No season this from duty to descend, All hands on deck must now the storm attend. His race perform'd, the sacred lamp of day Now dipt in western clouds his parting ray! His languid fires, half lost in ambient haze, Refract along the dusk a crimson blaze; Till deep immerged the sickening orb descends, And cheerless night o'er heaven her reign extends. Sad evening's hour, how different from the past! 280 No flaming pomp, no blushing glories cast, No ray of friendly light is seen around; The moon and stars in hopeless shade are drown'd. The ship no longer can whole courses [27] bear, To reef them now becomes the master's care; The sailors summon'd aft all ready stand, And man the enfolding brails at his command: But here the doubtful officers dispute, Till skill and judgment prejudice confute: For Rodmond, to new methods still a foe, 290 Would first, at all events, the sheet let go; To long-tried practice obstinately warm, He doubts conviction, and relies on form. This Albert and Arion disapprove, And first to brail the tack up firmly move: "The watchful seaman, whose sagacious eye On sure experience may with truth rely, Who from the reigning cause foretells the effect, This barbarous practice ever will reject; For, fluttering loose in air, the rigid sail 300 Soon flits to ruins in the furious gale; And he, who strives the tempest to disarm, Will never first embrail the lee yard-arm." So Albert spoke; to windward, at his call, Some seamen the clue-garnet stand to haul-- The tack's eased off, [28] while the involving clue Between the pendent blocks ascending flew; The sheet and weather-brace they now stand by, [29] The lee clue-garnet and the bunt-lines ply: Then, all prepared, Let go the sheet! he cries-- 310 Loud rattling, jarring, through the blocks it flies! Shivering at first, till by the blast impell'd, High o'er the lee yard-arm the canvas swell'd; By spilling lines [30] embraced, with brails confined, It lies at length unshaken by the wind. The fore-sail then secured with equal care, Again to reef the mainsail they repair; While some above the yard o'erhaul the tye, Below the down-haul tackle [31] others ply; Jears, [32] lifts, and brails, a seaman each attends, 320 And down the mast its mighty yard descends: When lower'd sufficient they securely brace, And fix the rolling tackle in its place; The reef-lines [33] and their earings now prepared, Mounting on pliant shrouds [34] they man the yard: Far on the extremes appear two able hands, For no inferior skill this task demands-- To wind, foremost, young Arion strides;