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Tessel'd with diamond, gold, and purple gems
Of various teint, blended in shades so soft,
That e'en the rainbow's melting hues might fail
To emulate the beauty of that tent.

CLXVII.

Here, see a gorgeous temple, yet more gay-
The twining vine-stems that support the roof,
Seem all too fragile for their purpos'd aim.
But as they spread their branching arms around,
To form the splendid concave of its dome,
They intertwine for mutual support;
While the rich foliage, and richer fruit
Clust'ring around, clothe all the living roof
With one resplendent beauteous panoply.

CLXVIII.

Ruby, and emerald-green, intensely bright,
And amber, intermix'd with ornaments

Of graceful form and elegance, that human tongue
Hath, in no language, wherewith to describe !
Therefore, oh Byron-spirit blest-forgive,
And laugh not, that our humble efforts aim
To picture these inimitable scenes-1
Pattern'd all o'er with gems of lucent dye,
Opal, and gold, and palest amethyst,

Or deep where better suited to their place—
To harmonize the beauty here display'd.

CLXIX.

The splendid walls that bound this temple-court
Seem like rich velvet, of deep azure dye,

1 These descriptions are taken from a department of Nature, not very often, we believe, explored. The petals, and other parts of many small, and even common, flowers, when dissected, and properly magnified, exhibit an extraordinary degree of beauty, quite surprising. Imagination may easily convert them into magnificent dwellings, palaces, courts, or gardens, and wander through them with delight.

Ornate with purest gold, and dappled o'er
With silv'ry filaments, and lucent drops,
Whose dazzling scintillations mock the eyę
With an imaginary dance; their flash
Plays the magician on the o'erwrought sense
Of mortal sight, but, to the habitants

A source of pure delight-unfading as themselves.

CLXX.

Let not ill-judging mortals, on our earth,
Deem all this beauty a mere dazzling toy,
Indulging a mean earthly "pride of life".
"Lust of the eye," and "sensual enjoyment."
Blest spirits here have duties to fulfil

Of high behest, from the Great Source of all;
And never can the spirit fail in aught,

For glad obedience animates the soul,

And TRUTH, pure Love, and Joy, for ever reign.

CLXXI.

Oh, that we might for ever wander here,
Amid these lovely groves, without return
To the dark stormy world we left below,
Where selfishness and misery are so rife.
How shall we liken anything on earth
To these most beautiful, enchanting scenes,
Where, to behold, is ravishment enough;
But, to enjoy for ever! Heav'nly pow'rs!
How can our feeble gratitude be shown,
Or our poor thanks make adequate return ?

CLXXII.

E'en the despised pauper, and the bard,

Who, while on earth, oft shiver'd as he wrote,
In penury and wretchedness, have here

A palace like a king-or rather, like

No earthly king; for palaces on earth,

"Where moth and rust corrupt," grow old and dull,
While these for ever bright, and ever new—
Ne'er lose their freshness, nor their early zest,
To their immortal tenants, ever blest!
Futile it were to paint with feeble words
The nameless glory that we here behold.
The spirit must be free, Byron, like thine,
Ere it can comprehend such heav'nly things.

CLXXIII.

Thy mandate come? Celestial spirit, thanks-
Conduct us home, thou art our passport hence.
Not as we came, we do perceive, for now
A wond'rous change is here, the rushing breeze
Hath made a spacious op'ning in the clouds.1
Like a huge amphitheatre, whose walls,
Seen in the far horizon-clear below,
Where the arena's beauteous landscape spreads,
With all its glorious habitations, fill'd
E'en to the far off mountains, and the clouds
Bright'ning as they ascend, till they appear-
Comparing small things with magnificent-
As fabled Red-sea waters, parted once,

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"A wall on either side"-these, all around-
Till the high summit shines, a sun-light ring
In the bright zenith-thence, our farewell flight.

CLXXIV.

Byron, thy mission is fulfil'd in this,

And half of thy great promise is perform'd.

1 Supposing, with Sir Wm. Herschel, the spots on the sun's disc to be excavations in his luminous atmosphere, the appearance to a spectator standing on the surface of the sun, near the centre of a small spot, would be something like the above description.

The moiety to come-may never come;

But, should thy living scribe survive the wreck
That time unceasingly doth reck on us—
Reckless of our desires-why then, thy scribe
Is ready for thy aid, to pen what more
Thy heav'n shall dictate, in that future flight.
Oh! not on earth will thy intent be found,
Thou must import it from some better world.

CLXXV.

Now our swift upward flight through op'ning clouds, And that bright ring of overwhelming light,

Drowns the weak mortal sense with its excess.

A balmy slumber weighs our eyelids down,

Soothing the weary vision to repose.

Once more on earth, the Muse would rest her wing.

Our spirit-friend, departed to his home,

We only dream of heav'n, and cease to sing.

THE END OF CANTO VI.

400

APPENDIX TO CANTO VI.

See Stanza 156, and Note.

NOTE (A.)

THAT rotatory motion is a universal law of Nature, there seems to be no doubt. All the planets revolve, our sun revolves, and we know that many of the stars have rotatary motion. Some important purpose, of course, is effected by it. But, the Rev. T. Milner, in his "Gallery of Nature," p. 55, says: "The end accomplished by the sun having a motion of rotation upon his axis, is inscrutable to us." Now, how is the end accomplished by it inscrutable? Is not rotatory motion the cause of all the centrifugal force in the universe? If the sun's rotation on his axis were to cease, what would be the consequence? If our earth ceased to revolve on its axis, would not the moon, in a short time, be more intimately acquainted with us? The Rev. T. Milner tells us himself that this would happen, and states the time in which the moon would quit its orbit and fall to the earth -"In less than five days." Of the planet Mercury, he says: "If loosened from the centrifugal force, it would require more than a fortnight to accomplish its dash headlong into the sun. Mercury's distance from the sun is 37,000,000 of miles. The Rev. T. Milner also gives the time in which the other planets would fall into the sun, if not kept in their orbits by the centrifugal force, which, at their respective distances, exactly counteracts the sun's attractive power, which attraction prevents its antagonist from carrying off the planet to a greater distance. .The cause of rotatory motion is more inscrutable than the end so evidently accomplished by it; but even that cause, the author conceives, may be accounted for in the way already suggested.

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