"Thy threatenings, Lord, as thine thou may'st re- As when sharp frosts had long constrain'd the earth, Now frequent trines the happier lights among, And high-raised Jove from his dark prison freed, Those weights took off that on his planet hung, Will gloriously the new-laid work succeed. Methinks already from this chymic flame, Already laboring with a mighty fate, She shakes the rubbish from her mounting brow, And seems to have renew'd her charter's date, Which Heaven will to the death of Time allow. More great than human now, and more august, Now deified she from her fires does rise: Her widening streets on new foundations trust, And opening into larger parts she flies. Before she like some shepherdess did show, Now like a maiden queen she will behold, From her high turrets, hourly suitors come; The East with incense, and the West with gold, Will stand like suppliants to receive her doom. The silver Thames, her own domestic flood, Shall bear her vessels like a sweeping train; And often wind, as of his mistress proud, With longing eyes to meet her face again. The wealthy Tagus, and the wealthier Rhine, The glory of their towns no more shall boast, And Seyne, that would with Belgian rivers join, Shall find her lustre stain'd, and traffic lost. The venturous merchant, who design'd more far, Our powerful navy shall no longer meet, The wealth of France or Holland to invade; The beauty of this town without a fleet, From all the world shall vindicate her trade. And while this fam'd emporium we prepare, The British ocean shall such triumphs boast, That those, who now disdain our trade to share, Shall rob like pirates on our wealthy coast. Already we have conquer'd half the war, And the less dangerous part is left behind : Our trouble now is but to make them dare, And not so great to vanquish as to find. Thus to the eastern wealth through storms we go, A constant trade-wind will securely blow, With ravish'd ears And seems to shake the spheres. The praise of Bacchus then the sweet musician sung: The jolly god in triumph comes; He shows his honest face; Now give the hautboys breath: he comes, he comes. Drinking joys did first ordain ; Rich the treasure, Sweet is pleasure after pain |