Poetical Effusions.

THE VISION.

CANTO FIRST.

ON Kilda's rock a man of pensive mien, Sat thoughtful, gazing on the restless deep, And as he mark'd with what a rapid sweep, Wave after wave rush'd onward to the shore ; He thought of life's for ever changing scene, How just a picture of the sons of men, Race after race they sink to rise no more.

For him alas ! more mournful musings wait ; Ah ! wretch unhappy, destin'd to forsee, What sad, sad scenes in future times should be What long protracted years of human woe, The dreadful secrets of the womb of fate, Of suffering Europe the unhappy state, Doom'd war's gigantic ills, a cruel train, to know.

For while he gaz'd before his wond'ring eyes ; Her hundred states majestic rose to view, In ev'ry varying feature nicely true, All strongly pictur'd by an unseen hand. There, snow-crown'd mountains towering to the skies, Here, vine-clad hills with gentler swells arise ; There, flowery plains were spread, a green delightful land.

Plac'd in the midst, on ocean's billowy plain Sublimely stood fair Albion's favour'd land ; Her rocks, strong fortresses by nature plann'd, Built round her shores in many a rugged pile ;

Her sons, a brave intrepid gen'rous train, Freedom their boast, the rulers of the main, Her navies " hearts of oak" the guardians of the isle.

The wond'ring peasant saw with deep surprise, The lovely vision glide before his view ; Soon scenes more strange his fix'd attention drew, For in the midst a dreadful phantom rose, Of form terrific and gigantic size, The darts of death shot from his fiery eyes, Thick rolling clouds of smoke enveloped his brows.

O'er many a land his glitt'ring lance he shook, Shrieks of despair were echoed far and wide ; Dismay'd and terror-struck on ev'ry side, The guardian Genii of the nations fled. With frown tremendous and appalling look, And voice of thunder, thus the phantom spoke, In tones whose echo fill'd th' astonish'd world with dread.

" Spirit of desolation hither come, From realms, of pow'rful empires once the seat, Of arts and sciences the fam'd retreat, Now provinces beneath a tyrant's sway; 'Mid scenes like these if now thou lov'st to roam To feed thy sullen souls perpetual gloom, Contemplating the works of human skill decay.

" Or if those desart wastes thou hover'st round, Where trace, nor vestige e'er can be descry'd Of mighty Babylon Challdea's pride, Its scite to passing travellers to tell­

Where Balbec's fallen temples strew the ground, A sandy plain with broken columns crown'd, Beneath whose spacious arch the wand'ring Arabs dwell.

" Or scenes of fallen grandeur feast thine eyes, Where in its vast magnificence appears, The splendid ruin of two thousand years, The matchless boast of Persia's flow'ry plains, Persepolis, whose lofty columns rise, Stupendous work of art, which time defies, Which Asia's glory once, its wonder yet remains.

" Spirit of desolation, haste away From these vast monuments of ancient times, The mutilated pride of Eastern climes ; Nor the lost plund'rers of the earth deplore, Who gave these mighty wonders to thy sway My modern son shall ruthless be as they, And ruin mark his course from shore to shore.

" Ne'er shall humanity his hand arrest ; Stern shall he be, of unrelenting soul, Nor ever tender pity's soft controul, Restrain the dreadful purpose of his heart, But in his hard inexorable breast, Each fierce and furious passion be a guest ; By nature form'd to act th' unfeeling tyrant's part.

" Dark spirit follow where we lead the way, Europe's fair realms we'll sacrifice to thee, With gloomy joy thy sullen eyes shall see, New empires added to thy wide domains ;

Devouring flames her harvest's shall consume ; Her burning cities night's dark vault illume, And thou exulting stalk o'er her devoted plains."

He came to trace the sanguine steps of war­ Swift as the sweeping whirlwind on its way, Through realms, where mighty Princes once bore sway, The demon rush'd, and frequent turn'd his eye On Albion's cliffs, but bent his course afar, Where Russia stretch'd towards the Polar star ; And saw Imperial Moscow's towers in ruins lie.

The fiend exulting hover'd o'er his prey, A gen'ral groan through every land was heard ; The vision clos'd, the pageant dissappear'd [sicdisappear'd], Surprise and horror seal'd the seer's sad eyes, Yet thus he spoke, " Oh power mysterious say, Shall Europe then in her distressful day Ne'er find a friend, shall none to save her rise ?

Say ? is there no unconquerable power, Who dares oppose ambition's mad career, Dares from his grasp the reins of empire tear, And save mankind from his detested sway; Where sleeps that spirit fam'd in days of yore, Guardian of freedom since her natal hour, Where sleeps he, and the world to lawless power a prey ?"

CANTO SECOND.

He will not sleep: by Moscow's lurid glare Of fiery columns darting to the skies­ By her sad widows' wail and orphans cries, The groans of dying warriors fall'n in vain, And childless mothers, moans which fill the air­ The Patriot Spirit roused from despair Shall rise, and break indignant fear's benumbing chains­

Shall with the warrior's plume adorn his brows, Unshrinking fortitude, whose dauntless soul No form nor shape of danger can appal, Wisdom and valour for his aid shall join, The warring elements shall aid his cause, Stern ministers of wrath, and 'gainst the foes Of sacred freedom all their vengeful stores conbine [sic].

He will repeat from echoing shore to shore, " Princes of Europe, lift once more your eyes­ Enslaved nations long depress'd arise, Nor longer at oppression's footstool bend ; Firm be your hearts in this decisive hour, Unite with me, disclaim the despot's power, Be valiant, and be wise, and heav'n will be your friend.

Canst thou not paint the shivering native's joy, When breaking first the long, long, Polar night, The rising sun displays his lovely light On Greenland's barren rocks and frozen plains­ The glad surprise, the boundless ecstacy, The transports of delight with which they eye The dawn of morn's fair light upon their drear domains,

Can not imagination's eye survey, From his first rise above some storm-beat hill, The radiant track he measures widening still, And his bright beams the hours of darkness chace, Till to th' admiring view he wide display The glories of uninterrupted day, And the horizon round his circles vast embrace.

Thus Europe's sons will hail, in days to come, The spirit blest of Independence rise, While from the splendour of his dawning, flies The giant terrors in the demon's train­ Rise to disperse oppression's dreadful gloom, To call long buried freedom from the tomb, And bless the mourning world with happy years again.

So rapid on his course shall he proceed And the short circle of one rolling year, (The bright commencement of his vast career) His steady march along his destin'd way, Constant and firm, with still increasing speed, And reach'd the goal, from opposition freed, The glories of his full meridian shall survey.

CANTO THlRD.

Favour'd of heav'n, awhile my speech attend : On brighter visions now unclose thine eyes, Again shall Europe's realms before thee rise. Of this great drama mark the closing scene, Of wild ambition see th' appointed end, Tho' conquest and success its steps attend, Add pow'r awhile its crimes from vengeance screen.

The day of recompence will come, tho' late, For justice sleeps not, tho' she long delay T' assert her rights, and re-assume her sway, Time will the wisdom of her plans unfold, And these events to future years relate That lawless power has a determin'd date, Now say what other scenes thy joyful eyes behold :­

" My eyes behold a new and lovely scene," (With transport in his looks the seer replied,) " Once hostile armies by each others side In friendly bands exchanging looks of peace­ I see along the borders of the Seine, Illustrious kings, and chiefs renown'd, convene, To sheath the sword and bid war's discord cease.

" On a lone isle environ'd by the sea, Much less than that small isle that gave him birth, I see the mighty troubler of the earth, Who could not rest till Europe was his own, A banish'd exile from the world is he, Who thought that men were born his slaves to be, And vainly dreamt that world was made for him alone.

" Rejoice ye nations, now the world is freed ! For he, whose pastime whose delight was war, To whom t' was joy to spread destruction far, The great destroyer's dreadful reign is o'er, The end of all his triumphs is decreed, Beneath his sword no more shall kingdoms bleed : His iron sceptre now shall rule the world no more,

" Dethroned tyrant, where is now thy power ? Where now thy empire o'er a conquer'd world ? From thy high state by speedy vengeance hnrl'd [sichurl'd] Where now thy dreams of everlasting fame ! Thy voice commands the vanquish'd world no more, Thy crown, thy empire's vanish'd in an hour, And nothing left thee now but a dishonour'd name.

" On distant, cold Archangell's utmost shore­ Where the swift Danube pours its mighty tide 'Mid spacious cities rang'd along its side, Amid dark forests of Norwegian pines, Where down steep rocks the foaming Cat'racts pour­ And where Mont Blanc's stupendous summit hoar, O'erlooks Helvetia's vales, adorn'd with blushing vines.

"On lone Montserrat's rocky turrets bare­ And the vast Appenine's extensive chain, Which frown o'er many a fair Italian plain, Beneath a cloudless sky extending wide,­ Their rescu'd standards let the nations rear, And plant the flag of independence there, Firm and unmov'd as rocks for ever to abide.

" From Europe's various lands of every tongue,­ From lofty palaces, and lowly cells, From sterile wastes and lands where plenty dwells­ From peopled cities, and from spacious plains­ Let all her nations raise one general song, Raise the glad voice of joy, a stranger long And all their mingled tongues repeat the strains.

" Borne on the winds, let the glad tidings fly From the drear confines of the artic [sicarctic] pole, To where the Ganges' spreading waters roll In many a sweep Hindostian's plains among ; To where the tow'ring Andes meet the sky­ Let murmuring streams and echoing rocks reply, And ocean's mighty voice the joyful strains prolong.

" Bend from the skies ye spirits of the dead, Who nobly toil'd through many a year, to save Your country's rights and freedom from the grave, And witness universal joy prevail, Th' auspicious day is come for which you bled, Blest freedom is restor'd and war is fled, Join in the general song returning peace to hail.

" Britannia, long the suffering nation's friend, Thy troops assisted, thy example fir'd, Thy dauntless fortitude their zeal inspir'd ; Now they are free, another task be thine, The cause of injur'd Afric to defend, Plead for her rights and may success attend Thy efforts, that her sons may in the chorus join."