 | Poems on Several Occasions |  |
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The TRAVELLER and RAINBOW.
A Fable.
A Gawdy Rainbow, vivid, gay,
Resplendent with the various ray,
Arrests a Trav'ler's raptur'd gaze,
While thus he cries with wild amaze;—
“Heav'ns! what a sight! how rich a glow!
“Can art a scene thus lovely show?
“The pallat this emboss'd with teints,
“That Nature uses when she paints;
“And such an arch!—It sure supports
“Olympus, and the Thund'rer's courts;
“The hemisphere bestriding wide;—
“Magnificent, from side to side:—
“Wou'd Jove but mount me to yon sphere,
“Where I might view this wonder near;
“Where I might all its glories trace,
“Which distance greatly must efface,
“Wou'd Jove but grant me this request,
“How thankful shou'd I be!—how blest!
Resplendent with the various ray,
Arrests a Trav'ler's raptur'd gaze,
While thus he cries with wild amaze;—
“Heav'ns! what a sight! how rich a glow!
“Can art a scene thus lovely show?
“The pallat this emboss'd with teints,
“That Nature uses when she paints;
“And such an arch!—It sure supports
“Olympus, and the Thund'rer's courts;
“The hemisphere bestriding wide;—
“Magnificent, from side to side:—
“Wou'd Jove but mount me to yon sphere,
“Where I might view this wonder near;
“Where I might all its glories trace,
“Which distance greatly must efface,
“Wou'd Jove but grant me this request,
“How thankful shou'd I be!—how blest!
No sooner said, than, quick as thought,
Aloft in distant air he's caught,
Mid floating oceans chill'd to death,
Mid fogs almost depriv'd of breath—
When words like these in accents clear,
Strike the affrighted Trav'ler's ear:—
“What late your admiration drew,
“In genuine colours here you view;
“Meer earth-born vapours, mist and rain
“Rais'd by the sun to float amain,
“Which, gilded by his beams, appear
“Thus glitt'ring to your lower sphere,
“To dazzle wondring eyes, and show
“What outside ornaments can do:
“Learn hence with caution to decide
“On objects at a distance spy'd,
“Nor think that Fortune's smiles impart
“Contentment to the Garter'd Heart:
“The gaudiest flowers oft contain
“Within their core a cank'rous bane;
“And for a truth this axiom hold,
“What glitters is not always gold.—
Aloft in distant air he's caught,
Mid floating oceans chill'd to death,
Mid fogs almost depriv'd of breath—
When words like these in accents clear,
Strike the affrighted Trav'ler's ear:—
“What late your admiration drew,
“In genuine colours here you view;
“Meer earth-born vapours, mist and rain
“Rais'd by the sun to float amain,
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“Thus glitt'ring to your lower sphere,
“To dazzle wondring eyes, and show
“What outside ornaments can do:
“Learn hence with caution to decide
“On objects at a distance spy'd,
“Nor think that Fortune's smiles impart
“Contentment to the Garter'd Heart:
“The gaudiest flowers oft contain
“Within their core a cank'rous bane;
“And for a truth this axiom hold,
“What glitters is not always gold.—
“Learn too, that men, who often show,
“When distant, like the dazzling Bow,
“If nearer search'd, prove Fogs at best,
“By an illusive sun-beam drest.”—
“When distant, like the dazzling Bow,
“If nearer search'd, prove Fogs at best,
“By an illusive sun-beam drest.”—
Ended the Voice, the Trav'ler found
Himself replac'd upon dry ground.
Himself replac'd upon dry ground.
| Poems on Several Occasions | |