But soon as approaching the land That goddess-like woman he viewed, The scourge he let fall from his hand, With blood of his subjects imbrued. I saw him both sicken and die, And the moment the monster expired, Heard shouts, that ascended the sky, From thousands with rapture inspired. Awaking how could I but muse At what such a dream should betide? That Britannia, renowned o'er the waves THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY. MONTGOMERY. HIGH on her rock, in solitary state, Sublimely musing, pale Britannia sate; Her awful forehead on her spear reclined, Her robe and tresses streaming with the wind; Chill through her frame foreboding tremors crept ; The mother thought upon her sons, and wept: -She thought of Nelson in the battle slain, And his last signal beaming o'er the main ; In Glory's circling arms the hero bled, And "O my Country!" echoed in her ear: -She thought of Fox;-she heard him faintly speak, His parting breath grew cold upon her cheek, His dying accents trembled into air; 'Spare injured Africa! the Negro spare!" She started from her trance!-and, round the shore, Beheld her supplicating sons once more, Pleading the suit so long, so vainly tried, Renew'd, resisted, promised, pledged, denied, The Negro's claim to all his Maker gave, And all the tyrant ravished trom the slave: Her yielding heart confess'd the righteous claim, Sorrow had soften'd it, and love o'ercame; Shame flush'd her noble cheek, her bosom burn'd; To helpless, hopeless, Africa she turn'd; She saw her sister in the Mourner's face, And rush'd with tears into her dark embrace. "All hail!" exclaim'd the Empress of the sea, "Thy chains are broken, Africa be free!" "All hail!” replied the Mourner, "She who broke My bonds, shall never wear a stranger's yoke." And roam along, the world's tired denizen, bless; I would not be a leaf to die, Minions of splendour shrinking from dis- The woods and winds, with sudden wail, tress! None that, with kindred consciousness endued, If we were not, would seem to smile the less, Tell all the same unvaried tale; I've none to smile when I am free, And, when I sigh, to sigh with me. Yet in my dreams a form I view, Of all that flatter'd, follow'd, sought, and That thinks on me, and loves me too; sued ; This is to be alone; this, this is solitude! I start, and when the vision's flown, I weep that I am all alone. MELANCHOLY. MELANCHOLY. COWPER. LOOK where he comes-in this embowered alcove Stand close concealed, and see a statue move: Lips busy, and eyes fixt, foot falling slow, Arms banging idly down, hands clasped below, Interpret to the marking eye distress, Such as its symptoms can alone express. That tongue is silent now; that silent tongue Could argue once, could jest or join the song, Could give advice, could censure or commend, Or charm the sorrows of a drooping friend. Renounced alike its office and its sport, Its brisker and its graver strains fell short; Both fail'd beneath a fever's secret sway, And like a summer-brook are past away. This is a sight for pity to peruse, Till she resemble faintly what she views, Till sympathy contract a kindred pain, Pierced with the woes that she laments in vain. This, of all maladies that man infest, Claims most compassion, and receives the least: Job felt it, when he groaned beneath the rod And the barbed arrows of a frowning God; And such emollients as his friends could spare, Friends such as his for modern Jobs prepare. Blest, rather curst, with hearts that never feel, But with a soul that ever felt the sting And stanch the bleedings of a broken heart. Lost, till he tune them, all their power and use. Then neither heathy wilds, nor scenes as fair And waft it to the mourner as he roves, heals. And thou, sad sufferer under nameless ill, Kept snug in caskets of close hammered Improve the kind occasion, understand steel, With mouths made only to grin wide and eat, And minds, that deem derided pain a treat, With limbs of British oak,and nerves of wire, And wit, that puppet prompters might inspire, Their sovereign nostrum is a clumsy joke On pangs enforced with God's severest stroke. A Father's frown, and kiss his chastening hand; To thee the day-spring, and the blaze of noon, The purple evening, and resplendent moon, The stars, that sprinkled o'er the vault of night, Seem drops descending in a shower of light, Shine not, or undesired and hated shine, Seen through the medium of a cloud like thine: Yet seek him, in his favour life is found, Shall seem to start into a second birth! And bid her mountains and her hills rejoice; The sound shall run along the winding vales, And thou enjoy an Eden ere it fails. PETRARCH. FATHER of heaven! full many a wasted day, And weary, wakeful night, this heart hath worn In one bright vision, waning now away, And leaving it all desolate, forlorn. O with thy gracious light, direct my feet To a more peaceful way,-a nobler love! Guide thou a wanderer to that bless'd retreat, The clouds and cares of this dark world above. For Thou, my Lord, hast seen year after year Roll on in sadness, since this heart of mine Bow'd to that yoke alike on all severe; Now, weak and faint, I ask thy hand divine To fix each rebel thought, and vagrant tear, Saviour of all! upon that cross of thine! THE EOLIAN HARP. ANON. I NEVER hear that plaintive sigh, But fancy paints some spirit nigh, Who breathes in rapture o'er thy strings ; Some minstrel sylph or fairy power, Whose music charms in lonely hour. Æolian harp! the magic swell, That lingers midst thy sounding wire, On whose wild notes I love to dwell, Could aught but angel voice inspire? Could mortal voice so sweetly sing, Or raise the soul on fancy's wing? Ah! no-No mortal voice e'er sung In vesper hour no requiem swell, Borne on the breezes of the night, On which the pious crowd would dwell, To waft the soul to realms of light, E'er threw around such magic power, Or breath'd more sweet in lonely hour. That song is o'er; the breeze of night Shall sweep in silence o'er the strings; And, ah! that breath, so soft, so light, Shall mourn no more on zephyrs' wings; Thy trembling chords no more shall sigh, No fairy minstrel hover nigh. Farewell, sweet harp; for damp decay Upon thy mouldering chords shall dwell, And thou shalt breathe no future lay, And thou shalt raise no future swell; The breeze flits by, the music's o'er, The fairy sounds can charm no more. THE IDIOT. ANON. IT is a fearful thing to see The vacant smile of idiocy; MADNESS. That staring eye of soulless ray, |