That fun which bids their diamond blaze,
To deck our lily deigns.

Long had fhe fir'd each youth with love,
Each maiden with defpair;

And tho' by all a wonder own'd,
Yet knew not fhe was fair.

'Till EDWIN came, the pride of swains,
A foul that knew no art,

And from whofe eyes ferenely mild,
Shone forth the feeling heart.

A mutual

A mutual flame was quickly caught,
Was quickly too reveal'd;
Nor neither bofom lodg'd a wish
Which virtue keeps conceal'd.

What happy hours of heart-felt bliss
Did love on both bestow!
But blifs too mighty long to laft,
Where fortune proves a foe.

His fifter, who like envy form'd,
Like her in mischief joy'd,
To work them harm, with wicked skill
Each darker art employ'd.

The father too, a fordid man,
Who love nor pity knew,
Was all unfeeling as the rock
From whence his riches grew.

Long had he feen their mutual flame,
And feen it long unmov'd;
Then with a father's frown at last,
He fternly disapprov'd.

In EDWIN's gentle heart a war
Of differing paffions ftrove;
His heart, which durft not disobey,
Yet could not ceafe to love.

Deny'd her fight, he oft behind
The spreading hawthorn crept,

To fnatch a glance, to mark the spot
Where EMMA walk'd and wept.

Oft too in Stanemore's wintry waste,
Beneath the moonlight shade,
In fighs to pour his foften'd foul,
The midnight mourner ftray'd.

His cheeks, where love with beauty glow'd,
A deadly pale o'ercaft;

So fades the fresh rofe in its prime,
Before the northern blast.

The parents now, with late remorse,
Hung o'er his dying bed,

And weary'd Heav'n with fruitless pray❜rs,
And fruitless forrows fhed.

'Tis paft, he cry'd, but if your fouls
Sweet mercy yet can move,

Let thefe dim eyes once more behold
What they must ever love.

She came; his cold hand foftly touch'd,
And bath'd with many a tear;
First falling o'er the primrose pale
So morning dews appear.

But oh his fifter's jealous care,
(A cruel fifter fhe!)
Forbad what EMMA came to fay,
My EDWIN, live for me.

Now

Now homeward as fhe hopeless went,

The church-yard path along,

The blast blew cold, the dark owl scream'd
Her lover's fun'ral fong.

Amid the falling gloom of night,
Her startling fancy found

In ev'ry bush, his hovering fhade,
His groan in every found.

Alone, appall'd, thus had she pass'd
The vifionary vale,

When lo! the death-bell fmote her ear,
Sad founding in the gale.

Juft then she reach'd, with trembling steps,
Her aged mother's door!

He's gone, fhe cried, and I muft fee
That angel face no more!

I feel, I feel this breaking heart
Beat high against my fide:

From her white arm down funk her head,

She shiver'd, figh'd, and died.

CHAP

CELADON

XVI.

AND A MELI A.

MALLET.

'TIS

IS listening fear, and dumb amazement all : When to the startled eye the fudden glance Appears far fouth, eruptive thro' the cloud;

F 3

And

And following flower, in explofion vaft,
The Thunder raifes his tremendous voice.
At first, heard folemn o'er the verge of heaven,
The tempeft growls; but as it nearer comes,
And rolls its awful burden on the wind,
The lightnings flash a larger curve, and more
The noise astounds: till over head a sheet
Of livid flame difclofes wide; then shuts,
And opens wider ; fhuts and opens ftill
Expanfive, wrapping ether in a blaze.
Follows the loofen'd aggravated roar,

Enlarging, deep'ning, mingling; peal on peal

Crush'd horrible, convulfing heaven and earth.

Guilt hears appall'd, with deeply troubled thought:

And yet not always on the guilty head

鏖

Defcends the fated flash. Young CELADON

And his AMELIA were a matchless pair;

With equal virtue form'd, and equal grace;

The fame, diftinguish'd by the fex alone :

Her's the mild luftre of the blooming morn,
And his the radiance of the rifen day.

They lov'd but fuch their guileless paffion was,
As in the dawn of time inform'd the heart
Of innocence, and undiffembling truth.
'Twas friendship heightened by the mutual wish,
Th' enchanting hope, and fympathetic glow,
Beam'd from the mutual eye. Devoting all
To love, each was to each a dearer felf;
Supremely happy in th' awaken'd power
Of giving joy. Alone, amid the shades,
Still in harmonious intercourse they liv'd

The