Frost views his brilliant foe with scornful eye, And whirls a tenfold tempest thro the sky; Where each fine atom of the immense of air, Steel'd, pointed, barb'd for unexampled war, Sings o'er the shuddering ground; when thus he broke Contemptuous silence, and to Hesper spoke: Thou comest in time to share their last disgrace, To change to crystal with thy rebel race, Stretch thy huge corse o'er Delaware's bank afar, And learn the force of elemental war. Or if undying life thy lamp inspire, Take that one blast and to thy sky retire; There, roll'd eternal round the heavens, proclaim Thy own disaster and my deathless fame. I come, said Hesper, not to insult the brave, But break thy sceptre and let loose my wave, Teach the proud Stream more peaceful tides to roll, And send thee howling to thy stormy pole; That drear dominion shall thy rage confine; This land, these waters and those troops are mine. He added not; and now the sable storm, Pierced by strong splendor, burst before his form; His visage stern an awful lustre shed, His pearly planet play'd around his head. He seized a lofty pine, whose roots of yore Struck deep in earth, to guard the sandy shore From hostile ravage of the mining tide, That rakes with spoils of earth its crumbling side. He wrencht it from the soil, and o'er the foe Whirl'd the strong trunk, and aim'd a sweeping blow, That sung thro air, but miss'd the moving god, And fell wide crashing on the frozen flood. For many a rood the shivering ice it tore, Loosed every bark and shook the sounding shore; Stroke after stroke with doubling force he plied, Foil'd the hoar Fiend and pulverized the tide. The baffled tyrant quits the desperate cause; From Hesper's heat the river swells and thaws, The fleet rolls gently to the Jersey coast, And morning splendors greet the landing host. Tis here dread Washington, when first the day O'er Trenton beam'd to light his rapid way, Pour'd the rude shock on Britain's vanguard train, And led whole squadrons in his captive chain; Where veteran troops to half their numbers yield, Tread back their steps, or press the sanguine field, To Princeton plains precipitate their flight, Thro new disasters and unfinish'd fight, Resign their conquests by one sad surprise, Sink in their pride and see their rivals rise. Here dawn'd the daystar of Hesperia's fame, Here herald glory first emblazed her name; On Delaware's bank her base of empire stands, The work of Washington's immortal hands; Prompt at his side while gallant Mercer trod, And seal'd the firm foundation with his blood.