Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin: Comprising the Celebrated Political and Satirical Poems, of the Rt. Hons. G. Canning, John Hookham Frere, W. Pitt, the Marquis Wellesley, G. Ellis, W. Gifford, the Earl of Carlisle, and Others.
History
Poetry of the Anti-Jacobin: Comprising the Celebrated Political and Satirical Poems, of the Rt. Hons. G. Canning, John Hookham Frere, W. Pitt, the Marquis Wellesley, G. Ellis, W. Gifford, the Earl of Carlisle, and Others.
English poetry; France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799 -- Poetry; Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1789-1820
Next Anger rush’d his eyes on fire,
In lightnings own’d his secret stings,
In one rude clash he struck the lyre,
And swept with hurried hand the strings.
With woful measures wan Despair
Low sullen sounds his grief beguil’d,
A sullen, strange, and mingled air,
’Twas sad by fits, by starts ’twas wild.
But thou, O HOPE! with eyes so fair,
What was thy delighted measure?
Still it whisper’d promis’d pleasure,
And bade the lovely scenes at distance hail!
Still would her touch the strain prolong,
And from the rocks, the woods, the vale,
She call’d on ECHO still through all the song;
And where her sweetest theme she chose,
A soft responsive voice was heard at every close,
And Hope enchanted smil’d, and wav’d her golden hair.
And longer had she sung,—but, with a frown,
REVENGE impatient rose,
He threw his blood-stained sword in thunder down,
And, with a withering look,
The war-denouncing trumpet took,
And blew a blast so loud and dread,
Were ne’er prophetic sounds so full of woe.
And ever and anon he beat
The doubling drum with furious heat;
And though sometimes, each dreary pause between,
Dejected PITY at his side
Her soul-subduing voice applied;
Yet still he kept his wild unalter’d mien,
While each strain’d ball of sight seem’d bursting from his head,
Thy numbers, JEALOUSY, to nought were fix’d,
Sad proof of thy distressful state!
Of differing themes the veering song was mix’d,
And now it courted LOVE, now raving call’d on HATE.
With eyes upraised, as one inspir’d,
Pale MELANCHOLY sat retir’d,
And from her wild sequester’d seat,
In notes by distance made more sweet,
Pour’d through the mellow horn her pensive soul:
And dashing soft from rocks around,
Bubbling runnels join’d the sound;
Through glades and glooms the mingled measure stole,
Or o’er some haunted streams with fond delay,
Round a holy calm diffusing,
Love of peace and lonely musing,
In hollow murmurs died away.
But oh! how alter’d was its sprightlier tone!
When CHEERFULNESS, a nymph of healthiest hue,
Her bow across her shoulders flung,
Her buskins gemm’d with morning dew,
Blew an inspiring air that dale and thicket rung,
The hunter’s call to Faun and Dryad known;
The oak-crown’d Sisters, and their chaste-eyed Queen,
Satyrs and Sylvan boys were seen,
Peeping from forth their alleys green;
Brown EXERCISE rejoic’d to hear,
And SPORT leapt up, and seized his beechen spear.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account