'''''^^. '^'^. "^'^^z^^,. ^/^ ^^<> ^y^,^ THE LOVERS OF THE DEEP IN FOUR CANTOS: TO WlllCn IS ADDED A VARIETY OP MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. BY EDWARD a" M'LAUGHLIN ^H W -/• / CINCINNATI: PUBLISHED BY EDWARD LUCAS, 112 Main Street. 1841. C/ ?s Entered according to the act of Congress, in the year 1S41, by Edward A. M'Laughlin, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, in and for the District of Ohio* TRIXTED BY SUErAHD AND CTCAKNS. NICHOLAS LONGWORTH, ESQ., The liberal and enlightened Proprietor of BELLEMONTE HOUSE; This unpretending Volume is respectfully And gratefully ©Hie) 2 (^ A S HIDg By his obliged Friend and servant, THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS. THE LOVERS OF THE DEEP. Canto I. Parti, 13 Pann, 24 Part III, - . - 33 Part IV, - -42 Canto II. Pari I, - - - - - . - . . 65 Part II; 70 Part III, - , - 83 Canto HI. Parti, 91 Part II, 99 Partin, 109 Part IV, 123 Canto IV. Part I, - - • . - . - . - ^ 135 Part II, 143 Part III, 157 Part IV, 169 MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. Forget me not, . . . . . - 189 Address to Spring, ..... 193 Sunset in Autumn, - ■ - - 194 Song, - 193 Saturday Ni?hl at Sea, .... 1:7 Stanzas, to Eveline, ..... 193 The Dawning of the Day, '^ 193 ToHeloise, 200 Harriet Redding, ..... . • - - 201 The Wife, 203 The Mourner, 204 Lineswrittenin an Album, .... 2[;5 Nature, - . . . 206 1* CONTENTS Far from my native hills, I seek not gold for love of gold, The Bower cf Roses, - Morning Walk in Spring, To my birthday, Morning in Spring, i - Prize Address, - Address, . . . . Harriet Redding, Bellemonte House, The Mocking Bird, To Hope, .... The Rose of the West, Harriet Redding, - - Dear Fanny, Love, .... To the Bluebird, Some Peerless Rose, Vernal Hymn, - New Year Address, ■ . The Scarlet Feather, - Stanzas, -...-.. The Beauty of the West, . . . . . Stanzas, ....... Ode, - . . The Green, Green Wood, . . While sailing o'er the tropic sea, - . . . May Morning, . . . Cynthia, . - - - ... This Cup, * . Harvest Song, - - - Night, . - ". - Dum Vivimus Vivamus, '..-.. O, give me back the fields of broome. The Aged Oak, Paraphrase, ...... The Seminole, ...... To Helen, UrbsRegina, ....... Lines on witnessing the funeral obsequies cf Col. J. Bartle, 207 209 212 213 216 218 220 234 235 236 237 239 240 244 245 249 251 257 258 261 269 271 272 273 276 278 279 283 285 304 306 309 PREFACE I HAVE often thought, when wading through a lon^ and elaborate pretace, that, if I shoukl ever write one myself, it should be brief and to the point. Accord- ingly, discarding all cnpcrfluity of language, I proceed at once to one or .two explanations, which may with propriety be given, and found useful to the reader. The principal Poem is founded upon an incident, supposed to have occurred in connexion with the de- struction of the steamer Pulaski, by tlie bursting of her boiler, while on her passage from Savannah to Charleston. Among those who happily escaped imme- diate death or injury by the explosion, were a young gentleman and lady, who were thrown near each other. The gentleman succeeded in placing his fair partner upon a floating fragment of the wreck, on which they were tossed at the mercy of the waves, for three days; sufFe-ring intensely from thirst, and exposure to the tropic sun, and momentarily in danger of being over- whelmed by the billows, and swallowed up in the abyss. Their mutual distress doubtless excited mutual tenderness of feeling, for misery sympathises with mi- sery: they became tenderly attached to each other; and, when scarce a hope of safety was left them — when nature was nearly exhausted, and they were fast sinking under their sufferings, with no other pros- pect but that of perishing together: — in that incompre- hensible union of love and despair, of which human life is not wanting in examples ; they pledged their VIII PREFACE. faith to each other, to wed, should Heaven in mercy grant them dehverance. They were subsequently res- cued from their perilous situation, and, happily, re- deemed at the altar the pledges given in the hour of adversity and trial. The incident was uncommon, partaking sufficiently of the romantic, and suggested the idea of "The Lovers of the Deep." As the plan and denouement of the tale had little connexion with the mass of the passengers and crew of the unfor- tunate vessel, particularly after the catastrophe; I availed myself of what is considered a poetic license, confining my attention chiefly to the Pair in whose fate I was most interested; and in whose final res- cue, I have somewhat deviated from the more au- thentic chronicles of the times, in relation to that appalling disaster. In drawing my characters, I have pursued, not un- frequently, that train of thought which seemed most readily and naturally to present itself; and which, perhaps, in one particular, conjugal fidelity, has imbibed a color from that domestic misfortune, which has cast fiuch a gloom over, and so greatly embittered, the last few years of my life. With reference to that personal calamity, I may add, that, conceiving the separation unjust in its origin, and cruel in its continuance ; under the pressure of embittered feelings, I may have adverted to it too harshly, and characterized it in a manner it may not have fully merited. But a stu- died silence of three years, on the part of one, on whom the question of reunion wholly depended^ ap- peared to justify the notice I have taken of it, and the asperity with which it is marked. Of the miscellaneous pieces, the greater proportion wa^ written in Cincinnati, within the last five years, under the 'same circumstances hereafter adverted to, and to which may be attributed that tinge of melan- choly, which more or less pervades the volume. A 'few only were published at the East, many years PREFACE. IX since; one or two of which are so dated, and the dale of others accidentally omitted. And here I would present my sincere and grateful acknowledgments to my subscribers generally, who have so liberally patronized me ; and especially to those gentlemen, without whose countenance and aid, I should scarcely have been enabled to present my book to the public. As I shall be frequently found speaking in the first pers)n, I may perhaps, without impropriety, offer tlie foUoving short account of my career. I im a native of the state of Connecticut, and from my jouth have been rather of a lively and roving disposition. At an early age I absconded from home, with an intention of joining the army; but wa,s re- claimed, arid shortly afterwards bound an apprentice to the Printing business. At the age of twenty-one, I indulged my military enthusiasm, and joined the Missouri expedition. At the reduction of the army in 1821, I received my discharge at Belle Fontaine, and, descending the Mississippi, commenced a new ca- leer on the ocean. I liked this element better than tie land; and the desire of seeing foreign countries, ir.duced me to follow, for some years, the life of a eailor. Being discharged at one time from the La Plata frigate, in Carthagena, Colombia, I was forcibly impressed into the Patriot service. After many vicis- situdes of fortune, I. was enabled, through the generous assistance of the Hon. George Watts, British Consul for that Republic, to return home. I subsequently entered the American Navy, in which I served about three years and a half. My last voyage was in the Hudson frigate, on the Brazil station, from which ship 1 was sent home an invalid, to Washington, where I was finally discharged from the service in 1829. Without intending to offer an apology for the nume- rous deficiencies which ray volume exhibits, 'particularly I PREFACE. the leading Poem, in point of correctness, elegance and taste J I may be permitted to say to the classic and discerninor reader, that he must not expect an erudite or finished performance. I have but- small claims to scholarship, more especially to that depart- ment of education comprehending syntax and rhetoric. My advantages for acquiring elementary knowledge were suddenly withdrawn and narrowly circumscribed, when I had completed eleven years; from which pe- riod Nature became my preceptor: or, it may peihapa more truly be said, that my subsequent acquirements were made in the school of circumstance. To such, and -also to the general reader, I would say, ^hat I have written under many and great disadvartages. With a mind not characterized by any great latural force; stored with but little reading, and that mostly of a local and superficial character; without books, of ;any land — not even a dictionary — I was thrown alto- gether upon my own slender resources. The leading Poem was begun and concluded under circumstances never above want: though a regard to truth con- strains ma to acknowledge, that these . circumstances were not unfrcquently the consequence of a want of moral firmness and stability, on my own part — to say the least of it — induced by tlie sudden and unlooked-for overthrow of cherished hopes and desires." If, however, an apology is necessary, it may be offered in 3X- tenuation, that the vigor of my . constitution is im- paired; and my necessities — common to ]poverty — com- pel me to present myself, prematurely, I fear, for pablic patronage. Deeply sensible of this, but conscious that I have written with an honest aim, I can the ; more cheerfally submit my work, as I most respectfully do, to the indulgent candor of that public, and its just award of censure or applause. EDWARD A. M'LAUGHLIN. Cincinnati Oct. 15, 1841. LOVEES OF THE DEEP CANTO I PART I. Celestial Muse ! Spirit of sacred song, To whom the flowers of Poesy belong, The wild, the fancifiU, the dulcet flow, . The graceful sentiment, the fervid glow, The tuneful meeisure, the harmonious rhyme, The brilliant metaphor, the thought sublime ; In sounding numbers swelling to the sphere, Or in soft cadence falling on the ear. Descend on burning wing, my heart inspire. And light my spirit with poetic fire ! Some traits of Truth the gentle Heavens bestow, To guide the wandering race of men below, To light the turbid darkness of the mind, Where Reason's self, without her aid, is blind ; By Nature taught, in every plant that grows. Each tree that blossoms, and each flower that blows. By animated Ufe, where'er it moves. Through Lybian deserts, or Itahan groves. On airy wing above the umbrageous woods, Or o'er the valleys, or beneath the floods. Teach me to know, and in prophetic verse. To wayward man the various theme rehearse. 2 14 THE LOVERS OF [canto i. I, I court the Delphian Muse, and wake the lyre To notes of wild dismay, despair and wo ! Shipwreck I sing, and those, whose vital fire Shall quench in ocean ere the morrow's glow, And sleep in death on coral beds below — Peace to their manes ! I touch the chords once more To softer strains, and gentler measures flow ; While from the wreck, the Goddess shall restore A Pair whom Love redeems, in safety to the shore. For them, the elements shall cease to rage, And sea and sky their mildest aspect wear ; The waves subside, the boisterous winds assuage. And gelid zephyrs fan the sultry air ; The clouds roll back their fleecy volumes fair, And heaven again upon the waters smile : While viewless spirits wait upon them there, By day, by night — of their deep grief beguile. And guide their fragile bark to ocean's verdant isle. The sun had risen upon the mighty deep, Whose troubled bosom drank the effluent ray ; The winds were waking from their midnight sleep, As upward rolled the fervid king of day. To rouse the ocean to the dread affray Of warring elements : the wild alarm Spread far and wide, above, below, midway. While the fierce spirits of the tempest arm, At His command who rides the Monarch of liie storm. The gusts that came and went, the heavy mass Of vapors, stretching over all the sky, Sol's bloody disk, as seen through darkUng glass. And rainbow bright that in the north did lie : All these, to many a seaman's practiced eye. Told that the spirit of the storm was free, Unchained, and riding through the concave high, MarshjJling the winds beneath heaven's canopy, That spanned with frightful arch the wide and restless sea. PARTI.] THE DEEP. 15 Dark sullen clouds hiu:ig over all the west, The east in streaks of deep vermilion glowed, In sable veil the lowering skies were drest, And fearfully the unstable waste bestrode : The winds upon the crested billows rode, Scattering the snow-white foam in misty spray )> The lightnings flashed, the thunders did explode, The sea-bird screamed, the shadows ruled tlxc day, And ocean, sky, and air, gave signal of dismay. VI. A gallant ship with canvas ^ving outspread. And swift revolving wheels on either side, Urged by the power of steam from ocean fed, In grace and beauty o'er the wave did glide. Ploughed the rough sea and stemmed the briny tide ; Almost without an effort onward flew Over the vast abyss, in strength and pride. Passing the rough but yielding billows through. As if the rolUng swells were playful drops of dew. A glorious bannpr strramprl ahnvp hf^r Acr]i — The striped and starry flag of Liberty : That standard sheet, erst floating o'er the wreck Of bafilcd efforts to enslave the free, When Freedom's sons had won the victor}-, And reared her altars in the Western world : Triumphant or on land or rolling sea, In every zone — by every shore unfurled. That flag shall proudly wave till Time's last dart is hurled. Rich was the freight the gallant vessel bore — Jewels of hope, intelligences rare, • Hearts, that the days of honor might restore, If chivalry were vassal to the Fair : Youth, beauty, elegance, and worth were there, Aspiring manhood and experienced sage, And cherub innocence that knew no care, Maternal grace and patriarchal age — A noble Company as ever trode Ufe's stage. 16 THE LOVERS OF (-,^^,^0 , Blooming in health, buoyant with spirits light, Life, to the yovathful seemed an endless charm ; Bathed in the vernal morn of being bright, Each eye was brilliant and each bosom warm ; The present was all bliss — Hope did disarm The future of all wo, and strewed with flowers Life's lease, whose transient term stirred no alarm : For them the morning woke the rosy hours, And Pleasure led them through her variegated bowers. What disappointment shocked them, when the sky In sable mantle drest, gave note of wo — When burst the clouds and let the tempest fly, That lashed to madness all the waste below — When flashed the lightning in its lurid glow, And heaven's artillery shook the wide rent air — When strained the ship, and driven to and fro, Seemed like a toy — a. plaything, quivering there, Tossed by the winds and waves in wild and mute despair. XI. The gale cam<> slnwly on, rippliniT the sea With flickering winds, that veered the compass round, Till at northeast it settled steadily. And blew with murmuring and hollow sound. Still gathering strength from all the circle round, To scourge the ocean in its maniac rage, And rouse the fury of the deep profound : The war begins — the elements engage. And all against the ship vindictive battle wage, XII. The Captain gives command to shorten sail : — "Topmcn aloft, away there, no delay ! Clew up the courses and the spanker brail. Luff to the wind, and lower the yards away! Close reef the topsails — hoist — sheet home — belay : The royals and to'-gallants send l)clow — The head-sheets stow, within the booms convey — Set the storm-staysails fore and aft !" — The blow Has struck the ship prepared : — "Up helm, and let her go ! PART I.J THE DEEP. 17 xrii. She sinks, she rises on the swelling surge, Scenes of wild horror meet the landsman's view ; The raging billows seem to roar her dirge, She leaps, she flies — the flying winds pursue : Sea, following sea, breaks over her — the crew, Lashed to the rigging, scarce their hold sustain, Yet only dread the vessel's broaching to : 'Should the strained wheel- ropes part, all hope is vaiii, Full well I know her fate — she founders on the main. For I have rode \ipon the mountain wave, Upreared by the tempestuous howling blast, When terror ruled the deep, and many a grave. Dug by the warring elements, aghast Yawned o'er the waters ; and the trembling mast Bent to the charging winds — while to the roar Gf ocean in his wrath, like an outcast. The frightened vessel reeled the billows o'er. Drowned in the foaming surge, three hundred leagues from shore. XV. Eiglit hours she struggled through the doubtful strife, Laboring in very helplessness of wo :• Her living freight were anxious but for hfe. For life would each the wealth of earth forego : Fame, station, rank — all honors here below Men prize, were less than nothing in that hour. When danger, triple-winged, rode to and fro — ■ When death was hovering, eager to devour. And scarce one ray of hope was left the bosom's dower. The clouds their watery burthens poured amain, In rushing cataracts that deluged ocean ; The whirlwinds rode upon the maddened main, That heaved and struggled in the dread commotion : Fire, water, air — three elements in motion, In tripple b.ttle joined with onset dire ; The forked lightnings charged the deep's proportiun From heaven's high battlements, and flashing ire. Tore up the groaning surge, and swathed the sea in fire, 2* 18 *. THE LOVERS OF [^^^^^ ^^ And now men prayed that never prayed before, Nor bent the knee to heaven's Ahnighty Kmg, Who bids the ocean hush, or bids it roar, And binds the tempest or unchains its wing : Careless or mad, they throw away the spring Of life, when iilnocence buds on the brow. And the young heart is just prepared to cling To truth or error, as the will doth bow : — They yield their strength to vice, and ^irtue disavow. But when the sudden danger downward sped, Comes rushing like a thunderbolt to earth, When the proud spirit faints, when hope is fled, And groans and sighs becloud the soul of mirth : Then they can kneel, and pray, as prayer were worth Ten thousand worlds in pristine beauty drest : But will that prayer avail which is the birth Of guilty fear '? Will God be thus confest. Whose name they have blasphemed — his goodness never blest 1 There is a path, which, taken in life's piime. Leads to a valley of fair fruits and flowers ; That path is narroW' at the birth of Time, But gently widens with increasing hours. And lovelier grows, as we approach the bowers That bloom perennial there, bright and serene, Exhaling living fragrance beneath shcJwers Of grace, that fall from heaven : — that path I ween, Is Virtue; and the vale, where Happiness is seen. XXI. Who reaches those fair bowers, shall never feel The sting of Conscience — the upbraiding soul ; But Peace upon his heart shall set her seal. And hold each wayward pasgion in control : Though lightnings flash, and bellowing thunders roll, And warring elements meet in the shock Of struggling nature, and convulse the pole ; No guilty horrors at his breast shall knock, Pure as the unclouded stone — the white unblemished rock. PART l.l . THE DEEP. .♦ 19 Now huilg the sliip upon the mountain wave. That heaved its apex midway to the sky ; Now downward prone, sinks in a yawning grave. And in the dark and deep abyss doth Ue : The surges rear their white-capped heads on liigh, Above the topsail-yard, while in her wake Rolls a huge billow close astern — well nigh Upon the decks its fearful force to break, And ship, and crew, and all, whelm in the unfathomed lake. Oh, for the blessed land once more to tread ! The veriest waste beneath the burning Line, Saharah's desert, where no shadows spread, Nor ever falls the grateful shower benign — The shores where Nova Zcmbla sleeps supme, Locked in eternal winter's cold embrace ; Siberia's prison hills, where men resign All hope — earth's mdst inhospitable place Were paradise, compared with ocean's troubled space The spirit yearns in agony of thought, Toward nature's vernal walks far o'er the sea. With many a grateful recollection fraught Of home's dear ties and pleasant scenerj'' ; The verdant lawn, the grove, the flowery lea. The blooming vale, the sweet romantic dell, The hills of green, the forest's panoply, The murmuring rill, the friends beloved so well — Flash on the aching heart, and rouse the bosom's swell. Pale is the cheek, that met the dawning day Mantling with health and beauty, rosy bright ; Faded the smile that round fair lips did play, And gave Love's dimples to the ravished sight ; Tearful the eye that sparkled with delight, As the blue billow curled its snowy crest ; Trembling the step, so buoyant, firm and light. That on the deck of the tall ship was prest. As, like a graceful swan, she swam on ocean's breast. 20 > : THE LOVERS OF . [canto i. But peace shall gladden them once morC; or e'er The setting of the sun ; the rose's glow To the wan cheek return, hope reappear, And light with joyous smile the face of wo : The weeping eyes with sorrow cease to flow^ While with returning spirits, light and gay, The weary bevy leave their berths below, To tread the deck, breathe the fresh air of day, Talk o'er the dangers past, and smile their fears away. A few brief hours they shall again rejoice, And gratulations offer, each to each ; A few brief hours, the late bewildered voice, Shall wake the sweet vivacity of speech ; The dangers that are past, no longer teach. The inconstancy of hfc — how frail, how vain ! When safety seemed beyond all human reach. As the huge billow reared its mighCy train. Broke o'er the trembhng ship, and foamed along the main. XXYII. Forgotten now the wild beseeching prayer, That burst full audibly from many a tongue, Imploring Heaven the struggling ship to spare. Amid the elements so rudely flung ; When tears coursed down each cheek, and hands were wrung In very fear, and bitterness of wo : But now, the danger past, no hymn is sung — Rendered no thanks : not e'en the faintest glow Of gratitude, warms those that loudest prayed below. XXVIII. Impatient man wills not to bow the knee. Or pour the soul in grateful humble mood ; Powerless to save, imputes unworthily. His preservation to some skill, or shrewd Intelligence, with which he is endued : Pride, vanity, and self-esteem, outweigh The debt of thanks to Heaven so oft renewed ; Which life, in virtue spent, could ne'er repay, Though it were lengthened out to Time's remotest day. PARTI.] THE DEEP. 21 "T is past — the elemental strife is o'er, The broken clouds in fleecy yolumes lay, The torrents cease, the winds impel no more, The sea subsides in gentle swells away ; Around the ship the gilded dolphins play, The sea-bom nautilus expands his sail, Streams o'er the wave bright Sol's uncurtained ray, Soft breezes from the western shores prevail, And sky and ocean smile as dies the morning ^ale. XXX. Well had the gallant ship herself sustained Against the goading elements, and rode The angry billows hke a courser, trained To run the heat upon a mountain road : The surges lashed, the whistling winds bestrode, The straining spars bent Uke the curved yew : But she was stanch, and on her decks there trode The seamen of the north — a gallant ctew As ever reefed a sail, or ploughed the billows through. '• AH hands make sail !" Aloft the topmen ily. Shako out tlip reefs, and wait the yards below ; To'-gallants and royals quickly mount on high, And spread tlieir canvas to the gentle blow : " Now set the courses and the staysails stow, Rig out the spanker, hoist the flying-jib sheet, Lee-braces haul, and let the weaiher go!" With starboard tacks on board, all snug and neat, She ploughs the sea once more in panoply complete. xxxir. And now they light the fires, the furnace glows, The heated boilers scalding fumes evolve ; The hissing vapor toils in' giant throes, As if it would its iron, bands resolve : The steam is up, the gases fierce convolve, And pant for vent ; the valves alternate play. And loose th' imprisoned power ; the wheels revolve, And urge the noble vessel through the spray. That with a double speed glides on her homewayd way. 22 THE LOVERS OF [canto i. XXXIII. The sun declines down to the purple west, And flames along the bosom of the deep ; The sappliire waves in golden fringes drest, In gentle undulation onward sweep ; Softly doth twilight o'er the ocean creep, As fades the last beam of the solar fire : The sea-bird nestles on the wave, to sleep, The finny tribes to coral caves retire, And heaven resplendent glows in aU its starry tire. How beautiful is night upon the sea ! When not a cloud obscures the spangled sk}"^. That, like a dome hung with blue drapery, Upon the boundless horizon doth lie ; Burning with living lights, that meet the eye, Above, around ; and in the deep below — That like a turquoise pavement seems to vie With the cerulean heaven — flash to and fro, Reflectincr in each wave their bright and varied glow The combing swells that erst were snowy white, Are crested now with phosphoretic fire ; The surges glow in thousand wreaths of light, That flash o'er Ocean's watery empire. And crown each billow with a lambent spire : In rich profusion scattered o'er the sea. Myriads of liquid gems the waste attire In clusters of the richest brilliancy, Rivalling those that burn in heaven's high canopy. Shoals of huge grampus round the vessel play, Tumbling and rolling in the restless surge. Blowing the sea in showers of fiery spra}^. As from beneath the waters they diverge : Now on the wave disport, and now submerge. Fluking — as down the plunging fish subtend. Their fan-spread tails, with which the swells they scourge, When black tornadoes from the Andes bend. To fury lash the deep, and the tall navies rend. PARTI.] THE DEEP. 23 Like as a fly lured by the taper's light, The booby sleeps upon the quarter rail, Arrested in his low uncertain flight, By the white canvas swelling to the gale": As day declines, and evening's shades prevail, He wings his way above the restless sea, And tumbles heedlessly on any sail That meets his eye ; careless what she may be. Trader, or man-of-war, or pirate roving free. So sleeps the weary wanderer insecure, When night o'ertakes him in the desert wild ; Or by the ignis fatuus' fated lure Led blindly on — Uke a young thoughtless child, Chasing the fire-fly in the evcnijig mild — Through bog, and marsh, and tangled copse, pursues His dubious way, with slimy mire defiled ; Till drooping nature, impotent to choose. Bewildered, sinks opprest, 'mid dangers, damps, and dewr Fair Cynthia treads upon the glassy wave, And dances on the main ; she smiles dchght, While from their caves of coral architrave, The Mermaids rise to meet the radiance bright, That from her train in floods of silver Hght, Commingles with the ever restless billow : The Hours lie sleeping on the lap of Night, Fanned by the whispering winds, soothing their pillow, With murmurs soft as those that rustle through the willov. On such a night oft have I coursed the deep, When the ship rode the undulating swell In graceful measure ; nor wished then to sleep The watch below, but from the deck to dwell. With eye intense upon the spirit spell That wrapped the scene — where Nature's self seemed lost In one vast, deep, and ever restless well Of rolling waters ;' wliile our barque was tost, Betwixt the upper and the nether starry host. 24 THE LOVERS OF [cANTO i. PART II. There is a sympathy of gentlest kind, That warms the bosom of ingenuous youth ; Some latent principle, by Heaven designed — Like to the Prophet's cool and verdant booth, The wreary and dejected- heart to sooth, From home and friends away, vnih. peril bound : It is the hallowed talisman of Truth, Assming innate worth, wherever found — That tenderness of soul, by love or friendsliip crowned. There is a sweet attraction in the eye, • That wakes a throb of miHglcd happiness, A feeKng undefined — we know not why, Susceptive equally of pain or bliss : And there's a music in the voice, not less Magnetic, thrilling on the Ustening ear — A charm that mutually doth impress, As hope and gay delight the young heart cheer. Or sadness heaves the sigh, and drops the mournful tear. If to some village boundary confined, Where valley, hill and grove, relieve the view — Where silver streams through verdant meadows wind, And nature blooms in many a vivid hue. As morning wreathes the expanding flowers with dew. And robes them in celestial colors bright ; We feel restraint, dejected, sufTcring too — O Tiow much more, imprisoned day and night. Where nought but sea and sky for ever meet the sight. PART II.] THE DEEP. 25 Tired with the dull monotony around, Blue skies above, and bluer seas below, And sickend by the ship's unceasing bound, Tossed on the unstable waters to and fr^ ; We turn to those in the same cheerless wo. And seek for sympathetic feeling there — ' With such, perhaps, to enjoy the genial flow Of soul, and form the association rare. Grateful in after life, when memory mellows care. When the brow gUstens with the frost of age, And time and strength arc on the swift decline. We seek the fellowship of practised Sage, Whose years to contemplative truth resign. Like fruit matured upon the leafless vine : But Youth would choose its mate aliiong the flowers Of vernal breathing Time — sweet to rechne With some loved one in nature's blushing bowers. Where the bland zephyrs rove, and fan the smiling hours. On board the sliip, standing aloof and free. Was a young Naval Officer, by name Orlando, of Colmnbia's chivalry ; Noble, ingenuous, and seeking fame Where honor led the way, as well became A son of Liberty : his youthful fonn Was animated by a soul of flame, Fearless to breast the battle or the storm, Where \ice no entrance found, to sully or defonn. In just proportion were his height and form, Above the middle size ; his limbs well knit. Slender but muscular ; his powerful arm Could second well the call that armed it : Fair his complexion, and an eye that Ut The feature's of a Man in youth's wann glow. Around whose brow in many a bright ringlet, Curled his rich chesnut hair : — A fairer Beau, I doubt there moved on board, above decks or below. 3 26 "T™ LOVERS OP ^^^j^O I From the Pacific Ocean late returned. Where he had weathered out a three years' cruise, He met promotion, which he well had earned, Versed in the naval sciences abstruse ; And now, on six months' furlough, bent his views To mingle with the world — the young and gay, Gentle and beautiful : perhaps to choose A Partner for hfe's voyage, to cheer the way, That, like the ocean, hath its bright and clouded day. He was not one of those of wanton blood, Who seek the union of th' inconstant Fair ; Secure in virtue, ever had withstood Temptation, and the foul imbru'ting lair. Where Fools their morals taint, their strength impair. And impotent in youth, forfeit the power To sacrifice to Love : while stern despair. An incubus sits on their -wathered flower, And Beauty's just contempt attends their latest hour. O did the Debauchee but know the bliss Of virtuous love, where charming Woman sways The sceptre of delight ; he ne'er would kiss Again the imjiure lip, nor lend his praise — The manhood of his bright and glorious days. To the reproachful devotees of shame ! There is no pleasure in the wanton blaze Of unchaste love, that burns but to defame : The flowers of Hope bloom not upon the bed of blame. LI. His was the true nobility of mind, Frank and polite ; not haughty, but endowed With conscious rectitude, and disciplined In that stern school which rears the spirit proud In self-respect, he stood among the crowd Like Atlas, firm as is the mountain's base ; And where he not approved, he never bowed To wealth or station : scorning to deface His soul's integrity, for fortune, power, or place. PART II.] THE DEEP. 27 Princeps non homines — was stamped upon The tablet of his heart, not to be swayed, Nor bought, nor sold, by any worthless son Of Adam's venal race^ and thus arrayed, He courted not the pale uncertain shade. But hung his colors at the topmast head, ' That never were deserted, nor betrayed On land or sea — where'er his duty sped, True to his flag ne stood, by interest never led. His eye was single, and surveyed his cause With single purpose : in its vivid glance Flashed resolution, that displayed the laws Wliich governed his high spirit :-^nor by chance, Nor any course from Honor's path askance, Secured he sclf-applauso ; for it he fought. And bled, and won a name, that did enhance The honors well bestowed, and fairly sought — Nobly to act his part, was his unmingled thought. Warm were his friendships, all for friendship's sake, And nought for solf: as the bright sun of day Yields all his fer\'or and his beams, to wake The rosy smile that parts the lip of May : So he was charmed to see his fellows gay. And happy, tuned to melody of thought ; To smooth life's path and cheer the devious way, Whether with thorns or fragrant flowers fraught : And heart and hand to this good purjwse ever brought. His were the nobler \irtues : those designed To make men better, happier, and more wise ; Hallowed from Heaven itself, and unconfined. Wide as the wotld, enduring as the skies ! The pure and beatific sacrifice Of adoration to the King Supreme, A grateful heart : there true religion lies. Inspiring man with hope : her blissful theme, That Universal Love, wide as the dayspring's beam. 28 THE LOVERS OF ^^^^^^ LVI. There are, who barter Truth for Mammon's hu-e, The heart's integrity for yellow dross : Slaves to their lusts — v/ith talents to aspire 'To honorable fame, without a cross Upon their sterling coin ; yet bear the loss Of every grace, insensitive to shame. And hve and die base renegades : the toss Of one poor copper would reverse their game, To side where interest presents the weightier claim. LVII. They pander to an appetite depraved, And prostitute the dignity of mind : Arnold, who would liis country have enslaved For Plutus' offering, was of that base kind, Whom lust and luxury have rendered blind To moral excellence ; content to bide . The scorn of noble hearts, so they may find The means to pamper appetite and pride : Bribed by each faction and faithless to either side. As turns the weathercock, toward every point Whence blows the gale the strongest — bo turn these, Whose principle is ever out of joint, Or steadied only by the fruitful breeze Of interest ; when that subsides, the fees Are welcome, though the devil ask their praise : •False, and unstable as the troubled seas, Insatiate demagogues ; whose peccant ways Angels look down upon with horror and amaze ! Where is the stern and Roman virtue fled, That dignified the men of seventy-six 1 Or hath Columbia furnished but one Reed, On whom Posterity its eye may fix, In admiration of a soul unmixt With venal taint "? I would it were not so : Yet, without being pointed, or prolix, There are but few — and those the Lord doth know, Who, to ten tJiousand pounds ! these times, would answer, ko i PART II.] THE DEEP. 29 Trfeason is not confined to villains, who Surrender posts, or regiments, for gold : In civil life, more Arnolds elbovv^ through, Than ever fortress or battalion sold : Reckless of honor, impudent and bold As the bronzed courtezan, they stand exempt From punishment, unhanged, and thus grow old : Held by mankind so far beneath contempt, As not to be worth e'en the trouble or the hemp. But I digress : and this leads me to observe, That in my early days I ne'er was given To speculation, and did seldom swerve So far from truth, but that I could be shriven, When error was dispelled : but I was driven In ruddy boyhood forth, a tennis-ball For Fortune's sport, and scarcely past eleven : Well hath she played the game for my worst thrall. Tossed me the world around, and drugged my cup with gall. LXII. I've courted her upon the tented field. Where honor led the pride of chivalry. And helmed warriors rushed with bosoms steeled, To daring deeds of fiery bravery : I've courted her upon the stormy sea, Beneath the grove, amid the blooming dale. Where Beauty smiled in heavenly radiancy, And rosy Love breathed in the vernal gale : In vain I strove abroad, or sighed in verdant vale. Deuce take the jade, who flies as I pursue. Yet ever beckons onward in the chase ; Smiling hke that seducer, fain to woo The unsuspecting maiden to disgrace : But I've so oft been distanced in the race, That I've concluded to throw up the game. As nix coma rouse : — put on a merry face, Study philosophy, fortune disclaim. And laugh when other fools are jilted by the dame. 3* 30 THE LOVERS. OF [cANTO l, LXIV. Santa Maria I What a world is this! Such inequality in man's condition : Some, born to wealth, seem cradled here in bliss, Life's hardships only felt in their tuition : Others, born poor, by some unknown allision, Attach themselves to Fortune, and chng to her, Whether she will or no : forcing emission From either hand, without a thought to woo her, Or even offering thanks — holding her purse secure. Their touch transforms to gold, as Midas' did, More than successful in each speculation ; Sixpences change to dollars at their bid, And one would think, they had a dispensation To hold the dividends of half the nation : Gerard, and Billy Grey, and .J. J. Astor, And Baron Rothchild, of the Jews' oblation, With others I might name, ne'er knew disaster, i But wealth, like tribute came, as each was Fortune's master, i Wealth fills the world with luxury and fools, Parent of ignorance and empty pride ; For who e'er learned from Nature, or her schools Of industry, where moral worth is tried. That meanest principle with some allied, Affecting to contemn the Tuscan poor, And measuring men and mind by the outside — The equipage or the dress : fools ye are, sure ! The casket may be rough, yet shrine a jewel pure. LXVII- Thank Heaven ! I never felt the base desire. And ne'er sought gold for love of gold : I sought Another wealth, that could the heart inspire— The riches of the mind : unsold, unbought, But freely yielded to the searching thought, And contemplative eye : and these to me Unveiled a source, from which the soul, thus taught, Secures a brilliant for its company, When death unbars the gates of broad eternity ! PART II.] ^"^ ^^^^- 31 Oh, fools ! to hoard up what ye cannot bear Beyond the grave — the charncl house ! where lie The rich, the poor, the sons of mirth and care, The powerful and the weak : what, if ye die Possessed of miUions — follows your last sigh, Not a brass farthing ; save what the new heir May grant, to gild the pageant of the liigh "Wealth pampered wretch — who mortgaged Time's parterre, And wonld not pluck the fruit that hung in clusters there ! I honor industry, legitimate In birth aftd in pursuit ; that claims no more Than a clear conscience may appropriate, Without a stain fair Virtue might deplore : Then — though the wealth of Gambia's golden shore, Potosi's m,oUntain, or Golconda's mine Enrich his coffers : he robs not the poor, Whose enterprise fills them with corn and wine, As the depending grape is nourished from the vine. LXX. ftefined and liberal, let him adorn His grounds with art — exotic, shrub, and flower, The vocal breathing grove, the sweet hawthorn, The verdant walk, the cooling fountain shower. That cheers the sultry and oppressive hour : Grateful am I, freely to range around Through park and lawn, or from the myrtle bower, Enjoy the beauty of the enchanted ground, Where, blooming in delight, nature by art is crowned. The present hour is mine, and I am fed — All forethought of the morrow I dismiss ; Nature is satisfied with simple bread, And I can thank kind Providence for this : In luxury there is no real bliss. And where 's the sensualist above the swine ! But Heaven still grant me health— hfe's happiness. Supply its wants, and I may not repine : For all that wealth can yield, and more, 's JiJready mine. 32 ^^^ LOVERS OF fcANTO I. I seek a competence, but ask not wealth ; And in life's wane would gladly find a home, Where — ^blest with memory and generous health. I might recline beneath some cottage dome, And court labo'rious ease : no more to roam The world around, but calmly life review. Its sorrows and its joys : and from the tomb Of blighted hopes and fond regrets, renew Friendship with truth, or e'er I bid the hours adieu. LXXIII. There woo the Sisters I have loved so well, By winding rivulet or bubbling spring, Beneath the umbrageous'shade, in blooming dell, Or verdant-mantled vale — where zephyrs fling Rapture and health from many a fragrant wing, Dipped in the bosom of the mountain jill : Where the sweet tenants of the forest sing, And Nature, uncontaminated, still ■Blooms in her native hues, and wantons at her will. PARTli.] THE DEEP. 33 PART III. Poor have I lived, the son of discontent, In want and sorrow — better scarce can die ; But may no nabob rear a monumept To insult the dead, that living, he passed by : Wrapt in my humble fortune, let me lie Within the green-bound wood, without a stone To mark the spot where sleeps the wanderer's eye : There would I rest in soUtude, unknown, While the sweet bird of Spring chants my last dirge alone. Nature, to whom my earliest song I gave, Her verdant carpet o'er my couch shall spread, Deck with wild flowers the sleeping poet's grave, And her green canopy wave o'er my head : The dewy tear shall to my memory shed, And breathe her sighs upon the zephyr's wing, While her. plumed offspring to the forest led, In untaught strains my requium shall sing, And answering Echo back the varied music fling. iS'o Alma Mater nourished my young prime, From the Pierian spring ; but all alone, I gathered what I could through changing tune. And made the hidden lore of truth my own ; Hardly obtained, as " water wears a stone," But when rescued, not liable to loss : This led me to compare the Uttle known. With worldly vanity and yellow dross — I found them light as air, not worth a counter's toss. 34 ™^ LOVERS OF fcANTO I. In the simplicity of nature made, Upon her verdant bosom I reposed, Or roved the flowery vale, or depths of shade — "Where'er with stately beauty she disclosed Her vistas of dehght, and fair disposed O'er earth's broad disk each smiling grace serene ; What charms the eye, or chains the ear composed, The blooming dales, the streams, the hills of green, And song of joyous bird that rose above the scene. Young, restless, and unstable as the wave, I roved from land to land, from shore to shore ; No settled habitation did I crave, I loved the wild-wood and the ocean's roar. And all enamored. Nature did adore : On her fair page — the fairest page of time, The unwearied eye, delighted, still would pore : So scan I yet the beautiful, subUme, And my wrapt spirit breathe in the rich flow of rhyme. I loved her forests and her hills of green. The winding stream, the deep romantic glen, The verdant vale, the balmy grove serene. The hoary mountain and the misty fen — But I loved not, somehow, the face of men : Nature was true, in her own colors drest. Pure, beautiful, sublime, perfect as when She bloomed in Paradise at God's behest : But man was all impure — dissembler at tlie best. I speak the truth, and on my own brow bear This foul reproach, this humbling mark of shame ; Free to acknowledge — what I do not dare Deny — that in some points of minor fame, I am myself amenable to blame : But uncontaminated by the seven Unpardonable sins that most defame, I have some distant hopes of being forgiven, And so, eventually, admitted into heaven. PART III.] THE DEEP. 35 These seven dark transgressors, thus I note : All bank stock-jobbers, brokers, speculators, And gamblers ; whom stern justice shall devote To hot damnation ! the calumniators — By which I mean most editors of papers ; Monopolists, who starve pale Poverty, And last — not least, earth's wardrobe renovators, The old-clothes Jews : and this vile company Rob, and demoralize, throughout society. LXXXII. Basest of these, are Mammon's sons of hire, The " money-changers," licensed rogues — abhorred By Him, the Promised One ; whose holy fire Could brook them not, but formed a whip of cord, And scourged them from the temple of the Lord ! The sacrilegious wretches, even then Polluted heaven's threshold, and basely warred Agaiinst all social virtue : by my pen, I think the race exist to plague all honest men ! LXXXIII. •Enough : farewell the swindler and the knave, The cold monopolist, and hypocrite : No honest man would stretch his arm, to save One of the race from the reproachful pit, Which his own lusts have dug ; they are most fit To fill it up : then let them force distress, . And heap the measure of their guilt — to wit, The groans of widows and the fatherless. Ascending up to Him, who shall their wrongs redress ! But I return : and in another strain Sing to at least one boon deUghted ear, Of mine own self: albeit I be not vain. Save of my native rocks, my humble sphere, And soul of sympathy, that hoards a tear For the oppressed — the weary child of sorrow : I too, have trod a thorny path, full drear, Joyless to-day, and hopeless for the morrow : But let the future rest, 'tis folly care to borrow. ryn THE LOVERS OF fcANTO i. oo ^ • T, xxx v. I roamed the Hesperian gardens : feasted there On golden fruit, and like the humming-bird From flower to flower disporting on the air, Culled honeyed thought : but all was "hope deferred/' Sickening the soul — convinced that she had erred : But reason, slmnbering long, aw^akes too late— The slave of wine will taste, nor be deterred, Though in each sparkUng glass he read his fate : So I, at Helicon, quaffed till inebriate. LXXXVI. No more I searched the deep recess of thought, But threw the written page of learning by ; Bright images of fancy, overwrought, • Float in the brain, and gUsten in the eye ; Voluptuous passion and pale ennui, Conspire to \-itiate the love-sick soul That woos ideal beauty; and the dye Of stem reality, fails to control The helpless, hopeless ruin which pervades the whole. LXXXVII. So, in the summer mom, the stream serene. Freshened by evening showers glides smoothly on, On by the grove, or through the meadow green. Till rolling from the East, the sultry sun, Or e'er liis high meridian is won. Pours his red rays adown the burning sky. And drinks it up— the waters cease to mn, In visionless evaporations fly, Leaving their fountains empty, and their channels dry, LXXXVIII. I left the East in May, sedate and sober. With staff in hand, Ught heart, and lighter purse, And entered Urbs Rcgina in October, From this long peregrination, nothing worse; There only followed me the usual curse—' Which, without any special invitation, Hath clung to me for years— the love of verse; For ever building up some bright creation, That left me poorer still, as crumbled its foundation. PART III.] THE DEEP. 37 Still, Poesy, I love thee — though thou be My bane, thou art the antidote to ill : When sorrow, pain, and want encompass me, I fly for refuge to the sacred hill. And lose the sense of misery at will In the Cagtalian fount, whose springs disclose, And streams of sweet forgctfulness distil: So, in the realms below, where Lethe Hows, The wretched taste, and drink obhvion to their woes. And not for India's wealth would 1 resign What Heaven bestows — the music of the soul ; The land, the sea, the air — the world is mine, To range through Nature's vast, from pole to pole, From East to West, and win as from a scroll. The subtile treasures of her wide domain: While vivid Fancy robes me in her stole Of "colors dipped in heaven," and I do reign A prince of Fairy land, the Muses in m.y train. My path was whercsoe'er my fancy bore. And I did course it hke the honcy'-bee ; Now, by the Shenandoah's rocky shore, Surveyed the wild romantic scenery : Thence, o'er the broad Potomac, northwardly, Bent where the charming Susquehannah flows; Plucked every stranger flower that I did see, Climbed each tall hill that on my pathway rose, And trod the glens and dells where Nature doth repose. I gathered fruit and flowers, not sparingly, For Nature offers them through her domain : The busy eye may freight the memory From the broad field of forest, hill and plain, To employ the thinking spirit of the brain, That otherwise would droop, sicken and die : As sluggards languish on a bed of pain, Feverish and restless from pale ennui, And like the moody swine in thoughtless slumbers lie. 4 38 THE LOVERS OF f^^^^^ ^\ XCIII. In childhood's, vernal hours, when I was gay, Roving the meadows, joyous, wild and free ; My grandsire eft would call me from my play. And seat the httle boy upon his knee : And — fond of stories — would rehearse to me The vacant plough-boy, who would not be taught, But as he jogged a-field o'er the bright lea, " He whistled as he went for want of thought :" The moral was not lost, with memory inwrought. And now, whatever object I pursue, Wliether I roam the verdant fields of earth, When orient morn impcarls the flowers with dew, And fills the grove with melody and mirth ; Or range the gardens of immortal birth — Where fancy rainbows through the atmosphere — To weave a garland of poetic worth; Stray thoughts will oft intrude, through eye or ear. That seem irrelevant, like this digression here. But I have gained my point, as lawyers say, Which was, to lash the venial ; though it be At the expense of being thought to str5y Wide of the subject of my minstrelsy: But this accompUshed, I shall breathe more free — As when a sickly stomach doth discharge The green and loathsome bile, serenity, And buoyant spirits, and health, that roamed at large, Return, and cheerfully resume their wonted charge. At length, divested of this weary load — A spice of vanity for aught I know, Refreshed and vigorous, I resume my road. Or rather voyage, wliile favoring gales do blow. And waft my venturous bark, steady though slow, To that dcsistive haven, where her sails Shall furl, perhaps for aye : then be it so, While Fancy rests, well pleased that Truth inhales The incense of her flowers, from her created vales. PART 111.] THE DEEP. 39 To crown the manly offspring of my muse, Orlando was a gentleman, well bred, Of noble bearing; such as Mars might choose For lofty deeds, where glory's banner led, And Love im^ite to Beauty's blissful bed : He never stooped to low vulgarity, Or the bravado's oath ; — let this be said For those, whose every day's profanity Insults the King Supreme, and shames true bravery. Thus far the Hero of my song, to whom I have imputed all the nobler traits That dignify the man ; and now I come To seek a Partner for him, which the Fates — Or, a.«5 the sober moralist relates — Heaven doth bestow ; and some believe the tale, That matches are all formed within its gates : But I've known some, so questionably hale. They seemed as made within dark Pandemonium's pale. And why should not the devil play the priest, Join contradictions, and unite two forms, Whose hearts are sundered, like the West and East, In principle and feeling ; where ne'er warms Affection's lamp, but cver-during storms Tumultuous rage around the nuptial bod, And mar the rosy boon that all deforms 1 Why should he not ? It is his trade to wed, When the hot blood of youth revolts against the head, c. He sows dissension in the bowers of peace, And genders hatred on the bed of love ; Corrupts the very parents, to increase Tenfold the feud — ^the while, the gentle dove Of promise wings her to her home above, • And desolation on a sable cloud Broods o'er the withered hopes : — will Heaven approve The impious wretch, malicious, deviUsh, proud. Who strangled wedded love, and wove its pallid shroud 1 40 THE LOVERS OF [CAVTO I. Marriage is sacred, and no human law May abrogate the institute divine : The union Heaven decreed, while Virtue saw Domestic blLss the rosy rite entwine, And Love do homage at the hallowed shrine: Death, and death only, may dissolve the tie, And though rebellious, shameless lust combine To rend the bonds — sin at their door shall lie, And Truth accuse them at the judgment-day on high. Alas ! for Virtue, and her sacred cause In this new land that Freedom claims her own ; Divorce is sanctioned here by human laws, And Infidelity stalks not alone In other climes : here hath she reared her throne On moral ruin — wedded truth I ken, Profaned her rites, her altars overthrown : The world I think 's more graceless now, than when The deluge overwhelmed bad women, and worse men. When a young cherub one — a little boy, Was budding in the ruby smile of life ; His sire's incentive hope, his mother's joy. Upon his dying bed to gender strife, And come between the husband and the wife : — Curst be thy hoary age — thy pathway bUght, Down to a blighted grave — no hope be rife For thy despairing soul : but wild affright Cling to thee, serpent-twined, through an eternd night! Thou withered, blasting Sorceress! to whom The witch of Endor were a saintly woman. If hell's worst penalty be not thy doom. There is no hell for any thing that's human ! Pale hypocrite ! born only to undo man ; Sly as the serpent, whom thou dost resemble, Foul temptress of a wife to sin and ruin, — Thy place is darkness, where the damned assemble : Go, join the devils there — ^like them, believe and tremble ! THE DEEP PART III.] ^^^ ^^^i"- 41 My heart wills not the cuTse : O mayest thou hve — Live, to repent upon another bed Than tliat of death : freely I thee forgive, As taught by Him, who for the sinner bled ! Thou didst indeed hurl ruin on my head, That shook intelUgence through all her reahn : But Heaven in safety through the tempest led, The billows of despair no more o'erwhelra, Peace calms-the troubled sea, and Hope sits at the helm, 4* 42 THE LOVERS OF [canto i. I PART IV. May, in her damask robe no longer drest, Stripped of her honors and existence too, Reclines her cheek on Summer's panting breast, And bids her blossoms and her flowers adieu ; Until Aurora shall her breath renew, And the wood-nymphs the maiden re-adorn; When Phoebus wheels the starry zodiac through, And o'er the orient hills where wakes the morn, Re-enters Cancer bright from burning Capricorn. CVII. So in her flowery Spring — her May-day morn, Blooming in vestal honors, the fair bride Smiles through the flush that mantles to adorn The cheek of innocence — the heart's chaste pride : So fades she too, that parts from her pure guide- That innate modesty which Heaven bestows. And forfeits each fair charm that once allied Her soul to truth, her beauty to the rose : May shall rebloom again, but hopeless her repose ! How art thou fallen in the Spring of life, Who might have bloomed an angel of delight ! The lovely bride less charming than the wife. Crowned with that coronal so pure and bright, The admiration of the sons of light. That wreathes the mother's brow ! But thy fair morn, Wrapped in a darksome cloud, must sink in night. Of all its purity and beauty shorn, Without one hallowed ray its parting to adorn ! PART IV.] THE DEEP. 43 Companion once, so valued, so beloved, How couldst thou listen to the siren's tongue, And yield thyself, unblushing and unmoved, To the seducer ! Thou art now among The faithless band, who, from all time, have wrung Full many a noble heart : thy form reposes On beds of down, whence guilty joys have sprung: But this the curse — remember — Heaven imposes, That death-^bed shall be thorns, whereon are strewed no roses I bow to Heaven's high will, that doth chastise In mercy, and in mercy bore away The solace of my age, ere his young eyes Could look upon the dark and dismal day Of desolation ! Oh, that I could lay My aching head beside that little one, Recal the memoiy of the prattler's lay, Reproached by her, the mother of her son — Yield my last thought to Heaven, and breathe " Thy will be done I" Farewell ! A long farewell to thee, is sent ! Who, all forgetful of thy bridal test. The hallowed bands of wedlock rudely rent, Fain to repose upon a villain's breast : Alas ! for her, whose memory fades unblest ! No more the virtues in her heart shall warm, No more the graces on her check be prest ; But sunk to infamy, the once fair fonn. Inspired by nothing pure, hatb lost the power to charm. ■ CXII. What wonder, if I tread life's varied path Gloomy and sad : the heartless sons of pride, Affect to scorn the houseless one, that hath For his inheritance, nought but the wide Impalpable domain ; where, rudely tried, Hope wakes, but never smiles ! The dross of earth That makes them what they are, was aye denied To genius, virtue, modesty and worth : Suffering and penury have claimed them from their birth. 44 ™E LOyERS OF [canto I. What wonder, if with dark suspicious eye, I scan the fairest flower that blooms upon Creation's bosom ; when my destiny Is marked by broken vows ; and that false one, Whose youth and loveliness I wooed and won, To charm life's tenure and adorn my name ; Put off her robe of purity, to don The tinselled mantle of unblusliing shame: Dishonor stamped on me, and blighted her fair fame. Why should I scathe the hapless being, who Did perjure her own soul, and break a pledge, Given at the altar of the God most true. And registered in heaven : alas ! the edge Of time, that cuts down both the flower and sedge. Will one day rede her truth that comes too late ! Against her nothing more will I allege. Who, as she loved, can scarcely harbor hate : — Victim of one who strove her truth to desecrate. Oh, Love ! the offspring of the rosy hours, And cradled the Elysian groves among, Where Beauty erst rccUned in her own bowers, While bowed Olympius, and Appollo sung ; Upon earth's second morn thy form upsprung. And fanned the wing of Hope, that smiling bent Her riband in the clouds: to thee, the young Shall sacrifice the heart's best incense, blent Upon her altars, who beheld thy wann advent. The gentle bosom is thy garden, where The flowers of rapture bloom ; when holy Truth Descends from heaven, and o'er the heart's parterre Sheds her effulgent warmth, in pity's ruth. Toward our imperfect and inconstant youth : Would that her lustre might illmninate Each heart that owns thy power, in very sooth : Nor broken vows, nor false-engendered hate, Nor concupiscent lust, would then be our dark fate. PART IV.] THE DEEP.- 45 But frail and sinful though we be, and bound With imperfection from the hour of birth, Thy presence cheers the roughened scenes around, And spreads a blissful canopy o'er earth; And while existence feels the blighting dearth, That followed Eden's fall, fond Love is left, With purple-pinioned Hope, and bright-eyed Mirth, And friendship, and a thousand pleasures deft : And man, chastised, is not of blessings all bereft. There yet remain some meek and faithful hearts, Scattered, like roses, through the wilderness ; And many a noble spirit yet imparts A cheering light, as if bestowed to bless Our fallen nature in its faded dress : Still wedded love survives from Eden's tomb, Unveiled in all the lovely consciousness Of its unblemished truth, and through the gloom That wraps the brow of Time, smiles in perennial bloom. cxxix. The fields of heaven are thine — where Virtus roves In naked purity ; herself the bright Unfading flower, kissed by the eternal Loves, As when fair Eve, robed in her native light, Trod Paradise undrest, and bore the sight Of regal powers, that bent their starry eyes In admiration ! Spirit again alight Upon the earth, accept our sacrifice, And call white Innocence down from her sinless skies. But we will not repine, albeit thou stay Thy rosy-colored wheels : Love sends us down A solitary beam of that pure ray. That lights the skies, and warms tlie angelic zone ; And in the thrilling radience we own The fervid feeling of the sons of light. When Heaven upon the new creation shone, And warmed the elements — the soft twilight Still peers along the verge of Nature's trembling night. 46 THE LOVERS OF f^ANTO I. cxxr. Heaven sends a maiden for my Heroine, Not fanciful, but one of earthly mould: In whom the virtues of her sex combine With grace and beauty, such as men behold In that famed statue of the days of old, Venus de Medici, the pride of art : But there the semblance ends — the one is cold And spiritless; this shrines a beating heart, Warmed w^ith Promethean fire, and Heaven's diviner part. For in that ship, among that company — Young, beautiful, accompUshed, and yet more. Intelligent, — was there a fair Ladie, Whom youth might well be pardoned to adore. So near perfection: to her native shore She was returning from an Eastern tour, With new additions to her treasured store From Nature's page — the fount of literature, Where mind may bathe in streams of knowledge, rare and pure. Hyperia was the name the maiden bore, Graceful as was her form: in purity Of sentiment and action, meekly wore The virtues that adorn, and nobly free From unbecoming pride and coquetry, Sought not applause, nor did affect display : Not prudish, but in maiden modesty — Like the sweet flower that shrinks from burning day. She sought retirement, where the chaste-eyed pleasures stray. Retirement in the vale, where wood-crowned hills. With sloping canopy dovi^n to their base, Waved to the coursing winds, and o'er the rills. And verdant lawns, and sweet sequestered place, Stretched their cool shadows : there would she embrace Calm solitude in contemplation's hour. Beneath the arching vines, that did inlace With fibrous arms the trees, to weave a bower Where mind, as in a glass, might learn its latent power. PART IV.] ^^^ ^^^^' 47 And here she reared her flowers, and drest the vale In the sweet blossoms of the smihng May; That showered her odors on the courting gale, From rose and tuUp, and acanthus gay, White oleanthus, and the heavenly ray Of iris and dahah, and the snow White hly, blooming by the watery way, O'er the blue violet — till the bright glow Seemed like enchantment, spread upon a world below. So bloomed 'neath orient skies, when Abbas reigned, The Garden of the East, that spread around Ispahan — royal city — and was trained By her fair hand, who trembled to be crowned The Glucen of Persia : there Balsora found The pearl of happiness, to Uve and die With her enamored Prince : they tilled the ground Together, till the fair parterre did vie With heaven's bright rainbow, bent upon the watery sky. cxxvii. To plant the germ, to rear the tender stalk. To cheer the budding ajid expanding flower ; To fringe with evergreens the gravelled walk, And twine with tendrils sweet the simimer bower, That bloom upon the morning's dewy hour ; To prune the tiny forest, cUp the bright Green velvet sward, and sport the fountain shower — Is woman's work, a labor of deUght, Becoming, innocent, and Beauty's sovereign right. If there's a spot where maiden eyes disclose A brighter ray to penetrate the heart, It is the embellished ground, where nature glows. Adorned by Heaven, and beautified by art : The fragrant, blooming scenery doth impart A mellow tenderness to evening's hour ; And as soft twihght's lingering rays depart. Love gUdes the trees among, wakes in the bower. Sighs on the passing gale, and breathes in every flower. ^g THE LOVERS OF [canto I. CXXIX. O could my yoiith return with wonted fire, And my taught spirit animate the form, I'd seek the scenes where Flora doth inspire The tenderness of feeling— where the charm Of beauty doth the sterner sex disarm, And bows the heart to love : there would I woo Some gentle nymph, whose heart, like mine, would warm And glow with transport, in the bUssful view Of nature wed to art, bloomJng the seasons through. There is a music in the joyous spheres, Dull man hath never heard ; that roll along, And wake to melody the circling years, That toward eternity for ever throng. Bearing upon their wings, the soul of song To Him who tunes the orbs: what lofty strains, And hallowed, to the Omnipotent belong ! Creation sings through all her flowery plains, And the vast universe rejoices that He reigns. And there is melody so stilly breathed From Nature's gorgeous lip of living bloom, Ascending from unnumbered flowers, inwreathed, Like incense from the altar of perfume: The sighing winds that cheer eve's milder gloom, The note of joyous bird that waives the dawn, The tribes that gambol in the moon's illume, The roar of beast from midnight lair withdrawn, And voice of lowing herds that browse the verdant lawn. CXXXII. They are— the flowers that in the valleys bloom, The poetry of Nature ; from her breast Exhaling sweet invisible perfume, That borne by zephyr flics, or lies at rest Upon her crystal wing : the eye is blest As with enchantment, when the morn unveils Each lovely pink in heaven's bright colors drest; Tipped with the orient pearl, kissed by the gales, That, waking on the hills, skim o'er the dewy vales. PART IV.] THE DEEP. 49 CXXXUI. O'er hill and dalej by stream, or branching grove, From morn till noon, from noon till dewy eve. Among these Uving gems I joy to rove, And in each blossom and fair flow^er conceive — As my wrapt spirit would for aye believe. Heaven smiles approval on the glowing scene, And blesses its own work : nor do I grieve That they shall fade beneath the frosts so keen : Spring shall renew their bloom, and nature's verdant green. cxxxiv. How chaste, how beautiful, and all sublime, Are these, thy lower works, great King of kings ! That flourish gaily in the lap of time, As fair Aurora warms the enUvening springs, And from the firmament still evening flings Her ever gentle dews ; wliile glowing day Sends down the vital influence, that wings Tree, shrub, and flower, with fragrant pinions gay, Around whose petals bright a thousand raptures play. For me, to taste the vernal breath of Spring, Buoyant with health, while my fiill swelUng heart Pours all its gratitude to heaven's liigh Kinor^ For every varied good he doth impart. Is happiness ; while pleasure forms a part Of his beneficence, when I survey The trees in blossom, and the flowers that sport Through the green vales in beautiful array. Breathing their rich perfume, and smiling on the day, cxxxvi. Then smile I, too, as on their heavenly dresses, With rapture rests the charmed and ravished eye, Touched by the soft rays of the morning's tresses. When Phoebus wakes upon the orient sky, Painting their forms in every varied dye. Expanding bright, pendant VTith limpid dew : And were they formed for such an one as I, So vile, and so impure ? The thought is true ; Heaven thus arrays them all, for human eye to view. 5 50 THE LOVERS OF [canto l- And from the gaze to lift the eye above, And with the eye, the heart ; and learn from whence Sprung these fair earnests of Eternal Love, To creatures that are less than impotence ; Whose life should be all tearful penitence, For base ingratitude to their great Sire ; Who not alone supplies each want, but thence Wings beauty from the skies, and yields desire More than our nature craves, lest man should ne'er aspire. Hyperia had seen little of the world : Reared in the country, she had bloomed among The wild flowers of her native hills, impearled Herself a fairer flower, that blushing hung Her damask cheek, as from her silver tongue — Reclined beneath the soft palmetto's shade — Upon the wing of Zephyrus she flung The simple melody of nature's maid, Unconscious of her charms, in innocence arrayed. In the deep recess of the shady grove, Where silence listened to the melody Of murmuring zephyr, and the mated love Of gentle birds, that poured tlieir rhapsody From clustering branch, or flowering shrubbery. Responsive in sweet duet — she had reared A temple to her soul's Divinity, Where, in the twilight hour, her voice was lieard, Breathing her vespers sweet, to Him her soul revered. CXL. Oft as the orient awoke the dawn. And gemmed the opening flowers with pearly dew, The rosy girl tripped lightly o'er the lawn, Toward that secluded bower, veiled from the view Of all but Heaven — to Heaven did there renew The oflering of a meek and lowly heart, Where love and purity their fountains drew, And Virtue, pleased, beheld her counterpart : While each angelic grace the smiling skies impart. PART IV.] THE DEEP. 51 Unused to breathe the fatal atmosphere Of giddy fashion, she had seldom been Where Luxury and Vice did reign compeer, Defonning both the women and the men : Though it is pro]?able, that now and then — As Southern ladies manage well a horse, She cantered in the chase o'er rock and glen. And sometunes rode her filly to the course : A very blameless act, and ladies nothing worse. Indeed, if fertile fancy whisper true, She was as graceful feminine a rider — Albeit, not quite so much a royal blue — As Glueen Victoria, whose fame is wider; But whose performance — I ne'er rode beside her, I question was superior to my Fair ; Who, at an off-hand gallop had defied her To sit more firm : at any rate, her hair Was prettier than the GLuccn's — her bosom, not so l)are. I had much rather see a lovely maid, In riding-dress, silk coif, and flowing veil, Mount her fleet jennet, gallantly arrayed. And, like Camilla, skim the flowerj' dale. To \iew the races, and the breeze inhale ; Than witness women, delicate and young, Hurrying from every point, o'er hill and vale, To view a miserable felon hung. And feast their eyes on the poor devil as he swung ! Degrading sight ! abhorrent, and abhoiTcd ! Oh, how can gentle woman stand and gaze On such a scene, where human life is marred By violence ; nor feel her brightest praise — The priceless jewel of her flowery days, Bedhnmed and suUied ! Shame, where art thou fled When Beauty follows in the broad highways, The pinioned victim to the scaffold led, And calmly waits until the struggling wretch be dead ! 52 THE LOVERS OF f,^^^^ ^_ CXLV. But difference of taste, no doubt may be, And oft-times is, the effect of education: I 've known a lady fasten to a tree Her slave, and for a little recreation, Proceed to inflict a gentle castigation — Her left hand busy with a pinch of snuff. Her right, with a green rawhide embrocation ; Till, wearied out, she gave o'er in a huff, Swearing, she ne'er before had skinned a back so tough ! CXLVI. The Southern belles are warmed by no such fury, Vindictive passion is obnoxious there : This deed was perpetrated in Missouri, Some twenty summers past : a country where, 'Twas said the Gallic, trans- Atlantic Fair, Repaired the breaches in their pearly sets. With the enamel of their Uving ware : Drawn from the sockets of the servile jets, To adorn the ruby lips of amorous brunettes. CXLVII. Hyperia was gifted with a heart As gentle as the dove's : her eyes o'erflowed E'en at the tale of wo, and did impart A pensive sadness to her cheek, that glowed With heavenly sympathy, and did forebode A heart beneficent as it was pure : So Mercy on the wing of Iris rode, The remnant of a world to re-assure, As wept the clouds upon the wanderers insecure. cxLvur. That she had mused of love, since sweet sixteen Had ripened all her bloom, her sex but know : The matrons of the blushing belles, I mean, Who, to fond memory, do often owe Full many a happy hour — the refluent glow That purpled on the silver morn of life : That she had felt Love's power, I can say, no ; And seldom mused of wedlock, but when rife From reading "Coelebs," or the romance of " The Wife." PART IV.] THE DEEP. 53 CXLIX. But Nature never fails to assert her power Within the youthful breast : the crimson flood Paints on the cheek the rich Lancastrian flower, As, pouring from the heart in feverish mood, The vestal feels her ardent coursing blood Warm with new tenderness — a soft desire For something, that's not always understood ; Which, if not met by sympathetic fire. Consumes the burning Fair upon Love's funeral pyre. The maid, though charming as the blooming May, When the sweet vernal morn with orient dew Impearls her damask cheek, and wildly gay As a young antelope — as harmless, too. Was very flesh and blood, like me and you ; Susceptible to all the brave impress. With which Love arms himself, when he would woo A manly figure, a polite address, And courage to defend a fair one in distress. CLI. And now, my Hero and my Heroine Are fairly launched : I use the term, because Their love was cradled on the foaming brine, And nursed on ocean's bosom : here I pause, In strict obedience to custom's laws — That govern poets equally v.ith actors. That is, to wait the general applause Which I anticipate from benefactors. To drown the slanderous tongues of envious detractors. The curtail^ falls — so falls the veil of night. And shrouds the day from the retiring world ; Past are the brilliant visions of delight, And life's bright banner for a season furled : It is the humid hour, when all luicurled. The golden tresses of the morn descend, To drink the falling dew, that hangs impearled Upon the brow of eve : so let us end Tliis canto, and digest what you have read — I penned. 5* CANTO II. PART I. ViRGiNU, the land of noble hearts, Of all of beauty and of bravery, I love thy soil, thy rivers, and their marts j And e'en thy "curse," domestic slavery — 'Tis not so bad as free state knavery : For there, the wealthy upstart lords it o'er Him that doth eat the bread of industry : Monopolizes nature's bounteous store, And bids necessity pay tribute at his door 1 O shame ! that in the States where Freedom boasts Her equal, happy sway, there still should bend Their necks to iron toil, such peasant hosts. O'er whose young offspring Avarice doth extend Damning oppression : few may apprehend The toil and struggle infancy endures, Or e'er its tender limbs their vigor lend To childhood's frolic hours : the factory cures Of life's prospective ills, and early death insures. 56 '^^^ LOVERS OF [CANTO II. Nor these alone : the young and blooming girl Wakes not to happiness in early prime, But a bond-maiden to some wealthy churl, Her sacrifice is her best hours of time, Till desperation drives to that mad crime Which stains her vestal purity : alas ! That other slavery exists, to grime The boasted freedom of the Northern mass, Opprobrious more, by far, than stains the Southern clas? Then, let not Abolition raise her voice, To thunder her anathemas from thence ; But rather, the philanthropist rejoice, That Afric's servile sons— in its full sense. Find in the sunny South a competence. Nor unrequited toil : vi^hile, free from care, They taste the blessings, watchful Providence Bestows alike on all, and cheerful, wear A chain that is not felt, while zealots leave them there. Thy hospitalities unbounded flow, Free as thy streams ; and with that winning grace, That doth solicit, while it doth bestow, And seems to ask acceptance : where each face Beams, the true index of a sterling race. Manly, and intellectual, and polite: No time shall from my memory efface The warm reception, smiling with delight, That oft hath welcomed mo from gentle Beauty bright. My gratitude— 'tis all that I can give. Fain would I breathe in an undying strain ; But if it should my setting sun survive, I have not wooed the Nine, nor lived in vain : And while my fancy lets her flowing rein — To grace my song, 'tis from tliy GaUantry And peerless Fair I paint, without a stain. My Hero as the pride of chivalry. And my fair Heroine, pure as thy daughters be. PART I.] THE DEEP. 57 VII. No vine-clad arbors flourish on the sea, No bahny groves wave to the ocean breeze, No glen's retired romantic scenery, Shaded by jutting rocks and branching trees ; Where a duenna — not averse to please, When golden arguments hush each objection — Might plan to introduce two ill at ease, Who sigh and languish for the sweet connexion : And I must owe to chance, or Providence' direction, — The meeting of this Pair ; on whom the gaze Of lynx-eyed Love is bent, with ardent glow, To warm each bosom in their tender rays, And with a fire-barbed arrow from his bow, Light up a quenchless flame, to melt the snow Of young virginity : then to my aid. Come, thou blind Goddess, to whom Atlieists owe Their accidental being, and persuade In near conjunction, this brave Youth and this fair Maid. They had no friends on board — acquaintance none, Save an attendant : and among that crowd Of strangers, well might feel themselves alone, As melancholy's gloom their spirits bowed. And hovered o'er them, like a wintry cloud : Orlando had of late seen men enow. Of that rude stamp that breast the ocean flood : Tired of his sex, he paced with gloomy brow, The deck, and, if addressed, merely returned a bow. His mind was running on a different course, From that it had pursued for three long years ; When all its natural and preceptive force Were held in requisition, by the gears Of discipline, and flitting hopes and fears Attendant on the struggle for promotion : But now, exempt awliile — as it appears — With honor's badge, won from the stormy ocean, He felt a strong desire to prove some new devotion. 58 "^^^ LOVERS OF [canto ii. He thought of woman in her flowery youth : Her beauty, gentleness, and peerless grace, Her tenderness, timidity, and truth, Her ruby lip, bright eye, and smiling face : And felt the happiness he might embrace With such a being — a companion dear, Whose sympathies with his might interlace, And weave themselves in one : whose love would cheer. And life in Eden's glow, bloom with each circling year. And then, a charming home, from which no more — Restless, unsatisfied, and lost — to stray ; Where, for the tempest and the ocean's roar, He might enjoy the calm delightful day, Tread the green vale, or in the shadow lay Of the mnbrageous wood, on beds of flowers, Kissed by the zephyrs in their wanton play : That tune the iEolian lyre in Nature's bowers, And hold in lingering bliss, the poppy-mingled hours. His lady-love attendant at his side, Fair as the blooming Hebe of the skies, Sweet as the blue-eyed May — a blushing bride, Reclining on his arm ; that bore a prize, Richer than that, the brightest gem that lies Beneath Bassora's wave : in rosy light, Soft mantling o'er her check, and from her eyes Lustering in all the watery radiance bright. Of her who sways the silver sceptre of the night. Partly entranced, he soon began to be Gluite fanciful ; and visions flitted round. Of little cherubs; one beside his knee, Plucking the flowers from ofT the velvet ground : Another, in the soft embraces bound, Of this fair daughter of all-graceful Eve : On whom he gazed, and felt all the profound Sweet sensibilities, that gently weave Themselves around the heart] when Hymen gives them leave. PART I.] THE DEEP. 59 So mused the Sailor in abstracted mood, And when he mused not, gazed upon the ocean ; Till, turning towards the quarter-deck, he viewed The pictui'e of his fancy's deep devotion : He stood transfixed, and abnost without motion, As, vrith an eager glance he scanned the fair Hj^eria ; and drank in love's first potion, Called admiration : she did seem to wear The coronet of grace — ^beauty beyond compare. Her wandering eye met his : the ardent gaze Mantled her cheeks in richest crimson, while Not less suffused his own, to meet the blaze Of Beauty, radiant with her bright smile ; Both felt the glance, nor self-accused of guile, For she was pure in heart, and he was brave ; But innate modesty it did beguile Unwittingly of shame, that each forgave. Smiled as they did avert, and for a tune were grave, XVII. Thus casually thrown together, and In taste and sentiment congenial, each Saw in the other's eye the soul expand. In that indefinite, but expressive speech, Which nature comprehends — art cannot teach ; His manly form and noble bearing, she Admired, nor he less prompt to unimpeach Her of defedt; as she did seem to be All grace personified, in beauty's harmony. xviii. They were not yet in love; but in each bosom Was budding the young flower of tenderness: As on the vernal morn unfolds the blossom, Tinged with May's sweet and delicate impress. The prelude of Vertunmus' fruitfulness. When ardent Summer mellows on liis brow The golden fruitage of the wilderness — The purple-clustered vine, and ruby glow Of all that bend the branch, or ripening, blush below. GO THE LOVERS OF fcAxro ii. There's magic in a look: the subtle glance, That, darting from the eye, doth pierce the heart; As on the violet wave the moonbeams dance. And penetrate the deep : there viras no art — But simple nature acting true her part — In the abashed obliquity of sight That each pei-plexed, but failing to impart The wished reUef : yet still, their chief delight Was in the side-long glance, and promenade by night. They felt unsatisfied and wearied — lost, Desirous both to speak, yet both afraid ; Each bosom with untutored feelings tossed, That ever and anon themselves betrayed ; Orlando's right hand on his breast was laid, His left fore-finger to his forehead prest ; The fair H)rperia with her bodkin played, And strove to appear as tranquil as the rest : While both, although at sea, with studied neatness dressed. Heavens ! what a silly thing Love makes a man : Him, who dare charge up to a battery Of cannon, trembles at a slender fan In Beauty's grasp ; and most ungallantly Gluails at a glance, barbed with the radiancy Of woman's gazelle eye ; and his proud frame Thrills like an aspen, if, but harmlessly. The velvet touch of her soft finger, shame His cheek into a blush, and wrap the heart in flame. XXII. Contrast with such the softer sex, who meet Love unembarrassed, save a deeper glow, And rather court with looks and smiles full sweet. The touch so sensitive to many a beau, Calm as the bosom of the lake below. Kissed by the warm lip of the king of day : Nought but the silent mantling blush, doth show They feel the influence of that subtile ray, That, with electric shock, thrills through man's coarser clay- PART I.] THE DEEP. gj All potent beauty, throned in woman's eye, Humbling the proudest spirit to entreat, Inspiring chivalry to nobly die, Or lay its gorgeous tribute at thy feet : Warming the bosom with a fervid heat, Unquenchable as light — a fierce desire, That knows no law, yet ever shrinks to meet The weal it covets : say, what doth inspire Thy sweet alluring charm — thy warm essential fire ! It is the hallowed effluence of Heaven, That burns immortal, unoriginate, Whose essence through all being interwoven, Warms through the vast material create: Sliines in each starry hierarchal state, Reflects from rolling orbs that round it move. Glows in all nature's forms inanimate. And smiles in all that lives — and this is Love, That through immensity irradiates from above. XXV. So circumstanced — ^with minds attempered so. Daily and hourly meeting, it were vain To affect false delicacy — outward show Of cool indifference: when glances pain, The curbed tongue struggles for the flowing rein: The music of the voice falls on the ear In sweetest accents, as the weary chain Is loosened ; and the spirit lone and drear, With light and buoyant glow assumes its wonted cheer. The bosom, touched with some new sentuuent Of friendship or of love, for one unknown — With melancholy tinged — will not content To enjoy the presence of that one, alone i Eyes may tell tales ; but the soft silvery tone Awakes the gentle chord of sympathy, Which etiquette — whose sway the sexes own — Would jeopardize for cold formahty : But loose the tongue — at once the UBprisoned soul is free. 6 (52 THE LOVERS OF [cANTO n I So with my Neophytes : strangers they were Upon the wide-spread bosom of the sea : Orlando, burning to address the fair Hyperia : — she, no less ardently Wishing he might find some excuse, to free Himself of his reserve; and, half inclined To assist him in an act of gallantry, The lady stumbled, as a flaw of wind Struck the ship's larboard bow, and down the lee declined. The sailor flew to assist the fallen maid. Who, prone upon the deck, disordered lay; Nor with set compliments he tenders aid, But raises her, restores her disarray, And leads her back to the companion-way; Supports her tottering steps as she descends, For now, half faimting Avas Hyperia : But hartshorn, and some cordials he appends, Revive her m due time — chiefly, as he attends. XXIX. In harmless accidents — like this — where one Is oflimes of more service than a score ; A useless bevy of the sex will run, With reddened cheeks and clamorous uproar, And forced officiousness — which they deplore, Who seem the objects of their sympathy — CaUing in requisition, all their store Of smelling-bottles, and verbosity, To wake a maiden from an amorous syncope. And thus, Hyperia was doomed to bear AwhUe, the tortures of her feminine Acquaintance ; till she gently did declare Herself unharmed, and quite restored ; in fine, A little flurried only — she'd recline A brief space on the sofa, and compose Herself to rest, perhaps to sleep resign: And then, at her request, the ladies rose, Leaving the gentleman to watch the maid's repose. PART I.] THE DEEP. 63 She sleeps not — sleep is farthest from her thought, That crimsons o'er her cheek its silent bliss : Both felt that they had found, what each had sought In silence, solitude, and hopelessness — ■ A freedom from restramt, that pained not less Than unrequited love: Orlando bends Over her with unmingled tenderness, While she. her thanks, and rosy blushes blends With his warm sympathies, and both are more than friends. Friendship is but the stepping-stone to love, A calm, Platonic feeling, seldom warm : But when the sexes its ascendance prove, It soon arrays the young and graceful form With softer beauties and a sweeter charm: Then comes the wished return, as hope and fear Alternate sway with rapture or alarm ; Till, like two drops of water, verging near, Each tends to each, and both commingle in one sphere. Broken the spell, the parted lips did play, To yield the blissful interchange of thought; He was all animation, she was gay. Delighted both — a breath of air had wrought The welcome change : and here, perhaps I ought To moralize, and ponder how a squall — Which seamen ever view with danger fraught — Should harmless pass the ship, and disenthrall Two hearts, that long had wished stern custom to forestall. But 'tis enough the Muse has sung the fact, And showed how chance, or Heaven, did interpose ; Let others morahze, I 've not the tact. And pass the sunflower by, to pluck the rose: Freely to each, the youthful pair disclose That first important information, name; Then birth-place, residence, and soon dispose Of a long list of queries, of the same General import, which such introductions claim. 64 THE LOVERS OF [canto II. XXXV. Sweet social intercourse, life's brightest charm, Disposing hearts to friendship, or to love ; The genial current of the soul to warm With touches of that fervid ray above. Which burns through all the Essences that move In the bright fields of light : untamed by thee, Man still had been a brute — thou art the dove Of promise ; source of heavenly ccstacy. Earthly enjoyments, and each tender sympathy. By thee, angelic woman softens down The rough, unpolished manners ; gently she Subdues the passions, till they yield the crown Of grace to her, sceptred with modesty : With unplumed head the warrior bends the knee. And owns, in social intercourse, her power : Her vassals arc the pride of chivalry — Taste, learning, friendship, love, date from that hour, When woman taught the man to seek the social bower. Winged with delight, now flew the rosy hours, As each, with other pleased, held sweet converse ; Fancy arrayed the crested wave with flowers, Nor feared, nor thought Hypcria of the worse That might befal — she only thought of verse, And Orphean melody heard from the waves : No more it pained her, that they might immerse The ship, and sink her to the coral caves, Shores in the silent deep, where the surge never laves. She 'even forgot that danger was a truth, While listening to his voice ; and fancy, then. Would picture to her buoyant, happy youth. The home she loved so well — the rock, the glen, And blooming vales, that all the air impregn With fragrance: there, delighted, they might tread Each mazy path of verdant beauty, when The vessel reached her port : so thought, or said, Or dreamed, in bland repose, the gentle hearted maid. PART I.] THE DEEP. 65 And then the handsome sailor to present — Limbed Uke Apollo, with an eye like Mars, A dauntless front, modest, but yet unbent, Save to the twinkling ray of those bright stars, When Beauty, with her rosy smile, unbars The gates of love : his name and scars would shew, That he had served his country in the wars, And served with honor : passport, well she knew. To all the cordial welcome of a Soiilhern Blue, The lark's sweet matin song, that wakes the dawn. Should waken them from silken-bound repose. To drink the air fresh from the dewy lawn, Jonquil, and jessamine, and damask rose, And twining mornhig-glories, that unclose Their purple petals to the silont shower Of pearly dropping night: while Phoebus throws His golden mantle o'er each smiling flower, Rock, hill, and verdant vale, and balmy breathing bower. Beneath the shade of the umbrageous grove, Reclined on umbellated beds so fair. To listen to the notes of joy and love, Tuned by the winged warblers of the air ; And all unfettered, or by pain or care, Responsive to the melody, reply : While cooling gales attendant on them there, Murmured soft cadence to the minstrelsy : It would be happiness — she thought — and so do L XLII. Anticipation is a charming feeling, When born of purple hope, and sweet desire : Like a bright rainbow o'er the senses stealing, Warmed with innocuous, etherial fire, That lights the happiness it doth inspire : Some have no wish to woo this charming Fair, Who outdoes Nature in her rich attire ;• But Loft court the sprite, and must declare, That pleasure blooms among her gardens of the air. a* 66 THE LOVERS OF [ CANTO «, Orlando, too, indulged in fancy's dreams — The morning walk, the summer-house retreat, Shaded with woodbine from day's sultry beams, And fringed with flowers all radiant and sweet : And then, to make the illusion quite complete, Hyperia, in a robe of flowing white. Reclined at no great distance from his seat ; Warbling the ballad Goldsmith did indite, "Which Burchell read, while his Sophia smiled delight. He mused of airings in the afternoon. Himself attendant on the bi'ight-eyed maid ; Of evening promenades beneath the moon, Whose silver ray lit up the sombre glade, And cast a shadow from the bowers of shade: With the sweet girl to range the flowery dell, And listen to the tinkling serenade Of murmuring rivulet ; and stories tell. Him of some gallant youth — she of some brilliant belle. And then, Hyperia, so sweet a name, That on the ear, fell in melodious tone ; Her voice breathed softest music, and did shame The tuneful mocking-bird ; her slender zone Was clasped with elegance, while beauty's own Ray tinged her damask cheek, whose orbs so bright. Beamed with expressive purity, that shone Like Venus on the morn, with heavenly light. Peerless above the starry jewelry of night. XLVI. The high-souled youth was Beauty's willing slave ; He read — conversed with her, and oft would tell The dangers he had passed upon the wave. When o'er the ship the storm of battle fell, And belching cannon roared the seaman's knell : When, hand to hand, the fierce divisions fought, And victory hung doubtful o'er the swell : While she, like Desdcmona, listening, thought She never heard before such deeds oif daring wrought. ?ART I.] THE DEEP. g^ And when bright Sol, declining to the West, Laved in the ocean his last ray of light, With rosy parting left the world to rest. While sombre Evening Ut the lamps of night: He led her to the deck, where the moonlight Danced on the wave; and from the mellow flute, Poured on her ear the solos of delight; While she accompanied with voice and lute, And oceaix smiled amain, and Ustening winds were mute. So, at the dawn, they left their berths below, To inhale the ocean breeze ; as fresh it blew, Wreathing each swelling wave with feathery snow, Light as the vapor of the humid dew, Or silken down upon the violet blue : While others slept, this pair improved the hour. And, from the heart's ambrosial fountain, drew The stream of happiness, that smiles to shower Her blessings on the young, as dews imprcgn the flower. Thus, morn and evening found them side by side : That is, as near as strict propriety Would tolerate : I cannot tell how wide They sat apart — perhaps a yard might be The standard measure — quite a space at sea, As, reading in the cabin, they reclined At each end of the sofa, languidly ; But when a sudden squall, or flaw of wind To leeward pitched the chairs, they were not thus confined. Such accidents are frequent on the wave, When, by a sudden lurch, the ship heels down; And one will catch at any thing, to save One's self from bruises, or a broken crown : So did Hyperia, as she was thrown Three or four times a-lee; and naturally Orlando did the same; and thus 'tis shown How both were sometimes lying helplessly. Each, in the other's grasp, hurled by the treacherous sea. 6S THE .LOVERS OF [canto ii. A week was passed in unalloyed delight, As o'er the bounding wave the vessel drove; The hours, on golden pinions, fanned their flight, And Venus, hovering with her sacred dove. Bore in her arms the quivered God of Love : Unwittingly each bosom was unclosed, And felt the unerring shaft launched from above : On friendship each had thoughtlessly reposed, Till the tale-telling eye the thrilling truth disclosed. They were in love ! Deep in each heart the wound That bleeds in sighs alone, yet pains the more : Each heart in those enchanted fetters bound, Soft as the eider down, from Norway's shore, Prest by Sultanas, when their slaves adore, Yet firm as adamant — a lasting chain, That binds the firmer as the longer wore : Nor force, nor fate, can rend the bands in twain, For, while the pulses beat, they ne'er dissolve again. They loved, and knew they loved — yet durst not show it ; For Love's a very dolt — a shame- faced boy ; I have had some experience, and I know it, And therefore speak advisedly — via foil As says the Frenchman — love's a painful joy. Trembling twixt hope and fear; the cheeks suffused With burning blushes, till the lips employ That rhetoric, which maiden ne'er refused. When pressed by welcome knight — from welcome knight excused. Fortune, thou art a Goddess— men say, blind'; Love, too, is blind, and is thy younger brother ; For thy best gifts are oftentimes assigned, When Love and Fortune meet with one another: Thou and I never met — but with the other I 'vc had a long acquaintance ; and I would That Love and Fortune had been both together. When I staked for the prize : Orlando wooed, And wealth and beauty won, as they flew o'er the flood. i PARTI.] the; DEEP. 69 Love in a palace, or love in a cot, Love on the ocean, or love in the vale ; Give me the love of rural breathing spot, Warmed by May's ruby lip, fanned by the gale Of ardent Smnmer — where the sweets exhale From blooming grove, from forest, verdant hill, And field of waving corn, and flowery dale : My music, the soft cadence of the rill. The note of katy-did, and the lone whip-poor-vsdll. My charmer, fair as the voluptuous Clueen, Wlio wed the God that forged the bolts of Jove j Chaste as the Huntress of the sylvan scene, Warm as the cherub-painted God of Love: Sweet as the maiden who was wont to rove, And weave her garlands by the flowery Dis : Tender, and true, and artless as the dove, And then, should plenty at the board ne'er miss, I'd run the risk, once more — to taste hymeneal bUss. LVII. But in these days of falsehood, sin, and revel, 'T is but an even chance, we all must own, That, for an angel, he might gain a devil, Who sues for wedded bliss — the prize is won, Time lifts the veil — he finds himself luidone, And love's romance is o'er ! So end one half Man's bosom hopes, ere life is well begun : At one's first disappointment, few will laugh ; But he's a fool twice told, that twice is simple Ralph, 70 THE LOVERS OF [caNTO ll. PART II. The storm came rushing from the concave high, The winds swept o'er the deep— the deep uprose ; The Ughtnings flashed — the thunders shook the sky, And the ship struggled with her mighty woes : Hyperia, aroused from her repose, All pale and terror-struck, Orlando sought : In very agony of grief, she throws Herself into his arms, and him besought To save her from the waves, to foaming fury wrought. The affrighted maiden scarce knew what she did, For fear had sole possession of her mind ; And when she felt the truth, for shame, she hid Her burning cheek where she was still reclined, Locked in his arms, and on his breast resigned : How thrilled his soul, when, in that first embrace, He pressed the bosom where his heart inclined ! No time that blissful moment shall efface, While memory doth retain, or can the past retrace* Oh, woman ! In thy native purity. Thy graceful prime, and timid as the dove, All gentleness, in blushing modesty. Shrinking from danger in the arms of love: When pledged thy faith, and registered above, To one — thy bosom friend, scarce shalt thou fall; And woman's deep devotion well shall prove Her faith and truth — no danger shall appal, Nor sea, nor battle-field — for him she braves them all. PART II.] THE DEEP. ^j LXl. Fast by his side she dings, through weal and wo, And e'en through infamy, the stain of hfc : She wanders with her babes, content to go Where'er his fortune lead, through toil and strife: She was, she is, and will be still a wife, Faithful, till death the mystic bond dissolve, And leave her desolate : her heart is rife With all affection's noble, high resolve, Nor swerves from that true path, whate'er it may involve. Wife : there is something hallowed in that name, Which checks the basest libertine of earth ; Demands respect from the dark sons of shame, Who, humbled in her presence, feel her worth, Their degradation, and their moral dearth : They dare not gaze upon her with the eye Of brutal lust — demoniac at its birth : In conscious purity her graces lie, And unchaste thoughts, rebuked, fade at her feet and die LXUI. She walks in innocence, in thought and deed, Chaste as the fervid seraph of the sky ; She loves — an angel in the hour of need, And reads her honors in her partner's eye : Her cheek is crimsoned with the rose's dye — The blush of hope and joy, not shame's impress, As in her arms affection's pledge doth he, And adds another charm to loveliness, As morn arrays the flower in its celestial dress. The pride of chivalry shall bow to thee. Poets rehearse thy virtues; and thy name Shall grace the living page of history. Fairest of all upon the scroll of fame : Bride, wife, or mother, in her truth the same — All grace, all tenderness, the Heavens approve: Man shall award to her the holiest claim, Who forms his youth, his manhood doth improve, And yields the crowning bUss — her own undying love. 72 THE LOVERS OF [cANTO ll. I sing of charming lovely woman, here, Sweet as the rose, and pure as morning dew j Far other ones in beauty's ranks appear. And mourns chaste Dian that they are not few : My strain shall touch on such in language true, For whom the Graces veil themselves for shame; Who wear no blush, but to their sex untrue, Cast foul reproach upon fair woman's fame, And sullied, heart and tongue, give her a doubtful name, LXVI. Orlando touched Hyperia's blanched cheek With burning lips, and to his bosom prest; She, like a drooping flower, all wan and weak. Half swooning, half unconscious, and distrest, Upon that bosom lay in trembling rest: The frightened girl had never seen before Such war of elements ; and all imprest With thoughts of danger, from the fearful roar Of battUng wmd and wave, protection did implore. The weaker flies for safety to the strong. When sudden terror whelms the trembUng soul ; 'Tis nature's impulse, and is never wrong, Whate'er fastidious prudes, or fools, may dole Of strict propriety : let them control The heart's best feelings, till their weary stage — Cold and unblest — has reached the final goal In sohtary gloom: Love's heritage Shall crown our youth with bliss, and solace our old age.. " Save me, Orlando !" cried the trembling maid : " O father, mother, home!" — She could no more, But on his heaving breast her cold cheek laid. And shrunk in terror at the wild uproar: She knew the ship was many leagues from shore, And hope was fainting in her untried breast: Her heart was lonely, and she sought the more The only friend on wliom her cares to rest : As, round the stately oak, the slender vine is prest. FART II.] THE DEEP. 73 He calmed her fears, soothed her disquietude, And raised her from the depth of her despair ; With hope, the maiden's firmness was renewed, And cheerfulness, though sadness lingered where The rose was wont to bloom, unblcnched by care: She raised her eyes, suffused with pearly tears, And smiled the love her tongue could not declare : So, the bright rainbow in the clouds appears. Glows through the falhng showers, and all the landscape cheers. He kissed her tears away, and bending down, He whispered love : " I Uve for thee alone. Nor would resign Hyperia for a crown, Nor all the wealth that monarchs e'er have known Within thy bosom be Orlando's throne. Thy heart the empire of his lordly sway ; And thou the Glueen to reign within my own. And love with love the mutual tribute pay : Blest in the bloom of youth, and life's declining day." Her pallid cheek with crimson mantled o'er. As he, in Love's own accents, breathed his suit : Utterance were vain, but blushes told the more — Her eye was eloquent, though her tongue was mute : No longer felt the maiden destitute. And all forlorn, heart-sick, and overcome : The embryo blossom, ripening into fruit, With fond anticipations decked that home. Where Love might wed with bhss, no more from thence to roam. And now the Lovers understood each other. The charm was broke, the god triumphant reigned ; No more they need the rapturous truth to smother — No more the heart unto itself complained, And pined in secret, solitary, chained : Reserve was banished, all the tale was told, And love secure, in either breast obtained : So, when Aurora paints the heavens in gold, The vanquished night recedes — the flowers of hope unfold. 7 74 THE LOVERS OF [ganTO «. Perhaps, some folks may be disposed to stare At this relation, which is strictly true; And wonder how a maiden, young and fair, Modest withal — a wealthy heiress, too. Should thus expose herself to public view: Or, that a gentleman should undertake In the main cabin of a ship, to woo; When all the passengers were wide awake, And very like to see, and strange remarks to make, LXXIV. But let all squeamish maids, for explanation, Suppose themselves upon the raging ocean, With but a plank 'twixt them and their salvation, And all the elements in fierce commotion : The ship careering in a downward motion, Swept by the billows, in mad fury driven : The dames, I ween, would find in their devotion, Business enow — for should the ship be riven, Five minutes at the most, and they might wake in heaven. Sailors, besides, are seldom over-nice, Not too fastidious, but bold and free ; Careless of forms, they do things in a trice, As any one may know who 's crossed the sea: Love, friendship, honor, and intcgrit)'^. Form the sheet anchor of a seaman's breast : His fault — if really a fault it be — A careless, generous heart ; and for the rest, He would salute a maid, nor wait to be imprest And ladies, one word more — for I 've a plenty- Just to conclude : they both were young and gay ; She was eighteen, and he but four-and-twenty, She, blooming lilie the damask rose of May, He, like the stately rich Magnolia ; Both in life's buoyant spring, and beauty's glow; They were love's blossoms — should they fade away, Withered and barren, like the pines that grow On Jura's frosty heighf? Pray answer, yes, or no. PART II. J THE DEEP. 75 A truly modest woman I admire, Whose bosom is the scat of purity; That innate principle of virtuous fire, That shrinks intuitive, from what may be Indehcate and rude — but prudery, With equal ardor I detest : the gloom Of affectation chains the current free. And foils that sweetest grace, that doth illume The cheek alone, where truth calls up the mantling bloom. Of all the human bipeds of the caith — The young, the old, the craven and the brave. The good, the bad, and those of doubtful worth, The smooth-tongued hypocrite, the very knave, And, for consistency, I '11 add, the slave Of lust — the most contemptible is the Old Bachelor, just tottering on the grave. And pale decayed Coquette ; whose youthful glee Is puckered up in disappointed vanity. LXXIX. What they were made for, all the world doth know ; What they are good for, very few can tell : I 'd put the bachelors to '' rolling snow," And the coquettes, to " Ipadin^ apes, in hell:" Both have abused their being : thus have fell, Rebels to nature, and should herd together; Shut out from their society, who dwell In nuptial bonds — a soft and silken tether — And, in a wintry night, smile at the frosty weather. LXXX. Fled are the golden hours of ruby time, And the coquette — discarded now by those Whom she discarded, in her blushing prime — Is thrown aside, like to a withered rose, And left to quarrel with her self-made woes : She never loved, and now she learns to hate; And, from a venomcd tongue, her slanders throws On her own sex ; that love to desecrate. Which Heaven, benignant, gave to bless man's temporal state. Q THE LOVERS OF j-c^nto ii. LXXXl. And now, the hoarse-mouthed trumpet did recal Them back to recollection ; love's sweet charm Had bound them in a trance, thoughtless of all The terrors of the deep ; as if Love's arm Could calm the ocean, and the winds disarm: The gale had reached its height, and scourged the sea With fearful fury, and a wild alarm. That blanched the bravest cheek ; while all a-lee, The mountain billows rolled in sable majesty. The tempest rides upon the crested wave, And whistles o'er the main; the billows rise From ocean's farthest springs, and upward lave The sable canopy that veils the skies : Swift as a hunted deer the vessel flies Before the subtle, strong-winged element ; Now in the cradle of the waters lies. And now emerges, trembling, impotent, Like to a drunken' man, whose vigor is half spent. Again, the rose forsook the maiden's cheek, As from love's reverie she did awaken; Again, her pallid, fainting form grew weak, And all unnerved, her fortitude was shaken : The fearful tliought recurred — " We are forsaken, And left to perish in the frightful deep :" It was too much — so soon to be o'ertaken With sad reverse, when she had ceased to weep, And hope and love had laid her trembling fears asleep. She wept, despite of love, though love essayed To cheer her drooping heart: Orlando plied With naval rhetoric the sorrowing maid, And whispered — " Thou shalt be a sailor's bride :" Her woman's fears the danger magnified — Though there was danger that himself might dread ; But still the gallant ship behaved with pride, From every chasing billow onward sped. And, steadied by her staysails, nobly urged a-head. PART II.] THE DEEP. She answered but with tears — and well she might, For tears, and groans, and sighs, choked all below : Some wrung their hands, some shrieked in wild afifright, Some Heaven implored its mercy to bestow : Wives to their husbands clung in speechless wo, And little children wept in sympathy : Alas, for them ! So young, in life's first glow, To fade like flowers of Spring upon the lea: — For Death this night shall make their bed in the deep sea. Sweet, smiling innocence — inflintile youth, With ruby lip, and laughter-loving eye ; All unaffected in thy artless truth. Buoyant with hope — beneath life's vernal sky Pursuing pleasure, like tlie butterfly — To us, whose warm love would detain thee here, How hard it is to see thee gasp, and die Unnaturally ! albeit we know full clear, God but transplants the flower, to bloom in heaven's parterre. LXXXVII. At length Hyperia ceased, as she became Convinced that weeping would not lull the wind, Or calm the raging sea : her spirit came, SmiUng in triumph of a humbled mind, As she to Heaven her every wish resigned, And cast her cares on Him who rules the wave : Whose word the tempest and the ocean bind, Mildly to blow, gently the isles to lave, And glide serenely, where erst yawned the watery grave. She to her state-room's privacy retired, And bowed herself in low humility; Her heart, with holy fervor re-inspired, Blessed her Creator; and imploringly Besought his power to smooth the impendent sea: Heaven heard the suppliant, and from the throne Commissioned Peace to set her spirit free: Through all her soul the blissful feeling shone, And hope, and joy, and love, swayed in her breast alone. 7* 78 THE LOVERS OF [ciNTO M. Divine Religion ! From the realms above, The Father of his creatures sends her down, Robed in sweet charity and holy love. And diademed with Virtue's fadeless crown, To sway the sceptre of his moral throne, O'er earth accursed! Her power upon the heart And mind, we feel, as the tamed spirits own Her genial influences, which impart Grace to intelUgence, and excellence to art. She beautifies the earth, and lifts the veil Of sensual blindness from the human eye: 'T is then we breathe the freshness of tlie gale,^ When on their crystal wings the zephyrs fly, And cool the sultry hours: — when zenith high, In ardent Virgo, Phoebus rules the day, 'T is rapture then within the grove to lie — Sequestered shades — and contemplate the ray That vivifies a world, and lights its circling way. 'Tis then we taste the rich delights that flow Through nature's kingdom of all sweet perfume : The foliaged trees, the fields that wave below, Herb, grass, and shrub — the varied form and bloom Of earth's unnumbered flowers: the bright illume That lights the azure canopy, unfurled : The mountain's awful base — romantic gloom. That, swelling from the vale, with snow-wreaths curled. Rears its majestic head above the lower world. 'Tis then we enjoy the cool delicious spring. When summer's fervid warmth doth heat the blood ; While the gay-plumagcd warblers of the wing, Charm with sweet melody the listening wood : The feast of nature taste — each varied good, From creeping vine, low plant, and shrubbery, And lofty branching trees, pendant with food, Rough, mellow, smooth — a rich variety, Millc, honey, oil and wine, bestowed by Heaven so free. FARTIL] THE DEEP. 79 These he enjoys with double zest, who feels From whence each charm and varied blessing flows : Taught by Religion, all his spirit kneels. Warms in his bosom, from his eyes o'crflows, And tunes his voice to praise : who pays, yet owes Homage to Him, who makcst the hills to bloom, And earth to bud and blossom as the rose : Who all life's wants supplies, and through its gloom, Lights us to those bright worlds that lie beyond the tomb. Awhile, Orlando had resigned his charge, To assist upon the deck ; for now, the gale Was riding in its might, and all at large, Against the fated vessel did prevail. That could no longer bear her upper sail : Fore, main, and mizen-topsails now were furled, And on she flew under a small try-sail ; Low bending to the tempest, as It whirled The white spray from the wave, and swept the watery world. He, with a seaman's eye the scene surveyed, And all the motions of the vessel scanned ; He felt her helm, and finding that she made Fair weather, and was trim, and ably manned, Felt little doubt but she would make the land : She rode the billows like a wild sea-gull. Or tossed them from her bows on either hand : . And well secured in rigging, spars, and hull, Drove on before the storm, careless when it might lull. Assured the ship would weather out the gale, He sought the object of his cares below; Not doubting he w.)uld find her wan and pale, Trembling with apprehension, drooping low. The picture of despair and morbid wo — But she did meet him with a brow serene. And eyes whose fountains had forgot to flow ; And a sweet smile, that from her lips between, Illumed her dimpled cheek, where beauty sat sole queen. 80 THE LOVERS OF [cANTO li- Surprised, yet pleased, at such an unexpected And happy change, where all so late was grief; He wondeied much how it had been effected, When Love's own rhetoric, fervid, though brief, Had failed to afford the weeping girl rehef : And though perplexed, declared himself most blest, And very happy ; adding his belief, That she was destined for a sailor's breast, Who could be calm when all around her were distrest. She bent on him her eyes of fascination. That mocked the clear blue of the azure sea; Those eyes of beauty, formed for admiration, Against which youth had poor security, When shot their glances, barbed for victory : The smile of May her ruby lips did part, Those lips, where never pressed impurity : While Love, his rosy hue sent from her heart. Suffused her dimpled cheek, and shamed the glow of art, xcix. "Orlando," said the maiden, "God is just. And merciful ; I sinful, to despair. When in my Maker was my only trust, And not in man, the pensioner of air: Him, powerful to protect us, wheresoe'er His Providence may place our various lot: Safe in the tempest as the calm so fair. His eye remarks us — ever in his thought. Nor winds nor waves can harm, when he forbids them not." She ended, and her meek and soft blue eye Beamed with that holiest feeling, gratitude; Swelled from her bosom to its source on higli, While o'er her spirit, dove-like, Heaven did brood, And smiled upon the maid, with grace imbued: She seemed a seraph from the realms above. And while Orlando heard, he was subdued; With deepest admiration did approve, And reverenced her, who could such lustre add to love. PART II.] THE DEEP.. 81 Cl. How beautiful is Virtue ! fairer far Than all the pomp and jewelled pride of earth; Than princely coronet, or glory's star. Or martial panoply, or noble birth : She crowns her votary with rosy mirth, And the bright garland of immortal truth, Whose flowers array with excellence and worth, The course, the feelings, and the hopes of youth j x^nd in life's trying hour the fainting spirit soothe. cu. "Admired Hyperia! of women, thou Peerless among the fairest : nor alone The sparkling eye, and Parian polished brow, The damask cheek, where beauty sets her throne, The ruby lip, and rosy smile, thine own : Thy modest truth adds heavenly grace to these, Which, as a mantle fair, Virtue hath thrown Over thy vestal form ; that man to please. Who feels thy nobler worth — thy spirit's just degrees. " Henceforth be thou my teacher, while to thee I listen, like the charmed star of night. When, to the nightingale's sweet melody It flashes from the skies in hving light: When I am wrong, thy voice shall guide me right, As the fond bird of danger warns its mate ; And, rich in gratitude, be my delight To yield, what man may well appropriate — The heart's sole love, to her who cheers life's gloomiest state." CIV. He said, and rendered to the blushing maid The homage due to virtue, as she stood In beauty's warm, effulgent charm arrayed, And smiled celestial love : in kindred mood — It is no fancy's sketch I here intrude — Their spirits at this moment did unite, And twined in one: comminghng, and imbued With sympathetic fire, warm, tender, bright, That on hfe's rugged path sheds its soft hallowed light. 82 THE LOVERS OF f canto «. And now Hyperia would go on deck, To view the embattled terrors of the deep; j No longer trembling at the fear of wreck, She felt that curiosity to peep, Which, in her sex, is seldom laid asleep ; And proffering to Orlando her fair hand — Which he at first interpreted to keep — She signified her wish — at which command, He bowed his readiness, and led her up the stand. They stood beside the mizen-mast, that bent And trembled to the furious onset dire, Of the aerial, swift-winged element — That, like an unchained demon, breathing fire, Borne on a chariot. Whose wheels of ire Roll vollied thunder — coursed the sable sky, And o'er the waves of Ocean's broad empire, Swept like a God ; tossing their crests on high, That groaned and bowed beneath the tempest's majesty ! His left arm did encircle her light waist. Her right, upon his shoulder grasping laid ; The winds her wandering tresses had displaced, That round her snowy bosom loosely played : He looked a Hero, against Fate arrayed, Sustaining Beauty ; as when regal Mars, On Cythera, for Venus bares his blade. While round the coral base stern Neptune wars, Jealous, but impotent, to force the guarding bars. cvm. And here we leave the Lovers for a time, In contemplation wrapped, and side by side j Hyperia gazing on the scone sublime — That raged above, below, and far and wide, In sable grandeur, and terrific pride — . With awe and wonder never felt before, And admiration, which she could not hide : Orlando, bending his fair mistress o'er, And, in a trance of love, dreaming they were on shore. PART III.] THE DEEP. g3 PART III. CIX. The winds were huslicd, the billows ceased to roar, The clouds rolled backward, and unveiled the skyj Heaven's golden orb shone out, the storm was o'er, And all the elements in peace did lie: Pleasure and hope now beamed from every eye, As passed the danrrer with the gale away; The smile of cheerfulness calmed down the sigh, Lit up the rye, and round the lips did play, And cheeks did bloom again, and hearts once more were gay. Sweet cherub innocents, that erst did weep, Now dry their tears — the tiny maid and boy — "With rapture eye the gently murmuring deep, And laugh in all the exuberance of joy ; As, from the wave, the flying-fish deploy Their moistened {unions on the liquid air; And numerous as an India-bound convoy, The Portugue'-men-o'-war their red sides flare, Glide o'er the billow blue, or float supinely tJhere. Again the ship in flowing canvas drest, Receives the impress of the gentle breeze j And, like a sleeping albatross, at rest, Unconscious floats upon the azure seas, "While battling wind and surge no more displease : The steam is up, the wheels revolve again. And urge her through the yielding waves with ease; "While down the west bright Phcebus leads his train, And dips his golden wheels beneath the azure main. g4 THE LOVERS OF [c/NTO ii. Dark-mantled night sits throned upon the sea, Crowned with her glittering starry diadem; For ever glowing through immensity, Myriads of burning orbs-r-each orb a gem. Adorned by Him who first created them. To pave with jewelry the fields of light. Where God hath set his throne! The apothegm Is his, sustaining ever warm and bright. The gorgeous hierarchs, and wonders of his might. The zephyrs kiss the soft subsiding swells. That sluggish roll, forgetful of their wars; As the coquette, soothes with her smiles and spells The offended beau, whose peace she daily mars : But here no amorous feuds or family jars — Youth, beauty, age, the married and the single, Old maids and no maids, bachelors and tars, Now crowd upon the deck, together mingle, And wait the supper bell to charm them with its jingle. " Splice the-main brace !" The word is passed along, And welcomed fore and aft — the weary crew, Famished and wet, around the capstan throng, And tip the flowing can of " mountain dew :" The cheering beverage is handed through The laughing knots around, nor backward they To yield the nectar all the honors due : And one there is among that circle gay. Who will not soon forget the evening of that day. Let no reproach attach to this exploit Of female condescension on the sea; For the rude liquid they cared not a doit, And only sipped a little daintily. From the rough hands of ocean's children free: It was in compliment to those brave men, Breasting the fearful storm so gallantly. The ladies drank and smiled : at which, I ken, The tars refilled the can where Beauty's lip had been. PART III.] THE DEEP. 85 Ladies drink liquor ! There's an exclamation From an old maid, with upraised hands and eyes ; Who, while she "wonders" at the "profanation," Complains of heartburn, and so straight applies Her constant medicine — which I advise Her to take less of— gin and wormwood bitters : Alas ! the hypocrisy, that sanctifies The withered, sapless, disappointed fretters. Who hve but to impale and scandalize their betters, CXVII. And here, I neither censure nor upbraid The blameless Fair; who, for no fault her own. Is doomed to bud, to blossom, and to fade In her virginity ; her wortii is known In meek-eyed charity, for ever prone To all the gentle kindnesses of Ufc; And blest were many — not myself alone — Could they exchange for such a faithless wife, A bond of infamy, or a long lease of strife. And did Hyperia " tip the flowing can" To these rough navigators of the deep? Indeed she did, while o'er her features ran That courteous sweetness which should never sleep : Graceful she bent, and, half inclined (o weep. Smiled on the weather-beaten gallant crew, The swelling gratitude she scarce could keep Within the fountains of her eyes of blue : Two pearly drops that fell, did consecrate the "dew." Mirth ruled the hour, dull care was chamied to rest. And Hope revived, on purple pinion sprung ; The laughing eye the joyous heart expressed. And smiling lips, where gentle feeling hung, Their thrilling music round the circle flung. And woke to harmony the peaceful soul : Even age did feel itself renewed, and young. Held in the influence which enchained the whole. As friendship, love, and joy, through every bosom stole, 8 S6 THE LOVERS OF Some gaze upon the clear blue sky above, Lit with ten thousand lamps of living light; While other eyes o'er the blue waters rove, Scanning the sparkling waves with new deUght : Refreshing gales stream on the brow of Night, And fond anticipations cheer each breast, Of favoring winds — the morrow dawning bright, The ship no more by furious tempests prest, And, danger past, the heart no more with fear distrest. Some muse of home — the friends beloved so well, Long parted : and with rapture now retrace The hill, the lawn, the grove, the embowered dell. The mansion-house, each well remembered place. And many a smiling, unforgotten face. Affection's earliest pledge : the spirit yearns To clasp them in the warm — the fond embrace : While faithful memory to each spot returns. For home, delightful home, the achmg bosom burns. CXXII. Some seek repose, whence they shall wake no more, Till the last trump arouse the sleeping dead! Even now relentless Death is hovering o'er, On sable pinion o'er the ship outspread: Atropos waits to cut the fatal thread. Where life suspends above the yawning grave : The young, the beautiful, the aged head, Childhood and innocence — no arm may save : Ere morn, the most shall sleep beneath the dark blue wave. Now rose, full orbed, the virgin Clucen of night, And bathed her silver tresses in the main ; O'er heaven's blue dome shed her effulgence bright, And veiled in pearly light the starry train : A few, her sparkling retinue, remain To wait upon their Clucen, as through the air She bends in beauty o'er her wide domain. Smiles on a sleeping world, oppressed with care, And in the deep surveys her charms reflected there. PART III.] THE. DEEP. g^ Diana rules the night : it is the hour When Love docs homage to the Vestal Gluccn ; When Beauty radiates like that fair flower, Night-blooming Cereus, of graceful mien: When maidens list behind the lattice green, Love's tender vows breathed from the soft guitar, That float voluptuous through the slender screen, Disarm reserve, the gates of hope unbar, And tlie walked heart inspire to arm for Cupid's war. Now glows the hymeneal torch with softest fire, Burns on the lip, and sparkles in the eye ; The tender wish, the mutual desire, That warms each bosom in all purity, Erst formed above, to notes of harmony, Tuned by the angelic choir : who guard the bower, In radiant bands of heavenly panoply, And o'er the nuptial couch their offerings sliowor, Flowers of celestial bloom — pure wed