And fated to furvive the tranfient fun! By mortals, and immortals, feen with awe! An azure zone thy waift; clouds, in heaven's loom In ample folds of drapery divine, 555 Thy flowing mantle form; and, heaven throughout, Voluminously pour thy pompous train. Thy gloomy grandeurs (nature's most august, Infpiring afpect!) claim a grateful verfe; 560 Drawn o'er my labours past, shall close the scene. What, to be fung, fo needful? What fo well 565 570 The foul of man, His face defign'd to fee, blifs; Redundant blifs! which fills that mighty void, 575 580 The The whole creation leaves in human hearts! Through provinces of thought yet unexplor'd; 185 590 And fpread a luftre o'er the shades of night. 595 Feel I thy kind affent? and fhall the fun Be feen at midnight, rifing in my fong? 600 605 Lorenzo! come, and warm thee: thou, whofe heart, Whose little heart, is moor'd within a nook Of this obfcure terreftrial, anchor weigh. Another ocean calls, a nobler port; I am thy pilot, I thy profperous gale. Gainful thy voyage through yon azure main; Main, without tempeft, pirate, rock, or fhore; And whence thou may' import eternal wealth; And leave to beggar'd minds the pearl and gold. Thy travels doft thou boaft o'er foreign realms? Thou ftranger to the world! thy tour begin; Thy tour through nature's univerfal orb. Nature delineates her whole chart at large, On foaring fouls, that fail among the spheres ;, C 3 610 And And man how purblind, if unknown the whole !› Come, my* Prometheus, from thy pointed rock 615. And kindle our devotion at the fars; 62@ A theft, that fhall not chain, but fet thee free. Which foon, perhaps, shall shake a guilty world; Far-travel'd comets' calculated blaze; Elance thy thought, and think of more than man. 630. 635 Stars teach, as well as fhine. At nature's birth, Thus their commiffion ran-"Be kind to man.”, Where art thou, poor benighted traveller! The Stars will light thee; though the Moon fhould fail. Where art thou, more benighted! more aftray! *Night the Eighth.. 640 In In ways immoral? The Stars call thee back; And, if obey'd their counsel, set thee right. This profpect vaft, what is it?-Weigh'd aright 'Tis nature's fyftem of divinity, And every student of the Night inspires. 'Tis elder Scripture, writ by God's own hand : 645 650 655 Exifts indeed;-a lecture to mankind. What read we here ?-Th' existence of a God? Yes; and of other beings, man above;. Natives of Æther! Sons of higher climes ! And, what may move Lorenzo's wonder more, 660 Eternity is written in the skies. And whofe eternity?-Lorenzo ! Thine; Mankind's eternity. Nor Faith alone, Virtue grows here; here fprings the fovereign cure. Of almost every vice; but chiefly Thine; Wrath, Pride, Ambition, and impure Defire. C 4 * Night the Eighth. 665 Afford Afford their harafs'd flaves but flender reft. Thou, to whom midnight is immoral noon, (70 675 And the fun's noon-tide blaze, prime dawn of day; Why from yon arch, that infinite of space, 680. 685 And bind our chafte affections to his throne. Whofe love lets down these filver chains of light; 690 And welcom'd on heaven's coaft with most applause, Are here infpir'd:—And canft thou gaze too long? 695- Sweet |