Tho' death exults, and claps his raven wings, Yet reigns he not ev'n there so absolute, So merciless as in yon frantic scenes Of midnight revel and tumultuous mirth, Where in th' intoxicating draught conceal'd, Or couch'd beneath the glance of lawless love, He snares the simple youth, who nought suspect-
Means to be blest- but finds himself undone.
Down the smooth stream of life the strippling darts,
Gay as the morn; bright glows the vernal sky, Hope swells his sails, and passion steers his course, Safe glides his little bark along the shore Where virtue takes her stand; but if too far He launches forth beyond discretion's mark, Sudden the tempest scowls, the surges roar, Blot his fair day, and plunge him in the deep, O sad but sure mischance! O happier far To lie like gallant Howe 'midst Indian wilds A breathless curse, cut off by savage hands In earliest prime, a generous sacrifice To freedom's holy cause; than so to fall, Torn immature from life's meridian joys, A prey to vice, intemp'rance, and disease.
Yet die ev'n thus, thus rather perish still,' Ye sons of pleasure, by th' Almighty strick'n, Than ever dare (though oft, alas! ye dare) To lift against yourselves the murd'rous steel, To wrest from God's own hand the sword of justice,
And be your own avengers! Hold, rash man, Though with anticipating speed thou 'st rang'd Through ev'ry region of delight, nor left One joy to gild the evening of thy days; Though life seem one uncomfortable void, Guilt at thy heels, before thy face despair; Yet gay this scene, and light this load of woe, Compar'd with thy hereafter. Think, O think, And, ere thou plunge into the vast abyss,
Pause on the verge a while: look down and see Thy future mansion. Why that start of horror? From thy slack hand why drops th' uplifted steel? Didst thou not think such vengeance must await The wretch, that with his crimes all fresh about him
Rushes irreverent, unprepar'd, uncall'd, Into his Maker's presence, throwing back With insolent disdain his choicest gift?
Live then, while heav'n in pity lends thee life, And think it all too short to wash away, By penitential tears and deep contrition, The scarlet of thy crimes. So shalt thou find Rest to thy soul; so unappall'd shall meet Death when he comes, not wantonly invite His ling'ring stroke. Be it thy sole concern With innocence to live: with patience wait Th' appointed hour; too soon that hour will come, Tho' nature run her course. But nature's God, If need require, by thousand various ways, Without thy aid can shorten that short span,
And quench the lamp of life. O when he comes, Rous'd by the cry of wickedness extreme, To heav'n ascending from some guilty land, Now ripe for vengeance; when he comes array'd In all the terrors of Almighty wrath,
Forth from his bosom plucks his ling'ring arm, And on the miscreants pours destruction down; Who can abide his coming? Who can bear His whole displeasure? In no common form Death then appears, but starting into size Enormous, measures with gigantic stride
Th' astonish'd earth, and from his looks throws round,
Unutterrable horror and dismay.
All nature lends her aid, each element
Arms in his cause. Ope fly the doors of heav'n ; The fountains of the deep their barriers break ; Above, below, the rival torrents pour,
And drown creation: or in floods of fire Descends a livid cataract, and consumes
An impious race. Sometimes, when all seems
Wakes the grim whirlwind, and with rude embrace Sweeps nations to their grave, or in the deep Whelms the proud wooden world; full many a youth
Floats on his wat'ry bier, or lies unwept
On some sad desart shore! At dead of night, In sullen silence stalks forth pestilence: Contagion close behind taints all her steps
With pois'nous dew; no smiting hands is seen, No sound is heard, but soon her secret path Is mark'd with desolation; heaps on heaps Promiscuous drop. No friend, no refuge, near; All, all, is false and treacherous around;
All that they touch, or taste, or breathe, is death. But ah! what means that ruinous roar? Why
These tott'ring feet? Earth to it's centre feels The God-head's power, and trembling at his touch Through all its pillars, and in ev'ry pore,
Hurls to the ground, with one convulsive heave, Precipitating domes, and towns, and tow'rs, The work of ages. Crush'd beneath the weight Of general devastation, millions find
One common grave; not ev'n a widow left To wail her sons: the house that should protect, Entombs his master; and the faithless plain, If there he flies for help, with sudden yawn Starts from beneath him. Shield me, gracious heav'n,
O snatch me from destruction! If this globe, This solid globe, which thine own hand hath made So firm and sure, if this my steps betray;
If my own mother earth, from whence I sprung, Rise up with rage unnatural to devour Her wretched offspring, whither shall I fly? Where look for succour? Where, but up to thee, Almighty father? Save, O save thy suppliant From horrors such as these! At thy good time
Let death approach; I reck not-let him but
In genuine form, not with thy vengeance arm'd, Too much for man to bear. O rather lend Thy kindly aid to mitigate his stroke; And at that hour when all aghast I stand (A trembling candidate for thy compassion) On this world's brink, and look into the next; When my soul, starting from the dark unknown, Casts back a wishful look, and fondly clings To her frail prop, unwilling to be wrench'd From this fair scene, from all her custom'd joys, And all the lovely relatives of life;
Then shed thy comforts o'er me, then put on The gentlest of thy looks. Let no dark crimes, In all their hide ous forms then starting up, Plant them elves round my couch in grim array, And stab my bleeding heart with two-edg'd tor-
Sense of past guilt, and dread of future woe. Far be the ghastly crew! And in their stead Let cheerful memory from her purest cells Lead forth a goodly train of Virtues fair, Cherish'd in earliest youth, now paying back With tenfold usury the pious care,
And pouring o'er my wounds the heav'nly balı Of conscious innocence. But chiefly, Thou, Whom soft-ey'd pity once led down from heav'n To bleed for man, to teach him how to live, And, oh! still harder lesson! how to die;
« ПредыдущаяПродолжить » |