FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   >>   >|  
hand, Nor eye, till haply some more venturous bird, (The crumbs exhausted that he lately strewed 320 Upon the groundsill,) with often dipping beak, And sidelong look, as asking larger dole, Comes hopping to his feet: and say, ye great, Ye mighty monarchs of this earthly scene, What nobler views can elevate the heart Of a proud patriot king, than thus to chase The bold rapacious spoilers from the field, And with an eye of merciful regard To look on humble worth, wet from the storm, And chilled by indigence! 330 But thoughts like these Ill suit the radiant summer's rosy prime, And the still temper of the calm blue sky. The sunny shower is past; at intervals The silent glittering drops descend; and mark, Upon the blue bank of yon western cloud, That looms direct against the emerging orb, How bright, how beautiful the rainbow's hues Steal out, how stately bends the graceful arch Above the hills, and tinging at his foot 340 The mead and trees! Fancy might think young Hope Pants for the vision, and with ardent eye Pursues the unreal shade, and spreads her hands, Weeping to see it fade, as all her dreams Have faded. These, O Air! are but the toys, That sometimes deck thy fairy element; So oft the eye observant loves to trace The colours, and the shadows, and the forms, That wander o'er the veering atmosphere. 350 See, in the east, the rare parhelia shine In mimic glory, and so seem to mock (Fixed parallel to the ascending orb) The majesty, the splendour, and the shape, Of the sole luminary that informs The world with light and heat! The halo-ring Bends over all! With desultory shafts, And long and arrowy glance, the night-lights[125] shoot Pale coruscations o'er the northern sky; 360 Now lancing to the cope, in sheets of flame, Now wavering wild, as the reflected wave, On the arched roof of the umbrageous grot. Hence Superstition dreams of armaments, Of fiery conflicts, and of bleeding fields Of slaughter; so on great Jerusalem, Ere yet she fell, the flaming meteor glared; A waving sword ensanguined seemed to point To the devoted city, and a voice
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151  
152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   165   166   167   168   169   170   171   172   173   174   175   176   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
dreams
 

waving

 

veering

 

atmosphere

 

wander

 
ensanguined
 
colours
 

shadows

 
meteor
 

flaming


glared

 

parhelia

 
observant
 

devoted

 
spreads
 

Weeping

 
element
 
parallel
 

sheets

 

wavering


lancing

 

Jerusalem

 

northern

 

coruscations

 

reflected

 

bleeding

 

conflicts

 

Superstition

 

armaments

 

umbrageous


slaughter

 
arched
 

fields

 

informs

 

luminary

 
ascending
 

majesty

 
splendour
 

glance

 
arrowy

lights
 

shafts

 
unreal
 
desultory
 

tinging

 

elevate

 
patriot
 

earthly

 
nobler
 

humble