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DOM
L
II.
III.
IV.
ADA
I«
POETRY
For. TllK
DOMINION OF CANADA,
( O.N\Slf^TIN(; OF
I. ^oncj.'i o( tijc (JTunubiau cUliutcr.
II. .$oug.s of tlic !^|tavniuj3 ^i\m,
III. .Shouts of tl)c .^oit.'i of (Sob.
IV. 2^k .^ntc-munbane %hU,
Bv JAME8 K. LISTON.
TOliONTO :
ADAM, STKVKNSON &C0., PUBLISHERS.
1SC8.
"i
Entfrc'l ao. ording t<j tlio Ac t ul" the Provincial rarliament, in the yon:
One Thousand Eiyht llunditd and Sixty-eight, by Jaml^ K. Lishn.I
in the Office of the Registrar of the Douiinion of Canada.
loRONTO ;
{.•■Br, rRlNTINO CCMI'ANV,
KINO '-T. EA^T.
TO THF.
LITERARY AND (IKNERAJ. inUU.lC
OF TUH
t, in the y(
Eh K. Lisfcyl
DOMrNION OF CANA1>A,
THK rOLI.OWlNG I'OKMS AUK UKSPKOTFULLY IN^iJIlIBICD,
BY TIIEHl MOST OBEDIENT SKUVANT
THE A U T H R
P R E F A C E .
Tlicso poonis wore the pleMsure and rocroa-
tioii of the Autljor's leisure. Tlie first was
eomposcd during the past winter, the second
and third about three years shiee, and th<'
hist more than tssenty years since.
Whatever opinion may 1)0 forme* 1 of the
merits or demerits of the 8ongs of the (Cana-
dian Winter, the Author is confident that
thousanils will know and ap})rociate the truth-
fulness of their descriptions. The thn-e last
are almost exclusively the efforts of imagina-
tion, and as such the}' will he judged.
If the Author, by this small work, shall
succeed in giving an impulse, however slight,
to the poetry of this land, he shall always
feel gratified ; and if he shall secure for him-
self a niche, however humble, in th»^ rising
edifice of Canadian literature, he shall feel
more than honoured.
I r
ANALYSIS OF THE SONGS OF THE CANADIAN WINTER.
l«t — TLf stfiii l»ut f^railuiil ajiinoarlK's of winter ; the first
>iio\v.s; the blades (U'jid, &(•. 2iul — Partial ii-turii of solar powtT
Innil its eflects; the luorlulity of insects, &c. 3nl — The tlepar-
Iture of the binls ; the deer; the bear ; the fox ami the wolf;
Ithe fro;;s. 4th--The navii^ation of the lakes and livers sus-
hioiuled. 5th — The rains roturn, but soon change to frost and
Isiiow. ()th — Niagara described as it a]ij»ears at this season ; the
Island ; its duiability, but certain though slow ilecay. 7th —
JNiagara ; tho tower ; o1)eilieneo to the laws of gravitation coni-
jnion to the great Niagara and the smallest rill ; the eagle Hying
lover the cataract. 8th — Even in the days of In<lian barbarism,
the cataract displayed the sanu! beauty as at present, and
(gathered the glories of ten thousand tributaries. 0th — It nearly
I closed the navigation, till art and industry produced the eanal.
10th— The severity of winter in the ea.steru part ; the "habi-
|tant " driving his alvigh. lltli— The young French Canadian's
I courtship and marriage. I'ith— Clearing the backwoods; the
tall of the tree, &c. 13th— The hut of the .settler and its rude
comforts. 14tli— The occupations of the .settler's family, and
anticipated result in independence. 1 5th— The gradual progress
|of cultivation ; the orchards ; the "jtaring bee" audits enjoy-
ments. 16th— The winter becomes more and more violent ; the
burdened sleighs, &c. 17th— The winter sunshine ;. the icicle ;
the fiost on the branches, &c. ISth— The city scenes of win-
ANALYSIS (»K TIIK SONdS ()¥ THK CANADIAN WINTKl',
-tfr ; till? pleasure sleigh riilcH. 19th — The skate-rinks. 20th-
The curling rinks. 21. st — The nuisked earnivul on the im
22utl — The ice-boats on the hay, &c. 23rtl— The tubular bridge
and its surroundings. 24th — The fur backwoods; thebenverj
tlie deer a iirey to the Indian and the wolf; the India" ha.s novf|
more destructive weaitons. 2'jth — The raftsman at work di.sturb,
the deer and w<df. 2Gth— The larger lakes unfrozen, but iiil
their bays; F.rie, Huron, and Ontario ; the lightdiouses. 27th— I
The .smaller lakes and the river frozen. 2Sth — Quebec, 29th- |
Montniorenci in winter. 30th — The winter .scenes below it
31st— Fort Henry and Kiiip'ston in winter. 32nd— The Riv.ij
Ottawa, and the Capital of the Dominion of Canada. 30rd — Tli"!
conclusion of the Songs of the Canadian Winter.
C \VlNTl•;i^
Tin: SOMiS OF THU I ANAIUAN WINWR.
Stern iii" lli" notes jtlayed on tin- luamliy j>ine.s
When evrninL* sliadcs advanrc, and day declines ;
Wlion eold winds waft tlie winter elouds alar .
O'er the l>n»ad lakes, and shrouds the spai'klint,' star.
Tiie Moon's j)ale crescent and the Itlue expanse ,
Are each encurtained as the clouds advance.
Now l»lack-rol)ed Nij^lit steals o'er the landscape, reft
Of the fair lli>wers that Autunni's frosts have left;
The pL)ugh and harrow leave their furrowed lines;
Deep in the earth the nielltw seed reclines;
The dews and shmvers descend, till, rooted fast.
Upwards they sprinu", and paint with green at last
The toil-worn held, where lately harvest gave
Its yellow treasures in the breeze to wave.
Now o'er the whole niv sheeted snows are spread,
And every other Made is hlanched or dead ;
All Nature wra}>t in winter rohes of white,
And hitinu' frost steals o'er the lengthened nijiht.
~ CO
to
THK SONGS OV TIIK
11.
Yet ."^till the Sun will strive to eliaii,<»-c the scene,
Melt my fir.st sno^v^<, and yet disclose tlie green
That lurks below- my wliitened vesture, torn
By the Itright beams that crowned the rising morn.
Yet still descending showers will swell the rill,
Winding im[)etu()us down the slanting hill.
The melting mass juignients the crystal wave
Where the wild-dnck disp(.)rts her plumes to lave.
The insect tribes have died beneath the stornv —
Of everv size, of everv varied form.
And on the river-lake of thousand isles
No more the blooming tint of Autunm smib's.
The dried, dead leaf of beech or maple gay
Far from its parent branch is borne away.
Dowp'vards it, speeds, to gravitation true,
For the far confines of the l)rinv blue ;
And h)st forever in the boundless main,
Sliall never grace a river's l)anks again.
Hi.
The swift-winged songsters, with tlieir summer
clumes,
Have all de])arted to the warmer climes,
cANAiiiAX W]N'n:i;.
11
Wlierc winter's I'rosts and snows arc scarci'ly Isnowii,
And genial skies adorn a gentler zone.
Tlie dun deer shelters from each danger dread,
And in tlie swamps conceals his antlered head.
The bear retires to caverns dark and drear,
And di'eams away the coldest of the year.
Tlie sly fox lurks, and wolf at niidniglit liowls,
Hunt for their prey, and steal the farmer's fow]<.
The frogs and lizards leap and croak no more
l>(.sitl« the margin of tlie swam]»y shore;
Silent and (htrmaiit, in their wintiy lied,
I Till suDuner suns again shall on them shed.
And s]>arkling l)eams shall o'er the watei'> play,
And waves and riplets dance, tlie live-long day.
summer
[Now t'li the lakfs, and (htwn St. Lawrence wide,
|No more the steamer- rush to meet the tide
Whieli swells that river past the hloody ],»lain
hVhere the two liostile chiefs, in hattle slain,
pleep near tlie sod wliieh once the lianners ln.re
.M' France and liritain — now at war no more,
lie humhler crafts, imjtelled l.»eneath the gale,
Kased itf their carL''oes and, theii- iieetli'ul sitil,
12
THE SUN(iS UK TlIK
Now rest luisteered, inoored in tlieir liaihuiivlKHiie,
And keels no longer cut the boiling ibtini.
Thus art and nature each ]»repare to meet
Tlie coverin*j cold of Winter's winding-sheet.
Down, down the rain i'alls on the mellow soil,
80 oft upturned Ijeneath the farmer's toil.
The cold, wet wintls, with sleety showers, descend,
That idainlv show tlie vear is near its end ; *
And then the snow-|lakes drift ahjng the plain,
And all is while — in winter rohes again.
Thus is the aged year like manhood past,
Hoary and stiff, and silver-crowned at last.
The bays and rivers locked in icy bunds,
And })layful urchins crowd the frozen })(jnds ;
Their tiny sleighs slide down the slopes with speedj
And stain the whiteness of the snow-clad mead.
VI.
AVhite-throned Niagara, since the birth of time,
Down the abyss has poured his foam sublime,
Tearing the steep with ever-trend)ling tone,
And even ini]tarting to the solid stone
CANADIAN WINTER.
13
A vibrate jxnver, Avliicli strikes the stranger near
hVitli an emotion much allied to fear.
lEven here the influence of the winter wind
[Displays the trophies of his wars behind;
.arge blocks of ice come floating down tlie spray,
And plunge impetuous in their watery way.
lie waters parted by the foam-girt isle,
'hat still endures tlie shock, and seems to smile
[n wintry verdure, witli its e'ergreen i>ines,
Beneath the mist and rainbow still reclines,
Rceming deliant of tlie liquid storms,
[n all their M-rath and all their changing forms,
[fail, rain and snow, and icy floods, in vain
f^weep past continuous to the distant main ;
[>till leave it seated in the silver spray,
)oomed to a certain but a slow decay.
VII.
'he tower still trembles o'er the watery war,
Terlooks the whirling eddies and the jar
)f trc 1 >ling torrents, and of drifted wood,
fast floated down the ever-hastening flood ;
fach drop, each particle of liquid pure
[breads down its destined path unstrayed and sure,
2
^l
14
THE SONdS OF THE
To gi'iivitatiuii's laws obcdiunt still,
In j'Tand XiaLrara and tlie mealiest rill.
The water-fowl with fearless v.'iiiti; can soar
Amid this misty storm arid angry roar ;
Tlie eagle, in his altitude on high.
Views these rougli dangers with intrepid eye,
And ill gyrations round the scene suldiiH",
In aerial regions o'er the Falls can clind*.
VI II.
Here, in the days of Indian councils rude, [woo(l|
When the red man went wandering tlirough the
Wlien deer were Imnted, and wlieii wolves werj
slain.
And the hnmcfl herd were grazing on tlie ]_)laiii,
Ere steamer's walking-beams or wheels had plied
Across the deep, despite of wind or tide.
The great Niagara leapt the steep sublime,
Beside no village spire or curfew's chime.
And never lor a moment was at rest,
But poured its beauties on the savage breast:
(Jathered the glories of ten thousand streams,
And hiid their laurels in the mid-dav l»eams.
CANADIAN WINTER.
15
IX.
t nearly closed the commerce of the world,
or here no sail could ever he unfurled ;
ts rippling waters, and their rapid flow,
[vept sails and steamers in the waves helow,
ill 1)y hoth art and industry comhined,
nd deep resources of the human mind,
watery channel safe around the hill
Tas made convenient hy Canadian skill ;
nd the two lakes are joined in bonds of trade,
espite the closure which the Falls had made,
et winter now again has shut the door,
nd now our fleets can scale the steep no more
ill summer suns shall me'' j feeder streams
y the strong pressure of meridian heams ;
nd all alonn- the village-crowded shores
lonnnerce again shall pour its varied stores.
X.
[own the 8t. Lawrence winter stol'ms hegin,
iep, deep the snows, and hard the frost sets in ;
le smaller streamlets first to cease to flow,
id often buried in the drifted snow,
le " ]ial)itant," M'ith capote snug and warm,
IG
THE .SONGS OF THE
Drives his rude sleigli, and battles with the storm ;|
His smart, small palfreys gallop gayly by
The well-filled barns that near the road may lie ;
He pours his patois French in ditties gay,
And love or war beguiles the whitened way.
He bears the produce of his native soil,
Wrung from its surface by his summer's toil,
To swell the commerce of St. Lawrence shore.
Waiting till spring shall melt its waves once more.
XI.
The young Canadian reins his " beau cheval"
At morn to mass; at eve his blusliing belle
Claims his attendance, as the evening wanes,
And dance and music charm the rural swains.
The violin and song by turns invite
The mirthful dalliance of the "Dimanche" niuhl.
He homeward hies, and boasts for many a day
Of his smart j^alfrey, and his lady gay ;
Till won at last, she yields a sweet consent,
Her home for his to cliange is well content ;
First to the Notary, then to church they go,
Followed by jingling sleighs — a gallant show.
Each holds its couple, male and female, there.
CANADIAN WLVTF.U.
17
[arried or single, yet a warm-clad pair,
lie snow-storm rages o'er the beaten road,
lit on they drive theii* doulde living load ;
roni house to house, from "Auherge" to the farm,
ley make 1)oth swains and matrons hear the charm
lieie hoaux and helles, and wives and husbands
ride
j^n-aee the nuptials of the beauteous bride.
XII.
)w ill the primal woods tlie axe resounds,
^d the tall pine receives its mortal wounds ;
stroke on stroke disturbs the silent snow,
le wound enlar<]jes bv each well-aimed blow.
|e forest giant shakes in all his might,
id crashing falls beneath his dispoised weight,
id (piickly carries to the branches bent,
it strive in vain to stop his sure descent,
kwift and certain ruhi with rebound,
il echoing woods repeat the thundering sound;
[pt of his linil )S, and squared and hewn he lies,
liuinan kind a good but hard-won prize.
|oon is made to raise the sheltering home,
>'er the seas afar is doomed to roam,
2*
18
TIIK SON'dS OF TIIK
To build llic l)ark, or to fidorii the hall,
Eaiscd iVom the ruins of a forest fall.
His roots remain to meet a slow decay,
And mend tlie soil when sown some future day.
XIII.
The rising liut of logs piepared with skill,
Beside tlie shelter of some neighbouring liill,
The " settler's" home, of rude construction, standsl
The quick achievement of the neighbouring hand>]
Its sloping rcjot', of plank or shingle form.
Defies the dashes of the downward storm.
Eude as it seems to the fastidious eye.
Is still a home where many comforts lie,
Where Immble worth can rest from healthful toil.
And eat the products of the generous soil ;
Where female charms and virtues can expand
Beside the bounties of the well-cleared land,
And honest labour independence win,
Far from the haunts of idleness and sin.
XIV.
Here hardy youths soon learn the axe to wield,
And drive the steers athwart the frosted field.
CANADIAN WINTER.
10
ro day
hill,
)ii, staiul>|
iii'j; liaiul^
I,
1.
Or ]n\v tlie firewood on the hiirdeued sleigh,
Which hears its needful weight the homeward way.
Here l)eauteous maidens, household work within
The homely hut, soon learn to knit and spin,
I To heat the churn, or weave the garment warm,
While sons and fathers face the Itickering storm.
Here mothers nurse the darling hahe, and give
A lu'lping hand, that all within may live
In peaceful comfort, and delighted see
iTlie charms of independence yet to he, —
[AVhen the fair farm is cleared, and dehts discharged,
lAnd the home comforts more and more enlarged.
XV.
thful toil.BThus through the primal forest, day 1»y day,
il ; BDoes cultivation plod its onwai'd way,
*;pand ■iVnd wdiere the sturdy oak, or stately pine,
and, |V})held the cieeping tendrils of a vine
|St)ur and unfit for vintage or for grape,
r useful to mankind in either shape,
p grows the orchard, where the apples hloom,
Vnd pear and peach their different shapes assume.
wield, S'^i^d the scene hrightens as the orchards thrive,
1 field, J^Vnd youths and maidens ply the knife, and strive
20
THH sr)N(;s OF TIIK
To pii.ss tlie hours in li^^htsoiue Moik -r play,
After tlie rougher lahours of tlie day ;
And "])aring bees" add many a jocund cliarni
To the home comforts of a risinu- farm.
XV I.
Yet still stern winter drives along tlic plain,
And deep and deeper still the snows remain.
The sleigh-hells ring to warn the passer-l)y
That horses haste with heavy burdens nigh.
The housetops loaded, and the roads uneven,
And dark and dismal is the vaidt of Heaven.
Still, still descending flakes Ijiestrew the lanes
As the day darkens and the evening wanes.
But though the night is dark, the landscape's white,
And counterworks the darkness of the night.
Though moon and stars are shrouded in the haze
That now can intercept their midnight blaze,
Yet teams can travel o'er the well-worn way.
And carry produce towuM'ards night and day ;
And all converging on the crowded port,
Where farmers' produce meets of every sort,
And is exchanged for European gold,
Transported eastwards, and is there resold.
CANADIAN WINTKIJ.
21
XVI T.
Kveii noNV the winter sun can gild tlio scene,
I^Vlien parted clouds disclose the 1)1 ue between,
jid gather glory for his mid-day hlaze,
!)is})ersing ([uite the darkness and tlu* haze.
^""o mure the snows descend, the heavens are cleared,
i.nd the white landscape all around is cheered,
'he icicle drops a dissolving tear
)V'r the first symptoms of the softening year.
lut still persistent Frost asserts his reign,
lud the cohl nights will dry these tears again,
lud heat and cold contend for many a day
i'ur the dominion of the well-worn wav.
!'lie hriliant beauty of the frosted pines,
'ith all their branchlets wreathed in silver lines,
fhed threads of sunshine on the softening snow,
lud 'dve mild halo to the scenes below.
XVIII.
fet still the city scenes of Winter's reign
[ival his blast upon the rural plain ;
lud sleighs of varied tint, and every form,
a'e driven with speed, despite the bickering storm.
[lie merry l)ells, of varied size and tone.
I*lii|[
22
THE SON'OS OF TIIK
Give music of a kind tlint'rt all their own.
Beauty and fanliion, clad in warm attire,
Glide o'er the snow, and sometimes through the mire.
What rare delight the y(juths and maidens find
Through the gay streets in Winter's chilly wind ;
Or when the sun's bright glistening gloiy shines
Along the streets, in varied coloured lines,
Each turn, each angle, shows some new delight
In the hright sunshine, or the twinkling night ;
And many a tale of truthful love is told,
That summer's suns shall afterwards unfold.
XIX.
Yet winter liere gives blither scenes than these.
Which age and youtli and childhood even cau|
please.
O'er the smooth surface of the icy plain,
Where danger never lurks in pleasure's train ;
Here youthfid forms can quickly turn or glide,
And quick traverse the rink from side to side ;
Here tender maidens, with their steel-shod feet,
Can on the ice their beaux and gallants meet.
And on some nights of carnival and fun.
To the soft music through tlie waltzes run.
CANAMAN WINTKH. 23
Aiul Mitliuly beat their limits to time piul tune,
iider the «,a'ntle glimjtses of the moon ;
^nd down the dance nio.st nimbly trips the fair,
Kiiihreathin^' health from Winter's frosty air.
Kveu childhood here its tiny limbs can ply,
ind o'er the ice its lightsome form can fly,
iiid weave its gambols on the frozen jdain,
.nd to tlie nurse's care return again.
XX.
Liid this same scene allows the grey-haired Scot
)'cr the same jdain tr, send the curling shot,
ind here renew the game his native clime
[cjoiced to witness in his youthful prime;
|cnd chiselled stones athwart the slii)pery tlooi*,
Ind count with keenness each successful score ;
[lid to the game to give a keener zest,
till distant rinks to come and try tlieir best.
Ind side l)y side, in iriendly contest keen,
[•ots from far distant rinks may here be seen
^^tcllillg the stone alohg the slippery way,
vecping with broom to give it fairer play ;
lid crown the contest o'er with feast and song,
kid cheerful mirth to morning liours prolong.
'o»
24
THE SONGS OF THE
XXI.
And tlierc are rinks tliat crowd the frosted plain,
With revels brought from Italy or Spain,
Where male and female masked, and in attire
Of fancied characters, will even aspire
To ape the antics of barbaric times.
And don habiliments of foreign climes.
Disguised as Mandarin, Turk, or bearded Jew,
Like queen or sheplierdess ; — their costume, too.
So well arranged, that none can ever know
Wliici: is the belle, or whicli the gallant beau.
Some dressed like devil, some like knight or squin
Some like a dragon breathing mimic lire ;
Some may be seen like Hamlet, dressed in black,
And bold Don Quixote — Sancho at his back ;
And wilder still, to give surprise a shock,
One skated round just like a cabbage stock.
With such-like capers here the slippery stage
Mocks the historic and histrionic page.
XXII.
Still there are some who seek for M'ider play.
And dare the dangers of tlie frozen bay.
Some in tlie ice-boat, as its sails expand,
11(1 gra
le Isle
CANADIAN WINTER.
25
id plain,
attire
d Jew,
ime, too,
LOW
1 1)eaii.
it or squire^
1\ in black,
"back;
k,
tock.
stage
|r play,
id,
jWill shun tlie safety of tlie solid land,
Lnd swiftly skim along the hardened wave,
[And all its dangers for amusement brave ;
And witli advantage of a favouring wind.
Will leave the swiftest skater far behind ;
Steering and tacking with consummate 'skill,
^lake the light bark obedient to their will.
lie icy field may crack and groan and roar,
fftill will they leave the safety of the shore,
Lnd sit at ease, though driven wi*-h matchless sj^eed,
far from a helping hand in time of need.
nich are the schemes by which we cheat the time
If winter in this cold Canadian clime,
Lud many of our pleasure-seekers sigh
Mien winter and its games have glided by ;
Lud some will languish in the warmest day
for the cold capers of the frozen bay.
X^III.
lie wondrous bridge of tubes presents a scene
winter, down the rapids of Lachine,
Hiere blocks on blocks of ice confusedly pile,
nd graze the shores of each romantic isle.
le Isle of Nuns, the Isle of Devils there
3
I
26
THE ftONdS OF THE
Are each encased, and each must take its share
Of rude embraces from the liardened wave,
Which the warm summers gently round them lavej
And beat the river's banks on either side,
Wliere the rude rapids rush to meet tlie tide.
But where -the river widens out below.
The levelled waters there m(.)re gently flow.
In winter there's a large and icy space,
Wliere teams can travel at the swiftest pace ;
Taverns are built, and huckster stands are piled
With various products, in the winter wild,
Culled from the gardeii or the autumn field,
Or what the cooks or baker sliops can yield.
Liquors and wines, and ales and beers are there,
With all the sequents of a countiy fair.
Heaped in confusion on the hardened brim,
Wliere but a team can drive or skate can skin).
XXIV.
But now we'll leave a while tliese icy floods.
And sing the winter of the wild back-woods,
Where the wise beaver — pioneer of man —
Makes his small lakelet where tbe streamlet rau,|
And builds his cities round the bridled stream,
CANADIAN WINTER.
27
SVlicre the brown musk-rat loves to swim and
scream.
[lyre Winter reigns alone, and launches forth
[lis fiercest blasts from out the frosty North ;
[ere Nature ^veaves her wildest winter song,
lud drives in dreary march the woods along;
'lie snowdrifts gather round the leafless trees,
VHiose trunks and branches check the biting' breeze.
I'was here the wild deer ran for many a day,
[o the rude Indian and the wolf a prey ;
did here the red man raised his rude wigwam,
traversed the woods, and o'er the rivers swam,
[imting and war were then his only trade, —
[is bows and arrows from tliese woods were made ;
[ow he can make the bullet bathe in blood,
jrnpelled by powder through the startled wood;
soon he learned destruction's direst art,
u give loud utterance to his cruel heart.
m \\
the far West the hardv raftsman builds
lis liomely cabin on his lloating fields, —
|is raft well furnislied Ijotli with sails and oars,
keep from grounding on the sliallow shores
28
THE SONGS OF THE
Of the grand Ottawa ; — by its currents driven,
He needs no guidance from the liglits of heaven.
Patient he works and waits for many a day,
Till winter's frosts and ice liave cleared away.
iris axe resounding through the frosty air,
Startles the wild deer in his winter lair.
The wolf, too, listens in his dismal den,
Howls as he hears the near approach of men ;
Even now anticiimtes the sentence dread
That puts a price on his devoted head,
And howls again with hunger and despair,
And strikes the stillness of the midnight air.
Tlie whole wide landscape whitened by the frost,
All other colours for the time seem lost.
XXVI.
still the broad lakes maintain their licpiid form,
Seldom are calm, and often rise in storm ;
The calmer bays the frost has firmly bound,
The softer snows have clothed the shores around.
No ships can now upon the Ijillows ride
From Western harbours to the Atlantic tide.
Big swelling surges, desolate and drear.
Sing like the requium of the by-])a.st year.
CANADIAN WINTER.
29
:!ol(l, cold tlie winds ])low o'er tlie western wave,
LVhere many a seaman found a watery grave.
trie's long shallows, and Ontario's deep,
dismal wail-wake all the winter keep ;
ind on rongh Huron storms on storms prevail,
fo dare the steamer and the gentler sail.
It ill on each headland burns the l)eacon 1)la>5e,
ficrcing the darkness and the midnight haze ;
[ilding the edges of tlie foam-tipped wave,
iglits the foam-furrow of some sailor's grave.
I
XXVll.
lie smaller lakes are still, and frozen lie
Micath the watch towers of the winter sky.
fincoe is silent, and 8t. Clair lies still,
ladowing the form of each surrounding hill.
lul the great river, too, that meets the main,
|es cold and lifeless, bound in winter's chain.
ich turn, each winding holds its icy sheet
\\here the fresh and salted waters meet,
lid where the steamer's wheels in summer ply,
le sleigh-bells jingle, and the hoofs rush ])y.
\u\ where the wavelets gently kissed the shore,
ic ice-fields split and crack, and groan and roar.
3*
;•
30
THE SONGS OF THE
And at each point of land and delta bar,
Where tribute waters enter from afar,
No water-lilies now the weeds adorn,
Catching the sunbeam of the rising morn, [grow]
Long they've been buried, long they've ceased
Their dormant roots concealed beneath the snow,
Till spring returns, with vivifying power.
And paints afresh with warmer sun and shower.
Nature again in verdant robes shall smile.
And batlie in 1)eauty each enfrosted isle.
XXVIII.
Quebec's rough ramparts sternly face the main,
And winter's storms and blasts may blow in vainj
O'er those proud towers which, clotlied in wintej
X^ale,
O'erlook the river and the distant vale.
Abram's once bloody plains, white-sheeted o'er,
Even now can echo back the cannon's roar;
And where the river bore the summer sail.
Now crowds on crowds employ the iron rail ;
And runners now usurp the place of keels,
And travel faster than tlie swiftest wheels,
iiut far aloft, the Fort's majestic form
m^^iTi
CANADIAN WINTER. 31
Calmly presides in sunshine as in storm,
i And braves Britannia's foes on either side,
And points her thunders up and down tlie tide,
Flaunts her free flag of glory in the air,
lAud tells that Britain's powerful arm is tliere.
4 ll
^^
XXIX.
ri'all Montmorenci — giant of the storm —
-II silver robes erects his stahvart form,
Slathering his glory in the sunbeam's glare.
Pealing his anthem through the frosty air,
)azzling in brightness o'er the frozen tide,
I'ased in his ice-towers Ijuilt on either side,
>liakes his white locks, and sprinkles with the spray
'he frosted basements of his wintry way.
'ay after day the drops descending freeze,
fathering a glacier higher than the trees
'liat leafless now adorn his either side,
?liorn of the vestments of their summer pride.
A^t still the cataract o'erlooks tlie top,
ind never for a moment makes a stop,
^ut floods on floods unceasingly descend,
lud winter's wrath can ne'er his march suspend,
[till the cone glacier stands unscathed before,
32
THE SONGS OF THE
With slcanling sides, can touch on eitlier shore,
And many a spring, and many a summer sun
Shall spend its beams ere it will melt and run.
XXX.
still, still St. Lawrence winds liis icy cliajn
Round wood and mountain to the distant main,
Sprinkled with isles of every size and shape,
From Mcmtniorenci to tlie st-ormy Cape ; [storm,
From where cold CJaspe hraves the (lulf's rudej
And Anticosti rears his sylvan form.
These lonely wilds, how desolate and drear,
Even at the warmest season of the year;
But now, when winter reigns and sits supreme
O'er the wide waters of St. Lawrence stream.
Icy and still old Nature holds her plan.
With scarce a vestige of the liaunts of man.
Yet time shall co^ne when Nature's self shall yieldKut let
Her barren sceptre to the fruitful field, Bf kiiu]
When grains shall grow, and vegetable blades ho ^j)o]|
Shall spread their green beneath autunnial shadespr inecl
Cities shall rise and swarm with human life,
Commerce and law maintain their daily strife ;
And ships which now pass onward to the West m.^.h / )■
Shall even here find harbour, trade and rest.
CANADIAN WINTKR.
33
XXXI.
i»rt Henry, too, in winter bristles round,
Kveii now can ntter out a warlike sound,
'iuiirds the Lake's exit with an iron shower;
Minw-elad l>y storms, its hoary-frosted tower
;'aii desd destruction round on every side —
'(» landward traitor or across the tide, —
^'ointin^' its terrors on presumptuous foes,
'liat loyal men in safety may repose,
silc from surprise, or sudden call to aim,
(• cultivate in peace the fruitful farm,
)i' all make ready, well prepared to fight,
(allied around the British 1 tanner bright.
)lil Frontenac lies edged with frost and snow,
[i<ing majestic from the waves below,
Vlicre lUdeau joins his waters to the Hood
l») often dyed with drops of warrior's blood.
\u{ let us ho])e that nations Itound by ties
If kindred origin no more will rise
[o ,>poil each (Cher's hearths and homes again,
r meet in hostile ships u])on the main.
''■■f
XXXll.
lark Ottawa, too, is bound in Winter's chains
34
THE SONGS OF TIIK
Far NortliWiinl tlirougli llio woodlaiuVs wild
domains ;
And mighty tribute tu St. Lawrence pours
From fruitful valleys, and past winding sliores,
And on its Ijanks majestic rises grand
The ruling city of this favoured land,
Where princely halls of legishitive state
Stand where rude Indian councils lield del)iite.
Here, too, a fortress strong o'erlooks the vale,
With all its casemates clad in Winter's mail.
No rafts can now descend tlie rajjids wild,
Nor harges witli their timber-burdens piled.
The whole romjintic scene is mute and still —
The giant river and its tribute rill
Send not the weakest wave to wash the shore,
Or add their echoes to the cannon's roar,
When the great Viceroy of Victoria comes.
And Britain's warriors beat their hollow drums.
XXXIII.
But now the shorter night and longer day
Make winter and his frost to pass away.
The stream — like serpent — casts its winter skin,
And they who tempt its ice may cliance fall in;
CANADIAN WINTEH.
35
Vs wiWB^\,Hnon«r St. Jj
awroiice and its tributes yield
iTlic prized possession of tlieir winter sliield.
[The sliips begin to trim their summer sails,
And sparkling waves succeed to Winter's wails;
'he melting snows augment the stagnant pool—
'he fields are moistened, and tlie air is cool ;
'lie summer songsters leaj) along the lawn,
|/\ud cheer the landscai)e as the mornings dawn:
'lie hlasts retire hack to their native Xorth,
Liul all the glory oi' the sun beams forth ;
md Winter leaves us with a softer strain,
lud Icalless trees Ijegin to bud again,
ature, re-clothed, resumes her varied hues,
Liid life and beauty through her veins diffuse;
?he echoes linger of the last sleigh bell,
Lud seem to Itid the Winter Sony's farewell.
ANAL\
Adarc
rotiiiii^'
lliosc of
Iheir li^']
mil. 2i
Called th
Jcvolutio
Iicy roci]
kulcpt'ud
low filk'i
Itt-'rnato
|iuis ; (Ml
t nevoi
\.oi) of a
^any col
iso nianj
positio
lem to t
the laj
ivth an(
[iirry soi;
ph— Lam
flation ii
(lo Ilaiu
ANALYSIS OF THE SONGS OF THE MORNING STARS.
AiUhvss to tin- Morning Stars. Song 1st— The ivigii of
[otliing cndcil anil Stailiglit Ix'gins ; tla-ir l)oani3 mix with
\\ioac of tilt' Moun ; tla- wliok' of the Eartli's surface jiartakos of
[htir liglit ; the Stars dopart ami give place to the light of the
5iui. 2nd — Tlic Stars exhort each other to praise Ooil, who
|alleil tlicni at first into hcing ; their varied sizes, distances antl
[evolutions. 3rd — The rigid laws of gravitation and propulsion ;
hey reciprocally supply the jiroper amount of force ; the Stars
^dependent of the storms below. 4th — Space, so long void, is
[ow lilled with orhs of light ; the Comets. 51h — The uses of
Iternatc day and night. 0th — Dark worlds surrounding bright
jiins ; each takes its proper share of the light, and yet has some
spare fur tlie others ; light and heat never cease to run,
[ot nevci- intercept or interrupt the planetary motions ; the
^op of a single moment would be fatal. 7th — The world has
lany colours, but the starry sky only blue and gold ; it has
Iso many shapes, but the Stars are all round, though they vary
position ; groups, lines and triangles ; imagination likens
lem to things on earth. Sth — The stariy heavens miafieeted
the lapse of years, though the Moon increases and wanes ; the
:irth and Moon eclipse each other, but the Stars do not ; the
irry song shall never cease till the heavens shall pass away.
Ill — Lament on the dissolution of the present system, but con-
flation in the hope of a new heaven and a new earth. 10th —
lie Hand that made them never shall dcay, but shall raise
IggjH
ANALYSIS OF THE SONGS OF THK MOltNING STARS.
fresh wonders; new Stars, &c. lltli — None can invade thJ
starry h"aven.s, or interrupt the Songs of the Stars. 12th — Starj
never seem to rise higher or fall lower ; they touch gently oj
he ocean ; thc-'r image buried in the briny deep, Ac. IStli-
Starlight helps the beasts of prey to hunt their game ; the LioJ
and Giralfe. 14th — The Stars' Address to the AstronomorsI
their vain attempt to count their number. 15th — The influoiv'
of the Stars on the polar regions ; the Sun deserts them for siJ
months, but the Stars remain to cheor them. IGth — A Vessn
destroyed in the ice ; amidst all these dangers, the Stars remaij
safe, and continue their Songs. 17th — The equatorial clinus
the caravan lost in the sandy desert. 18th — The hap]»ier elimatd
of the tropics, and tlu'ir fruitfulncss, but oven there the Stiin
impart some beauty. 19th — The temperate climates. 20t]i-
The night scene after a battle ; the Stars unharmed and hard
less. 21st — The night scene after a sea tight. 22nd — Tli
dreadful ellect of the news on the relatives of the slain. 23rtl-
The paths of the Stars unerring ; they spread the knowledge >
the Divine power and goodness. The conclusion of the Soii^
of the Morning Stars, &c.
THE SONGS OF THE MORNING STAE8.
INTrxODUCTIOX.
Ye glittering orbs tliat liglit iiiinuiubered Avorlds,
Liid with your beams bestrew the Lacteal Way,
iiul ill the absence of the solar power
^ave many a sylvan scene from total gloom,
let me list a while your Morning Songs,
'hat spread the glory of your jMaker's power !
Mt me but catch the cadence of those notes
'hat circling roll around this puny ball,
ind prelude ^lorning's light without a pause,
i.nd die so sweetly in the orient blaze
Vlien IMorning dawn.s upon a new-born day.
Silent, indeed, ye seem to vulgar gaze,
''et sweet and solemn is that silent song ;
|t tells of Power unliouiided, and of Love —
)'ertiowing Love, — Love bursting through the
bounds
Vhich finite vision sets to the Supreme.
I
saa
40
THE SONGS OF THE
How ceaseless is your son^' ! The earth all roiin(l|
From age to age, has heard it, and it still
Reverberates and echoes through the vast
Unmeasured infinite, and lights on earth
To tell the story of your natal day,
AVlien from tlie wondrous ante-mundane void
Ye sprang, to sing forever to His praise
Who gives you voice and melody each morn.
Are not your voices heard amidst the din
Of this contending, artificial world ?
AVliere gold, and fame, and princely power in turns]
Distract the mind, that fain would rise to Him
Of wliom ye sing with harmony unpaused.
Yes, ye are heard ! your voice has pierced the luui]
Of this xain world, and reached the Poet's bower !|
And stirred the strings of poesy a while,
And given a foretaste of those nobler songs
Which ceaselessly shall stream from seraph lyres,]
And mak(5 Eternity seem far too short
To sing the wonders of Creative power.
Sing on ! sing on ! the solar ray begins
To draw its golden curtains round your choirs,
And soon the din of trade, and toil, and care.
And earthly pomp, and earthly joy or woe,
MORNING STAUS.
41
^Imll drown those tones so eloquently poured
rpon a sleeping and a waking world.
f>ix tliousand years have rolled, and yet the strain
IS still renewed, and serenades in turn
Lach clime, each altitude, and makes the Night —
'lie solemn Night — melodious with your Songs.
SONCJ I.
[fo more, no more the night of Nothing reigns,
iiid starlight streams upon these lovely plains ;
V'e send our beams to aid Night's silver Queen,
|.c^t total darkness else might supervene.
^'ith ours tlie moonbeams mix, and darkness flies
from every portion of these gilded skies ;
lie etherial vast, transparent, deep, deep blue,
[raiismits our nightly blaze untarnished througli
llie atmospheric veil, and lights all round
[arth's shores and mountains, and even Ocean's
bound.
s shores and rocks, and all its foam-tipped waves,
\!i coral reefs, and even its grotto caves,
re gently pierced, though not with solar power,
U' better fitted to the noon-tide hour,
Hien we have passed in other climes to play
4.*
42
THE SONGS OF THE
A second note to louder songs of Day.
Thus liglit and darkness, with alternate change,
Includes all nature in their wondrous range.
r
IT.
Come let us sing, and sing in every zone,
The Power that reigns Omnipotent alone ;
Tell of the wonders which from Nothing sprang,
When tlirough the void His voice creative rang.
The vast void lieard it, and obedient came
Those globes of light, those worlds of every nam(
Of varied size, of varied distance, too,
Rolled and revolved with Time, exact and true.
Dispensing Iight_^and shade in all their forms.
Dispensing lieat and cold, and raging storms.
III.
Hail, gravitation ! tliat mysterious cause
Tliat rules all Nature with Liost rigid laws,
Tliat holds each atom in each atom's jdace,
And guides us round in our mysterious race ;
And tliou. Propulsive Power, that makes each 8tj
In tlie wide s]>ace to move without one jar,
Tliat no confusion for a moment can
MORNING STAKS.
43
)isturb the harmony of Heuveii's high plan,
Uit each to each the needful force supplies,
[o prompt our motions through tlie yielding skies.
Thus move we on, wliilst all the world below
\s oft disturbed as storms and whirlwinds blow ;
Thus move we on with steady steps, and run
ind light the cartli in absence of the Sun :
thunders and lightnings jar the vault a while,
but still we shine, and its dark nights beguile.
Kg sublunary f(.>rce can cliange our way —
pinu fixed in our liigh seats we steadfast stay ;
uicli in his rolling car can smile at storms,
Lud still defy Earth's change in all its forms.
IV.
lie endless waste, so hjng unformed and void,
s now with brilliant orbs of light supplied ;
f^nried in size, in glory differing still,
hey all were measured by that Soverign "Will
hat rules all worlds, and numbers every star,
lid calls the wandering comets from afar
spread their lighted trains o'er half the sky,
ill in the solar blaze they fade and die.
! they die not, l.mt liathe beneath his beam,
IT... I
i
44
THE SONGS OF THE
And soon emerge from out tliat amber stream ;
Soon journeying out again, ne'er miss tlie track,
For gravitation soon shall send tliem back
To spread the glory to each distant world, —
With force augmented, on and on they're hurled.
V.
Tlius do the {.jentler nlories of the ni<dit
Restrain ^^10 <-\ ;iberance of the solar light ;
Else score l\e'' ^' ^ ^^aic yach circling globe would bej
Perhaps one side ')"ei'v^'helmed in flood and sea.
One side toe co") b, tb . It-cr scorched and dry —
A changeless, lifeless, dwlij ".isipid sky;
All in confusion soon Avould be involved :
If life were there, life soon would be dissolved.
VT.
Thus wondrous Wisdom rules and tempers all,
And puts dark worlds beside each fiery ball ;
Each World revolving takes its proper share,
And yet for other Worlds has some to spare ;
For light and heat can never cease to run,
But glide from World to World, from Sun to Sun.
From these unfailing fountains still it pours,
MORNING 8TAKS.
45
iiul warms Eartli's mountains, vales, and seas, and
shores ;
kit though it pours in lines direct and strong,
I'one's intercepted as it speeds along,
hit each can roll, and each can still display
["he self-same circles on its unmarked way,
Leaving no track to guide it round again —
ts paths are certain through the ethereal main ;
[or should it but one moment make a stop,
)own on its central orb it soon should drop, —
ts self-propulsion would forever die,
Lnd leave its place a blank upon the sky.
M
S
VII.
he World its thousand colours can unfold,
^e've only two — we've only blue and gold ;
^le World has many a shape, we've only one —
re all are round, and modelled on the Sun.
|iough uniform in shape, we vary all
relative position round this ball ;
)metimes we stand in groups, sometimes in lines,
^iangles here we form, there magic signs,
[hich stronoj ima«:;ination mii]rht contrive
sliape like forms on Earth, even things alive,
■1
46
THE RON CIS OF THE
Like bears or lions, serpents, trees or stones.
Like beasts of every kind tlirongliout her zones ;
Like crowns or lielmets, swords, or spears, or sliieUls]
Like ploughs or chariots moving o'er our fields.
But yet wliate'er our shape, where'er we stand.
We light diffuse that reaches every land ;
Alike the torrid and tlie frigid climes
Partake the bounty of our blaze betimes ;
And though to light the Day we ne'er presume.
The darkened vault of Heaven we quick relume ;
Save sublunary scenes from darlv dismay
Till orient Morning ushers back the Day.
VIIL
We run, and roll, and shine, and yet our spheres
Are unaffected by the lapse of years.
All sublunary things increase and wane.
Like tides which sink and raise the M'atery main.
The Moon herself in crescent sometimes shines,
The Moon herself increases and declines ;
She disappears each month below the wave —
A dimmed horizon marks her watery grave ;
But still we Stars adorn Night's dome and arch,
And o'er the circling round we proudly march.
MORNING STARS. 47
'he Earth and Moon each other's light can mar,
Uit tliat can ne'er befall a single Star.
'he clouds .sometimes exclude our gentle ray;
soon well l)e ^\■rapt up in tlie beams of Day ;
5ut though suspended oft our solenni song,
|t never was, nor will be, silent long,
'ill with a noise the Heavens shall pass away,
Vlien elements with heat intense decay,
Lud Earth and Ocean each in fire involved,
Lud all our present systems are dissolved.
■..■);
?^
IX.
di ! sad, sad thought, that all these fires which burn,
Liid light and cheer each latitude in turn,
lliull be forever quenched, and sing no more
|o check the rudeness of the Ocean's roar ;
hat all the glory of these lamps on high
hall be at once extinct, and droop and die.
|ut though these wonders soon shall disappear,
[od's hand another Heaven soon shall ujirear ;
Inother Heaven its glories shall unfold,
(nother Earth, more beauteous to behold ;
)mpared with this, more brightly both shall shine,
fade by the same Omnific hand Divine.
48
TIIK SONGS OF TIIK
X.
But tlioiigli these works of His sliall ilee away,
The llaud tliat made us never shall decay ;
Its self-existent, uncreated might
Shall order all things, and shall order right.
Progressive nKJvement, stamped on all below,
Sliall make creation bright and brighter ghjw ;
New worlds shall roll, new stars in Heaven slia|
shine,
To show His might and energy Divine.
His praise shall sound in many a distant sphere
Of moving temples, which His hand shall rear.
No measured bounds His power and wisdom know
With His wide bounty all creations How.
New Suns shall warm, nevr IMoons shall cheer tli
Night,
New Stars shall twinkle, and diffuse new light.
Though all things seen shall be dissolved in firej
The voice creative never sliall expire,
But call creations from the womb of Time,
And paint fresh colours on the scene sublime.
XI.
But still our present is a glorious song ;
To us alone Heaven's orchestras belong.
MOKNING STARS.
49
So earthly power can our 1 night realms invade,
So earthly shallow casts us in the shade ;
S^ harm can reach us on our sapphire tlironeS;
Kg human voice can interrupt our tones,
'he whole creation hears our solemn song ;
We cheer the planets as they march along ;
jght Ave dispense, but light we never lose,
Uit all its Idessings largely we diffuse.
'lie Northern Lights may come in flickering forms,
lie Northern Lights may come and tell of storms;
f>iit far above their influence still we fly,
Li)(l hold the highest places in the sky.
I
'\
J.;'
"■.'.'
i5
XIl.
serene we smile each night upon your ball,
Tever rise higher, and no lower fall ;
V(i touch so gently on the liquid deep,
Ve ne'er disturb its calm and placid sleep ;
)ur liright, bright image buried in its brine,
fuiik and inverted, yet it still can shine ;
hit when the deep begins to heave and roar
Ve flicker o'er the waves wdiicli Avash the shore,
ind gild the silvery currents as they fly,
^ith golden glory gathered in the sky.
^'5
60
THE SONGS OF THE
XIII.
Fountains and rills reflect our feebler flame —
We help the fiercer brutes to hunt their game.
The Moon's pale radiance would too soon reveal
The lurking danger which the reeds conceal ;
But Stars have just enough of light to show
The cruel spoiler where and when to go.
When to the distant stream the Giraffe hies,
The hungry Lion at his life-blood flies ;
Hid in the jungle near he couches low,
Watching impatient to inflict the blow ;
Out from beneath his herbal hiding place
He starts and leaps, and then begins the chase,
Till on his back the forest tyrant rides,
And with his roar liis victim's moanings hides ;
His iron teeth invade his spotted hair;
When the red current runs he leaves him there,
The mangled carcass of a noble beast,
For meaner creatures to enjoy the feast.
XIV.
And ye whose optic tubes invade our sky.
And make your neighbouring planets seem so nighj
And multiply our numbers by their power.
MbRNINiJ STAKS.
51
nae —
game.
1 reveal
;eal;
low
[lies,
10
chase,
5 hides ;
m there,
em so lUo
^■er,
I When darkened Heavens proclaim the midnight
hour,
|Stretuh as ye may to reach our endless chain,
)r count our number, ye may stretch in vain ;
•or V " their })o\vers a million times as strong,
'on he er could scan the l)orders of our throng ;
ind when the utmost of your skill is spent,
iTou'vc but begun to measure our extent.
[n vain ye try to mete our endless host,
For in tlic maze imagination's lost.
[magination may conceive an end,
5ut dare not say no farther we extend.
^ou cannot reach, with all the aids you try,
'he r' 'ior regions of the starry sky.
XV.
iveu in the frigid regions of the Pole
'e sing and shine, the darkness to control ;
/"here icy temples point their glittering spires,
hey, too, reflect the effulgence of our fires,
ix months the Sun deserts the snow-clad towers,
ix months the glories of the Heavens are ours ;
,,1 Bhe wliite Bear hunts upon tlie hardened wave.
!i
^here the live Seal has dug his gelid grave.
52
THE SONGS OF THE
The Wliale plays round tlie cold, cold regions there,]
"VVlierc all would seem l)ut darkness and despair,
Did not the Heavens our starry hosts detain
Till the Sun deigns to visit tlieni again.
XVI.
The vessel glides between two seas congealed,
Where danger lurks in every wave concealed ;
And wlien the storms above begin to blow.
Transparent islands at their biddance go.
Tossed on the tempest tides, they heave and roar,|
And dash the feeble bark upon the shore;
The ice-bound shores receive and give the shock,
Sharper tlian steel, and harder than the rock ;
The shattered timbers skim tlie angry waves
Wliere crew and captain found their icy graves.
Still the broad Heavens can shine, and still disclosj
Their luiglit round points amid these watery woesi
Still tlie safe Stars, witli a continuous song,
Can move unscathed, and still their notes prolongBmiii ,r
Hiere
Aye, and we curve the equatorial climes; ■ven rl
Thev, too, attend our merrv midnight cliimes-
MORNING STARS.
53
gions tlierel
I despair,
etain
gcaled,
cealed ;
low,
50.
e and roar,|
)re ;
the shock,
here sandy whirlwinds and sirocco storms
^ause death and sickness in a thousand forms,
'he caravan pursues its weary way
)'er sandy deserts, where no tribe can stay ;
there gales oft blow more dreadful than the main,
Lud heap fierce horrors on the shifting plain ;
(he unliquid billows bury there tlie crowd,
VTa\)t up forever in their dusty shroud.
|amels and inen, and mercliandise and store,
Ihall no more climb the green Oasis shore,
iut chisped in Death's embrace, they no more know
fatigue or sorrow in the world below.
XVIIL
ut there are climes more generous in their soil,
There men can liv- Ivi.vuriant without toil,
here Xature spreads her choicest fruits and grains,
armed in the sunshine, moistened by the rains ;
here bread-trees blossom, and where bananas grow
tes prolong Jnnipped by frost, unwlutened by the snow ;
here oil and milk exude from forest trees,
id odours rich are borne upon the breeze ;
[cs • ■>'en ihere the influence of our wandering strains
chimes. Jiiparts some beauty to tliose warm domains,
5»
e rock ;
waves
;y graves,
still disclos
^-atery woes
song,
54
THE SONGS OF THE
Ilelieves the oppression of tlie Solar power,
And spreads the glory to tlie midnight hour.
XIX.
Yet in the tempered climes we love to sing,
And chant the beauties of an opening spring,
And gihl the drippings of the wild cascades
Ere Morning Sun has sliaped the sylvan shades
Wliere rural verdure paints tlie velvet green,
And piidvs and blossoms peep tlie leaves between;]
Where fruits and grains are bursting from the soii
And stalwart swains are resting from their toil.
And the breeze plays so gently through the grovei
With notes responsive to our songs of love.
And we can watch the opening of the Day,
When gentle zepliyrs o'er the streamlets play,
And where the woolly sheep, as yet unshorn,
Eepose or graze,, and greet the rising morn.
XX.
And there are scenes of blood, and strife, and toil|
Left by the Sun on War's polluted soil,
Where wounded warriors cry for help in vain,
And star-l)eams glisten on the prostrate slain.
MORNING STARS.
55
'he cannon now has ceased to belch and roar,
ind the swift bullet seeks for blood no more ;
>\vords, helms and rifles strewn among the dead —
host has conc|uered, and a host has fled.
l11, all is still where noisy W ar did reign,
'lie gelid night winds whisper o'er the slain,
'here strife and vengeance lately held the sway
tliroughoiit the crisis of a bloody day ;
iliere's nought but lead or dying on that plain,
[here's nought but sorrow, mingled, too, with pain.
[he fires burn briglit, to scare the wolf away,
ist the cold earth should lose its lawful prey ;
fut still the Stars shine bright and cold and clear,
Fnharmed and harmless in their hiijh career.
4
f
XXI.
he warrior fleets have met. The strife is o'er,
lie captured ships, 'twixt captors and the shore,
heir shattered forms are tossing on the tide,
k-en victor ships are shorn of half their pride.
fieir spars and masts are dancing on the brine,
which the Stars continue still to shine ;
lid human forms of each contending State
ing to the timbers, saved from sorer fate.
•
56
THE SONGS OF THE
The dead from blood-stained decks are heedlessi
thrown,
Each ship disgorging what was once her own.
Down to the pit of wounds the brave are borne,
Some of their limbs bereft, who on the morn
Walked proudly '' .1 the deck in youthful glee,
Scorning the foe as oft they scorned the sea,
When its fierce billows rose in angry roar,
And seemed to urge them on a rocky siiore.
XXII.
Some widowed mother's darling son is slain,
Some father's hope is cast into the main
To feed the liungry sharks, or tliere decay,
Dissolving 'neatli the starbeams and the spray.
Some sister's heart shall rend to hear the tale
Of glory, carried by the speedy mail.
Which in one bag bears glory to the State,
Fills a proud Nation with a song elate
Of conquered foes, and triumphs dearly won,
But tells the motlier she has lost a son,
The wife a husband, or the maid her love.
The son a father, borne to realms above,
Wliere wars can ne'er disturb the peaceful reign,
MORNING STARS. 57
[or sorrows come to clench the captive's chain.
|ut o'er this scene of glory and of blood
hie Stars still twinkle, and adorn the flood ;
fransparent still, it mocks our hriglitest hues,
Liul li^ht we still can o'er its waves diffuse.
XXIII.
iir paths are smooth. We never lose our way ;
te never for a moment make delay,
lilt walk tlie Heavens, and light all lands, and shine
[nd spread the knowledge of His power Divine —
hat Power Almighty that lias placed us here
[o teach His boundless love. His lioly fear.
hese Heavens declare His glory, and proclaim
[lid sound the praises of His wondrous name ;
he firmament his liandiwork doth show,
[lid teaches Wisdom to the World below,
lo speech or language is there to be found
ihich d(K's not hear the universal sound.
^, ;
i'v ' I
58
THE SONGS OF THE
CONCLUSION OF THE SONGS OF THE MORNING STAIi
The Songs have ceased. The Starry host no mo^
With silent eloquence can give forth tones
That tremble on the edge of opening day ;
But still niethinks I feel as if the Earth,
Eesponsive yet, rejoins ^vith echoes long [choi'|
To the sweet strains poured from yon twinklii
And dwells reverberant on my raptured ear.
Yes, ye are etill ! and Day with brightening bea
Has for the time o'ertoned your morning chimes |
With ruder eloquence. But still you wait
In silence, and are ready to renew
Your nightly anthem to Jehovah's praise.
The swift diurnal round again excludes
Your brilliant throng. The monarch Sun resuml
His dazzling throne among reflective clouds,
And silences at once your Starry Songs.
How wonderful to think that. He, even He
Who w^orks such wonders on this darkened moi
Is in ten thousand Worlds but one small Star,
Scarce noticed 'mong the millions his compeers ;|
And millions more of midnight Suns ne'er saw
That Sun v/hich here illumines many a World,
MORNING STARS.
59
tiost no moil
ones
lay;
th,
ng [clioiil
on twinklii
'ed ear.
htening beaj
ling chimes I
L wait
aise.
udes
Sun resumj
clouds,
tven He
Ikened moul|
Inall Star,
compeers
1 ne'er saw
a World,
id fructifies tliem all ; binds fast the chain
planetary orbs which here revolve
annual circuit round His central fire.
|0 wondrous Power Supreme, which can at once
fopel tlie great astronomy above,
id the same moment watch the pulses fine
hich in the myriad animaculae
it with a ceaseless motion in their veins,
k1 all the elements keep running o'er
[ill lives too fine for human eyes to scan.
[raagination sinks exliausted here !
[is is its liighest flight. It flies no more,
feels its feebleness and prostrate falls,
|d worships Him who reared these wondrous
realms.
i
ANALYSIS OF THE SHOUTS OF THE SONS OF GOD.
lutrodiution — Who are, and who are not, the Sous of (lud ?
lev witness creation, and watch its various evolutions. 1st —
ley exhort each other to sing the j)raise of (!od ; tlie dis-
Les and magnitudes of tlie Universe. 2nd — They are but of
|ttnlay, and know notliing. 3rd — Tlie ^Vorlds spreading
the Sea of Space ; eai'h sends out a Hood of beams ; their
pulsion and gravitation. 4tli — Exhortation to louder praise ;
iiloiic saw the past and rules the future ; they are subjects
progress, luit He is forever tlie same and incomprehensible.
-Mixing of lires with fires, and beams with beams ; His
ulatis obeyed. 6th — The Universe exhorted to echo back
praise. 7tli — None can extinguish the blaze, or detract
His glory ; He only can grasp the whole, all secondary
dependent ; the order of the Universe. 8th — Light and
huious properties. 9th — They first observe this World in
mmal marine state ; storms, &c. ; no light ; but their faith
hold of it as the future abode of Man. 10th — The Spirit
[s on the deep, and composes it ; the rocks, mountains and
p arise from the water. 11th — The clouds and vapours ;
^aves, i.lants and tlowers. 12th— The Fishes. 13th— The
14th — The various heights to which the birds can rise ;
Idilferent localities and various colours, loth — The Quad-
|s and their varieties. IGth — These but the lower creatures ;
comparative relations and employments.
6
ANALYSIS OF THE SHOUTS OF THE SONS OF GOD.
A pause in the Shouts on the announcement of Man's creation i
17th — New song.s of praise required ; Man i»re-eniinent. lSt!.|
— Far above the rest, and his superior destiny is tlicreby proved,
distinctive holiness; Man the last of His works. 19th — Nr
not the last, for his partner is seen issuing from his side ; In
superior beauty ; their loveliness ; the power of Love trausj
mitted from Heaven ; their synnnctry. 20th — The delight felj
by the Sons of God on witnessing their young loves. 21st — Tlij
glory shed down on the garden ; its beauty. 22nd-yTlie humaij
the fairest of all forms there ; their primal innocence. 23rd-
Day unto day, and night unto night, teaches knowledge of tlij
Divine power. 24th — All the while the planetary orbs niovj
with jierfect order and regularity. 25th — The Doxology.
The conclusion of the Shouts of the Sons of God.
TIIK SHOUTS i}h' THE SONS OF OOD.
1
The Soils of (lod .\uii(l who arc they S(* near
[){']<\n to iriin wlio in cteniity
Dwelt inc^'cato, and sliall forever reign
[n self-existent, uncreated might,
lIkI never wa.s not, and .shall never cease
I'o live in glorious majesty enthroned,
[lolding tl'.e issues of the universe ?
Are tliev the AuLjelic thront? that wait Ilis will,
lIkI spread His high behests to distant spheres,
Liid like a ilame of fire His liiLih connnands
^peed to the utmost edge of AVoi-lds remote ?
Xo I they're hut servants, for no sonship they
pun claim, no hrotherhood with Ilim the Son,
ho died the son3 unworthy to release
hum Satan's bondage, and to wash from stains
)f guilt of blackest dye, and them to clothe
111 robes of dazzling brightness, washed in l»l(jod —
|n mercy's proj)er Idood most innocent —
Liid then present them Kings and Priests to God.
But of His ancient Sons we now shall sing,
64
TIIK SHOUTS OF TIIK
1,1
Who lusW'Y biuiied, wliu wiitched tlie wondrous risj
Of this iair Univer.si! of Sun -lit splieres,
Of countless Orlw to fill tliu vacant Vast,
And crowd the ])orLals of Eternity
With myriads ])urstin«^^ into beings bliss.
They saw it loom u])on tlio <lark domain
Where nouglit had ever shone, or dwelt, or movcdl
They caught the elTidgence of tlie hlendeil blaze
Of countless orbs of liglit, wliicli ])oured tlii'i
streams
Of gL)ry to tlie very gates of Heaven.
Tliey gazed, and with exultant tones they sang
A welcome shout of '''nitulatiuu .-^triVim".
A IJoy.d race they v/ere. Tlie King of K
m
(T.
Owned tliem as llis,and crowned them with Ilislovi
They sat on dazzling tlirones, and v.'orshippcd lliii.
Their I'atlicr and their King. Their brotlier, He
Wlio elai:ned eijuality vv-itli (Jod himself.
Begotten, n.»t created like the rest,
Who owned >ubjeetion to His power Supreme.
(lod-like tlievsat. Each held his hari) and saiii
Witli lioly liarmony they liymned His praise,
Watching eacli evolution 'sf His will
As b>ein'4' budded into blissful life ;
SONS OF COD.
on
Antl as tlio vacant, v.ist, elonial Vuid
Was garnislKMl with rt'Volvin*,' orbs of lij»]it,
Liifl worlds created round to sliare the beams,
'hey shouted bind, and all tlie new-formed spheres
I'e-echoed liack the loud l.uit solemn tones.
J
^llout, all ye Sons (jf one eternal Sire !
A each bright harp, and each bright golden wire,
ucli voice melodious filled with solemn song,
live forth loud notes, and streams of praise prolong.
•t Heaven's high arclies ring with loudest praise
s llis right hand these wondrous realms shall raise,
Liid crowd with beauty all the vacant space,
ar as our thoughts can reach, or eye can trace;
)ur strongest wing could never cross these realms —
heir vast extent our lar<:est thouu'ht o'erwhelms.
II.
Ve're but of yesterday, and nothing know ;
[lit while Eternity shall onward flow,
[is ■ .U - power, His wondrous skill Divine,
lif orbs shall still remain and shine,
lie) d tl » olve in circles large or small ;
I •
66
THE SHOUTS OF THE
Eacli darkened, AYorld runs round its parent ball ;
Each brilliant sphere sends forth a stream of light, |
To measure out their season's day and night,
"Where bein;;.?, suited to tlieir tempered climes,
Can live and move, and taste His love betimes.
III.
8ee how tliG myriad orbs are spreading'o'er
Tlrat boundless sea of space we can't explore,
And from each brilliant orl) a Hood of lieams
Exhausile-s ll<)ws, and every moment streams.
Each on its axis turned, is onward hurled.
The eccentric Comet, and the circling World ;
IS'one f'»;r a moment wait, and none delay
To mark the boundaries of each Night and Day.
These fiery globes, with gravitating power.
Bind them to measure every lustrous hour ;
Bend their propulsive force, to make them fly
In cu'cling orbits through the ethereal sky.
IV.
Eing out your loudest peals, ye Heaven-toned lyres
Strain to the full extent melodious wires !
Let the wide echoin«4' Vast, made vocal, ring
SONS OF GOD.
67
10 Him the iiicreate, creating King !.
[e, he alone tlie Past Eternal saw,
^nd to the future lie alone gives law ;
[o, He alone His life fi-oni none derives,
liid He alone each changing scene survives.
progress we, the first fruits of His love,
oin age to age ascending stei)S must prove ;
lilt He the same has ever been, and still
[eiiiains unaltered, both in power and will —
•day and yesterday, and evermore,
le unfathomed Infinite, without a shore.
10 Unite mind can comprehend His way —
11 came froin Him, and all worlds on Him stay.
V.
iig loud, ye Sons of God ! Creations rise
1 every side around our wondering eyes.
ie works His wonders, and out spring the streams,
mmingling tires with lires, and beams with beams
brilliant light, to cheer His wide domain,
id send His praises back to Heaven again.
r, far and wide He spreads His glory round,
it choicest blessings still with us abound.
1 these His power and wisdom still supplies,
■ — ; • ■
68
THE SHOUTS OF THE
And from His throne the power-clad mandate flioi|
None can resist it, or His M'orks delay —
The flaming fires, the solid spheres obey.
VI. .
Now let yon moving mass of light sublime
Re-echo back from each orbitual clime
Of measured temperature. The notes prolong
With holy anthems and with solenm song ;
Proclaim through all these realms the natal day
Of wondrous worlds that own His sovereign swav|
Glory to God in highest praises sing,
And with the speed of Light's unwearied wing
Send out the glory to each distant sphere.
And spread the bliss that holds its centre here.
VII.
None can the blaze extinguish. None can dim
The undivided glory due to Him
Who gave us power to mark His works sublime,
And see these works extend through future time.
None but Himself at once can grasp the whole—
His power creates, and lights up every soul.
All secondary beings on Him cling,
SONS OF GOD.
09
idc]\ crown subordinate, or serapli wing.
lU worsliip at His feet, and ever shout.
'ho wliole vast Universe is filled throughout
Vith awful grandeur, and with beauty, too,
'ith order regular, and measure true.
jlacli orb obeys the stern but just decree —
Tone can l)eyond its curve escape or Hee ; —
iuight but its appointed path remove,
iLu'ked out bv Wisdom, 'and ordained in Love.
\
VIII.
[ail, glorious light I the olTspring of the skies !
[ngravitating power, no fall, no rise,
10 weight, no sound, no touch hast thou at all ;
ut yet the shape and colour of each ball
ich moment thou dost paint, and well portray
lie darkened shade, the opening of each day.
ut lor thv l)eanis, what could v/e search or know^
liMliis bi'ight scene, r)r of these worlds below ?
xl said, "Let there be Light," and forth it came,
re these its central orbs were tilled with flame —
all atom ])eam a centre of su})ply,
[hence smaller lustrous sparks still outwards fly.
icli orb opaque, lujwever dark it seems,
^]
\
70
THE SHOUTS OF THE
Can still pour back a reflex flood of beams,
Varied in shade distinctive, to supply
A mark to sliow its own identity.
t
IX.
See yon small Worldlet circling round its Sun ;
See it revolve each day or smoothly run.
Unvaried yet ]»y isle, or cliff, or shore,
See how its waters storm, and heave, and roar.
All seems a wilderness of suroino- storms —
A shapeless mass its liquid round deforms ;
Unhabitable yet, no life seems there —
All is the image of Ijut wild despair.
The billows roll, the whirlwinds o'er them play,
And all as yet devoid of cheerful day.
'Tis but the embryo of a future World,
^\^lere wave on M\aA'e, and storm on storm are hurlii
Storm Avars with storm, and angry waters roll
Round its e(j[ua'Lor, and from pole to pole ;
But yet our faith can grasp a future plan,
And now imaiiine the abode of jNIaii.
X.
The Spirit moves upon the 'atery wild, [mill
The storms are hushed, the sea is smoothed aij
SONS OF GOD.
71
iams,
I its Sun;
nil.
and roar,
rnis —
brms ;
he warring winds are calm, and dumb and still,
[efore the fiat of the Almighty's will.
lut hark ! the Omnific liand is working now,
Ind from the waves the monarch mountain's brow
ut from the surge its rocky points arise,
md reach the regions of still cloudless skies.
|l*\v continents and isles unnumbered show
ht'ir varied shapes arising from below.
lie level sea is cleft, and liarren land
jtween its Oceans now begins to stand
liold relief upon the glassy plain;
now divides and liems the watery main.
them play,
XI.
le waters rise above and sink l)elow
le firmament, and cloudy curtains show ;
le dingy vapour from the earth upheaves,
1(1 spreads its moisture on the painted leaves ;
r ncjw the herbage bright is coloured there,
le new-raised mount is clad with verdant hair,
le tiowery vales are spread witli juicy stems,
id banks and slopes the winding river hems ;
16 forest trunks, of varied size and hue,
id, L'^^^Pfik'tts the sameness of the Ocean's blue ;
loothcd aii
[1
rm are hurk'
ters roll
.le ;
dan,
n
72
THK SHOUTS OF THE
''!l
The fruitful boughs, with pink and white, display
The promise blossoms of a future day ;
The flowery meads in richest gloiy crowned,
And robes of Ijeauty clothe the naked ground ;
The glassy lake reflects the azure blue,
Bespotted o'er witli moving clouds so true.
XT I.
But mark tlie dcej)I Tliough still and sniootli it
seems,
With tinny tribes the fecund water teems ;
Abundantly tlie li([uid mass brings forth ;
Its warmest zones, — its icy South and Xorth
Send out their swarms, some naked and some bound
In shell of curious shape, both square and round ;
But all so well adapted there to play
Their merry gambols through tlie salted spray.
Though winds should roar, and tempests ride the gale,
The tiny herring, and the strong-built whale,
The coral millions, and the creeping throng.
Can live and move, < nd still their joys prolong.
xiir.
But mark ! what plumes are these of varied hue
Kising by millions from the briny blue ?
SONS OF GOD.
73
u\nd spi'ea<liiig" o\'V tlie i^les, and vale<, and meads,
And skuiniiin.L;" o'er the lakes 'mrmg swampy veeds ?
Wliat notes are these, so varied and so sweet,
llWnv^ all round, tlie sunny morn to greet ?
riiiiii.^li far helow tlv notes of Seraph tone,
riiey still can please, united or alone ;
riiey show the Almighty's skill conil^ined with
power,
LViid sound I Lis glory every lustrous hour
r.y choirs of every tone iind sound, to show
Hiat Love's extiuided to that world helow.
XIV.
Mine hidve in high gyrations, and outspring
'lie highest mountains with unwearied wing;
p.'hilst some, contented with a humhler flight,
iriiuud the shruh-clad vales anel trees delight
wave their plumes, and chant their twittering
song,
Liid morn and eve their jovial notes prolong
.0 Earth and Heaven. Both high and low, the swell
)f Nature's music suits both scenes so well ;
'itii varied notes, M'itli many coloured ])lumes,
UK-'h trilje melodious different dress assumes, —
74
THE .SHOUTS of the
:'''l
Some light, some dark, some yellow and some lilut|
And plumes Ledipped with gold, bedazzling, tou;
But all enjoy their heing as they rove
O'er hill and valley, and from grove to grove.
XV.
But mark the varied (|uadrui)edal throng
That walk the Karth, and sc<air the plains alonu:
With silent tread, uv loud and piercing roar.
They rise from Earth, and dwell from shore to slu
Some ehjtlied with furs, to shield tliem in tlie elii;.
Wliere Arctic hlasts shall hlow tlirough future tin
And some are clothed in light fantastic hues,
Where tropic heanis their genial warmth diffuse
Some striped, or spotted, and some soher grey,
Some walk at night, and some employ the day
To bask in brightness, or to graze the mead,
And on its herbal green to sport and feed.
XVI.
These are the lower creatures of his power ;
They all partake his Ijounty every hour,
They move, they sing, they Hy, or dive or swim,
And build up levels to the ocean's brim.
SONS OF COD.
?i
[]\ >ulilimaiT scenes (ire livin;^* now,
the Ocean's caverns, and tlie jVIonntain's Lrow,
ire fillt'd with lives of every needful form,
hie massive elejdiant, and tiny worm,
[Ik; whale which naviL^ates from zone to zone,
[lie poly})! enchained to native stone;
(he serpent draws its lengtli M'ith many a wind,
\\u'j: no foot-prints on its track Ijchind ;
|]ie steeds and zehras sc(nir tlie grassy plain-^,
licpTiivcs and thickets ring with warldeil strains ;
li'U thousand sweet varieties of sound
|urst from the isles and shores, and all around.
* # # * ^ *
|iU'h harp was silent, for the (^nmitlc tones
ere lieard, and rang along the arch suldime
'ith solemn accents niihl. The harps unstrung
Tore laid aside, each roval head discrowned,
'liile from the OLay Excellent came iV>rth
^'eative words, that told that ]\ran was formed.
ich rose and howed, and raised his harp on high,
\\\ with a shout exultant rent the Heavens ;
ley toned afresh the gold, melodious wires,
sing the welcome of completed worlds.
7o
THK .SHOUTS 01' TIIK
XVII.
IIiiii>s (<f Eti'i'iiity, discour.so now songs
To Hini to wliom Eternity l)el'.)ng!i.
Sliout ! rtlioiit, yu Son.s of (Jod, unr .silent 1)0
Wliile scenes like tliese we're liunoured lioro to seej
(llory to (loii tlu'oiigli endless ages ])i)ur,
And let \oUY i
ones ex
at II
mi more am
I nior(
Tlie V, ide creation now oomplett'd stands
The Hnislied work ol' llis nnwearied hands;
And ]\ra.n, tin' ■|)rince of tliat pi'olitie scene,
>Stands now erect, the Heavens and Earth bet wee
luidowed witli reason, \\i[]\ Yi(.'e-regal }»ower,
To v/ield the pce})ti'e every lustrous hour.
He stands ]^rc-emineiil. ak-ove tlie v/hole.
And names all creatures under his control.
XVI H.
How far akoVe Whi re-t lie stands erect,
Views Ih'a.veii and ivarlii vv'ith countenance dirccl|
In innocence, and i>urity (»f mind.
Distinctive holiness from every kind
Of lowei- creatures he's at once removed ; —
By thi-^ hi.^ destiny's suolimely proved.
He stan<is tlie Sovereign of tliat lower sphere.
so>'s OF c;or>.
\\< \v(* are Kings, yet serve with lioly fear
'he King (jf Kings ; we serve, and yet enjoy ;
riie powers He gave \\h faitliTully employ
fii His blest service; cheei-l'iillv we qive
riie ]traise to llini l)y whom we reign and live,
'o see His empire spreading o'er the Vast —
ilaii, i>r His worknii\nshi|) the glorious last.
77
i
XIX.
'd! n<»l the last I {'or see from out his side
[f(.)\v heautii'ul his partner seemed to glide,
ihire graceful still, the gentler of the two
stands there to his and our enraptured view ;
f^tiuids there the Queen of all these lower scenes,
^Viid on her happy })artner hlushing leans.
?eL' ! how expressive is their smile of love !
fts power transmitted from our realms above,
flow perfect is their symmetry designed !
he image fresh from the Eternal Mind ;
fVith motions easy, and expressive mien ;
'heir kindlv words we hear, though far l^etween
)ur hlest abode and that far distant sphere ;
'heir new-taught ehjijuence we love to hear.
•7*
I
THK SIIUUT.S UI-" THK
XX.
oil ! from tli'.'ir yoniij;' loves wluit tk'li^^lit \vt» draw
Sucli pL'iTcct l)t>auty heiidiir^ to LovL'',-!i law ;
Whilst rouiid the gardini eacli ln'ij^ht lloweret gay
Sends ii]i it-; s\VL'(.'ts, and lilushini;' owns the day,
The nr.])tial day, when tlii'V twain arc made one,
Tn Ih'sli, ill ]>urj»os{.', and forever ch'awn
J>y (.'(jrds of love, so soit and vet so stronLr.
Eacli owns to each, " irL-neeibrtli 1 Lut belong
ExL'ludvidy to thee, sole i>artnei' of my joy ;
llencL'J'orth no more my own, I will i-mploy
My tend(.'re-t tlionghts to gain and hold thy love,
And worthy of its strong emotions prove ;"
AVhilst 1)1 'th eonjoined shall rise in reverent awe,
And wor.-hip to the Anthor of love's law ;
And while each lii'e, npheld hy Sovereign power.
Enjoys the ]>lessings of each rapturons hour,
Ciives l)ack the glory in a stream suhlime,
That flows and gathers strenuth thrcnmh future time.
XXI.
Down on the blissful scene the glory pours,
And sheds its splendour on the winding shores
Of the bright river, and its meandering rills,
I
SONS OF GOD.
79
tiiil .-uii-lit Ittiuity all tlic ^'anluii fill.?;
riie tL'iiipertM.1 brcezt's o'er the waters play,
iiul waves and riplets daiiee the live-Ljiig day;
'he flowerets hldoiu, the tragraiiee iiuxes there,
iiid healthful odours spi'ead throughout the air;
Hie IVuitage falls, or tinted blossoms fade,
riicir Viiiied eolonrs eheeked with verdant shad.> ;
rill' living forms move on from scene to scene,
iiiil crop the lilade.i of wholesome heritage green.
XXII.
Jut fairer far, the Human form Divine
|]i niikrd hrii^htness doth in ''lory shine ;
Ci'cct it stands, or bows in awe profound
fefore Heaven's King, and consecrates the ground
linly temple filled with worshiji })ure,
n })rimal innocence they still endure
[he slight forbiddance of the central tree
acred to abstinence. They still shall be
[ho favoured son and daughter of Heaven's King,
Liid morn and eve shall of His wonders siuLj ;
[lie groves shall listen, and the cliffs reply.
1 echoing harmony shall mount on high
[he praises poured from hearts to love so formed.
80
THE SHOUTS OF THE
Each sacred duty clieei fully perfurined ;
Thus from tlie Eartli their lioly songs shall rise,
And antlienis sweet si lall emulate the skies.
Ml
XXI ir.
Day unto day '•hall speak .)f wondrous pov»'er,
Night unto night teach knowledge every hour :
The Heavens shall smile throu-'h all their ulitteriiij
hosts,
And Ocean shall repeat through all her coasts,
The ul(-; writ in golden letters hriijht,
The Sun hy day, the Momi and Stars hy night;
The arch suhlime of Heaven inverted lies,
And moving clouds traverse the jiainted skies ;
The Sun shall warm and fructify the plains,
Well watered by the timely dews and rains ;
Blessed hy God, the seeds shall sprout and till
The slanting valley and the towering hill ;
Till o'er the whole the flocks shall roam and play,
Eepose by night, and pasture find by day.
xxiy.
But all the while, the wondrous wheels of Time,
The planetary orbs, shall march sublime
SONS OF GOIX
81
'liroiigli the wide Vast, riuI \n elliptic fiiglit
'heir seasons mark alternate dav and niiiht ;
By eaeli successive ruiuid's unevrinL^' way
[ts neediul changes on the Earth disjdiiy,
'lie wisdom of His plan wla> marked the hounds,
lIkI kept the planets in their various rounds,
'liat ii'>ne ciin intercept it< si>ter's tr.iiii,
But walk in >tate aloni;- the etherial plain;
luicli shall accomplisli ^\•hat His will designed,
fViid write the records of the Eternal Mind.
XXV.
Min'
it, all ve Sons of (lod I The
wo'
k is done
'raise CJod the Father and adore the »'^(tn;
■raise (iod th.e Spirit, moving o'er the deep,
^Vlii'ii its Avild v.'atcrs rose \\',)va out the sleep
^>f UMU-existeiice, hea>XMl with startled roar,
AC yet its ■waves were l)ounded l>y a shore,
^re promontories piorced its yielding sides,
)r marked the margin of its ]\roon-made tides.
(linire Ifis wisdom, and adore Hi- nnght, •
'liiit orders all things and directs aright ;
'Iio^t' mighty oio-^, and their involving s]iheres,
'l;at measurr out their davs, aial ni'^ht^. and years.
82
THE SHOUTS OF THE
rrai.se llini, thou Sun, as liglit and heat shall lio^vj
Down from thy central fire on worlds helow;
Thou ]Moon and Stars, Kis gloiy still proclaim,
And spread tlie knowledge of His W(jndi'(jus name
Till Time sliall he no more, and Death shall die,
And all things stamped with immortality.
COXCLUSION OF THE SilOL'TS 01' TilH SONS 01' Gdl),
With wearied wimf, the ]\Iuse descends auain,
'o'
And seeks repose, after a flight so far;
So measureless the wilderness of thought,
UntravelL.Ml vet hv Anuel or V>v ]Man.
Xo further slie essavs U) ilv, ])Ut turns
Back on tlie solid suhlunary sphei'e
Froffl whence she took lier tliL;ht. Enou'»'h is then
To furiush feeliui's for Eternity,
And fdl the most ea}iaeious mind with ])raise.
Wh
lere is tlie spot, hnwe er minute it seems,
So fractional, divided and dissolved,
Divided or dismemhered, and unseen
By eyes of insect or of animalcuhv,
Tn wliich the space is so confiiied or short
That room and width to spare cannot he found
For the wide workings of Omnipotence ?
SO^'S OF GOD.
83
Look on the air ! The air is full of lives
Too small to send their shadows from 11 le Sun.
[Look on the Sea ! Its waters are alive
pVitli h(.'in,us smaller far tlian sunheams split,
liivi'rginj,^ and dividin<^f evermore.
Look on eaeh tiny hlade ! Yon tliere behold
A pn|ailated world of wondors full,
And teeming witli tlie works of Him wlio ]-aised
'he tdwering arehes (»f the Ktlierial Dome,
Ami Hundters all the millionary throng
)t\L:iinit <]uierL'S tlial surid tlicir hiiglitcniiig oeams
'liroiigh the transj)arent vast of Aiicant space.
All ! all is full of (Jod! His power unf<ilds
Mih moment fresh varieties of life,
kViid recreates, and nouri,->hes and tills
.ugh is tlKTifcch lite witl
1 sma
Ik'r 1
ives ; successive pours
'Yesli hea\ity on enf(diated stems;
Li: 1 though the surging storms and winters frosts
k-eiu to I'utt.ml) them, and enchain at once
'la- li\ ing streams, and all that they contain
>f lii'i' and beauty in ten thousand shapes,
'et froui a tire far distant sends a blaze
pr licalthful warmtli, — reanimates, renew.s
\u till!' puKatioi;-;, its i)ro<luctive powers.
84
THE SHOUTS of the sons of cod.
All here Lut live in die, aiul die to live,
Successive in posterities upraised
And quickened, reconstructed Worn the wreck
Of dead ancestral dust again enihreathed,
With tlie sanie air that once sustained tlieir sirc-^l
In all preceding ages of the past ;
Air ready to inflate the unibrnied cells
Of lungs as yet inifasliioned from the clay,
Tlie leaflet dies, and tlie fair flower of ^Forn
Lies Avithering on tlie sod; its colours fade,
Its fragrance is dis]_)ei'sed, its suhstance clianged,
But on its witlicred, wasting form a race
Of animated insect life upspriugs,
And feeds ui»on its now dissected veins, [goruti
A?id draws new lile-hlood fiom wliat Death d:
Aye! and the Spirit-world surrounds it all,
Invisible, intangilile, unseen.
Unknown to us, hut knowing us, ]>crhaps,
Far Ijetter than we ever knew ourselves.
The guardian Angel's ey^^ the steps secure
Of all the safe inheritors of Heaven,
Till o'er the l)illows and defeated st(n"ms
That gather round the portals of the grave,
They mount and leave tliis ever-shifting scene,
To meet the immortal millions round the Throiul
ANALYSIS OF THE ANTE-MUNDANE STATE.
The miiul of CJod alone filk'd tlie Vast. AVliove oouWal.ilauk
ti'iii'l .' No incasurcinoiit. Without an angk' ovli.iso. Iinmenso,
^'■t iiMwliciv. ShapL'k'ss and niutionk-ss, yet not Joail, sis life
l-;-.s Vft uiigraiitod.
No light. No »lai'kn«''s-. Tlie Oil'S of Ilcavrii unliuiig Kiio-.v-
-Ige, ami f«,''.'liiig, and siglit, were absent. None call to Ijo
y-ateil, or a.^pir > to oe Ikhu. The various negatives.
Tlie 'lU'iosity of a vers.; that tries to express the " b-.iekwartl
liai'ch of an Eternity."
The iiupossihility (»f trying to paint tlie ^lap of Nothing. Thvi
\'A\(h-Y of attempting it.
Tliough })oetii.' n'unlx'rs e.un. '': express it, the fau^y is eiieereil
Iv them in locking hack on the waste behind.
Nur'-existeuee lies laotionh-ss, waiting the Diviiie eommand,
IikI pays dumb worship to Ilis unexpressed will.
The daring and presumption of looking on the Past, or niedi-
[itingon the eternal eonce^dions of the Diviu'* Mind enthroned'
ptween two eternities. Knowing and unknown. The uiudr-
nmfereneed centre, from whenee all being first mows.
riod felt not alone, for all the future was as near Ilim as the
resent and the past. We cannot tell wdieu He first began to
foate, or that no older creations existed before this,
Tlie first Eternity known to God alone. What is anniliila-
r^n ' More cold and dismal than death, and destititte of tho
86
ANALYSIS OF THE ANTE-MUNDANE STATE.
consolations of Christianity. But tlic Muse must revert to til
Past. Tho gloom that pervades the mind on exploring it. }'|
constellations to guide in navigating it. The expansion
thought necessary to conceive of its v.astness. The ineasun|
of Eternity fail. Tlie negatives of past Eternity enumerate
Pride rebuked in view of the Pas^ How comparatively sli:]
tlie time of human greatness. How small the point it occupi»|
The proud exhorted to compare their dates with the Past, ar
to think of Him who raised them from the clod, and drew cvfi
that from Nothing. God needed but tohoLl back Hisarm,ar.|
nought had been.
;e statk.
TlIK AXTE-MrNDANK STATK.
Xouu'lit save tlie ]\riiiil Eternal filled the A^ist
Expanse of emptiiies.s, — the boiiiulless blank
)f i^ast Eternity. But where coTikl stand
lilank, where all was hlank, and nought was
linnied ?
»() circumscribed admeasurements enclosed
[he rounding" of that hidlowness uneurved ;
rideless hollow and a squareless cube,
Htlinut an angle, and unbased it rose,
Fiipuinted as unsolid and uns<|uared.
Ill was. And all was not. A thingless thought
pgraspably immense, yet nowhere found;
shapeless, topdess, Itottomless concaye,
dl motionless and still ; though nought was dead,
[or nought as yet had liyed ; and Death's unknown,
for deaths are but the negatives of lives,
[ife lav ungranted in the "Will Sup^reme.
Xo light was there. Xo darkness threw its shade
[on lustrous orbs were all as yet unhung
the void concave of the uiwaulted skies.
ss
THK ANTK-MUXDANK STATF.
Nunc knew, none .saw, none felt the viewlcs? Vii>t|
None mourned the want of heinu', and none calln
To be created, for no wisli IkvI lieaved
Witli ei-avin'-' wants anil)itiou^lv to soar
To tlie stran-^'e eminence of hein'-- horn,
And hur.stin^u' fi'"ni the womh of emptiness
Into the sunshine of .-^uhstantial life.
Untenanted Kternity lay stretched
In drearv waste and solitude sublime,
Under the single glance (jf (lod's own eye.
No song of praise as yet had rung the void,
Unechoing arches of Kternitv.
Dumb Xothing's voiceless an-l unwakened sleep
^'^lill held uiu'cvolutionary I'cign.
Xatui'C — tliJit transcript of the Eternal Mind-
Anticipated not her wondrous launch
In the sultstantial l.)eing which she took,
"When raptures from the morning stars arose,
And measured anthems from the infant choirs
Of (Jod's own S(jns, in ecstacies (»f joy
Greeting in gladness as tliey met the embrace
Of fellov.-lravL'Uers on the road of bliss.
Thus Xothing stood, if standing could l)e calhVi|
When motion v/as nU, and when matter still
TiiK a:;t]:-mundane state.
89
Was inmiatured and unsiiKstaiitiati'd ;
LV Useless, boundless, l)ottuiidess in'oluuud,
\X\\ uiiidoal void intaii^i;il)le,
'nsL'cn, uiilelt, unknowing anil unknown,
Save l»y the Onmi^^eience of tlie I\Iind Supreme.
Baseless al)yss of being unlx'gun !
J could I eoni])iv]ic'nd or near express
'he ItackM'ard march of an Eternity,
riiL' unborn essence of the Evermore,
ni'giuningless, foundati(.»nless expanse
^)f tliat whicli was ere anvthinii' ci'uld l>e,
['il call my verse a curiosity —
he monster of poetic pictures rare.
Cnuld numlters paint in lineless colours cold
'he ]\lap of Xothing, or that shoreless sea
From "whence this continent of l»eing rose
Obedient to the voice Omnipotent,
Wliat miracle coidd emulate the INIuse
Which thus sings nothing on a stringless lyre ?
Tli(jugli no harmonic numl)ers can express
'he negative of beinu', or L^ive sound
a) the dumb echoes of the primal void
)f Xun-existence, vet the wcll-t()ned wires
Of measured song may cheer the (juivering wings
8*
00
TIIK ANTE-MUNI».\NK STATK.
ll.'l
Wii
A^
or I'micy lluttei'lii^' v<)und tlie ed^c of Fate,
And uazii)''' on tlic woi'l'ul waste bcliiiid.
riiLroiUliiiiL;' Non-Kxi.stL'ncL' lay uiitli'doed,
T'^ninotiniKM], waitin.Li' tlio coiinnaiid Sujnvme
To start to lilt' successive in the I'ornis
< )|' varied l)cin^^', and with reverence,
Dunil) worship paid, I lis will still iniexpressed. |()t'
And sliall I dale, ^\•ith j-'ancv's iVehle ray,
To gaze in ecstacy ol' stolen thoui^ht
O'er the iar re,i;ions ol" unworlded space,
Or waken X(»thing\s yet unwaked repose?
Or, more pri'suniptuons, shall I dare b) scan
The eternal visions of the ^lind enthroned
Tor ever between two Eternities?
Knowing eteriudly, and yet unknown ;
>Seeing eternally, and yet unseen;
Loving liefore ITis love could he returned;
A radiant centre uncircuniferenced,
«
From whence all Ijcings move in mystic lines,
And whence immortals take their forward flight
And thread the mazes of nnendinij: life'.
The Three One God, throughout tlie unpeopleil|
past
Of non-existing being's l)ackward tide,
Or
8t(H
Or,
In ti
l-i'.'
And
Tl
\W I
iTlic ;
H' h
ITm tl
The ]
llukl
iFron
Or Ic
lAnd
Ai
TIIK ANTE-MUNDANE STATE.
91
1.
|)roine
X pressed,
le ray,
»se?
) scan
»ned
led;
lines,
lard fliuht
rdl ii(»t ali)in', for all the future lay
As near liini as the ])resent and the past.
Ho felt the weight of all Futurity
With ei[ual ])ressure on His halancc ti'ue;
Anil can \ve tell how long sinee iirst lie slung
A secondary heing from the grasji
or Ilis cn'iiting energy immense?
()r>ay, at what a distance from this hour
Stood the far island on the sea of space ?
Or, tliiit no elder-horn creation lav
In the wide howels of Inlinity
Ki'i' von liri'j'ht arch was hunu' with glohes of u'old,
Auil gravitation liidvcd its j(?welled eliai
n,-
The tirst Eternity was known alone
Ily lliiii, whoso douhle empire claims the two
The second is revealed to countless thronus
or heings knowinu' hut of yesterday.
Tu them the I'ast is nnexplorahle;
Tlie future, certain in unmeasured length,
Ilulds all immortals fast in being chained,
From whieli they never, never will unlo
I )se
unpeopletlJOr leap from Life hack on nonentitv
loom\
And reach annihilation's uh
lion
Annihilation, what art thou ? A arav
■,'iu
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Lfi
92
THE ANTE-MUXDANE STATE.
Tlie yawning sepulchre of sepulclu'es, [death.
More cold, more drear, more dead than common
Hope-killing creed, this monster thou hast dressed,
To veil its retribution from the world,
And make men hope that hopes shall all expire,
And Non-Existence heave its iron jaws,
To swallow at one gorge the race of jMan.
Annihilation ! thou miiy tomb
Of thought, and hope, and life, and love, and joy !
Thou arch extinguisher of happiness !
Thou vrorse than sting of death ! Thou sting of life .' I
Forever stinging, but without the balm
Of consolation, that blest anodyne
Which si^rings from Heaven-born lioj)e
Of glorious immortality's bright seenes.
But as our Muse is destined on the Past
To gaze, and sing the emptiness unseen
By Angels, let us leave just now the field
Of wide Futuritv, and on the rear
Of being throw the strains of backward song,
And serenade the Night of Nothing's reign.
O what a gulf of gloom endrowns the mind
That struggles to explore back turning tides.
Where landmarks never meet the weaiy eye
,, I
THE ANTE-MUNDANE STATE.
93
Of inc'iital vision, and where billows roll,
Wrapt up in sliatles where shadows cannot fall;
And where (unlike our Ocean's level blue)
Xo constellations c^uide the Tiinoneer,
[shore
Whose venturous bark has borne him from the
Of warm reality and living life. [room!
Stretch the thoughts out ! Give contemplation
Spread Fancy's fiery wings and soar on high !
Send the conceptions back behind all dates
Accountable in retrograde chronology !
These millionnry cycles unbesunned,
Square l>ack and cube the millionth of theii powers,
And that again recube as many times
As there are grains within ten thousand worlds,
[And multiply it still by sunbeams sent
From all the suns that star the midnight heavens ;
And to the sum let cyphers stand in line,
Far as the farthest l)ound3 of all the thought
That man or Angel ever did conceive.
And still you barely touch the nearest edge
|0f either of these two Eternities,
And stand as far as ever from extremes.
Unpopulous Eternity behind,
'hou layedst in state, unli'ghted and unwaked !
N'o sound, no touch, no taste, no smell hadst thou;
94
THE ANTE-MUNDANE STATE.
No feeling and no thought, no retrospect,
And no anticipance of coming storms,
No premonitions of adversity.
No fabled fancies of tlie Future fawned
To soothe thee in thy ])resent woeful want ;
No truth, no lies, no witchery of sense.
Folly or wisdom thou hadst none at all ;
No war, no peace, no holy leagues allied
To chain the march of thought, or fix more firm
A race of tyrants on their tottering thrones.
Barren and bare thine uninvaded realms
Lay unluxuriantly waste, incultivate,
Unploughed, unfuiTowed, and unirrigated.
Unsunned, unrii^ened, and unharvested.
With nothing laid in store thou fearedst no. want;
And though improvident, thou neededst not ;
Thou feltst not famine, and thou feardst no plagues.
No revolutions with volcanic power
Broke up thy silent reign, or threw the sparks
Upon the magazine of mischief stored
In dark recesses of the breast of Man.
All, all was tranquil as a grave
Where nought was buried, or a charnel house
With door unopened to receive the dead.
Ye proud possessors of this paltry world,
THE ANTE-MUNDANE STATE.
95
Who prance and plume yourselves upon the toys
Which Heaven's permission for a while bestows !
Wlio stalk along the road that leads to Death,
That great receiver-general of debts
Due by us mortals to Mortality,
Think, think Jiow short the measure of your joy ;
And if you dare not look at scenes before,
^Vllere long futurity shall hold you bound
Forever fast in retribution just,
Look back — perliaps your cowardice will bear
To view witli less alarm tlie pristine Past,
Tlie vast, vast void from whence your glory grew.
And whence your brittle empire was reclaimed.
Look back six thousand years, or more, perhaps.
For dates have ciphers in infinitude.
Look back behind creation ! View the vaults
Of mouldering emptiness, which, unexplored.
Held the great Nothing from whicli all things came.
Look back ! Compare your yesterdays of time
Wit}\ the broad blank of Past Eternity,
And learn your littleness, unlearn your pride.
Let Nothing's nakedness your trappings shame,
I And glean humility in emptiness.
You do not count your pedigrees enough ;
I Just near enough to foster boastful thoughts.
90
TIIK ANTE-MUNDANK STATE.
You tliiiik ut' graiklsires guthcred to their tombs,
Aiul make tlieir virtues jewe].s in your crown.s,
Or broad iiululgence for your i)resent sins.
But oil, look back behind their births, and see
How narrow was the point both you and they
Could occu])y u])on tliis infant orb.
Compare your dates of temporary glare
With the still cycles when your name was not ;
Think of Infinitude, and learn to liow
Before that Bower which raised you from the cludJ
And wrenched that clod fr(jm Nothing's flniil
embrace.
And was it thus your pride ignobly slept,
Long after worlds and systems had outsprung
From the wide womb of the Eternal \^ast ?
Unfathomable emptiness, wli^^ God alone
Unworshipped reigned, and needed but hold back|
His arm creative, and nought else had been,
And all the tinsel of your transient hour
Had never mocked the golden beams of Day.
Your crests, your scutcheons, and your liveiit.
train,
And your proud selves had never waked or'moveii
But undistuiguished and unenvied slept
A dreamless dead — dead mass of Emptiness.
.TE.
) their tombs,
AW crowns,
it sins,
irths, and see
II and they
;hire
ne was not ;
JW
L from the ciddl
^s^othing's fiiTiii
ily sk^pt,
out sprung
I Vast?
\ alone
but hohl 1 jack I
ad been,
hour
s of Day.
your liveriiJ
iked or'moveil
lept
nptiness.