THE LIBRARY OF THE VNIVERSITYOF ILLINOIS ^^C/ivcjNNATI • 1 = PHILOMATHIC PRIZE POEM, I THE satsa (S)3< a!l!i£?S!S2A. A POETIC REVERIE. For Nature there, since first her opening eye Hailed the bright orb her Father hung on high. Still, on her bosom wears the enamelled vest. That bloomed and budded on her infant breast. PlERPONT. cmciJsrjsr^Ti: PUBLISHED BY THE PHILOMATHIC SOCIETY, Looker & Reynolds^ Printers, 1823 . . ■. S Digitized by the Internet Archive ^ in 2017 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates https://archive.org/details/museofhesperiaspOOpeir ADVERTISEMENT. IN November, 1821, the Philomathic Society, of Cincinnati College^ offered, by public advertise- ment, a Gold Medal, of the value of fifty dollars, for the best Poem that should be written for the occa- sion, by a citizen of the Western country. In rela- tion to the length and subject of the Poem, these restrictions were imposed: — that it should consist of not less than 400 lines ; and that whatever natu- ral scenery, historical incidents or existing institu- tions might be commemorated, should be of a West- ern character. By the first of April, 1822, (the pe- riod at which candidates were to send their perfor- mances,) twelve Poems were received by the Secre- tary of the Society. On the report of a committee, to whom the decision was referred, the Medal was awarded to the “ Muse of Hesperia,” the author of which, as was ascertained on opening the envelop accompanying the Poem, has declined ever ma- king himself known to the Society, so as to receive the Medal. His residence was not stated, but from many circumstances it is inferred that he is a citi- zen of Cincinnati. 367400 ADVERTISEMENT. VI Some of the other performances contained pas- sages of considerable merit, which have already been given to the public in a different form. “ The Banks of Ohiof by a Lady of Madison, Indiana, was adjudged next in merit, to the ^‘Muse of Hesperia.” The author has evidently imposed severe restric- tions on the full flow of his sentiments, and the ex- cursive flights of his fancy, by adopting a stanza of such difficult construction, — which is better calcu- lated for the Ode, than for poems of any length. That introduced by Spenser in his ‘Faery Queene,’ and so successfully employed by Beattie, Byron, and others, at later periods of time, is perhaps bet- ter calculated than any other, for the conveyance of serious and dignified sentiments. Though after all, the common heroic measure may be considered still preferable. Had the author adopted either of these, he would have rendered his production less ambiguous in some, and more interesting in all parts, to the reader. The Society do not give this as the best exhibi- tion of poetic talent in the West, but as the best that was submitted to their judgment; which, by an original stipulation of the advertisement, they are required to publish. In complying with this stipu- lation, they have been careful to procure the best mechanical execution of the work that was within their reach; and in doing so, they conceive they are absolved from every duty they owed to them- selves, the author and the public. ;..■ " ■,^:,l' f- , ' '.' ^ ■ V THE 1 . ’TWAS eve: the sun had sunk to rest Beneath a hill’s aspiring crest; But still the gush Of changeful light illumed the skies, And tinged the clouds with varying dyes. Till faded from our eager eyes Its latest blush. IL ’Twas eve: the hum of city-crowd — Now faint and weak, now clear and loud; The low of kine; The bleat of sheep on neighbouring plains; The milk-maid’s song of love-lorn swains; The cow-boy’s still more rustic strains ; At once combine. B 10 MUSE OF HESPERIA. III. ’Twas eve: the streams and groves along The Whip-poor-will poured forth his song In descant shrill ; And night’s more solitary bird His hoarse and boding song preferred; While ever and anon was heard Some distant rill. IV. ’Twas eve: in woodlands dark and damp The glow-worm lit his emerald lamp ; While to and fro The %re-flies darted quick and bright, As if the countless stars of night Had left their empyrean height To sport below. V. ’Twas eve: the toils of daytime o’er, I strolled along Ohio’s shore, Where yonder vale Meanders through a hundred hills, F rom whose high tops transparent rills Rush boldly down ; while music fills The evening gale. MUSE OF HESPERIA. li VL There, on the grassy shore, a grove, Sacred to Solitude and Love, Spread wide around; The moonbeams through the foliage played In changeful fits of light and shade; I trembled — paused — for lo! I strayed On fairy ground. VII. Now calm and calmer stirred the breeze, Till not a zephyr fanned the trees: So wildly sweet — So still — so awful — so profound — The breathless solitude around, That e’en distinctly seemed to sound The pulse’s beat. VIII. Sudden, within this fairy ring, Where Silence moved on silken wing, F rom harps of heaven Burst the full songs of seraph-choirs, As angel-fingers touched the lyres, And Music breathed with all the fires To poets given. IS MUSE OF HESPEEIA. IX. When lo! from heaven’s etherial height, Encompassed by a sheet of light, A spirit — fair As ever poet’s fancy drew — On viewless pinions downward flew. And, hovering full before my view, Alighted there. X. Against a harp her head reclined, Around her brows the laurel twined; — This Angel-form Through me, her idle son, addressed — My brother Poets of the West! — With noble air, this firm behest In language warm. XI. Know, youthful Bards ; — for scarcely yet Pieria’s waves your lips have wet, And scarce a wing Have you stretched forth in life’s gay prime To reach Parnassus’ height sublime, And scarce essayed in polished rhyme Its charms to sing; MUSE OF HESPERIA. 13 XIL — “Know, youthful Bards, to me belong The realms of Genius and of Song: —Who can refuse At objects great and good to aim, On Glory’s page to write his name, And follow on to deathless fame Hesperia’s Muse? XIIL “Know, youthful Bards, to me are given Ten thousand airs from earth and heaven; — F rom infant hours A pupil of the sacred Nine, Reared by Apollo’s hand divine. The soul of Harmony is mine, And Music’s powers. XIV. “ O’er stream, and wood, and grove, and lawn As Night’s dim curtain now is drawn, My object here — Bards of the West! is to inspire Your zeal to wake the slumbering lyre And reach, on classic wings, a higher And nobler sphere. 14 MUSE OF HESPERIA. XV. “Shall none but Europe’s favourite Bards Receive the rich and high rewards To merit due? Shall Byron, Southey, Scott, and Moore, Whom countless thousands half adore, f To heights sublime of genius soar, Unreached by you? XVI. “ And shall our Eastern Poets claim An immortality of fame. And they alone? Shall Pierpont, Percival, and Neal Apollo’s warmest breathings feel, And all his secret thoughts reveal — To you unknown? XVII. “No — spurn the thought! Be yours the pride To rise in fame o’er all beside: . For on your view Sublimer, bolder objects throng To court a loftier, nobler song; And glorious deeds of arms belong Not less to you. MUSE OF HESPERIA. 15 XVIIL ‘^Have you not Jackson? — cast your eyes Where Orleans’ orange groves arise — And see the foe By thousands fall amid the fight, Or save themselves by rapid flight ; While he bestows in valour’s might The final blow. XIX. ‘^Have you not Perry? — Erie’s wave Beheld his triumph o’er the brave, As, far and wide. Like northern tempests in their rage, The hostile fleets at once engage, And stain, as deadly war they wage, The lucid tide. XX. “And is not Harrison your own? The patriot — warrior — statesman ; — known Wherever Fame Hath borne the achievements of the brave? — Yes: and from death she still shall save, While Thames rolls on a single wave, His honoured name. 16 MUSE OF HESPERIA. XXL And is not Shelby/ too, your boast? The veteran-sage — ‘ himself a host’ — Kentucky’s pride; And Johnson,^ dauntless in the field; And OwEN^ brave, who scorned to yield, Who with his blood his prowess sealed, And nobly died? XXIL ‘‘And you can gallant Jesup claim, Who, robed in glory’s ‘sheet of Victorious fought. Where loud Niagara’s awful sound Was in the tide of battle drowned — And gained, with crimsoned laurels crowned, The fame he sought. XXIII. “Yours, too, the young, the generous Hart:^ — Oh, never did Kentucky part With one more brave; More prompt to march in Freedom’s cause, More zealous to defend her laws. Or one who sunk with more applause In Valour’s grave! MUSE OF HESFERIA. 17 XXIV. And yours the pride and grief to tell How Pike and Daviess^ fought and fell. Just as the foe Were hurrying in disgraceful flight! — Oh, stranger! tread their green graves light; For hearts of fire, and arms of might. Repose below! XXV. “What solemn requiem do I hear? And o’er the plain on yonder bier Whose corse is borne, Enwrapt in sorrow’s sombre shroud — Round which a legislative crowd Pour forth their grief in accents loud, Or silent mourn? XXVI. “ ’Tis Trimble’s® ! — he who gave support To Freedom’s cause, when Erie’s fort Refused to yield To British legions pressing round: He who — ere yet with awe profound Those legions fled — received the wound That never healed! c 18 MUSE OF HESPERIA. XXVII. ‘‘These — and their dauntless feats of arms. Amid the battle’s dire alarms And deadly rage, Where Death triumphant stalked along — These, these are subjects fit for song: With these — ^your own proud themes — prolong The Muse’s page. XXVIII. “And in the West do none stand forth Renowned for intellectual worth — Who nobly aim To win the wreaths to Genius dear? And do no colleges appear, Where youths may run their bright career To virtuous fame? XXIX. “Yes — young Ohio, rouse thy pride! See on thy far-famed river’s side. Where to thy mart Flows half the commerce of the West, Where wealth and ease thy sons have blest, Where honour rules the human breast, Unswayed by art: — MUSE OF HESPERIA. 19 XXX. “ See, where thy rich emporium spreads. And rears on high her hundred heads. To public view Yon dome in modest beauty rise; Within whose walls the learned and wise. Like Newton, with observant eyes Look nature through, XXXI. “ And thou, the birthplace of the brave, And promptly generous! who ne’er gave ' . The breath of life To one who felt no patriot- flame When foes traduced his country’s name, Or who declined when danger came To join the strife: XXXII. ‘‘Yes — bold Kentucky! Learning’s sun Darts o’er thy, classic Lexington His genial beams; The clouds of ignorance pass away, Bursts on the view a brighter day, And more enchanting, rich, and gay Each object seems. 20 MUSE OF HESPERIA. XXXIII. “ Yes — at thy soul-inspiring call, Yon noble scientific Hall A shrine became, Where youthful crowds, unlearned before, Kneel at its altar and adore; And quaffing deep of various lore. Aspire to fame. XXXIV. “ Shall these proud fanes that round us rise, These sages whom we all should prize For classic worth — Shall these remain unknown, unsung — Concealed the western wdlds among? No — from ^our lyres their fame be flung O’er all the earth. XXXV. ‘‘Lo! bursting on the astonished view. What landscapes, vast and rich and new, Are yours to boast! What mountains lift their heads on high! What lakes in boundless prospect lie! What rivers roll their volumes by. To yonder coast! MUSE OF HESPERIA, XXXVI. In no department of the globe Does Flora wear a richer robe, Of brighter dyes: Here, in the long career of Time, Nature still reigns in youthful prime, And objects beauteous — vast — sublime — Around her rise. XXXVII. Far westward, where the sun’s last rays Fire the wide landscape with a blaze Of dazzling gold, Huge mountains rear their giant-forms On high amid the wintry storms; And reaching wide their thousand arms, A world infold. XXXVIII. There, seated on his rocky throne, Enwrapt in clouds — supreme, alone — Where tempests blow, The mighty Genius of the West Hurls forth his storms: at his behest The thunders rage, or slumbering rest, To all below. as MUSE OF HESPERIA- XXXIX. ^"He looks around with kingly pride: Far eastward sees, expanded wide, Vast rivers pour; Far northward, arctic tempests rave; Far southward, golden harvests wave; Far westward, ocean’s billows lave Columbia’s shore. XL. How long the war-whoop, round the peak Of these huge mountains high and bleak. Responsive rung! How long those granite rocks have stood ! How long has roared that headlong flood ! How long has bloomed and died that wood ! ^ — By bards unsung. XLI. Nor are their beauties wholly fled Now that the white man’s restless tread Disturbs the gloom-— A gloom which swift before him flies, As meadows open to the skies. As forests fall, and cities rise, And harvests bloom. MUSE OF HESPERIA. 33 XLII. » “Behold, far north, yon inland seas! — Now calm, unruffled by a breeze, They silent sleep ; Now heave on high the mountain-surge, And wave on wave tremendous urge, And man and shattered navies merge Beneath the deep. • . XLIII. “ There, ’mid the solitude profound, With boundless forests closed around— From age to age Untutored red men plied the oar, Ferocious wild beasts trod the shore. And tempests swept their bosoms o’er With boisterous rage. XLIV. “ Anon, their placid, chrystal wave To all a faithful mirror gave. Above, around: There one might see the inverted skies. See constellations set and rise — Enlightening with their diamond-eyes The vast profound. 24 MUSE OF HESPERIA. XLV. ‘‘There, unobserved by bard or sage, For many an unrecorded age, The fairy-band, In cars of softest moonlight made, Drove o’er the deep; or, jocund, played Where groves adorned with light and shade The adjacent land. xLvr. “But softly — hark! the white man’s tread; And all the fairy vision ’s fled 1 — Lo! on the sight Bursts a new scene — which ne’er can fail To rouse your pride while navies sail, And squadrons o’er the foe prevail In equal fight. XLVII. “ See, far and wide, ten thousand rills, Forth issuing from unnumbered hills, Through vales and woods; Now gliding gently from their source, Now gathering strength along their course, Now rushing with resistless force To kindred floods. MUSE OF HESFERIA. XLVIII. See in one channel broad and deep, The congregated torrent sweep; Which, stretching far O’er many a wide-extended plain, Resolves its empire to maintain, And wages with its parent-main Eternal war. XLIX. As marching on its course sublime, Through what a vast extent of clime Its waters glide! From where the eastern mountains rise, , From those that meet the western skies. From where the lakes attract our eyes, To ocean’s tide ! • L. To seek a stream so long and deep, That flows with such resistless sweep, » Where turn our eyes? The Danube, Ganges, Nile, and Rhine, Were all their volumes to combine, This noble stream would scarce outshine For length and size. i> MUSE OF HESPERIA, LI. How long, through ages past and gone, Its waters flowed unheeded on ; As through the dark Unbounded forest’s gloomy shade In quest of game the Indian strayed, Or on its surface, sportive, played His simple bark! LII. And still enchantirfg’is the scene — Now orchards, fields, and meadows green Are spreading wide ; Now Art and Science, hand in hand. Walk forth; and, at their joint command, ^ Roads, bridges, cities grace the land, . And ships, the tide. LIII. “These mountains, vallies, lakes, and woods* These rills that glide^ and cataract-floods That sweep along — To you are grand and fruitful themes: Gild these with Fancy’s brightest beams. And wrap them in the wildest dreams . Of Fairy-song. MUSE OF HESPERIA. “ For whether Springs with warmth and showers. Gives to the trees and shrubs and flowers Another birth; As zephyrs on light pinions move, And warblers vocalize each grove With songs of gratitude and love, Or sportive mirth: LV. “ Or Summer darts his radiance warm, ^ % • And every vegetative form Is blooming fair; As rills and rivers cease to flow, As ardent suns resistless glow, And breezes scarcely seem to blow — So calm the air: LVI. “ Or Autumn through the orchard strews. And native woods, with hand profuse. His ripened fruit; As Flora captivates your eyes With all her gay and sober dyes. And the wild game in terror flies The close pursuit: MUSE OF HESPERIA. LVII. Or Winter from his store-house throws O’er fields and woods his fleecy snows; As his cold breath Whistles among the branches bare. Stills the sweet songsters of the air, And nips each herb and flowret fair With instant death: LVIII. “ Whether bright Morn o’er wood and lawn Spreads the first blushes of the dawn, With rosy hand; As through the air her sweets diffuse, And from exhaustless mines she strews Ten thousand gems of crystal dews O’er all the land: LIX; Or JVoon sends forth the sultry hours To scath the choicest fruits and flowers; As Phoebus now With undiminished radiance glows, And no decrease of fervour knows, Till Eve her dusky mantle throws O’er Nature’s brow: MUSE OF HESPERIA. LX. •‘Or gloomy Might extends o’er all The slumbering world her blackest pall; As from her seat, In ether fixt, she views the whole — The countless orbs that o’er her roll, And land and sea,* from pole to pole, Beneath her feet: LXI. “ Whether abroad the tempest lowers, The lightnings flash, and thunder roars With deafening sound: Or Nature’s face is calm and fair, And all that live their joys declare, And fragrance through the balmy air Is breathing round: — LXII. “ Nay — view it in what state you will— This Eden breathes enchantment still. Delighted here Fays, Sylphs, and Genii oft preside, Unseen on airy pinions glide, And watch and guard the landscape wide , Through all the year. 30 MUSE OF HESPERIA. LXIII. Must foreign rhymers still succeed In framing tales for you to read? Can feudal jars Alone inspire you with delight — As vengeful chieftain, squire, and knight Rush forth, in massive armor dight, To border- wars? LXIV. “ And will you not in lofty verse Feats more chivalric still rehearse? — The feats of those Who, where his herd the swain now leads O’er plains where peace to war succeeds — Met, and chastised for barbarous deeds, J ^ Their savage foes. LXV. “You will: — and while with grief you tell The sad disasters which befel Your grandsires brave, Forget not him, so often tried In dangers few have known beside: — Go, seek in frontier forests wide / , For Boone’s lone grave. MUSE OF HESPERIA. 31 LXVI. “ These are not all. — As Darwin flings His fingers o’er the finest strings Of Music’s lyre; As Flora’s various tribes he draws, Shall he alone unfold each cause Of Nature’s attributes and laws. And endless gyre? LXVII. ‘‘Permit it not. Be yours the task, As in Apollo’s rays you bask, The Arts to lead, And Science, to your fairy-bowers. To charm them with your tuneful powers, And crown them with the choicest flowers To bards decreed. LXVIII. “ Be yours the office to describe The blooming belles of Flora’s tribe; For, hidden here, Linnaeus’ self again might find New treasures to enrich his mind, To cultivate his taste refined. And judgment clear. 3a MUSE OF HESPERIA. < LXIX. “ Look through this pure and fragrant air. To note the volant minstrels there, As yet unknown; -The finny race that cleave these floods; That seek those fens, the reptile-broods; And beasts that roam these boundless woods, So late their own. LXX. ‘‘ Descend a hundred hills beneath J Where, dark as night and still as death, ' ' Yon cave appears; See its stalactites displayed, Its gorgeous fanes of chrystals made, Its lifeless tenant, undecayed For countless years. LXXI.* ( “ Sing how the soil which now we tread Was once the ocean’s coral bed;* ’Till, from the strife Of central fires, an earthquake-stroke Was given — the southern barrier broke; And lo ! a new creation woke To light and life. MUSE OF HESPERIA. B3 LXXII. ‘‘ How then, these vallies wide along, From northern lakes the currents strong, In eddying coil. Rushed southward with impetuous sweep Where now but rills are seen to creep. And formed these vast alluvions — deep ' In fertile soil. LXXIII. “And sing how long these ramparts rude,® Spread through the western wilds, have stood, Extended wide: Whether some bold adventurous host Of white-men, wrecked upon the coast, Could this stupendous labor boast; — Then fled or died: LXXIV. “ Or whether, whence old Ocean roars Round Asia’s hyperborean shores, * The Tartars wild Here wandered, and these bulwarks planned ; Till, pressed by some more potent band. They southward fled — and found a land More fair and mild; E 34 MUSE OF HESPERIA. LXXV. • ** - — “ Where, self-illumed, from age to age Man from a savage to a sage Progressive grew; Where, undisturbed by foreign foe. The infant Arts began to grow — Till rose the towers of Mexico And rich Peru. LXXVI. ^‘Whoe’er the builders may have been — How altered now the forest scene From early times! The former race, though rude yet brave, Perhaps from death their tribes to save, Forsook the land their fathers gave For other climes. LXXVII. Now ’mid these shapeless mounds of soil, Thrown up with long laborious toil, And want of skill; A cultivated landscape spreads. Towns, villas, cities lift their heads, And Commerce her rich treasures leads Along each rill. i. MUSE OF HESFERIA. 35 Lxxviri. Where late the war-whoop’s hideous sound Alone disturbed the silence round ; i Now thousands join In sacred harmony to raise The Christian’s grateful song of praise, To Him who beamed o’er all their ways His light divine. LXXIX. Where late the Indian wigwams stood, Deep in the unbounded range of wood, Where scarce the sun Could penetrate the twilight-shade ; Now domes of science stand displayed, Where youths to fame, by learning’s aid, j Their journey run. LXXX. ‘‘ Where lately armed for deadly strife W^ith tomahawk and scalping-knife. The natives strove; Now dove-eyed Peace triumphant reigns, And o’er the cultivated plains. In converse sweet, gay nymphs and swains Delighted rove. 36 MTISE OF HESPERIA. LXXXL — Here pause ; and with prospective glass Behold new ages as they pass In long review: Behold the various beasts of prey, And red-men more untamed than they, Become extinct, or pass away To regions new. LXXXII. ‘‘ See teeming cities rise beside Missouri’s and Columbia’s tide. And where the snow On Chipewan’s high summit gleams; — Lo! fields, and meads, and lakes, and streams, Now open to the sun^s bright beams. Resplendent glow. LXXXIII. “ See turnpikes and canals connect Oceans which continents dissect; See Trade rescind The orders which she gave before. And bring from the Pacific’s shore. O’er western mountains, to each door The stores of Ind. MUSE OF, HESPERIA. 37 LXXXIY. — ‘‘ And still to your aspiring song, In common, other themes belong: The fertile field Where nobler bards their laurels raise, (A boon which all their toil repays) As large a wreath of fadeless bays To you may yield. LXXXV. ‘‘ You, too, can aid the noble task Vice to expose, when she the mask Of Virtue wears; From Scandal’s shafts the good to save. From coward-tongues to shield the brave. And show the proud and wealthy knave • The heart he bears. LXXXVI. ‘‘You, too, can Virtue’s laws maintain, Defend Religion’s sacred fane ’Gainst atheist-arms; And from the cold o’erclouded night Of lone Obscurity, to light Of glorious day, lead Genius bright ^ In all his chairms. 38 MUSE OF HESPERIA. LXXXVII. You, too, can run each poet’s round — Can wander wide o’er classic ground, In thoughtful mood, Where famed Parnassus towers on high, Or Tempe’s blooming vallies lie, Or old Scamander murmurs by Where Ilion stood. LXXXVIII. Or where on high Olympus nods — The throne of goddesses and gods — Or Ida towers Aloft; or Ossa strives to meet The concave brigh*t; or, at his feet. Where Peneus winds through vallies — sweet V- With fragrant flowers. r' LXXXIX. “You, too, can gather flowers divine That bloom on sainted Palestine;^ - Can trace the shore Of sacred Jordan to his fount. Climb holy Gilead’s balmy mount. And all the toils and pains recount * The Prophets bore. MUSE OF HESPERIA. 39 XC. ‘‘ Can view the dead sulphureous flood Where Sodom and Gomorrah stood 5 The lonely strand Where Tyre and Sidon’s ruins lie, Where Nain and Nazareth meet the eye, Or Hermon, Carmel, Calvary — high O’erlook the land. XCI. For know, the Bard is Fancy’s child:. — Whate’er is grand, or strange, or wild, His genius moves; His pathway lies o’er fairy-ground, Where Sylphs and Genii guard him round; — Through realms on high and depths profound His spirit roves. XCII. A hermit ’midst the crowd of men, Through Nature’s works his restive ken Excursive flies: Though on the present moments cast, ^ He lives, in thought, through all the past^ And those to come, while time shall last To earth and skies. 40 MUSE OF HESPERIA. XCIII. “ He journies, careless of a path. Where the rude tempest in its wrath . Spreads ruin wide; Or through the dense untrodden wood— Creation’s gloomiest solitude; O’er mountains — by the cataract-flood — Or ocean-side. XCIV. ‘‘And learn this truth, my pupils dear! — Where’er you journey, or whate’er The plans you lay, Let Truth and Nature be your guide: — The moment you desert their side, Through trackless wilds you wander wide, And lose your way. xcv. “ Who leaves their fire, to warm his heart By the cold dubious light of Art, With gaudy flowers May please young Fancy for a time, And charm with brilliancy of rhyme; But ne’er can reach the true sublime, With all his powers. MUSE OF HESPERIA. 41 XCVL “ Art is the ignis-fatuus-ray That leads the wanderer’s feet astray; Fancy ^ a gleam; — The meteor flashes — and ’tis gone: — But JVature is the unwearied sun. That gives whate’er he shines upon A glorious beam. XCVII. “’Tis mine your bosoms to inspire With Genius’ warmest, brightest fire; yours^ in turn — While pressing for the shrine of Fame, To swell her records with each name — To make this heaven-enkindled flame For ever burn. XCVIIL “ To flatter title, birth, or state, — The poorly rich — or meanly great — Was never given So rich a boon on Nature’s part: — Oh, never thus degrade an art. Designed to lift the human heart From earth to heaven! V 4 ^^ MUSE OF HESPERIA. XCIX. “ Whoe’er this sacred weapon draws ’Gainst Virtue’s or Religion’s cause — Though he possest MaBonides’ and Maro’s fire, Or Milton’s lore, and Drjden’s lyre — Thrusts a keen dagger at his sire, To pierce his breast. C. ‘‘Whoever weakens or destroys This fount, from which the purest joys ' Unceasing flow; Buries in earth a diamond bright, Blots out the sun’s meridian light, Or hurls an angel from his height To realms below. CL “And envy not the cobweb-wreaths That many a modern rhymer weaves, His brows to grace; For these are but Mimosa’s form Amid Boreas’ wintry storm, Or hoar-frost ’mid the blushes warm Of Phoebus’ face. MUSE OF HESPERIA. 43 CIL “ And e’en the well-earned fame refuse Of Milton’s, Pope’s, and Thompson’s muse; Though fresh shall bloom Their laurels in the Muse’s page, And each historian’s pen engage — Though they themselves from age to age Sleep in the tomb. cm. ‘‘ Nay — copy not the noblest lays Of ancient or of modern days: — The genuine bard Dashes all rules of art aside, And, taking Nature for his guide. Reaps — as he roams creation wide — A rich reward. CIV. “For what, my child, is genuine song? — ’Tis not, as Fashion’s giddy throng So often deem, The far-fetched, witty, odd conceit Which all may write, as all repeat; Nor number, measure, rhyme, nor feet That gild each theme* 44 MUSE OF HESPERIA- CV, “ It is an undefined controul That fires — transports — illumes the soul With secret sway: And, reckless as to phrase or form, Bursts forth in language bold and warm — Like sunshine blazing through the storm Of winter’s day. CVL “ ’Tis not pale Cynthia’s feeble light. Faint-glimmering through a cheerless night — Cold — s till — profound ; ’Tis not a gloomy stagnant lake. Whose sleep no babbling rivulets break; ’Tis not a breeze that scarce can wake The echo’s sound. evil. It is the brilliant northern dawn^ In all the changeful colours drawn That bards describe; ’Tis now a river deep and strong Rolling in majesty along; Anon, a whirlwind ’mid the throng Of Flora’s tribe. MUSE OF HESPERIA* 45 CVIIL ’Tis now the thunder’s awful roar, Borne by ten thousand echoes o’er The vault of heaven Now, the swift lightning’s vivid rays. As o’er the clouds it lambent plays; Anon, the dread volcano’s blaze. With fury driven. CIX. “ ’Tis now the pine’s majestic form, - Which, heedless of the winter’s storm, . Is seen to bloom From age to age in youthful prime; And now a pyramid sublime, That falls but with the fall of Time, And shares his tomb.' CX. She ceased. — Around her sainted head An arrowy sphere of radiance spread, , Intensely bright; And, mounting high on wings of wind, She soared through ether unconfined And left a brilliant trace behind. Of vivid light. 46 MUSE OF HESPERIA. CXI. S:), sinking in the western main, Far up the heaven a lucid train Bright Sol displays: So, darting through exterior skies In crimson paths, the fire-ball flies, And for a moment dims our eyes With dazzling blaze. CXII. A holy silence reigned around — And, as I left the enchanted ground Where late she stood, Diviner spirits hovered there. More fragrant breathed the balmy air, And the full moon showed doubly fair Ohio’s flood. 4 ' NOTES NOTE I. And is not Shelby, too, your boast A reference has inadvertently been placed at the name of Shelbt— a name already too well known to require the elucidation of a note. NOTE II. “ And Johnson, dauntless in the field?"* Colonel Richard M. Johnson, of Kentucky, distinguished for his ardent patriotism and efficient services during the late war, and par- ticularly for his gallant charge at the head of the mounted regiment at the battle of the Thames, 5th Oct. 1813, NOTE III. “ And Owen brave, voho scorned to yields Who "with his blood his prowess sealed , And nobly died?* Colonel Abraham Owen, distinguished in the early Indian wars in Kentucky. Previous to the battle of Tippecanoe, he joined the army of Governor Harrison, as a volunteer in the ranks, and accepted the place of Volunteer Aid. He fell at Tippecanoe, in the early part of the action. ' G 50 NOTE IV. And you can gallant Jesup claim. Who robed in glory'^s ‘ sheet of flame’ Victorious fought.'*^ By the following extract from General Brown’s offlcial report of the battle of Bridgewater, it will be seen that the ‘ sheet of fiatne^ which might otherwise pass for a fiction of poetry, is an historical fact : — “ About the time Colonel Miller carried the enemy’s cannon, the 25th regiment, under Major Jesup, was engaged in a more obstinate con- flict with all that remained to dispute with us the field of battle^ The Major, as has already been stated, had been ordered by General Scott, at the commencement of the action, to take ground to the right. He had succeeded in turning the enemy’s left flank — had captured (by a detachment under Captain Ketchum) General Riall and sundry other officers, and showed himself again to his own army in a blaze of FIRE, which defeated or destroyed a superior force of the enemy.” NOTE V. Yours, too, the young, the generous Hart.” Captain Nathaniel Hart, a native of Kentucky, who at an early age fell a lamented victim in what may be styled by pre-eminence The Massacre — which will for ever cause the field of battle at the River Raisin to be remembered as a Field of Blood. The melancholy fate of this enthusiast warrior, so distinguished for chivalrous courage, and for the milder virtues of the heart so loved wherever known, resulted from the confidence he reposed in the assurances which he received from Captain Elliot, of the British army — with whom he had been in- timately acquainted in Kentucky. In addition to this assurance of safety from the Indians, Captain Elliot pledged his honour, that he should on the morrow be conveyed in his own cariole to Fort Malden. Instead of receiving the promised protection and conveyance, he was sacrificed to appease the contention of savages for his person. “ And yours the pride and grief to tell How Pike and Daviess fought and feUP Joseph Hamilton Daviess, who fell at Tippecanoe, was a native of Kentucky, He was a man of fine talents and indefatigable industiy® 51 He stood among the foremost in Kentucky in the profession of the law t military tactics were, however, his favourite study. Understanding that General Han'ison was authorized to march against the Indians on the Wabash, Colonel Daviess with a few volunteers w^ent to join his standard, and was immediately a])pointed, by the General, Colonel of Dragoons. He was mortally wounded during the action, and died a short time after its close. NOTE VI. gg. .K — ..o’er the plain on yonder Her Whose corse is borne ? «!: ♦ ’TVs Trimble’s ■” Colonel William A. Trimble, late of the Senate of the United States from the state of Ohio, was a native of Kentucky. He received a wound in the sortie from Fort Erie on the 15th of August, 1815, of which wound he died at Washington in the winter of 1821-22, NOTE VII. “ Descend^ a hundred hills beneath^ Where, dark as night and still as death. Yon cave appears.’^ Alluding to the numerous and extensive caverns in Kentucky and other parts of the western country ; and moreover, to the several mum- mies found therein: one of which {a female) is deposited in the Cabinet of the American Antiquarian Society. — Vide Archaologim Americana, Vol. /. NOTE VIII. “ Sing horw the soil tvhich now we tread Was once the ocean* s coral bed*^ That the valley of the Mississippi, extending from the range of the Alleghany mountains on the east, to that of the Chipewan on the west ; and from the great chain of Lakes on the north, to the Gulf of Mexico on the south, was the bed of an ocean at a comparatively late period of the world — has been rendered mifficiently probable from a geo- logical examination of this extensive region. For the different theories respecting the causes which operated to withdraw this vast body of water, and at a subsequent period to pour such overwhelming torrents from the north along the vallies of the smallest as well as the largest rivers and creeks, as is indicated by the water-worn debris observable almost to the summits of the bordering hills — see Dr, Drake^s Pic- ture of Cincinnati^ and Hayden's Geological Essays, NOTE IX. And sing hoiv long these ramparts rude. Spread through the ‘western wilds, have stoodP For conjectures respecting the Ancient Works of the western coun- try, and the origin, history and final destiny of their authors-«see Cla- vigero'^s Hist, JVLex, — Humboldt's Trav,~-*Dr, Barton^s Letter to Dr, Priestly in Trans. Amer, Phil, Soc, Vol. IF. — Dr. Drake^s Pic. Cin . — Breckenridge‘'s View of Louisiana. — Dr. JHitcheWs Letters to Sec, Amer. Antiq. Soc. — and Description of the Antiquities of the Western States, by Caleb Atwater. I j I