With the fierce rage of Winter deep fuffus'd,
An icy gale, oft fhifting, o'er the pool
Breathes a blue film, and in its mid career

Arrefts the bickering ftream. The loofen'd ice, 725
Let down the flood, and half diffolv'd by day,
Ruftles no more; but to the fedgy bank
Faft grows, or gathers round the pointed ftone,
A crystal pavement, by the breath of heaven
Cemented firm; till, feiz'd from fhore to fhore,
The whole imprison'd river growls below.
Loud rings the frozen earth, and hard reflects
A double noife; while, at his evening watch,
The village dog deters the nightly thief;
The heifer lows; the diftant water-fall

Swells in the breeze; and, with the hafty tread
Of traveller, the hollow-founding plain
Shakes from afar. The full ethereal round,
Infinite worlds disclosing to the view,
Shines out intenfely keen; and, all one cope
Of ftarry glitter, glows from pole to pole.
From pole to pole the rigid influence falls,
Through the ftill night, inceffant, heavy, strong,
And feizes nature faft. It freezes on;

730

735

740

Till morn, late-rifing o'er the drooping world,

745

Lifts her pale eye unjoyous. Then appears
The various labour of the filent night:

Prone from the dripping cave, and dumb cascade,
Whofe idle torrents only feem to roar,

The pendent icicle; the froft work fair,

750

Where tranfient hues and fancy'd figures rife;

Wide-fpouted o'er the hill, the frozen brook,
A livid tract, cold-gleaming on the morn;
The forest bent beneath the plumy wave;
And by the froft refin'd the whiter snow,
Incrufted hard, and founding to the tread
Of early fhepherd, as he penfive seeks

His pining flock, or from the mountain top,
Pleas'd with the flippery surface, swift descends.

755

765

On blithfome frolicks bent, the youthful fwains, 760
While every work of man is laid at rest,
Fond o'er the river crowd, in various sport
And revelry diffolv'd; where mixing glad,
Happiest of all the train! the raptur'd boy
Lathes the whirling top. Or, where the Rhine
Branch'd out in many a long canal extends,
From every province fwarming, void of care,
Batavia rushes forth; and as they sweep,
On founding skates, a thousand different ways,
In circling poife, swift as the winds, along,
The then gay land is madden'd all to joy.

Nor lefs the northern courts, wide o'er the fnow,
Pour a new pomp. Eager, on rapid fleds,

770

Their vigorous youth in bold contention wheel
The long-refounding courfe. Meantime, to raise 775
The manly ftrife, with highly blooming charms,
Flush'd by the feafon, Scandinavia's dames,
Or Ruffia's buxom daughters glow around.

Pure, quick, and sportful, is the wholesome day;
But foon elaps'd. The horizontal fun,

Broad o'er the fouth, hangs at his utmost noon :

N 2

780

And,

And, ineffectual, ftrikes the gelid cliff:
His azure glofs the mountain ftill maintains,
Nor feels the feeble touch. Perhaps the vale
Relents a while to the reflected ray;
Or from the foreft falls the cluster'd fnow,
Myriads of gems, that in the waving gleam
Gay-twinkle as they scatter. Thick around
Thunders the fport of those, who with the gun,
And dog impatient bounding at the shot,
Worfe than the season, defolate the fields ;
And, adding to the ruins of the year,
Distress the footed or the feather'd game.
But what is this? Our infant Winter finks,
Divefted of his grandeur, fhould our eye
Aftonish'd fhoot into the Frigid Zone;
Where, for relentless months, continual night
Holds o'er the glittering waste her starry reign.

There, through the prison of unbounded wilds,
Barr'd by the hand, of Nature from escape,
Wide-roams the Ruffian exile. Nought around
Strikes his fad eye, but deserts lost in snow ;
And heavy-loaded groves; and folid floods,
That stretch, athwart the solitary vast,
Their icy horrors to the frozen main ;

And chearless towns far-diftant, never blefs'd,
Save when its annual courfe the caravan
Bends to the golden coaft of rich Cathay,

With news of human-kind. Yet there life glows;

*The old name for China.

810

815

820

Yet cherish'd there, beneath the fhining wafte,
The furry nations harbour: tipt with jet,
Fair ermines, fpotless as the snows they prefs;
Sables, of gloffy black; and dark-embrown'd,
Or beauteous freakt with many a mingled hue,
Thousands befides, the costly pride of courts.
There, warm together press'd, the trooping deer
Sleep on the new-fall'n fnows; and, scarce his head
Rais'd o'er the heapy wreath, the branching elk
Lies flumbering fullen in the white abyss.
The ruthless hunter wants nor dogs nor toils,
Nor with the dread of founding bows he drives
The fearful flying race; with ponderous clubs,
As weak against the mountain heaps they push
Their beating breast in vain, and piteous bray,
He lays them quivering on th' enfanguin'd fnows, 825
And with loud fhouts rejoicing bears them home.
There through the piny foreft half-abforpt,
Rough tenant of these shades, the shapeless bear,
With dangling ice all horrid, stalks forlorn;
Slow-pac'd, and fourer as the storms increase,
He makes his bed beneath th' inclement drift,
And, with ftern patience, fcorning weak complaint,
Hardens his heart against affailing want.

Wide o'er the fpacious regions of the north,
That fees Boötes urge his tardy wain,
A boisterous race, by frofty * Caurus pierc'd,
Who little pleasure know, and fear no pain,

The north-weft wind.

N 3

830

835

Prolific

Prolific fwarm: They once relum'd the flame
Of loft mankind in polish'd flavery funk,

'

845

Drove martial horde on horde, with dreadful sweep
Refiftless rushing o'er th' enfeebled south,
And gave the vanquifh'd world another form.
Not fuch the fons of Lapland: wifely they
Defpife th' infenfate barbarous trade of war;
They afk no more than fimple nature gives,
They love their mountains, and enjoy their storms.
No falfe defires, no pride-created wants,
Disturb the peaceful current of their time;
And through the restless ever-tortur'd maze
Of pleasure, or ambition, bid it rage.

850

Their rein-deer form their riches. Thefe their tents, Their robes, their beds, and all their homely wealth Supply, their wholesome fare, and chearful cups., Obfequious at their call, the docile tribe

860

Yield to the fled their necks, and whirl them swift 855
Oler hill and dale, heap'd into one expanfe
Of marbled fnow, as far as eye can sweep
With a blue crust of ice unbounded glaz’d.
By dancing meteors then, that ceafeless shake
A waving blaze refracted o'er the heavens,
And vivid moons, and stars that keener play
With double luftre from the gloffy wafte,
Ev'n in the depth of Polar Night, they find
A wondrous day: enough to light the chace,
Or guide their daring steps to Finland-fairs.

*The wandering Scythian-clans.

865