 | Rhapsodies |  |
33
SOLILOQUY OF A GARRETEER.
Ye sumptuous monuments, whose cloud-crown'd heightsThe gaze of wond'ring man so oft delights;
Ye pyramids, ye tombs, ye buildings vast,
Which prove that Art e'en Nature's works surpass'd;
Ye ruin'd villas, once the Roman's pride;
Ye structures, which our modern arts deride;
Ye glorious proofs of architect'ral taste;
Ye columns, acqueducts, and temples chaste;
Vast Colosseum too, where thousands stood
Exulting in the sacrifiee of blood,
Where beasts ferocious prey'd on hnman gore,
And from the culprit's breast his entrails tore;
Where iron-mantled gladiator's hand
Hath struck his fellow dead upon the sand;
Vast Circus, witness of this foul disgrace,
And oft the scene of whirling chariots' race!
Alas! ye now are mould'ring fast away;
Stern Time controls, (and Time will have his way:)
34
All last a time, but at some time must die.—
If 'fore thy power vast pyramids must tumble;
If adamant itself to sand must crumble;
Wherefore should I complain? why feel despair,
When, after three long years' unceasing wear,
My coat and breeches, once as black as coal,
Are rusty grown, and pierc'd with many a hole.
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