
Till all, in the light of its glory, shall see
A world disenthrall'd, independent, and free;
While millions, inspired by sweet gratitude's debt,
Shall awake the loud bugle, to hail La Fayette.
LA FAYETTE.
See him surrounded by admiring crowds,
And modestly receive their salutations,
While their united plaudits rend the clouds,
To prove republics may be grateful nations.
Behold him grasp some hoary veteran's hand,
Or press an old associate to his breast,
While in his eyes the tears of rapture stand,
By which the noblest feelings are exprest.
And modestly receive their salutations,
While their united plaudits rend the clouds,
To prove republics may be grateful nations.
Behold him grasp some hoary veteran's hand,
Or press an old associate to his breast,
While in his eyes the tears of rapture stand,
By which the noblest feelings are exprest.
Behold him in the festive scene, where one
Full tide of pleasure through each bosom flows,
Or bending o'er the tomb of Washington,
Or on the ensanguined spot where freedom's foes
Beheld him leading her resistless van—
In every scene you find him still—a man.
But O, the moral grandeur of that hour,
When introduced beneath our Senate's dome,
The solemn conclave hailed him welcome home,
Leaves human language destitute of power
To do it justice. It was more sublime
Than any scene upon the page of time.
Full tide of pleasure through each bosom flows,
123
Or on the ensanguined spot where freedom's foes
Beheld him leading her resistless van—
In every scene you find him still—a man.
But O, the moral grandeur of that hour,
When introduced beneath our Senate's dome,
The solemn conclave hailed him welcome home,
Leaves human language destitute of power
To do it justice. It was more sublime
Than any scene upon the page of time.
124
PROGRESS OF IMPROVEMENT.
Yes, blest Columbians!—In this favour'd clime,
What new-born beauties mark the track of time!
His every footstep, through the forest's gloom,
Gives birth to flowerets of unfading bloom.
No crumbling towers (the monuments of pride
And stern oppression) at his touch divide;
No fertile fields here fade beneath his tread,
No smoke of blazing cities wreathes his head;
But in his path a blushing Eden springs,
While countless joys are scatter'd from his wings!
What new-born beauties mark the track of time!
His every footstep, through the forest's gloom,
Gives birth to flowerets of unfading bloom.
No crumbling towers (the monuments of pride
And stern oppression) at his touch divide;
No fertile fields here fade beneath his tread,
No smoke of blazing cities wreathes his head;
But in his path a blushing Eden springs,
While countless joys are scatter'd from his wings!
Our late departed guest, brave La Fayette,
To whom Columbia owes so vast a debt,
With almost speechless joy and wonder, traced
Refinement's progress through the savage waste,
Where erst his youthful arm had bared the blade,
The drooping cause of liberty to aid;
When from a princely court he sped his way
To meet the foes of freedom in the fray;
Resolved for glory's dazzling goal to run,
And share the prize with none but Washington!
To whom Columbia owes so vast a debt,
With almost speechless joy and wonder, traced
Refinement's progress through the savage waste,
Where erst his youthful arm had bared the blade,
The drooping cause of liberty to aid;
When from a princely court he sped his way
To meet the foes of freedom in the fray;
Resolved for glory's dazzling goal to run,
And share the prize with none but Washington!
Where then dark forests echoed war's alarms,
The veteran now beheld rich cultured farms!
With meadows, orchards, fields of waving grain,
And herds of cattle grazing on the plain!
Where then the wolf and panther prowl'd for prey,
He now beheld our flocks in safety stray!
Saw lowing kine supply the milk-maid's pail,
Where antlered stags once bounded through the vale!
And heard the shepherd's wild-notes sweetly swell
O'er the rocks once startled by the Indian yell!
The veteran now beheld rich cultured farms!
With meadows, orchards, fields of waving grain,
And herds of cattle grazing on the plain!
Where then the wolf and panther prowl'd for prey,
He now beheld our flocks in safety stray!
125
Where antlered stags once bounded through the vale!
And heard the shepherd's wild-notes sweetly swell
O'er the rocks once startled by the Indian yell!
More westward still, he turn'd his wondering eyes,
Where hamlets, towns, and villages, arise
Along the course of that stupendous chain
Which now unites fair Erie to the main.
Commerce was there, in all his golden pride,
With blooming agriculture at his side;
While smiling plenty followed in their train,
And pour'd her bounties o'er the teeming plain;
The chief beheld, and felt his bosom glow,
To view the blessings which from freedom flow.
Where hamlets, towns, and villages, arise
Along the course of that stupendous chain
Which now unites fair Erie to the main.
Commerce was there, in all his golden pride,
With blooming agriculture at his side;
While smiling plenty followed in their train,
And pour'd her bounties o'er the teeming plain;
The chief beheld, and felt his bosom glow,
To view the blessings which from freedom flow.
But when he saw the sages of the land
Convened, to place in some deserving hand
The reins of power, the car of state to guide,
In peace or war, whatever fate betide;
A chief installed, without that vain parade
Which dazzles vassals when their kings are made—
Fired with the moral grandeur of the scene,
With tear-drops gushing from an eye serene,
He saw—he heard—and with expanding breast,
Pronounced Columbia's sons supremely blest.
Convened, to place in some deserving hand
The reins of power, the car of state to guide,
In peace or war, whatever fate betide;
A chief installed, without that vain parade
Which dazzles vassals when their kings are made—
Fired with the moral grandeur of the scene,
With tear-drops gushing from an eye serene,
He saw—he heard—and with expanding breast,
Pronounced Columbia's sons supremely blest.
[Fair Science her portals of light shall unfold]
Fair Science her portals of light shall unfold,And Genius soar upwards on pinions of gold.
130
MY LYRE.
Columbia call'd—to arms her heroes sprung,I felt the impulse, and of glory sung;
Swept o'er the chords, assumed a loftier lay,
And venturous dared with bolder hand to play.
137
THE GRAND CANAL.
Triumphant! victorious! the rapturous lay
The voice of each freeman awakes,
For Neptune and Erie were wedded to-day,
The ocean is join'd to the lakes.
'Tis the triumph of mind over matter we hail,
In pæans of rapture and praise;
The genius of Clinton will ever prevail,
And light the whole world with its rays.
Huzza! huzza! huzza! for the work is completed,
The glory and pride of our state.
The voice of each freeman awakes,
For Neptune and Erie were wedded to-day,
The ocean is join'd to the lakes.
'Tis the triumph of mind over matter we hail,
In pæans of rapture and praise;
The genius of Clinton will ever prevail,
And light the whole world with its rays.
Huzza! huzza! huzza! for the work is completed,
The glory and pride of our state.
The waters have met, and they never can part,
While the earth shall continue to roll;
Of the universe now is our city the mart,
And its fame shall enlighten the whole.
'Tis the triumph of mind over matter we hail,
In pæans of rapture and praise,
The genius of Clinton will ever prevail,
And light the whole world with its rays.
Huzza! huzza! huzza! for the work is completed,
The glory and pride of the state.
While the earth shall continue to roll;
Of the universe now is our city the mart,
And its fame shall enlighten the whole.
'Tis the triumph of mind over matter we hail,
In pæans of rapture and praise,
The genius of Clinton will ever prevail,
And light the whole world with its rays.
Huzza! huzza! huzza! for the work is completed,
The glory and pride of the state.
CRITICISM.
To native genius would you prove a friend,Point out his faults, and teach him how to mend.
141
OUR COUNTRY.
Now Commerce revives, and her hundred wheels roll,
Our canvas is spread from equator to pole;
Antipodes gaze on our banner unfurl'd,
For the course of our eagle shall girdle the world.
Our canvas is spread from equator to pole;
Antipodes gaze on our banner unfurl'd,
For the course of our eagle shall girdle the world.
The genius of plenty her office resumes,
The treasures of India—Arabia's perfumes,
Each gem and each fruit that the world can produce,
Her horn pours around for our pleasure or use.
The treasures of India—Arabia's perfumes,
Each gem and each fruit that the world can produce,
Her horn pours around for our pleasure or use.
148
TO A YOUNG LADY,
With a miniature volume of Montgomery's Poems, as published in Boston, 1807.
Accept, lovely maiden, this little bequest,
An advocate certain my suit to obtain;
To the generous, feeling, susceptible breast,
The muse of Montgomery plead not in vain.
An advocate certain my suit to obtain;
To the generous, feeling, susceptible breast,
The muse of Montgomery plead not in vain.
And when that sweet eye of cerulean hue,
Drops the warm tear of pity for virtue distressed,
Then think of the donor, whose sympathy true,
The number thou shed'st will engrave on his breast.
Drops the warm tear of pity for virtue distressed,
Then think of the donor, whose sympathy true,
The number thou shed'st will engrave on his breast.
While Switzerland's Wanderer draws on the heart
For the tribute which sentiment e'er must bestow;
Then think of thy friend, in a far distant part,
A Wanderer press'd with his portion of wo.
For the tribute which sentiment e'er must bestow;
Then think of thy friend, in a far distant part,
A Wanderer press'd with his portion of wo.
And when o'er the Grave thou art bending with pain,
But a pain not unmingled with pensive delight,
Let one gem of pity be shed for the swain
Who is buried to pleasure, when banished thy sight.
But a pain not unmingled with pensive delight,
Let one gem of pity be shed for the swain
Who is buried to pleasure, when banished thy sight.
While the tones of the Lyre brighten sadness to joy,
And thou hearest with rapture its solacing lays,
Remember the youth whose delightful employ
Is to sing to his lyre while it warbles thy praise.
And thou hearest with rapture its solacing lays,
Remember the youth whose delightful employ
Is to sing to his lyre while it warbles thy praise.
149
The Remonstrance to Winter is heard and obeyed,
And Flora unfolds every beautiful hue;
But remember, tho' nature in spring is arrayed,
To me all is winter while absent from you.
And Flora unfolds every beautiful hue;
But remember, tho' nature in spring is arrayed,
To me all is winter while absent from you.
The Fowler's simplicity cannot but please,
Religion has beauties that never decay;
E'en Grief has its Joy, and anguish finds ease,
In listening to pious Montgomery's lay.
Religion has beauties that never decay;
E'en Grief has its Joy, and anguish finds ease,
In listening to pious Montgomery's lay.
Alexandria's Battle admire, not approve,
But haste from the scene to the Pillow for rest;
On the pinion of fancy then pensively rove,
But let thy friend's image still dwell in thy breast.
But haste from the scene to the Pillow for rest;
On the pinion of fancy then pensively rove,
But let thy friend's image still dwell in thy breast.
View Brown with compassion, breathe pity's soft sigh,
For sorrows unmerited, cruel, unjust;
But smile on the Thunder-storm rolling on high,
'Tis the voice of thy God, but he wars not with dust.
For sorrows unmerited, cruel, unjust;
But smile on the Thunder-storm rolling on high,
'Tis the voice of thy God, but he wars not with dust.
Hail the brave Volunteers of Albion's isle,
And cherish the patriot glow in thy breast;
St. Mark's ancient Vigil a tear may beguile,
Thy friend then remember, like Edwin distressed.
And cherish the patriot glow in thy breast;
St. Mark's ancient Vigil a tear may beguile,
Thy friend then remember, like Edwin distressed.
Remember thy friend—is the donor's request,
And this Advocate proffers his suit to obtain;
To the generous, feeling, susceptible breast,
The muse of Montgomery pleads not in vain.
And this Advocate proffers his suit to obtain;
To the generous, feeling, susceptible breast,
The muse of Montgomery pleads not in vain.
143
OUR COUNTRY.
The names of our heroes, recorded by Fame,Shall glow in her tablets in letters of flame;
And patriots, and sages, and bards yet unborn,
With splendour as brilliant the page shall adorn.
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