The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince Edited by R. A. Douglas Lithgow |
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THE MOUNTAINS. |
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 | The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince |  |
309
THE MOUNTAINS.
I have a passion for the mountains; they
Lift me above the din of earthly things,
And seem to lend imagination wings
To roam in wondrous regions far away;
They have a nameless power, by night or day,
Which doth attract, yet overawe the mind
With grandeur and with silence, till we find
The soul expand, obedient to their sway.
The passing clouds linger about their forms,
Or the light milky mists enswathe them round,
Or their dim glens and cavities resound
With the wild clamour of invading storms;
Then is the hour their rugged heights to climb,
And hear, behold, enjoy, the turbulence sublime.
Lift me above the din of earthly things,
And seem to lend imagination wings
To roam in wondrous regions far away;
They have a nameless power, by night or day,
Which doth attract, yet overawe the mind
With grandeur and with silence, till we find
The soul expand, obedient to their sway.
The passing clouds linger about their forms,
Or the light milky mists enswathe them round,
Or their dim glens and cavities resound
With the wild clamour of invading storms;
Then is the hour their rugged heights to climb,
And hear, behold, enjoy, the turbulence sublime.
The mountain peak feels the first breath of day,
And first reflects Aurora's rosy wing,
While scattered clouds bestrew the eastern way,
And kindle at the coming of their king:
Then does he bask in the full sheen of light,
His aspect changing with each passing hour,
Until the cold dominion of the night
Returns again with its mysterious power.
Then the winds swoop upon his shadowy breast,
And the stars cluster round his giant head
Like swarms of golden bees; the moonbeams shed
A calm, sweet glory on his heathery crest,
Soften the features of his rocky face,
And to his beauteous vales add a serener grace.
And first reflects Aurora's rosy wing,
While scattered clouds bestrew the eastern way,
And kindle at the coming of their king:
Then does he bask in the full sheen of light,
His aspect changing with each passing hour,
Until the cold dominion of the night
Returns again with its mysterious power.
Then the winds swoop upon his shadowy breast,
And the stars cluster round his giant head
Like swarms of golden bees; the moonbeams shed
A calm, sweet glory on his heathery crest,
310
And to his beauteous vales add a serener grace.
The mountains soonest catch the precious rains
Engendered in the wondrous firmament,
Receive and hoard them in their countless veins,
Till they are purified, whence they are sent
In streams of fruitfulness o'er all the land,
Gathered at last to the insatiate main,
Till the attraction of the Master Hand
Draws them to travel in the clouds again:
While their feet bathe in the bright summer glow,
The mountains lift old Winter from the vales,
And seat him on their shoulders, where the snow,
With a profuse supply that never fails,
Feeds the gigantic glacier, old and hoar,
Which creeps adown the slopes, and moveth evermore.
Engendered in the wondrous firmament,
Receive and hoard them in their countless veins,
Till they are purified, whence they are sent
In streams of fruitfulness o'er all the land,
Gathered at last to the insatiate main,
Till the attraction of the Master Hand
Draws them to travel in the clouds again:
While their feet bathe in the bright summer glow,
The mountains lift old Winter from the vales,
And seat him on their shoulders, where the snow,
With a profuse supply that never fails,
Feeds the gigantic glacier, old and hoar,
Which creeps adown the slopes, and moveth evermore.
A sense of strength and freedom they impart
To those who 'mong them first drew breath of life;—
Hence Tell and Schamyl, each with dauntless heart,
Battled for liberty, a glorious strife.
On the scarred front of Sinai's fearful height
Did the Almighty give the graven Law
To Moses, who, with reverence and awe,
Shook and adored through many a day and night.
And on the Mount the dear Redeemer wept,
And prayed, and suffered sanguinary sweat,
Until the ground with bloody drops was wet;
While His disciples, bowed with sorrow, slept.
Then blessed be the mountains, for they bring
Strange memories, and dreams of many a wondrous thing.
To those who 'mong them first drew breath of life;—
Hence Tell and Schamyl, each with dauntless heart,
Battled for liberty, a glorious strife.
On the scarred front of Sinai's fearful height
Did the Almighty give the graven Law
To Moses, who, with reverence and awe,
Shook and adored through many a day and night.
And on the Mount the dear Redeemer wept,
And prayed, and suffered sanguinary sweat,
Until the ground with bloody drops was wet;
While His disciples, bowed with sorrow, slept.
Then blessed be the mountains, for they bring
Strange memories, and dreams of many a wondrous thing.
| The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince | |