Till, in the western sky, the downward sur Looks out, effulgent, from amid the flush 190 Of braken clouds, gay-shifting to his beam. The rapid radiance instantaneous strikes
Th' illumin'd mountain, thro' the forest streams, Shakes on the floods, and in a yellow mist, Far smoaking o'er th' interminable plain. `195 In twinkling myriads lights the dewy gems. Moist, bright, and green, the landskip laughs around.
Full swell the woods; their very music wakes,
Mix'd in wild concert with the warbling brooks-
Increas'd, the distant bleatings of the hills, 200
The hollow lows responsive from the vales,
Whence blending all the sweetened zephyr
springs.
Mean time refracted from yon eastern cloud,
Bestriding earth, the grand ethereal bow
Shoots up immense; and every hue unfolds, 205
In fair proportion running from the red,
To where the violet fades into the sky.
Here, awful NEWTON, the dissolving clouds
Form, fronting on the sun, thy showry prism;
And to the sage-instructed eye unfold
The various twine of light, by thee disclos'd
From the white mingling maze. Not so the
swain;
He wondering views the bright enchantment
1 Delightful, o'er the radiant fields, and runs
To catch the falling glory; but amaz'd
Beholds th' amusive arch before him fly,
Then vanish quite away. Still night succeeds,
A softened shade, and saturated earthi
Awaits the morning-beam, to give to light,
Rais'd thro ten thousand different plastick tu-
The balmy treasures of the former day.
THEN spring the living herbs, profusely wild,
O'er all the deep-green earth, beyond the power
Of botanists to number up their tribes:
Whether he steals along the lonely dale,
In silent search; or thro' the forest, rank
With what the dull incurious weeds account,
Bursts his blind way; or climbs the mountain-
rock,
Fir'd by the nodding verdure of its brow.
With such a liberal hand has Nature flung 230
Their seeds abroad, blown them about in winds,
Innumerous mix'd them with the nursing mold,
The moistening current, and prolific rain.
With vision pure, into these secret stores 235 Of health, and life, and joy? The food of Man,
Whileyet he liv'd in innocence, and told
A length of golden years; unflesh'd in blood,
A stranger to the savage arts of life,
Death, rapine, carnage, surfeit, and disease; 240
The lord, and not the tyrant of the world.
THE first fresh dawn then wak'd the glad
dened race
Of uncorrupted Man, nor blush'd to see
The sluggard sleep beneath its sacred beam:
For their light slumbers gently fum'd away; 945
And up they rose as vigorous as the sun,
Or to the culture of the willing glebe,
Or to the chearful tendance of the flock,
Mean time the song went round; and dance
and sport
Wisdom and friendly tale, successive stole 250
Their hours away. While in the rosy vale
Love breath'd his infant sighs, from anguish
And full replete with bliss; save the sweet pain, That, inly thrilling, but exalts it more,
Nor yet injurious act, nor surly deed,
Was known among these happy sons of HEAVEN, For reason and benevolence were law. Harmonious Nature too look'd smiling on. Clear shone the skies, cool'd with eternal gales, And balmy spirit all. The youthful sun 260 Shot his best rays, and still the gracious clouds
Drop'd fatness down; ne o'er the swelling mead,
The herds and flocks, commixing, play'd secure.
This when, emergent from the gloomy wood,
The glaring lion saw, his horrid heart 265
Was meekened, and he join'd his sullen joy.
For music held the whole in perfect peace:
Soft sigh'd the flute; the tender voice was
Warbling the varied heart; thee woodlands
Apply'd their quire; and winds and waters
270 In consonance. Such were those prime of days,
BUT now those white unblemish'd minu
tes, whence
The fabling poets took their golden age,
Are found no more amid these iron times,
These dregs of life! Now the distemper'd
mind
Hast lost that concord of harmonious powers,
Which forms the soul of happiness; and all
Is off the poise within: the passions all
Have burst their bounds; and reason half ex
Or impotent, or else approving, sees
The foul disorder. Senseless, and deform'd,
Convulsive anger storms at large; or pale,
And silent, settles into fell revenge.
Base envy withers at another's joy,
And hates that excellence it cannot reach. 285
Desponding fear, of feeble fancies full,
Weak and-unmanly, loosens every power.
Even love itself is bitterness of soul,
A pensive anguish pining at the heart;
Or, sunk to sordid interest, feels no more 290
That noble wish, that never cloy'd desire,
Which, selfish joy disdaining, seeks alone
To bless the dearer object of its flame.
Hope sickens with extravagance; and grief,
Of life impatient, into madness swells; 265
Or in dead silence wastes the weeping hours.
These, and a thousand mix'd emotions more,
From ever-changing views of good and itt,
Form'd infinitely various, vex the mind
With endless storm. Whence, deeply rankling
The partial thought, a listless unconcern,
Cold, and averting from our neighbour's good;
Then dark disgust, and hatred, winding wiles,
Coward deceit, and ruffian violence:
At last, extinct each social feeling, fell 305
And joyless inhumanity pervades
Nature disturb'd Is deem'd, vindictive, to have chang'd her
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