The pleasures of imagination: A poem. In three books.

THE PLEASURES OF IMAGINATION.

BOOK the SECOND.

ARGUMENT of the SECOND BOOK.

THE separation of the works of imagination from phi|losophy, the cause of their abuse among the moderns; to verse 41. Prospect of their re-union under the in|fluence of public liberty; to v. 61. Enumeration of accidental pleasures, which increase the effect of objects delightful to the imagination. The pleasures of sense; v. 73. Particular circumstances of the mind; v. 84. Discovery of truth; v. 97. Perception of contrivance and design; v. 121. Emotions of the passions; v. 136. All the natural passions partake of a pleasing sensation, with the final cause of this constitution illustrated by an allegorical vision, and exemplified in sorrow, pity, terror and indignation; from v. 155 to the end.

THE PLEASURES OF IMAGINATION.

BOOK the SECOND.

WHEN shall the laurel and the vocal string Resume their honours? When shall we behold The tuneful tongue, the Promethéan hand Aspire to ancient praise? Alas! how faint, How slow the dawn of beauty and of truthLine 5 Breaks the reluctant shades of Gothic night Which yet involve the nations! Long they groan'd Beneath the furies of rapacious force; Oft as the gloomy north, with iron-swarms Tempestuous pouring from her frozen caves,Line 10

Blasted th' Italian shore, and swept the works Of liberty and wisdom down the gulph Of all-devouring night. As long immur'd In noontide darkness by th' glimm'ring lamp, Each muse and each fair science pin'd awayLine 15 The sordid hours: while foul, barbarian hands Their mysteries profan'd, unstrung the lyre, And chain'd the soaring pinion down to earth. At last the Muses rose, and spurn'd their bonds,* 1.1 And wildly warbling scatter'd, as they flew,Line 20 Their blooming wreaths from fair Valclusa's* 1.2 bow'rs To Arno's* 1.3 myrtle border from the shore

Of soft Parthenope.* 1.4 But still the rage Of dire ambition and gigantic pow'r,* 1.5 From public aims and from the busy walkLine 25 Of civil commerce, drove the bolder train Of penetrating science to the cells, Where studious ease consumes the silent hour In shadowy searches and unfruitful care. Thus from their guardians torn, the tender arts* 1.6Line 30 Of mimic fancy and harmonious joy,

To priestly domination and the lust Of lawless courts, their amiable toil For three inglorious ages have resign'd, In vain reluctant: and Torquato's tongueLine 35 Was tun'd for slavish paeans at the throne Of tinsel pomp; and Raphael's magic hand Effus'd its fair creation to inchant The fond adoring herd in Latian fanes To bind belief; while on their prostrate necksLine 40 The sable tyrant plants his heel secure. But now behold! the radiant aera dawns, When freedom's ample fabric, fix'd at length For endless years on Albion's happy shore In full proportion, once more shall extendLine 45 To all the kindred pow'rs of social bliss A common mansion, a parental roof. There shall the Virtues, there shall Wisdom's train,

Their long-lost friends rejoining, as of old, Imbrace the smiling family of arts,Line 50 The Muses and the Graces. Then no more Shall vice, distracting their delicious gifts To aims abhorr'd, with high distaste and scorn Turn from their charms the philosophic eye, The patriot-bosom: then no more the pathsLine 55 Of public care or intellectual toil, Alone by footsteps haughty and severe In gloomy state be trod: th' harmonious Muse And her persuasive sisters then shall plant Their sheltring laurels o'er the bleak ascent,Line 60 And shed their flow'rs along the rugged way. Arm'd with the lyre, already have we dar'd To pierce divine philosophy's retreats, And teach the Muse her lore; already strove Their long-divided honours to unite,Line 65 While temp'ring this deep argument we sang Of truth and beauty. Now the same task Impends; now urging our ambitious toil, We hasten to recount the various springs Line 70

Of adventitious pleasure, which adjoinLine 70 Their grateful influence to the prime effect Of objects grand or beauteous, and inlarge The complicated joy. The sweets of sense, Do they not oft with kind accession flow, To raise harmonious fancy's native charm?Line 75 So while we taste the fragrance of the rose, Glows not her blush the fairer? While we view Amid the noontide walk a limpid rill Gush thro' the trickling herbage, to the thirst Of summer yielding the delicious draughtLine 80 Of cool refreshment; o'er the mossy brink Shines not the surface clearer, and the waves With sweeter music murmur as they flow?

Nor this alone; the various lot of life Oft from external circumstance assumesLine 85 A moment's disposition to rejoice In those delights which at a different hour Would pass unheeded. Fair the face of spring, When rural songs and odours wake the morn, Line 90

To every eye; but how much more to hisLine 90 Round whom the bed of sickness long diffus'd Its melancholy gloom! how doubly fair, When first with fresh-born vigour he inhales The balmy breeze, and feels the blessed sun Warm at his bosom, from the springs of lifeLine 95 Chasing oppressive damps and languid pain!

Or shall I mention, where coelestial truth Her awful light discloses, to effuse A more majestic pomp on beauty's frame? For man loves knowledge, and the beams of truthLine 100 More welcome touch his understanding's eye, Than all the blandishments of sound, his ear, Than all of taste his tongue. Nor ever yet The melting rainbow's vernal-tinctur'd hues To me have shone so pleasing, as when firstLine 105 The hand of science pointed out the path In which the sun-beams gleaming from the west Fall on the watry cloud, whose darksome veil Involves the orient; and that trickling show'r Line 110

Piercing thro' every crystalline convexLine 110 Of clust'ring dew-drops to their flight oppos'd, Recoil at length where concave all behind Th' internal surface of each glassy orb Repells their forward passage into air; That thence direct they seek the radiant goalLine 115 From which their course began; and, as they strike In diff'rent lines the gazer's obvious eye, Assume a diff'rent lustre, thro' the brede Of colours changing from the splendid rose To the pale violet's dejected hue.Line 120

Or shall we touch that kind access of joy, That springs to each fair object, while we trace, Thro' all its fabric, wisdom's artful aim Disposing every part, and gaining still By means proportion'd her benignant end?Line 125 Speak, ye, the pure delight, whose favour'd steps The lamp of science thro' the jealous maze Of nature guides, when haply you reveal Her secret honours: whether in the sky, Line 130

The beauteous laws of light, the central pow'rsLine 130 That wheel the pensile planets round the year; Whether in wonders of the rowling deep, Or smiling fruits of pleasure-pregnant earth, Or fine-adjusted springs of life and sense, You scan the counsels of their author's hand.Line 135

What, when to raise the meditated scene, The flame of passion, thro' the struggling soul Deep-kindled, shows across that sudden blaze The object of its rapture, vast of size, With fiercer colours and a night of shade?Line 140 What? like a storm from their capacious bed The sounding seas o'erwhelming, when the might Of these eruptions, working from the depth Of man's strong apprehension, shakes his frame Ev'n to the base; from every naked senseLine 145 Of pain or pleasure dissipating all Opinion's feeble cov'rings, and the veil Spun from the cobweb-fashion of the times To hide the feeling heart? Then nature speaks Line 150

Her genuine language, and the words of men,Line 150 Big with the very motion of their souls, Declare with what accumulated force, Th' impetuous nerve of passion urges on The native weight and energy of things.

Yet more; her honours where nor beauty claims,Line 155 Nor shews of good the thirsty sense allure, From passion's pow'r alone our nature holds* 1.7 Essential pleasure. Passion's fierce illapse Rouzes the mind's whole fabric; with supplies Of daily impulse keeps th' elastic pow'rsLine 160 Intensely poiz'd, and polishes anew By that collision all the fine machine: Else rust would rise, and foulness, by degrees

Incumb'ring, choak at last what heav'n design'd For ceaseless motion and a round of toil.Line 165 —But say, does every passion men endure Thus minister delight? That name indeed Becomes the rosy breath of love; becomes The radiant smiles of joy, th' applauding hand Of admiration: but the bitter show'rLine 170 That sorrow sheds upon a brother's grave, But the dumb palsy of nocturnal fear, Or those consuming fires that gnaw the heart Of panting indignation, find we there To move delight?—Then listen, while my tongueLine 175 Th' unalter'd will of heav'n with faithful awe Reveals; what old Harmodious wont to teach My early age; Harmodius, who had weigh'd Within his learned mind whate'er the schools Of wisdom, or thy lonely-whisp'ring voice,Line 180 O faithful nature! dictate of the laws Which govern and support this mighty frame Of universal being. Oft the hours From morn to eve have stole unmark'd away, Line 185

While mute attention hung upon his lips,Line 185 As thus the sage his awful tale began.

'Twas in the windings of an ancient wood, When spotless youth with solitude resigns To sweet philosophy the studious day, What time pale autumn shades the silent eve,Line 190 Musing I rov'd. Of good and evil much, And much of mortal man my thought revolv'd; When starting full on fancy's gushing eye, The mournful image of Parthenia's fate, That hour, O long belov'd and long deplor'd!Line 195 When blooming youth, nor gentlest wisdom's arts, Nor Hymen's honours gather'd for thy brow, Nor all thy lover's, all thy father's tears Avail'd to snatch thee from the cruel grave; Thy agonizing looks, thy last farewelLine 200 Struck to the inmost feeling of my soul As with the hand death. At once the shade More horrid nodded o'er me, and the winds With hoarser murm'ring shook the branches. Dark Line 205

As midnight storms, the scene of human thingsLine 205 Appear'd before me; desarts, burning sands, Where the parch'd adder dies; the frozen south, And desolation blasting all the west With rapine and with murder: tyrant-pow'r Here sits inthron'd in blood; the baleful charmsLine 210 Of superstition there infect the skies, And turn the sun to horror. Gracious heav'n! What is the life of man? Or cannot these, Not these portents thy awful will suffice? That propagated thus beyond their scope,Line 215 They rise to act their cruelties anew In my afflicted bosom, thus decreed The universal sensitive of pain, The wretched heir of evils not its own!

Thus I, impatient; when at once effus'd,Line 220 A flashing torrent of coelestial day Burst thro' the shadowy void. With slow descent A purple cloud came floating thro' the sky, And pois'd at length within the circling trees, Line 225

Hung obvious to my view: till opening wideLine 225 Its lucid orb, a more than human form Emerging lean'd majestic o'er my head, And instant thunder shook the conscious grove. Then melted into air the liquid cloud, And all the shining vision stood reveal'd.Line 230 A wreath of palm his ample forehead bound, And o'er his shoulder, mantling to his knee, Flow'd the transparent robe, around his waist Collected with a radiant zone of gold Aethereal: there in mystic signs ingrav'd,Line 235 I read his office high and sacred name, Genius of human kind. Appall'd I gaz'd The godlike presence; for athwart his brow Displeasure, temper'd with a mild concern, Look'd down reluctant on me, and his wordsLine 240 Like distant thunders broke the murm'ring air.

Vain are thy thoughts, O child of mortal birth, And impotent thy tongue. Is thy short span Capacious of this universal frame? Line 245

Thy wisdom all-sufficient? Thou, alas!Line 245 Dost thou aspire to judge between the lord Of nature and his works? to lift thy voice Against the sov'reign order he decreed All good and lovely? to blaspheme the bands Of tenderness innate and social love,Line 250 Holiest of things! by which the general orb Of being, as with adamantine links, Was drawn to perfect union and sustain'd From everlasting? Hast thou felt the pangs Of soft'ning sorrow, of indignant zealLine 255 So grievous to the soul, as thence to wish The ties of nature broken from thy frame; That so thy selfish, unrelenting heart May cease to mourn its lot, no longer then The wretched heir of evils not its own?Line 260 O fair benevolence of gen'rous minds! O man by nature form'd for all mankind!

He spoke; abash'd and silent I remain'd, As conscious of my lips' offence, and aw'd Line 265

Before his presence, tho' my secret soulLine 265 Disdain'd the imputation. On the ground I fix'd my eyes; till from his airy couch He stoop'd sublime, and touching with his hand My dazzled forehead, Raise thy sight, he cry'd, And let thy sense convince thy erring tongue.Line 270

I look'd, and lo! the former scene was chang'd; For verdant alleys and surrounding trees, A solitary prospect, wide and wild, Rush'd on my senses. 'Twas a horrid pile Of hills with many a shaggy forest mix'd,Line 275 With many a sable cliff and glitt'ring stream. Aloft recumbent o'er the hanging ridge, The brown woods wav'd, while ever-trickling springs Wash'd from the naked roots of oak and pine, The crumbling soil; and still at every fallLine 280 Down the steep windings of the channel'd rock, Remurm'ring rush'd the congregated floods With hoarser inundation; till at last They reach'd a grassy plain, which from the skirts Line 285

Of that high desart spread her verdant lap,Line 285 And drank the gushing moisture, where confin'd In one smooth current, o'er the lilied vale Clearer than glass it flow'd. Autumnal spoils Luxuriant spreading to the rays of morn, Blush'd o'er the cliffs, whose half-incircling moundLine 290 As in a sylvan theatre inclos'd That flow'ry level. On the river's brink I spy'd a fair pavilion, which diffus'd Its floating umbrage 'mid the silver shade Of osiers. Now the western sun reveal'dLine 295 Between two parting cliffs his golden orb, And pour'd across the shadow of the hills, On rocks and floods, a yellow stream of light That chear'd the solemn scene. My list'ning pow'rs Were aw'd, and every thought in silence hung,Line 300 And wond'ring expectation. Then the voice Of that coelestial pow'r, the mystic show Declaring, thus my deep attention call'd.

Inhabitant of earth, to whom is giv'n* 1.8 The gracious ways of providence to learn,Line 305 Receive my sayings with a stedfast ear— Know then, the sov'reign spirit of the world, Tho' self-collected from eternal time, Within his own deep essence he beheld The circling bounds of happiness unite;Line 310 Yet by immense benignity inclin'd

To spread around him that primaeval joy Which fill'd himself, he rais'd his plastic arm, And sounded thro' the hollow depth of space The strong, creative mandate. Strait aroseLine 315 These heav'nly orbs, the glad abodes of life Effusive kindled by his breath divine Thro' endless forms of being. Each inhal'd From him its portion of the vital flame, In measure such, that from the wide complexLine 320 Of coexistent orders, one might rise,

One order, all-involving and intire.* 1.9 He too beholding in the sacred light Of his essential reason, all the shapes Of swift contingence, all successives tiesLine 325 Of action propagated thro' the sum Of possible existence, he at once, Down the long series of eventful time, So fix'd the dates of being, so dispos'd, To every living soul of every kind,Line 330 The field of motion and the hour of rest, That all conspir'd to his supreme design, To universal good: with full accord Answ'ring the mighty model he had chose, The best and fairest of unnumber'd worlds* 1.10Line 335 That lay from everlasting in the store

Of his divine conceptions. Nor content, By one exertion of creating pow'r His goodness to reveal; thro' every age, Thro' every moment up the tract of time,Line 340 His parent-hand with ever-new increase Of happiness and virtue has adorn'd The vast harmonious frame: his parent-hand, From mute shell-fish gasping on the shore, To men, to angels, to coelestial minds,Line 345 For ever leads the generations on To higher scenes of being; while supply'd From day to day by his enlivening breath, Inferior orders in succession rise To fill the void below. As flame ascends,* 1.11Line 350 As bodies to their proper center move, As the poiz'd ocean to th' attracting moon Obedient swells, and every headlong stream Devolves its winding waters to the main; So all things which have life aspire to GOD,Line 355

The sun of being, boundless, unimpair'd, Center of souls! Nor does the faithful voice Of nature cease to prompt their eager steps Aright; nor is the care of heav'n witheld From granting to the task proportion'd aid;Line 360 That in their stations all may persevere To climb th' ascent of being, and approach For ever nearer to the life divine.

That rocky pile thou see'st, that verdant lawn Fresh-water'd from the mountains. Let the sceneLine 365 Paint in thy fancy the primaeval seat Of man, and where the will supreme ordain'd His mansion, that pavilion fair-diffus'd Along the shady brink, in this recess To wear th' appointed season of his youth;Line 370 Till riper hours should open to his toil The high communion of superior minds, Of consecrated heroes and of gods. Nor did the sire omnipotent forget His tender bloom to cherish; nor witheldLine 375

Coelestial footsteps from his green abode. Oft from the radiant honours of his throne, He sent whom most he lov'd, the sov'reign fair, The effluence of his glory, whom he plac'd Before his eyes for ever to behold;Line 380 The goddess from whose inspiration flows The toil of patriots, the delight of friends; Without whose work divine, in heav'n or earth, Nought lovely, nought propitious comes to pass, Nor hope, nor praise, nor honour. Her the sireLine 385 Gave it in charge to rear the blooming mind, The folded pow'rs to open, to direct The growth luxuriant of his young desires, And from the laws of this majestic world To teach him what was good. As thus the nymphLine 390 Her daily care attended, by her side With constant steps her gay companion stay'd, The fair Euphrosyné, the gentle queen Of smiles, and graceful gladness, and delights That chear alike the hearts of mortal menLine 395 And pow'rs immortal. See the shining pair!

Behold, where from his dwelling now disclos'd, They quit their youthful charge and seek the skies.

I look'd, and on the flow'ry turf there stood, Between two radiant forms, a smiling youthLine 400 Whose tender cheeks display'd the vernal flow'r Of beauty; sweetest innocence illum'd His bashful eyes, and on his polish'd brow Sate young simplicity. With fond regard He view'd th' associates, as their steps they mov'd;Line 405 The younger chief his ardent eyes detain'd, With mild regret invoking her return. Bright as the star of evening she appear'd Amid the dusky scene. Eternal youth O'er all her form its glowing honours breath'd;Line 410 And smiles eternal, from her candid eyes, Flow'd like the dewy lustre of the morn Effusive trembling on the placid waves. The spring of heav'n had shed its blushing spoils To bind her sable tresses: full diffus'dLine 415 Her yellow mantle floated in the breeze; And in her hand she wav'd a living branch

Rich with immortal fruits, of pow'r to calm The wrathful heart, and from the bright'ning eyes To chase the cloud of sadness. More sublimeLine 420 The heav'nly part'ner mov'd. The prime of age Compos'd her steps. The presence of a god, High on the circle of her brow inthron'd, From each majestic motion darted awe, Devoted awe! till, cherish'd by her looksLine 425 Benevolent and meek, confiding love To filial rapture soften'd all the soul. Free in her graceful hand she poiz'd the sword Of chaste dominion. An heroic crown Display'd the old simplicity of pompLine 430 Around her honour'd head. A matron's robe, White as the sunshine streams thro' vernal clouds, Her stately form invested. Hand in hand Th' immortal pair forsook th' enamell'd green, Ascending slowly. Rays of limpid lightLine 435 Gleam'd round their path; coelestial sounds were heard, And thro' the fragrant air aethereal dews Distill'd around them; till at once the clouds

Disparting wide in midway sky, withdrew Their airy veil, and left a bright expanseLine 440 Of empyréan flame, where spent and drown'd, Afflicted vision plung'd in vain to scan What object it involv'd. My feeble eyes Indur'd not. Bending down to earth I stood, With dumb attention. Soon a female voice,Line 445 As watry murmurs sweet, or warbling shades, With sacred invocation thus began.

Father of gods and mortals! whose right arm With reins eternal guides the moving heav'ns, Bend thy propitious ear. Behold well-pleas'dLine 450 I seek to finish thy divine decree. With frequent steps I visit yonder seat Of man, thy offspring; from the tender seeds Of justice and of wisdom, to evolve The latent honours of his generous frame;Line 455 Till thy conducting hand shall raise his lot From earth's dim scene to these aethereal walks, The temple of thy glory. But not me,

Not my directing voice he oft requires, Or hears delighted: this inchanting maid,Line 460 Th' associate thou hast giv'n me, her alone He loves, O father! absent, her he craves; And but for her glad presence ever join'd, Rejoices not in mine: that all my hopes This thy benignant purpose to fulfil,Line 465 I deem uncertain; and my daily cares Unfruitful all and vain, unless by thee Still farther aided in the work divine.

She ceas'd; a voice more awful thus reply'd.Line 470 O thou! in whom for ever I delight, Fairer than all th' inhabitants of heaven, Best image of thy author! far from thee Be disappointment, or distaste, or blame; Who soon or late shalt every work fulfil,Line 475 And no resistance find. Is man refuse To hearken to thy dictates; or allur'd By meaner joys, to any other pow'r Transfer the honours due to thee alone;

That joy which he pursues he ne'er shall taste, That pow'r in whom delighteth ne'er behold.Line 480 Go then once more, and happy be thy toil; Go then! but let not this thy smiling friend Partake thy footsteps. In her stead, behold! With thee the son of Nemesis I send; The fiend abhorr'd! whose vengeance takes accountLine 485 Of sacred order's violated laws. See where he calls thee, burning to be gone, Fierce to exhaust the tempest of his wrath On yon devoted head. But thou, my child, Controul his cruel frenzy, and protectLine 490 Thy tender charge. That when despair shall grasp His agonizing bosom, he may learn, Then he may learn to love the gracious hand Alone sufficient in that hour of ill, To save his feeble spirit; then confessLine 495 Thy genuine honours, O excelling fair! When all the plagues that wait the deadly will Of this avenging daemon, all the storms Of night infernal, serve but to display Line 500

The energy of thy superior charmsLine 500 With mildest awe triumphant o'er his rage, And shining clearer in the horrid gloom.

Here ceas'd that awful voice, and soon I felt The cloudy curtain of refreshing eve Was clos'd once more, from that immortal fireLine 505 Shelt'ring my eye-lids. Looking up, I view'd A vast gigantic spectre striding on Thro' murm'ring thunders and a waste of clouds, With dreadful action. Black as night his brow Relentless frowns involv'd. His savage limbsLine 510 With sharp impatience violent he writh'd, As thro' convulsive anguish; and his hand Arm'd with a scorpion-lash, full oft he rais'd In madness to his bosom; while his eyes Rain'd bitter tears, and bellowing loud he shookLine 515 The void with horror. Silent by his side The virgin came. No discomposure stirr'd Her features. From the glooms which hung around, No stain of darkness mingled with the beam Line 520

Of her divine effulgence. Now they stoopLine 520 Upon the river-bank; and now to hail His wonted guests, with eager steps advanc'd The unsuspecting inmate of the shade.

As when a famish'd wolf, that all night long Had rang'd the Alpine snows, by chance at mornLine 525 Sees from a cliff incumbent o'er the smoke Of some lone village, a neglected kid That strays along the wild for herb or spring; Down from the winding ridge he sweeps amain, And thinks he tears him: so with tenfold rage,Line 530 The monster sprung remorseless on his prey. Amaz'd the stripling stood; with panting breast Feebly he pour'd the lamentable wail Of helpless consternation, struck at once, And rooted to the ground. The queen beheldLine 535 His terror, and with looks of tend'rest care Advanc'd to save him. Soon the tyrant felt Her awful pow'r. His keen, tempestuous arm Hung nerveless, nor descended where his rage Line 540

Had aim'd the deadly blow: then dumb retir'dLine 540 With sullen rancour. Lo! the sov'reign maid Folds with a mother's arms the fainting boy, Till life rekindles in his rosy cheek; Then grasps his hand, and chears him with her tongue.

O wake thee, rouze thy spirit! Shall the spiteLine 545 Of yon tormentor thus appall thy heart, While I, thy friend and guardian, am at hand To rescue and to heal? O let thy soul Remember, what the will of heav'n ordains Is ever good for all; and if for all,Line 550 Then good for thee. Nor only by the warmth And soothing sunshine of delightful things, Do minds grow up and flourish. Oft misled By that blind light, the young unpractis'd views Of reason wander thro' a fatal road,Line 555 Far from their native aim: as if to lye Inglorious in the fragrant shade, and wait The soft access of ever-circling joys, Were all the end of being. Ask thyself, Line 560

This pleasing error did it never lullLine 560 Thy wishes? Has thy constant heart refus'd The silken fetters of delicious ease? Or when divine Euphrosyné appear'd Within this dwelling, did not thy desires Hang far below that measure of thy fate,Line 565 Which I reveal'd before thee? and thy eyes, Impatient of my counsels, turn away To drink the soft effusion of her smiles? Know then, for this the everlasting •…•…ire Deprives thee of her presence, and instead,Line 570 O wise and still benevolent! ordains This horrid visage hither to pursue My steps; that so thy nature may discern Its real good, and what alone can save Thy feeble spirit in this hour of illLine 575 From folly and despair. O yet belov'd! Let not this headlong terror quite o'erwhelm Thy scatter'd pow'rs; nor fatal deem the rage Of this tormentor, nor his proud assault, While I am here to vindicate thy toil,Line 580

Above the generous question of thy arm. Brave by thy fears, and in thy weakness strong, This hour he triumphs; but confront his might, And dare him to the combat, then with ease Disarm'd and quell'd, his fierceness he resignsLine 585 To bondage and to scorn: while thus inur'd By watchful danger, by unceasing toil, Th' immortal mind, superior to his fate, Amid the outrage of external things, Firm as the solid base of this great world,Line 590 Rests on his own foundations. Blow, ye winds! Ye waves! ye thunders! rowl your tempest on; Shake, ye old pillars of the marble sky! Till all its orbs and all its worlds of fire Be loosen'd from their seats; yet still serene,Line 595 Th' unconquer'd mind looks down upon the wreck, And ever stronger as the storms advance, Firm thro' the closing ruin holds his way, Where nature calls him to the destin'd goal.

So spake the goddess; while thro' all her frameLine 600 Coelestial raptures flow'd, in every word, In ev'ry motion kindling wrath divine To seize who listen'd. Vehement and swift As light'ning fires the aromatic shade In Aethiopian fields, the stripling feltLine 605 Her inspiration catch his fervid soul, And starting from his languor thus exclaim'd.

Then let the trial come! and witness thou, If terror be upon me; if I shrink To meet the storm, or faulter in my strengthLine 610 When hardest it besets me. Do not think That I am fearful and infirm of soul, As late thy eyes beheld: for thou hast chang'd My nature; thy commanding voice has wak'd My languid pow'rs to bear me boldly on,Line 615 Where'er the will divine my path ordains Thro' toil or peril: only do not thou Forsake me; O be thou for ever near,

That I may listen to thy sacred voice, And guide by thy decrees my constant feet.Line 620 But say, for ever are my eyes bereft? Say, shall the fair Euphrosyné not once Appear again to charm me? Thou, in heav'n! O thou eternal arbiter of things! Be thy great bidding done: for who am ILine 625 To question thy appointment? Let the frowns Of this avenger every morn o'ercast The chearful dawn, and every evening damp With double night my dwelling; I will learn To hail them both, and unrepining bearLine 630 His hateful presence: but permit my tongue One glad request, and if my deeds may find Thy awful eye propitious, O restore The rosy-featur'd maid; again to chear This lonely seat, and bless me with her smiles.Line 635 He spoke; when instant, thro' the sable glooms With which that furious presence had involv'd The ambient air, a flood of radiance came Swift as the light'ning-flash; the melting clouds Line 640

Flew diverse, and amid the blue sereneLine 640 Euphrosyné appear'd. With sprightly step The nymph alighted on th' irriguous lawn, And to her wond'ring audience thus begun.

Lo! I am here to answer to your vows, And be the meeting fortunate! I come With joyful tidings; we shall part no more— Hark! how the gentle Echo from her cell Talks thro' the cliffs, and murm'ring o'er the stream Repeats the accent; we shall part no more. O my delightful friends! well-pleas'd on highLine 650 The father has beheld you, while the might Of that stern foe with bitter trial prov'd Your equal doings: then for ever spake The high decree: that thou, coelestial maid! Howe'er that griesly phantom on thy stepsLine 655 May sometimes dare intrude, yet never more Shalt thou descending to th' abode of man, Alone indure the rancour of his arm, Or leave thy lov'd Euphrosyné behind. Line 600

She ended; and the whole romantic sceneLine 600 Immediate vanish'd: rocks, and woods, and rills, The mantling tent, and each mysterious form Flew like the pictures of a morning dream, When sun-shine fills the bed. A while I stood Perplex'd and giddy; till the radiant pow'rLine 665 Who bade the visionary landscape rise, As up to him I turn'd, with gentlest looks Preventing my inquiry, thus began.

There let thy soul acknowledge its complaint How blind, how impious! There behold the waysLine 670 Of heav'n's eternal destiny to man, For ever just, benevolent and wise: That VIRTUE'S awful steps, howe'er pursued By vexing fortune and intrusive PAIN, Should never be divided from her chast,Line 675 Her fair attendant, PLEASURE. Need I urge Thy tardy thought thro' all the various round Of this existence, that thy soft'ning soul At length may learn what energy the hand Line 680

Of virtue mingles in the bitter tideLine 680 Of passion swelling with distress and pain, To mitigate the sharp with gracious drops Of cordial pleasure? Ask the faithful youth, Why the cold urn of her whom long he lov'd So often fills his arms; so often drawsLine 685 His lonely footsteps at the silent hour, To pay the mournful tribute of his tears? O! he will tell thee, that the wealth of worlds Should ne'er seduce his bosom to forego That sacred hour, when stealing from the noiseLine 690 Of care and envy, sweet remembrance sooths With virtue's kindest looks his aking breast, And turns his tears to rapture—Ask the croud Which flies impatient from the village-walk To climb the neighb'ring cliffs, when far belowLine 695 The cruel winds have hurl'd upon the coast Some helpless bark; while sacred pity melts The general eye, or terror's icy hand Smites their distorted limbs and horrent hair; While every mother closer to her breastLine 700

Catches her child, and pointing where the waves Foam thro' the shatter'd vessel, shrieks aloud As one poor wretch that spreads his piteous arms For succour, swallow'd by the roaring surge, As now another, dash'd against the rock,Line 705 Drops lifeless down: O deemest thou indeed No kind indearment here by nature giv'n To mutual terror and compassion's tears? No sweetly-melting softness which attracts, O'er all that edge of pain, the social pow'rsLine 710 To this their proper action and their end? —Ask thy own heart; when at the midnight hour, Slow thro' that studious gloom thy pausing eye Led by the glimm'ring taper moves around The sacred volumes of the dead: the songsLine 715 Of Graecian bards, and records wrote by fame For Graecian heroes, where the present pow'r Of heav'n and earth surveys th' immortal page, Ev'n as a father blessing, while he reads, The praises of his son. If then thy soul,Line 720 Spurning the yoke of these inglorious days,

Mix in their deeds and kindle with their flame; Say, when the prospect blackens on thy view, When rooted from the base, heroic states Mourn in the dust and tremble at the frownLine 725 Of curst ambition; when the pious band* 1.12 Of youths who fought for freedom and their sires, Lie side by side in gore; when ruffian-pride Usurps the throne of justice, turns the pomp Of public pow'r, the majesty of rule,Line 730 The sword, the laurel, and the purple robe, To slavish empty pageants, to adorn A tyrant's walk, and glitter in the eyes Of such as bow the knee; when honour'd urns Of patriots and of chiefs, the awful bustLine 735 And storied arch, to glut the coward-rage Of regal envy, strew the public way With hallow'd ruins; when the muse's haunt, The marble porch where wisdom wont to talk With Socrates or Tully, hears no more,Line 740

Save the hoarse jargon of contentious monks, Or female superstition's midnight pray'r; When ruthless rapine from the hand of time Tears the destroying scythe, with surer blow To sweep the works of glory from their base;Line 745 Till desolation o'er the grass-grown street Expands his raven-wings, and up the wall, Where senates once the price of monarchs doom'd, Hisses the gliding snake thro' hoary weeds That clasp the mould'ring column; thus defac'd,Line 750 Thus widely mournful when the prospect thrills Thy beating bosom, when the patriot's tear Starts from thine eye, and thy extended arm In fancy hurls the thunderbolt of Jove To fire the impious wreath on Philip's* 1.13 brow,Line 755 Or dash Octavius from the trophied car; Say, does thy secret soul repine to taste The big distress? Or would'st thou then exchange Those heart-ennobling sorrows for the lot Line 760

Of him who sits amid the gaudy herdLine 760 Of mute barbarians bending to his nod, And bears aloft his gold-invested front, And says within himself, "I am a king, " And wherefore should the clam'rous voice of woe " Intrude upon mine ear?—The baleful dreggsLine 765 Of these late ages, this inglorious draught Of servitude and folly, have not yet, Blest be th' eternal ruler of the world! Defil'd to such a depth of sordid shame The native honours of the human soul,Line 770 Nor so effac'd the image of its sire.

End of the SECOND BOOK.

Notes

• * 1.1

  At last the Muses rose, &c.]

  About the age of Hugh Capet, the founder of the third race of French kings, the poets of Provence were in high reputation; a sort of stroling bards or rhapsodists, who went about the courts of princes and noblemen, entertaining them at festivals with music and poetry. They at|tempted both the epic ode and satire, and abounded in a wild and fantastic vein of fable, partly allegorical, and partly founded on traditionary legends of the Saracen wars. These were the rudiments of the Italian poetry. But their taste and composition must have been extremely barbarous, as we may judge by those who followed the turn of their fable in much politer times; such as Boiardo, Bernardo Tasso, Ariosto, &c.
• * 1.2

  Valclusa.]

  The famous retreat of Francesco Petrarcha, the father of Italian poetry, and his mistress Laura, a lady of Avignon.
• * 1.3

  Arno.]

  The river which runs by Florence, the birth-place of Dante and Boc|cacio.
• * 1.4

  Parthenope.]

  Or Naples, the birth-place of Sannazaro. The great Torquato Tasso was born at Sorrento in the kingdom of Naples.
• * 1.5

  —the rageOf dire ambition, &c.]

  This relates to the cruel wars among the republics of Italy, and the abominable politics of its little princes, about the the fifteenth century. These at last, in conjunction with the papal power, intirely extin|guished the spirit of liberty in that country, and establish'd that abuse of the fine arts which has since been propagated over all Europe.
• * 1.6

  Thus from their guardians torn, the tender arts, &c.]

  Nor were they only losers by the separation. For philosophy itself, to use the words of a noble philoso|pher,

  being thus sever'd from the sprightly arts and sciences, must consequently grow dronish, insipid, pedantic, useless, and directly opposite to the real knowledge and practice of the world.

  Insomuch, that

  a gentleman, says another excellent writer, cannot easily bring himself to like so austere and ungainly a form: so greatly is it changed from what was once the delight of the finest gentlemen of antiquity, and their recreation after the hurry of public affairs!

  From this condition it cannot be recovered but by uniting it once more with the works of imagination; and we have had the pleasure of observing a very great progress made towards their union in England within these few years. It is hardly pos|sible to conceive them at a greater distance from each other than at the revolu|tion, when Locke stood at the head of one party, and Dryden of the other. But the general spirit of liberty, which has ever since been growing, naturally invited our men of wit and genius to improve that influence which the arts of persuasion give them with the people, by applying them to subjects of impor|tance to society. Thus poetry and eloquence became considerable; and philo|sophy is now of course obliged to borrow of their imbellishments, in order even to gain audience with the public.
• * 1.7

  From passion's power alone, &c.]

  This very mysterious kind of pleasure which is often found in the exercise of passions generally counted painful, has been taken taken notice of by several authors. Lucretius resolves it into self-love,

  Suave mari magno, &c. lib. II. 1.

  As if a man was never pleas'd in being moved at the distress of a tragedy, with|out a cool reflection that tho' these fictitious personages were so unhappy, yet he himself was perfectly at ease and in safety. The ingenious and candid author of the reflexions critiques sur la poesie & sur la peinture, accounts for it by the general delight which the mind takes in its own activity, and the abhorrence it feels of an indolent and unattentive state: And this, join'd with the moral applause of its own temper, which attends these emotions when natural and just, is certainly the true foundation of the pleasure, which as it is the origin and basis of tragedy and epic, deserved a very particular consideration in this poem.
• * 1.8

  Inhabitant of earth, &c.]

  The account of the oeconomy of providence here introduced, as the most proper to calm and satisfy the mind, when under the compunction of private evils, seems to have come originally from the Pythago|rean school: but of all the ancient philosophers, Plato has most largely insisted upon it, has established it with all the strength of his capacious understanding, and ennobled it with all the magnificence of his divine imagination. He has one passage so full and clear on the head, that I am persuaded the reader will be pleased to see it here, tho' somewhat long. Addressing himself to such as are not satisfied concerning divine providence,

  The being who presides over the whole, says he, has dispos'd and complicated all things for the happiness and virtue of the whole, every part of which, according to the extent of its influence, does and suffers what is fit and proper. One of these parts is yours, O unhappy man! which tho' in itself most inconsiderable and minute, yet being connected with the universe, ever seeks to co-operate with that supreme order. You in the mean time are ignorant of the very end for which all particular natures are brought into existence, that the all-comprehending nature of the whole may be perfect and happy; existing, as it does, not for your sake, but the cause and reason of your existence, which, as in the symmetry of every artificial work, must of necessity concur with the general design of the artist, and be subservient to the whole of which it is a part. Your complaint therefore is ignorant and groundless; since according to the various energy of creation, and the common laws of nature, there is a constant provision of that which is best at the same time for you and for the whole.—For the governing intelligence clearly beholding all the actions of animated and self|moving creatures, and that mixture of good and evil which diversifies them, con|sidering first of all by what disposition of things, and what situation of each indi|vidual in the general system, vice might be depressed and subdued, and virtue made secure of victory and happiness with the greatest facility and in the highest degree possible. In this manner he order'd thro' the entire circle of being, the internal constitution of every mind, where should be its station in the universal fabric, and thro' what variety of circumstances it should proceed in the whole tenour of its existence. He goes on in his sublime manner to assert a future state of retribution, as well for those who, by the exercise of good dispositions being harmonized and assimilated to the divine virtue, are consequently removed to a place of unblemish'd sanctity and happiness; as of those who by the most flagitious arts have arisen from contemptible beginnings to the greatest affluence and power, and whom therefore you look upon as unanswerable instances of negligence in the Gods, because you are ignorant of the purposes to which they are subservient, and in what manner they contribute to that supreme intention of good to the whole. Plato de Leg. x. 16.

  This theory has been deliver'd of late, especially abroad, in a manner which subverts the freedom of human actions; whereas Plato appears very careful to preserve it, and has been in that respect imitated by the best of his followers.
• * 1.9

  —one might rise,One order, &c.]

  See the meditations of Antoninus, and the characteristics, passim.
• * 1.10

  The best and fairest, &c.]

  This opinion is so old, that Timaeus Locrus calls the supreme being,

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, the artificer of that which is best

  ; and represents him as resolving in the beginning to produce the most excellent work, and as copying the world most exactly from his own intelligible and es|sential idea;

  so that it yet remains, as it was at first, perfect in beauty, and will never stand in need of any correction or improvement.

  There is no room for a cauiton here, to understand these expressions not of any particular circumstances of human life separately consider'd, but of the sum or universal system of life and being. See also the vision at the end of the Theodicée of Leibnitz.
• * 1.11

  As flame ascends, &c.]

  This opinion, tho' not held by Plato or any of the ancients, is yet a very natural consequence of his principles. But the disquisition is too complex and extensive to be enter'd upon here.
• * 1.12

  —when the pious band, &c.]

  The reader will here naturally recollect the fate of the sacred battalion of Thebes, which at the battle of Chaeronéa was utterly destroy'd, every man being found lying dead by his friend.
• * 1.13

  Philip.]

  The Macedonian.