The Works of the Late Aaron Hill ... In Four Volumes. Consisting of Letters on Various Subjects, And of Original Poems, Moral and Facetious. With An Essay on the Art of Acting |
 |
|
The Revenge.
|
|
|
 | The Works of the Late Aaron Hill |  |
The Revenge.
High, on the summit of a craggy rock,
Whose harden'd sides resist the billows' shock;
Whose cliffy brow, mens eyes, with horror, view,
O'erlooking, proudly, land, and ocean, too:
There stands a roomy cave, by nature, made,
To knit, in just embraces, light, and shade:
Its spacious mouth the sun's up-rising greets,
Admits his lustre, but repels his heats!
No glaring gold, on this rough portal, shines,
But creeping ivy round its entrance, twines:
Wall-flow'rs, wild-thyme, and juniper, grow, there,
And with their odorous influence, feed the air:
Surrounding groves, at distance, graceful rise,
Shades, for the little songsters of the skies.
And, near the cave, a torrent, gushing o'er,
Dashes the sea, beneath, with tributary roar.
Whose harden'd sides resist the billows' shock;
Whose cliffy brow, mens eyes, with horror, view,
O'erlooking, proudly, land, and ocean, too:
There stands a roomy cave, by nature, made,
To knit, in just embraces, light, and shade:
Its spacious mouth the sun's up-rising greets,
Admits his lustre, but repels his heats!
354
But creeping ivy round its entrance, twines:
Wall-flow'rs, wild-thyme, and juniper, grow, there,
And with their odorous influence, feed the air:
Surrounding groves, at distance, graceful rise,
Shades, for the little songsters of the skies.
And, near the cave, a torrent, gushing o'er,
Dashes the sea, beneath, with tributary roar.
Stretch'd, on a bed of fresh-blown roses, here,
Serene, the region, and the prospect clear!
Rests, when grown weary, by her summer toil,
The wakeful genius of our happy isle!
Hence, her unbounded sight can trace the shore,
And look, high-posted, the proud ocean o'er!
And hence, while hostile winds grow hoarse, in vain,
Guide safe her wide-watch'd Britons, 'cross the main.
Serene, the region, and the prospect clear!
Rests, when grown weary, by her summer toil,
The wakeful genius of our happy isle!
Hence, her unbounded sight can trace the shore,
And look, high-posted, the proud ocean o'er!
And hence, while hostile winds grow hoarse, in vain,
Guide safe her wide-watch'd Britons, 'cross the main.
'Twas here, of late, on an ill-fated day,
The awful nymph, o'ercharg'd with business, lay,
Now, swelling winds deficient sails to fill;
Now, soft'ning tempests, with reductive skill,
Now, with wide blessings, looks she thro' the isle,
And calls forth harvests, with a fruitful smile.
Then, 'twards Augusta's spires, she loves to lean,
And guide stray'd comforts, to Augusta's queen!
But, whether tir'd, with her long line of care,
Or lull'd to rest, by the unacted air,
A rising languor o'er her senses creeps,
And, in a fatal hour, the guardian sleeps.
The awful nymph, o'ercharg'd with business, lay,
355
Now, soft'ning tempests, with reductive skill,
Now, with wide blessings, looks she thro' the isle,
And calls forth harvests, with a fruitful smile.
Then, 'twards Augusta's spires, she loves to lean,
And guide stray'd comforts, to Augusta's queen!
But, whether tir'd, with her long line of care,
Or lull'd to rest, by the unacted air,
A rising languor o'er her senses creeps,
And, in a fatal hour, the guardian sleeps.
Now was the time! the prompted Gallic foe,
Call'd out, to stride a chance-invited blow,
With shameful odds, in strength, advanc'd, to meet
Th' unfearing convoys of a British fleet!
With deadly shock, th' unequal squadrons join,
And death-wing'd fires fly swift, from either line.
In jetty pomp, black terrors force their way,
And sulph'rous smoak puts out the eye of day.
Call'd out, to stride a chance-invited blow,
With shameful odds, in strength, advanc'd, to meet
Th' unfearing convoys of a British fleet!
With deadly shock, th' unequal squadrons join,
And death-wing'd fires fly swift, from either line.
In jetty pomp, black terrors force their way,
And sulph'rous smoak puts out the eye of day.
Just in the thunder of the growing fight,
The waking genius started at the sight!
In sad surprize, she rolls her sparkling eyes,
Springs from her couch, and to the ocean flies!
Arriv'd, incumbent on the ruffled air,
She sees rude globes the floating forest tear:
Her sons, o'ermatch'd, like men, untaught to yield,
Scud, unresolv'd, about the wat'ry field:
The spacious seas, with scatter'd vessels, charg'd,
To double length, the breaking line enlarg'd.
Averse to fly, nor deaf to safety's call,
They hang, like scatt'ring clouds, about to fall.
But while the foe, encourag'd at his view,
Pressing, triumphant on, wou'd dare pursue;
Again, united, they the fight restore,
Again, dart vengeance, fiercer, than before:
Again, the big-mouth'd cannon rends the sky,
And the unconquer'd suff'rers rush to die.
The waking genius started at the sight!
In sad surprize, she rolls her sparkling eyes,
Springs from her couch, and to the ocean flies!
356
She sees rude globes the floating forest tear:
Her sons, o'ermatch'd, like men, untaught to yield,
Scud, unresolv'd, about the wat'ry field:
The spacious seas, with scatter'd vessels, charg'd,
To double length, the breaking line enlarg'd.
Averse to fly, nor deaf to safety's call,
They hang, like scatt'ring clouds, about to fall.
But while the foe, encourag'd at his view,
Pressing, triumphant on, wou'd dare pursue;
Again, united, they the fight restore,
Again, dart vengeance, fiercer, than before:
Again, the big-mouth'd cannon rends the sky,
And the unconquer'd suff'rers rush to die.
Thus, while the hunted panther, spent, with fight,
Looks round, distrest, and meditates a flight;
If then prevented, he, with sudden roar,
Turns back, and dyes the field, with hostile gore;
Disdaining life, upon the spears, he flies,
And, heap'd on piles of victims, proudly dies.
All this the trembling nymph, with grief, beheld;
At length, her care the victor's force repell'd:
Then, wastes no time, the ruin'd to deplore,
But guides the rich remainder safe to shore:
Thence, to the cave, with threat'ning transport, flew,
Revolving, what her hop'd revenge shou'd do!
There, while depress'd with melancholy thought,
Her working fancy diff'rent projects taught;
From heav'n's bright orb, a youth, divinely fair,
With wings extended, cleav'd th' enlighten'd air;
Just, at the mourning charmer's feet, he stay'd,
Look'd lovely on her, bow'd him low, and said:
Looks round, distrest, and meditates a flight;
If then prevented, he, with sudden roar,
Turns back, and dyes the field, with hostile gore;
Disdaining life, upon the spears, he flies,
And, heap'd on piles of victims, proudly dies.
All this the trembling nymph, with grief, beheld;
At length, her care the victor's force repell'd:
357
But guides the rich remainder safe to shore:
Thence, to the cave, with threat'ning transport, flew,
Revolving, what her hop'd revenge shou'd do!
There, while depress'd with melancholy thought,
Her working fancy diff'rent projects taught;
From heav'n's bright orb, a youth, divinely fair,
With wings extended, cleav'd th' enlighten'd air;
Just, at the mourning charmer's feet, he stay'd,
Look'd lovely on her, bow'd him low, and said:
Mourn not this little loss, nor blame thy fate;
Decreed revenge shall on thy wishes wait:
Look up, bright maid! read Ramelies, writ there,
And pay thyself large int'rest, for this care!
He said: and, strait, his wings their plumes advance,
And bear him, glitt'ring, thro' the wild expanse
The ravish'd nymph beholds his starry flight,
And, fill'd with promis'd glory, blest the sight.
Decreed revenge shall on thy wishes wait:
Look up, bright maid! read Ramelies, writ there,
And pay thyself large int'rest, for this care!
He said: and, strait, his wings their plumes advance,
And bear him, glitt'ring, thro' the wild expanse
The ravish'd nymph beholds his starry flight,
And, fill'd with promis'd glory, blest the sight.
| The Works of the Late Aaron Hill | |