Then swept o'er Autumn with the shadowy gale;
And now among the wintry clouds again,
Roll'd in the doubling storm, she tries to soar;
25 To swell her note with all the rushing winds;
To suit her sounding cadence to the floods;
As is her theme, her numbers wildly great:
Thrice happy! could she fill thy judging ear
With bold description, and with manly thought.
30 For thee the Graces smooth; thy softer thoughts
The Muses tune; nor art thou skill'd alone
In awful schemes, the management of states,
And how to make a mighty people thrive:
But equal goodness; sound integrity;
35 A firm, unshaken, uncorrupted soul,
Amid a sliding age; and burning strong,
Not vainly blazing, for thy country's weal,
A steady spirit, regularly free;
These, each exalting each, the statesman light
40 Into the patriot; and, the publick hope
And eye to thee converting, bid the muse
Record what envy dares not flattery call.
When Scorpio gives to Capricorn the sway,
And fierce Aquarius fouls th' inverted year;
45 Retiring to the verge of heaven, the sun
Scarce spreads o'er æther the dejected day.
Faint are his gleams; and ineffectual shoot
His struggling rays, in horizontal lines,
Thro' the thick air; as at dull distance seen,
50 Weak, wan, and broad, he skirts the southern sky;
And, soon descending, to the long dark night,
Wide-shading all, the prostrate world resigns.
Nor is the night unwish'd; while vital heat,
Light, life, and joy the dubious day forsake.
among the Wintry Clouds again,
the doubling Storm, she tries to soar;
her Note with all the rushing Winds;
er sounding Cadence to the Floods;
Theme, her Numbers wildly great:
opy! could she fill thy judging Ear
Description, and with manly Thought.
hou skill'd in awful Schemes alone,
to make a mighty People thrive:
Goodness, sound Integrity,
shaken uncorrupted Soul
liding Age, and burning strong,
y blazing for thy Country's Weal,
Spirit regularly free;
h exalting each, the Statesman light
Patriot; These, the publick Hope
to thee converting, bid the Muse
hat Envy dares not Flattery call.
when the chearless Empire of the Sky corn the Centaur-Archer yields, Aquarius stains th'inverted Year; the farthest Verge of Heaven, the Sun reads o'er Ether the dejected Day. his Gleams, and ineffectual shoot gling Rays, in horizontal Lines,
thick Air; as cloath'd in cloudy Storm, an, and broad, he skirts the Southern Sky; a descending, to the long dark Night, ding All, the prostrate World resigns. e Night unwish'd; while vital Heat, e, and Joy, the dubious Day forsake.
55 Mean-time, in sable cincture, shadows vast,
Deep-ting'd, and damp, and congregated clouds,
And all the vapoury turbulence of heaven
Involve the face of things. Thus Winter falls,
A heavy gloom oppressive o'er the world,
60 Thro' nature shedding influence malign,
And rouzes all the seeds of dark disease.
The soul of man dies in him, loathing life,
And black with horrid views. The cattle droop
The conscious head; and o'er the furrow'd land,
65 Red from the plow, the dun discolour'd flocks,
Untended spreading, crop the wholesome root.
Along the woods, along the moorish fens,
Sighs the sad genius of the coming storm;
And up among the loose, disjointed cliffs,
70 And fractur'd mountains wild, the brawling brook,
And cave, presageful, send a hollow moan,
Resounding long in listening Fancy's ear.
Then comes the Father of the tempest forth,
Striding the gloomy blast. First rains obscure
75 Drive thro' the mingling skies, with vapour vile;
Dash on the mountain's brow, and shake the woods,
That grumbling wave below. Th'unsightly plain
Lies a brown deluge; as the low-bent clouds
Pour flood on flood, yet unexhausted still
80 Combine, and deepening into night shut up
The day's fair face. The wanderers of heaven,
Each to his home, retire; save those that love
To take their pastime in the troubled air,
Or skimming flutter round the dimply pool.
85 The cattle from th'untasted fields return,
MS 58-63 T cancels Thus Winter . . . horrid views, but then writes
65 Red] Brown T 74 (Striding the Blast. First
Stet. joyless &c.) T Fowls &c.) T
81 (The Day's fair Circle. Struck, the
Mean-time, in sable Cincture, Shadows vast,
55 Deep-ting'd and damp, and congregated Clouds,
And all the vapoury Turbulence of Heaven
Involve the Face of Things. Thus Winter falls,
A heavy Gloom oppressive o'er the World,
Thro' Nature shedding Influence malign,
60 And rouses up the Seeds of dark Disease.
The Soul of Man dies in him, loathing Life,
And black with more than melancholy Views.
The Cattle droop; and o'er the furrow'd Land,
Fresh from the Plow, the dun discolour'd Flocks,
65 Untended spreading, crop the wholesome Root.
Along the Woods, along the moorish Fens,
Sighs the sad Genius of the coming Storm;
And up among the loose disjointed Cliffs,
And fractur'd Mountains wild, the brawling Brook
70 And Cave, presageful, send a hollow Moan,
Resounding long in listening Fancy's Ear.
Then comes the Father of the Tempest forth,
Wrapt in black Glooms. First joyless Rains obscure
Drive thro' the mingling Skies with Vapour foul;
75 Dash on Mountain's Brow, and shake the Woods,
That grumbling wave below. Th'unsightly Plain
Lies a brown Deluge; as the low-bent Clouds
Pour Flood on Flood, yet unexhausted still
Combine, and deepening into Night shut up
80 The Day's fair Face. The Wanderers of Heaven,
Each to his Home, retire; save Those that love
To take their Pastime in the troubled Air,
Or skimming flutter round the dimply Pool.
The Cattle from th'untasted Fields return,
And ask, with meaning lowe, their wonted stalls,
Or ruminate in the contiguous shade.
Thither the houshold, feathery people crowd,
The crested cock, with all his female train,
90 Pensive, and wet. Mean-while the cottage-swain
Hangs o'er th'enlivening blaze, and taleful there
Recounts his simple frolick: much he talks,
And much he laughs, nor recks the storm that blows
Without, and rattles on his humble roof.
Wide o'er the brim, with many a torrent swell'd, B133 D95 And the mix'd ruins of its banks o'erspread,
At last the rouz'd-up river pours along, Resistless, roaring; dreadful down it comes From the chapt mountain, and the mossy wild, 100 Tumbling thro' rocks abrupt, and sounding far: Then o'er the sanded valley floating spreads, Calm, sluggish, silent; till again constrain'd, Betwixt two meeting hills it bursts a way,
Where rocks, and woods o'erhang the turbid stream;
105 There gathering triple force, rapid, and deep,
It boils, and wheels, and foams, and thunders thro'.
Nature! great parent! whose continual hand
Rolls round the seasons of the changeful year,
How mighty, how majestic are thy works!
110 With what a pleasing dread they swell the soul!
That sees astonish'd! and astonish'd sings!
Ye too, ye winds! that now begin to blow,
With boisterous sweep, I raise my voice to you.
Where are your stores, ye subtile beings! say,
115 Where your aerial magazines reserv'd,
Against the day of tempest perilous?
In what far-distant region of the sky,
Hush'd in dead silence, sleep you when 'tis calm?
MS 99 chapt] cleft T? (in pencil)
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