As of a turbid ocean ftir'd by winds,
A vapory deluge hiding earth and heaven.
Thus all day long and now the beamless fun
Sets as in blood. A dreadful pause enfues;
Deceitful calm, portending fiercer ftcrm.
Sad night at once, with all her deep-dy'd fhades,
Falls back and boundlefs o'er the fcene. Sufpenfe
And terror rule the hour. Behold, from far,
Imploring heaven with fupplicating hands
And streaming eyes, in mute amazement fix`d,
Yon peopled City ftands; each fadden'd face
Turn'd towards the hill of fears: and hark! once more
The rifing tempest shakes its founding vaults,
Now faint in diftant murmurs, now more near
Rebounding horrible, with all the roar
Of winds and feas; or engines big with death,
That, planted by the murderous hand of War
To fhake the round of fome proud capital,
At once difploded, in one bursting peal
Their mortal thunders mix. Along the sky,
From east to fouth, a ruddy hill of fmoke
Extends its ridge, with dismal light inflam’d.
Mean while, the fluid Lake that works below,
Bitumen, fulphur, falt, and iron-scum,
Heaves up its boiling tide. The labouring mount
Is torn with agonizing throes-at once,
Forth from its fide disparted, blazing pours
A mighty river, burning in prone waves,
That glimmer through the night, to yonder plain.
Divided there, a hundred torrent-streams,
Each ploughing up its bed, roll dreadful on,
Refiftlefs. Villages, and woods, and rocks,
Fall flat before their fweep. The region round,
Where myrtle-walks and groves of golden fruit
Rofe fair, where harveft wav'd in all its pride,
And where the vineyard spread her purple store,
Maturing into nectar, now defpoil'd
Of herb, leaf, fruit, and flower, from end to end
Lies buried under fire, a glowing sea!
Thus roaming with adventurous wing the globe,
From scene to fcene excurfive, I behold
In all her workings, beauteous, great, or new,
Fair Nature, and in all with wonder trace
The fovereign Maker, first, fupreme, and best,
Who actuates the whole: at whose command,
Obedient fire and flood tremendous rife,
His ministers of vengeance, to reprove,
And fcourge the nations. Holy are his ways,
His works unnumber'd, and to all proclaim
Unfathom'd wifdom, goodness unconfin'd.
NDLESS the wonders of creating power,
On earth, but chief on high through heaven difplay'd. There fhines the full magnificence unveil'd
Of Majefty divine: refulgent there
Ten thousand funs blaze forth, with each his train
Of worlds dependent, all beneath the eye
And equal rule of one eternal Lord.
To those bright climes, awakening all her powers,
And spreading her unbounded wing, the Muse
Afcending foars, on through the fluid space,
The buoyant atmosphere; whofe vivid breath,
Soul of all fublunary life, pervades
The realms of Nature, to her inmost depths
Diffus'd with quickening energy. Now ftill,
From pole to pole th' aëreal ocean fleeps,
One limpid vacancy: now rouz'd to rage
By bluftering meteors, wind, hail, rain, or cloud
With thunderous fury charg'd, its billows rife,
And shake the nether orb. Still as I mount,
A path the vulture's eye hath not observ'd,
Nor foot of eagle trod, th' ethereal sphere
Receding flies approach; its circling arch
Alike remote, translucent, and ferene.
Glorious expanfion! by th' Almighty spread,
Whofe limits who hath feen! or who with him
Hath walk'd the fun-pav'd circuit from old time,
And vifited the host of heaven around!
Gleaming a borrow'd light, from whence how fmall The fpeck of earth, and dim air circumfus'd! Mutable region, vext with hourly change.
But here, unruffled calm her even reign
Maintains external: here the lord of day,
The neighbouring fun, fhines out in all his ftrength,
Noon without night. Attracted by his beam,
I thither bend my flight, tracing the fource
Where morning fprings; whence her innumerous ftreams
Flow lucid forth, and roll through trackless ways
Their white waves o'er the sky. The fountain-orb,
Dilating as I rife, beyond the ken
Of mortal eye, to which earth, ocean, air,
Are but a central point, expands immenfe,
A fhoreless fea of fluctuating fire,
That deluges all ether with its tide.
What power is that, which to its circle bounds
The violence of flame! in rapid whirls
Conflicting, floods with floods, as if to leave
Their place, and, bursting, overwhelm the world!
Motion incredible! to which the rage
Of oceans, when whole winter blows at once
In hurricane, is peace. But who fhall tell
That radiance beyond measure, on the fun
Pour'd out tranfcendent! thofe keen-flashing rays
Thrown round his ftate, and to yon worlds afar
Supplying days and seasons, life and joy!
Such Virtue He, the Majefty of Heaven,
Brightness original, all-bounteous king,
Hath to his creature lent, and crown'd his fphere
With matchlefs glory. Yet not all alike
Refplendent in thefe liquid regions pure,
Thick mifts, condenfing, darken into spots,
And dim the day.
Whence that malignant light,
which fadden'd all the year,
Some at the centre rife
In fhady circles, like the moon beheld
From earth, when the her unenlighten'd face
Turns thitherward opaque: a space they brood
In congregated clouds; then breaking float
To all fides round. Dilated fome and denfe,
Broad as earth's furface each, by flow degrees
Spread from the confines of the light along,
Ufurping half the sphere, and fwim obfcure
On to its adverse coaft; till there they set,
Or vanish scatter'd: measuring thus the time,
'That round its axle whirls the radiant orb.
Faireft of beings! first-created light!
Prime cause of beauty! for from thee alone,
The sparkling gem, the vegetable race,
The nobler worlds that live and breathe, their charms,
The lovely hues peculiar to each tribe,
From thy unfailing source of splendor draw!
In thy pure shine, with transport I survey
This firmament, and these her rolling worlds,
Their magnitudes, and motions: thofe how vaft!
How rapid thefe! with swiftnefs unconceiv'd,
From west to eaft in folemn pomp revolv'd,
Unerring, undisturb'd; the fun's bright train,
Progreffive through the fky's light fluent borne
Around their centre. Mercury the first,
Near bordering on the day, with speedy wheel
Flies fwifteft on, inflaming where he comes,
With fevenfold fplendor, all his azure road.
Next Venus to the weftward of the fun,
Full orb'd her face, a golden plain of light,
|