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TRANSCRIPT
CONTENTS .
Fish Women at Calais
After visi ting the Fie ld o f WaterlooS cenery betw een Namur and LiegAix - la- Chape lleIn the Cathedral at Co logneAu thor’
s Voyage down the Rhine
Hymn for the Boatm en, &cReco l lection on the Heights ofHo ckheimSource of the Danube
Mem orial near ThunOn approaching the S taub- bachThe Fall of the AarS cene on th e Lake of Brientz
S tanzas. Enge lbergOur Lady of theTown of S chw itzOn hearing the Ranz- des- V aches on the Top o f S t. Go thardThe Church o f San Salvado rFort FuentesItal ian Itinerant, &cLast Supper by Leonardo da V inc iEc l ipse o f theCo ttage
S tanzas . Semp lo nPas
CONTENTS .
Echo on the
Pro cessions,
Elegiac S tanza-S O O O C O O O O Q O O O O O O
Sky- prospec t from the Plain o fFrance
On be ing stranded near the Harbour o f Bou logneAfter Landing the Val ley o fDover
To
DESULTORY
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SONNET .
F I SH - V VOM ENo—ON LANDING AT CALA I S .
’T l s said , fan tastic Ocean doth enfold
The l ikeness of w hate’er on Land is seen
But, if the Nereid S isters and their Queen,
Above whose heads the T ide so long hath roll’
d,
The Dam es resemble w hom we here behold,
How terrible beneath the opening waves
To sink, and m eet them in thei r fretted caves,
Withered, grotesque, immeasu rab ly old,
And shril l and fierce in accent Fear i t not !
For they Earth’s fairest Daughters do excel !
Pure unm olested beauty is their lot !
Their voices into l iquid music swell,
Th ril ling each pearly cleft and sparry grot
The undisturbed Abodes where S ea- nymphs dwell
SONNET .
BRUG ES .
BRUGE S I saw attired w i th golden l ight
(S tream ed from the west)as w i th a robe of power
’
T is passed aw ay and now the sunless hou r,
That slow ly introducing peaceful night
Best su its with fallen grandeur, to my sight
Ofi'
ers h er beauty, her m agnificence,
And all the graces left he r for defence
Again st the injuries of tim e, the sp ite
Of Fortune, and the desolating storm s
Of future War. Advance no t spare to hide,
O gentle Pow er of Darkness these mild hues !
Obscure not yet these silent avenues
Of stateliest Architecture, where the form s
Of Nun - l ike Fem ales, w i th soft m otion , gl ide
SONNET .
BRUGES .
TH E S p i r i t of Antiquity, enshrined
In sum p tuous Buildings , vocal in sweet Song
And Tales transm itted through th e popular tongue,
And w i th devout so lenm ities en tw ined,
S tr ikes at the seat o f grace within the m ind
Hence Form s that sl ide w i th swan - l ike ease along !
Hence m otions, even am id the vulga r throng,
To an harmonious decency confined
As if the S treets w ere consecrated ground,
Th e City one vast T emple dedicate
T o mutual respec t in thought and deed !
To leisure, to forbearances sedate !
To social cares from jarring passions freed
A nobler peace than that in desarts found
SONNET .
AFTER .V I S IT I NG THF F IELD OF WATERLOO .
A W I NGED Goddess, c lothed in vesture w rought
Of rainbow colours ! One whose port was bold,
VVhose overburthened hand could scarcely hold
Th e glitte ring crow ns and garlands which it b rought,
H over’d in ai r above the far- fam ed Spot.
She vanished All w as joyless, b lank , and cold !
But if from w ind- sw ep t fields of corn that roll’d
In dreary b illow s, from th e m eagre cot,
And m onum ents that soon m ay disappear,
Mean ings w e c raved which could not the re be found
I f the w ide p rospec t seem ed an env ious seal
Of great exploits w e fe lt as Men sho uld feel,
With such vast hoards of hidden carnage near,
And horror breathing from th e silent ground
SONNET .
S CENERY BETWEEN NAMUR AND L IEGE .
WHAT lovelier home could gentle Fancy chuse ?
Is this the S tream , whose ci ties, heights, and plains,
War’s favo ri te p lay- ground, are with crimson stains
Famil iar, as the M om w i th pearly dews ?
The Morn, that now along the silver MEUSE
Spreading her peaceful ensigns, calls the Sw ains
To tend their silent boats and ringing wains,
Or strip the bough w hose mellow fruit bestrews
The ripen ing corn beneath i t. As mine eyes
T urn from the fortified and threatening hil l,
How sweet the prospect of y ou w atery glade,
With its grey rocks, clustering in pensive shade,
T hat, shaped like old monastic turrets, rise
From the sm oo th meadow - ground, serene and still
SONNET .
A IX- LA- CHAPELLE .
W AS i t to disenchant, and to undo,
That we approached the Seat of Charlemaine ?
To sweep from m any an o ld romantic s train
That faith which no devotion m ay renew
Why does this puny Church p resen t to view
Its feeb le columns and that scanty Chair ,!
This Sword that One of our weak t imes might wear !
Objects of false pretence, or m eanly_true
If from a T raveller’s fortune I might! claim
A palpable m em or ial of that - day,
Then would I seek the Pyrenean Breach
Which ROLAND c love with huge two - handed sway,
And to the enorm ous labor left his nam e,
Where unremitting frosts the rocky Crescent bleach .
Let a w al l of rocks b e i magined from three to six hundred feetin height, and rising betw een France and Spain
, so as physical ly toseparate the two k ingdom s— let u s fancy this wal l curved l ike a
crescent w ith its convexity towards France. Lastly, let us suppose,
that in the very m iddle o f the w all a breach o f 300 feet w ide hasbeen beaten down by the famous Roland, and w e may have a good
idea of what the mountaineers cal l the BRECHE de ROLAND .
’
SONNET .
IN THE CATHEDRAL AT COLOGNE .
O FOR the help of Angels to complete
Thi s Temple Angels governed by a Plan
How gloriously pursued by daring Man ,
S tudious that HE might not disdain the Seat
Who dw ells in Heaven But that inspiring heat
Hath failed ! and now, ye Powers whose gorgeous
And splendid aspect yon em blazonings
But faintly picture,’ twere an office meet
For you, on these unfinished Shafts to try
The midnight virtues of your harmony
This vast Design might tem p t ' you to repeat
Charms that call forth upon empyreal ground
Immortal Fabrics ris ing to the sound
Of penetrat ing harps and voices sweet
SONNET .
AUTHOR’S VOYAGE DOWN THE RH INE (TH IRTY YEARS
AGO).
THE confidence of Youth our only Art,
And Hope gay Pi lot o f the bold design,
We saw the l iving Landscapes of the Rhine,
Reach after reach, salute us and depart !
S low sink the S p ires, and up again they start
But who shal l count the Towers as they recl in e
O ’er the dark steeps, or on the horizon line
S triding, w i th shattered c rests, the eye athwart ?
More touching still, more perfect was the p leasure,
When hurrying forward till the slack ’
n ing stream
Spread l ike a spacious Mere, we there could measure
A sm ooth free cou rse along the w atery gleam,
Think calm ly on th e past, and m ark at leisure
Features which else had vanished like a dream .
SONNET .
IN A CARR IAGE , UPON THE BANKS OF THE RH I NE .
AM I D this dance of objects sadness steals
O’er the defrauded heart wh ile sweeping by,
As in a fit of T hespian jolli ty,
Beneath her vine- leaf crown the green Earth reels
Backw a rd, in rapid evanescence, w heels
The venerable pageantry o f T im e,
Each beetl ing rampa rt and each tow er subl im e,
And what the Dell unwill ingly reveals
Of l urking cloistral arch, through trees esp ied
Near the b right River’s edge. Yet why repine ?
Pedestrian l iberty shal l yet b e m ine
To muse, to creep, to hal t at wil l, to gaze
Freedom w hich youth w i th copious hand supplied,
May in fit m easure bless my later days.
1 0
HYMN,
FO R THE BOATMEN, AS THEY APPROACH THE RAPIDS,UNDER THE CASTLE OF HE IDELBERG .
JE S U bless our slender Boat,
By the current swep t along !
Loud its threatenings let them not
D row n the music of a Song
B reathed thy mercy to im plore,
Where these troubled waters roar
Lord and Saviour who art seen
Bleeding on that precm us Rood !
If, while th rough the m eadows green
Gently wound the peaceful flood,
We forgot Thee, do not Thou
Disregard thy Suppliants now
1 2
SONNET .
L OCAL RE COLLECT I ON ON T IIE HE I GHTS NEAR
H OCKHE IM .
3
ABRUPTLY paused the S trife the field throughout
Resting upon his arm s each VVarrior stood,
Checked in the very act and deed of b lood,
With b reath suspended— l ike a l istening S cout.
O S i lence thou w ert Mother of a shout
That thro’ the texture of you azure dom e
Clove i ts glad way a c ry of harvest hom e
Uttered to Heaven in ecstasy devout !
The barrier Rhin e hath flashed, th ro’ battle- sm oke,
On
l
m en w ho gazed heart- sm i tten by the V iew ,
As if all Germ any had fe l t the shock .
Fly, w retched Gauls ere they the charge renew
Who have seen (them selves delivered from the yoke)
The unconquerable S tream h is course pursue .
SONNET .
TH E SOURCE or TH E DANUBE .
‘
NOT (l ike h is great compee rs) indignan tly
Doth DANUBE spring to l ife Th e w ande ring stream
(Who loves the Cross, yet to the C rescent’s gleam
Unfolds a w i ll ing b reast)w i th in fant glee
S lip s from h is pri son w all s ! and Fancy, free
To follow in h is track o f silver light,
Reache s, w ith one b r ief m om en t’s rap id flight,
The vast Enc inc ture o f tha t gloom y sea
VV hose rough w inds O rpheu s soothed w hose waves
did greet
S o sk ilfully tha t they forgot thei r jars
To waft the heroic p rogeny o f Greece,
When the first Ship sailed for the golden Fleece !
ARGO exal ted by that daring feat
To a consp i cuous height am ong the stars
1 4
SONNET .
THE J UNG- FRAU S— AND THE RH INE AT SH AUFFHAUSE N
TH E Vi rgin Mountain , w earing like a Queen
A b r i llian t c rown of eve rl asting snow ,
Sheds ruin from her sides ! and men below
Wonder that aught of aspect so serene
Can link w i th desolation . Sm ooth and green
And seem ing, at a little distance, slow
The Waters of the Rhine ! but on they go
Fretting and w hitening, keener and m ore keen
T i ll m adness seizes on the w hole wide Flood
T u rned to a fearful Thing, w hose nostrils breathe
Blasts of tempestuous sm oke, with w hich he tries
To hide him self, but on ly m agnifies
And doth in m ore conspicuous torm ent w rithe,
Deafen ing the region in his ireful m ood .
”
MEMORIAL ,
NEA R O UTLET OF TH E LAKE OF THUN .
D EM
A IVD E I KE N
AIE INE S FRE U1\T.D E S
AL OYS RE D LV G
BID C’CCXVI I I .
”
AROUND a w i ld and woody h ill
A gravell ed path -way treading,
We reached a votive S tone that
The nam e of Aloys Reding.
6
VV ell j udged the Fr i end w ho placed
Fo r silen ce and protec tion,
And haply w i th a finer care
Of dutifu l affection .
The S un regards i t from the West,
S inking in summ er glory !
And, while he sinks , affords a type
Of that pathetic story.
And oft he tem p ts the patriot Sw i ss
Am i d the grove to linger
T i l l al l i s dim , save th is b right S tone
T ouched by hi s golden finger.
1 7
SONNET .
ON APPROACH I NG THE STAUB - BACH, 7 LAUTERBRUNNEN.
T RACKS let m e follow far from human - kind
Which these i llus ive greetings m ay not reach
Where only Nature tunes her voice to teach
Careless pursuits, and rap tu res unconfined.
No Me rm aid warbles (to allay the w ind
That drives som e vessel tow ’
rds a dangerous beach)
lVIore thril l ing m elodies no caverned Witch
Chaunting a love- spell, ever inte rtw ined
Notes sh ril l and wild w i th art m ore m usical
Alas that from the lip s of abjec t Want
And Idleness in tatters mendicant
They should p roceed enjoyment to en thral ,
And w i th regret and useless pity haun t
This hold, this pure, th is Sky- born VV ATERFALI .
1 8
SONNET .
THE FALL OF THE AAR H ANDEC.
FROM the fierce aspect o f th i s River throwing
H i s giant body o’er the steep rock’s brink,
Back in astonishment and fear we shrink !
But, gradually a calm er look bestowing,
Flowers we espy beside the torrent growing !
Flowers that peep forth from m any a c left and chink,
And, from the whirlwind of his anger, drink
Hues ever fresh , i n rocky fortress blow ing
They suck , from b reath that threatening to destroy
Is more benignant than the dewy eve,
Beauty, and l ife, and m otions as o f joy
Nor doubt but H E to w hom you P ine - trees nod
Their heads in sign of worship, Nature’s God
,
These humbler adorations will receive.
20
E NG E I .B ERG .
Fo n gentlest uses , o ft- tim es Nature takes
The work o f Fancy from he r w il l ing hands
And even such beautiful c reation m akes
As renders needless spe ll s and m agic w ands ,
And fo r the bolde s t tale be lief comm ands .
W'
ll en fi rs t my eyes beheld that fam ous H il l
T he sac red E x c u mzno, c e les tial Bands,
W ith inte rm ingl ing m o tions soft and s till ,
H ung ro und i ts top, o n w .ngs tha t changed
at ! ill.
() l0 4
Clouds do not name those V isi tants th ey w e re
The very Angels whose authentic lays,
S ung from that heavenly ground in m iddle air,
Made know n the spot where Piety should raise
A holy S tructure to the Alm ighty’s praise.
Resplendent Apparition if in vain
My ears did l isten,’twas enough to gaze !
And watch the slow departure of the train,
Whose skirts the glowing Mountain thi rsted to detain
22
OUR LADY OF THE SNOW.
MEEK Virgin Mother, more benign
Than fairest S tar upon the height
Of thy own ! mountain set to keep
Lone v igils thro’ the hours of sleep,
What eye can look upon thy shrine
Untroub led at the sight ?
These crowded Offerings as they hang
In sign of m i sery relieved,
Even these, without intent of theirs,
Report Of comfortless despairs,
Ofmany a deep and cureless pang
And confidence deceived .
Mount Righi .
10 Q
3
T o Thee, in this aeria l c left,
As to a common centre, tend
All sufferings that no longer rest
On mortal succour, all di strest
That pine Of human hope bereft,
Nor w i sh for earthly friend .
And hence, 0 V irgin Mother m i ld
Th o’ p lenteous flowers around thee b low ,
Not only from the dreary strife
OfWinter, b ut the storm s of life,
Thee have thy Votaries ap tly styled
Ou r Lady Of the Snow .
”
Even for the Man w ho stops not here,
But dow n the i r r iguous valley hies,
Thy very nam e, 0 Lady fl ings,
O ’er b looming fields and gushing springs,
A holy Shadow soft and dear
Of chastening sympathies
C 4
24.
Nor fall s that intermingl ing shade
TO Summer gladsomeness unk ind ,
It chastens only to requite
With gleams of fresher, purer, l ight !
While, O’er the flow er- enamelled glade,
More sweetly brea thes the wind.
But on a tempting downward w ay,
A verdant path before us lies !
Clear shines the glorious sun above !
Then give fl ee course to joy and love,
Deeming the evil of the day
Sufficient for the wise.
SONNET .
TH E TOWN OF SCHWYTZ .
B Y antique Fancy trimmed tho’ lowly, bred
To dignity in thee O S CHWY'
rz are seen
The genuine features Of the golden m ean
Equal ity by Prudence governed,
Or jealous Nature rul ing in her stead
And, therefore, art thou blest with peace, serene
As that of the sw eet fields and meadows green
In unamb i tious compass round thee spread
Majestic BERNE, high on her guardian steep,
Holding a central station of command,
Might well be styled this noble Body’s HEAD !
Thou, lodg’d
’mid mountainous entrenchments deep ,
I ts HEART 9 and ever may the heroic Land
Thy name, 0 SCHWY'
I‘
Z, in happy freedom keep
26
SONNET .
ON HEARING THE RANz DES V ACHES ON TH E TOP
OF THE PAS S OF ST . GOTHARD .
I L ISTEN but no faculty Of mine
Avails those modulations to detect,
Which,heard in foreign lands, the Swiss affect
With tenderest passion leaving him to pine
(So fam e reports)and die his sweet b reath’
d kine
Rem ember ing, and green Alpine pastures deck’
d
With vernal flow ers . Yet may we not reject
The tale as fabulous . Here w hile I recline
Mindful h ow others love this sim ple S train,
Even here, upon thi s glor ious Mountain (nam ed
Of God him self from dread pre - em inence)
Aspiring thoughts by m em ory are reclaim ed
And, thro’ the Music’s touching influence,
The joys Of distant home my heart enchain .
28
Cliffs, fountains, rivers, seasons, tim es,
Let all rem ind the soul Of heaven !
Our slack devotion needs them all !
And Faith, so o ft o f' sense the thrall,
While she, by aid of Nature, c l im b s,
May hope to be forgiven .
I love, w here sp reads the village lawn ,
Upon som e knee - worn Cel l to gaze !
Hail to the firm unm oving Cross,
Aloft, w here p ines their branches toss
And to the Chapel far withdrawn,
That lurks by lonely ways
Short- sighted Children of the dust
We live and move in sorrow ’s pow er !
Extinguish that unblest disdain
That scorns the altar, m ocks the fane,
Where patient Sufferers bend in trust
TO win a happier hour.
U s)
Glo ry, and patriotic Love,
And all the Pomps Of th is frai l spot
VVh ich m en cal l Earth ,” have yearned
As soc iate w i th the sim ply m eek ,
Religion in th e sainted grove,
And in the hallow ed grot .
Thither, in tim e o f adverse shocks,
Of faint ing hopes and backw ard w i lls,
Did m ighty Te l l repair o f Old
A Hero cast in Natu re ’s m ould
Delive re r Of the steadfas t rocks
And o f the anc i en t hi lls
H e, too,o f battle - marty rs chie f !
VVhO, to re cal h is daun ted pee rs ,
Arno ld at the battle Of S em pach,b ro l. e an Ans
trian phalam in this umnner. The event is o ne o f the m o st fam o us
in the annals o f Sw iss hero ism !'
and p ic tures and prints o f i t arefre ! uent througho ut the co nntrv .
30
For victory shaped an open space,
By gathering w i th a wide em brace,
Into his single heart, a sheaf
Of fatal Austrian spears .
Ye Alps, in m any a rugged l ink
Far - stretched, and Thou, m ajestic PO,
Dim ly from yon tall Mount desc ried,
Where’er I wander be my Guide,
Sweet Charity l that bids us th ink,
And feel, if we would know
F ORT FU ENTES— AT THE HEAD OF TH E LAKE OF COM O .
DREAD hou r ! when upheaved by war’s sulphurous b last,
This sw eet - visaged Cherub Of Parian stone
SO far from the holy enclosure w as cast,
TO couch in this th icket Of b rambles alon e !
TO rest w here the l izard may bask in the palm
Of his half- open hand pure from b lem ish or speck !
And the green, gilded snake, w i thout troub l ing the calm
Of the b eautiful countenance, tw ine round his neck.
Where hap ly (k ind serv ice to P iety due
When w inter the grove of i ts mantle bereaves,
Som e Bird (like our own honoured Redb reast)may strew
The desolate S lumberer with moss and w i th leaves .
32
F UE NTE S once harbou red the Good and the Brave,
Nor to her was the dance of soft p leasure unknown !
He r bann ers for festal enjoym en t did w ave
While the thril l of her fifes th ro’ the m ountains w as
b lown
Now gads the w i ld vine o’er the pathless Ascen t
O s ilence of Natu re how deep i s thy sway
When the w hirlw ind o f hum an destruc tion is spen t,
Our tum ults appeased, and ou r str ifes passed aw ay !
33
TH E ITA L I AN I'
l‘INERANT, AND TH E SWI SS GOATHERD .
PART I .
I .
Now that the farewell tear IS dried,
Heaven prosper thee, be hope thy gu ide
Hope be thy guide, adventurous Boy !
T he w ages of thy travel, j oy
Whether for London bound to tri ll
T hy m ounta in notes w ith s im p le skill !
Or on thy head to poise a Show
Of plaste r - craft in seem ly row !
Th e graceful fo rm Of m i lk- white steed ,
Or Bi rd that soared w i th Ganym ede !
Or thro’ our ham lets thou w il t bear
The sightless Milton, w i th h is hair
D
Around his placid tem ples curled !
And Shakespear at h is side—a freight,
If clay could think and m ind were weight,
For him who bore the world
Hope be thy guide, adventurous Boy !
The wages of thy travel, joy
2 .
But thou, perhaps, (alert and free
Tho’ serving sage philosophy)
Wilt ram b le over hill and dale,
A Vender of the well - w rought S cale
Whose sentient tube in structs to time
A pu rpose to a fickle clim e
Whether thou chuse th is useful part,
Or minister to finer art,
Tho’ robbed of many a cherish ’
d dream,
And crossed by many a shatter’d scheme,
What stirring w onders wilt thou see
In the proud Isle of l iberty
That thro’ the jealous leaves escapes
From Cadenabbia’
s pendant grapes .
Oh might he tempt that Goatherd- child
To share h is w anderings he whose look
Even yet my heart can scarcely brook,
SO touchingly he smiled,
As with a rapture caught from heaven,
When P i ty’s unasked alms were given .
PART I I .
1 .
W ITH nodding plumes, and lightly drest
Like Foresters in leaf- green vest,
The Helvetian Mountaineers, on ground
For T el l ’s dread archery renowned ,
Before the Target stood to c laim
The guerdon Of the steadiest aim.
Loud was the rifle - gun’ s report,
A startl ing thunder quick and short
But, flying thro’ the heights around,
Echo prolonged a tel l- tale sound
Of hearts and hands al ike prepared
The treasures they enjoy to guard
And,if there be a favoured hour
When Heroes are allowed to qui t
The T om b, and on the clouds to sit
With tutelary pow er,
On their Desc endants shedding grace ,
This was the hour, and that the place.
2 .
But T ruth inspired the Bards of Old
When of an iron age they told,
Which to une! ual laws gave birth ,
That drove Astraea from the'
earth .
A gentle Boy (perchance with blood
As noble as the best endued,
But seem ingly a Thing desp ised !
Even by the sun and air unprized
For not a tinge or flowery streak
Appeared upon his tender cheek,)
Heart- deaf to those rebounding notes
Of pleasure, by his silent Goats
S ate far apar t in forest shed
Pale, ragged, bare his feet and head,
Mute as the snow upon the hill,
And, as the Sain t he p rays to, s till.
39
Ah, w hat avails heroic deed ?
What liberty ? if no defence
Be w on for feeble Innocence
Father of All if wilful Man m ust read
His punishment in soul - distress,
Grant to the morn Of life its natural blessedness
40
SONNET .
THE LAST SUPPER, BY L EONARDO DA V I NCI L IN THE RE
FECTORY OF TH E CONV ENT OF MAR I A D ELLA GRAZ IA
MILAN .
TH O’ searching clam p s and m any an envious flaw
Have marr’
d th is Work, the calm etherial grace,
The love deep - seated in the S aviou r ’s face,
The m ercy, goodness, have not failed to aw e
The E lements ! as they do m e lt and thaw
The heart of the Beholder and e rase
(At least for one rapt mom ent)every trace
Of disobedience to the p rim al law .
Th e annunciation of the dreadful truth
Made to the Twelve, survives ! the b row , the cheek,
And hand reposing on the board in ruth
Of what i t utters wh ile the unguilty seek
Unquestionable meanings, still bespeak
A labour wor thy of eternal youth
The handSang w i th the vo ice, and this the argum ent . M I LTON.
TH E ECL I PS E OF TH E S UN, 1 82 1 .
HIGH on her speculative Tower
S tood S c ience w aiting fo r the Hou r
When S o l w as destined to endu re
That da rkening Of h is radian t face
Which Supe rsti tion strove to chase,
Erewhile, w i th rites im pu re .
Afloat beneath Ital ian sk ies,
Thro’ regions fair as Paradise
We gaily passed , t il l Nature wrought
A silen t and unlooked- for change ,
That chec ked the de sul tory range
Of joy and sprightly thought .
42
Where’er was dipped the toiling oar
The waves danced round us as before,
As lightly, tho’
of altered hue !
Mid recent coolness, such as falls
At noon - tide from umbrageous w alls
That screen the morning dew.
NO vapour s tretched its wings no cloud
Cast far or near a murky shroud !
The sky an azure field displayed !
’Tw as sun - light sheathed and gently charm ed,
Of all i ts sparkling rays disarmed,
And as in slum ber laid
Or something n ight and day between ,
Like moon - shine —but the hue was green
S till moon - shine, without shadow , spread
On j utting rock, and c urved shore,
Where gazed the Peasant from his door,
And on the mountain’s head.
Far - stretching files concentric rings
Each narrowing above each the wings
The up l ifted palms, the silent marble l ip s,
Th e starry zone Of sovereign height,
All steeped in this portentous light
Al l Suffering dim eclipse
Thus after Man had fal len, (if aught
T hese peri shable spheres have wrought
May with that issue be com pared)
Throngs of c elestial v isages,
Darkening like water in th e breeze ,
A holy sadness shared .
S ee w hile I speak, the labou r ing S un
H is glad del iveranc e has begun
The cyp ress w aves its som b re plum e
More cheeri ly ! and Tow n and Tower,
T he V ineyard and the Olive bow e r,
Thei r lustre re - assum e
4- 5
Oh ye, who guard and grace my Hom e
While in far- distan t Lands we roam ,
Enquiring thoughts are turned to you
Does a clear ether meet your eyes ?
Or have black vapours h id the skies
And mounta in s from your view
I ask in vain and know far less
If sickness, sorrow, or dis tress
Have spared my Dwelling to thi s hour
Sad blindness but ordained to prove
Our Faith in Heaven’s unfai l ing love
And all - controlling Power.
TH E THREE COTTAGE G IRLS .
How b lest the Maid w hose hear t yet free
From Love’s uneasy sovereignty,
Beats with a fancy running high
Her simple cares to magnify !
Whom Labour, n ever urged to toil,
Hath cherished on a healthful soil !
Who know s not pom p , who heeds not pelf !
Whose heaviest sin it is to look
Askance upon her pretty S elf
Reflected in som e c rystal brook !
Whom grief hath spared who sheds no tear
B ut in sweet pity ! and can hear
Another’s praise from envy clear.
4 7
2 .
S uch, (bu t 0 lavish Nature ! why
That dark unfathomab le eye,
Where lurks a Spiri t that replies
To sti lles t mood Of softest skies,
Yet hints at peace to be o ’
erthrown ,
Another’s first, and then her own
S uch , haply, yon ITAL I AN Maid,
Our Lady’s laggard Votaress,
Halting beneath the chesnut shade
To accom plish there her loveliness
Nice aid m aternal fingers lend !
A S ister serves with slacker hand !
Then, gli ttering l ike a s tar, she j oin s the
3.
H ow b lest (if truth may entertain
Coy fancy w i th a holder s train)
Th e Hu m a n Gin who daily braves,
In her light skiff, the tossing waves,
And quits the bosom o f the deep
Only to climb the rugged steep
Say whenc e that m odulated shout ?
From VVOOd - nymph of Diana’s throng
Or does the greeting to a rout
Of giddy Bacchanals belong ?
J ubilant outcry rock and glade
Resounded but the voice obeyed
T he breath of an Helvetian Maid.
4 .
Her b eauty dazzles the thick w ood !
Her courage anim ates the flood !
Her step the elastic green—sward m eets
Returning unreluctant sweets
The mounta ins (as ye heard) rejoic e
Aloud , saluted by her voice
Bli the Paragon of Alpine grace
Be as thou art for through thy veins
The blood of Heroes runs its rac e
And nobly wil t thou b rook the chain s
to
That, fo r the vi rtuous , Life p repares !
The fetters which the Matron wears
The Patriot Mother’s w eight Of anxious cares
V .
Sw eet H IGHLAND Girl a very shower
Of beauty was thy earthly dow er,”
When Thou didst pass before my eyes,
Gay Vision under sul len skies,
While Hope and Love around thee played
Near the rough Fall s of Inversneyd
T im e cannot thin thy flowing hair,
Nor take one ray of l igh t from Thee !
For in my Fancy thou dost share
The gift o f Imm ortality !
And there shall bloom , w i th Thee all ied,
The Votaress by Lugano’s side
And that intrepid Nymph , on Uri’ s steep, descried
S ee the Author’s Miscel laneous Poems, Vol. II .
50
SONNET .
THE COLUMN INTENDED BY BUONAPARTE FOR A TRIUM
PHAL EDIFICE I N MILAN, NOW LYING BY THE WAY
S IDE ON THE SEMPLON PASS .
AMB IT I ON, following down this far- fam ed slope
Her P ioneer, the snow - dissolving Sun,
While clarions prate of Kingdom s to be won
Perchance, in future ages, here may stop
Taught to mistrust her flattering horoscope
By admon ition from this prostrate S tone !
Memento uninscribed of Pride O’
erthrown,
Vanity’s hieroglyphic a choice trope
In fortune’s rhetoric. Daughter of the Rock,
Rest where thy course was stayed by Power Divine
The Soul transported sees, from hint of th ine,
Crim es which the great Avenger’s hand provoke,
Hears combats whistl ing o’er the ensanguin’
d heath
What groans what shrieks what quietness in death
52
The beauty of Florence, the grandeur of Rome,
Could I leave them unseen and not yield to regret ?
With a hope (and no more)for a season to come,
Which ne’er may discharge the magnificent debt ?
Thou fortunate Region whose Greatness inurned,
Awoke to new l ife from its ashes and dust !
Twice -
glorified fields if in sadness I turned
From your infinite marvels, the sadness was just.
Now , risen ere the light- footed Chamois retires
From dew- sprinkled grass to heights guarded with snow,
Tow’rd the m ists that hang over the land of my S ires,
From the c l imate of myrtles contented I go .
My thoughts becom e bright, l ike yon edging of Pine,
Black fringe to a precipice lofty and bare,
Which , as from behind the Sun strikes it, doth shine
Wi th threads that seem part of his own silve r hair.
Tho’ the burthen Of toi l w i th dear friends we divide,
Tho’ by the same zephyr our temples are fanu’d,
As we rest in the cool orange- bower side byside,
A yearning survives which few hearts shall withstand
Each step hath its value while homeward w e m ove
0 j oy when the girdle Of England appears
What moment in life is so conscious of love,
So rich in the tenderest sweetness Of tears ?
54
SONNET .
ECHO, UPON ‘
TH E GEMM I .
WHAT Beast of Chase hath broken from the cover ?
S tern GEMM I listens to as ful l a cry,
As multitudinous a harmony,
As e’er did ring the heights Of Latmos over,
When, from the soft couch of her sleeping Lover,
Up- starting
,Cynthia skimmed the mountain - dew
In keen pursui t and gave, where’er she flew,
Impetuous motion to the S tars above her.
A solitary Wolf- dog, ranging on
Thro’ the bleak concave, wakes this wonderous chime
Of aery voices locked in unison,
Faint far off near deep solemn and sublim e
SO, from the body of a single deed,
A thousand ghostly fears, and haunting thoughts, proceed !
55
PROCESS IONS .
SUGGESTED ON A SABBATH MORN ING IN THE VALE OF
CHAMOUNY.
TO appeas e the Gods or pub lic thanks to yield
Or to solici t knowledge Of events,
Which in her breast futuri ty concealed !
And that the pas t might have its true in tents
Feelingly told by living monuments
Mankind of yore were prompted to devise
Rites such as yet Persepolis presents
Graven on her cankered wall s, solemnities
That moved in long array before admiring eyes .
56
The Hebrews, thus, carrying in joyful state
Thick boughs Of palm, and willows from the brook,
Marched round the Altar to comm em orate
How, when their course they thro’ the desart took,
Guided by signs which ne’er the sky forsook,
They lodged in leafy tents and cabins low !
Green boughs were borne, w hile for the blast that shook
Down to the earth the walls of Jericho,
They uttered loud hosannas, let the trumpets blow l
And thus, in order,’m id the sacred Grove
Fed in the Lybian Waste by gushing wells,
The Priests and Dam sels of Amm onian Jove
Provoked responses w i th shril l canticles
While, in a Ship begirt with silver bells,
They round his Altar bore the horned God,
Old Cham , the solar Deity, w ho dwells
Aloft, yet in a tilting Vessel rode,
When un iversal sea the m ountains overflow ed.
vVVhy speak of Roman Pomps? the haughty claims
Of Chiefs triumphant after ruthless wars !
The feast Of Neptune and the Cereal Games,
With Images, and Crowns, and empty Cars !
The dancing Sali i on the shields o f Mars
S triking with fury and the deeper dread
Scattered on all sides by the hideous jars
Of Corybantian cymbals, w hile the head
Of Cybele was seen , subl imely turretted !
At length a Spiri t more subdued and soft
Appeared, to govern Christian pageantries
The Cross, in calm process ion, borne aloft
Moved to the chaunt of sober litanies.
Even such , this day, came waf’ted on the breeze
From a long train in hooded vestm ents fair
Enw rapt and winding, between Alpine trees
Spiry and dark, around their House of Prayer
Below the icy bed Of bright ARGENTI IZRE .
58
But O the fairest pageant of a dream
Did never equal that which met our eyes
The glacier Pillars with the living Stream
Of white - robed Shapes ‘3, seemed linked in solemn
For the same service, by mysterious ties
Numbers ex ceeding f credible account
Of num ber, stood like spotless Votaries
Prepared to i ssue from a wintry fount !
The impenetrable heart of that exalted Mount
They, too, who sent so far a holy gleam
While they the Church engirt wi th motion slow,
A product of that awful Mount did seem,
Poured from his vaul ts of everlasting snow !
Not virgin - lilies marshalled in bright row,
Not swans descending with the stealthy tide,
A livelier sisterly resemblance Show
Th an the fair Forms, that on the turf did glide,
To that unmoving band the Shapes aloft descried
60
ELEGIAC STANZAS .
On arriving at Lausanne, w e heard of thefate of the Young American,
whose death is here lamented. He had been our companionfor three
days ! and we separated upon M ount Righi with mutual hope of
meeting again in the course of our Tour . GOLDAU, mentioned towards the conc lusion of this Piece , is a Village at the foot ofM ount
Righi, one of those overwhelmed by a mass whichfell from the side
of the mountain ROSSBERG, a few years ago .
LULLED by the sound Of pastoral bells,
Rude Nature’s P ilgrim s did we go,
From the dread summit of the Queen
Of Mountains, through a deep ravine,
Where, in her holy Chapel, dwells
Our Lady o f the Snow .
”
6 1
The sky was blue, the air was m i ld !
Free were the streams and green the bow ers
As if, to rough assaults unknown ,
The genial spot had ever shown
A countenance that sw eetly sm iled,
The face of summ er- hours .
And We were gay, our hearts at ease,
With pleasure dancing through the fram e
All that we knew of l ively care,
Our path that straggled here and there,
Of trouble but the fluttering breeze,
Of Winter but a nam e .
If foresight could have rent the veil
Of three short days but hush no more
Calm is the grave, and calmer none
Than that to which thy cares are gone,
Thou Victim of the stormy gale,
Asleep on ZUR ICH’
S shore !
62
Oh GODDART what art thou a name
A sunbeam followed by a shade
Nor m ore, for aught that tim e supplies,
The great, the experienced, and the wise !
TOO m uch from this frai l earth we claim ,
And therefore are betrayed .
We met, while festive mirth ran wild,
Where, from a deep Lake’s m ighty urn,
Forth slips, l ike an enfranchised S lave,
A sea- green River, proud to lave,
With current swift and undefiled,
The towers of old LUCERN.
We parted upon solemn ground
Far- l ifted tow’rds the unfading sky !
But all our thoughts were then Of Earth
That gives to common pleasures birth !
And nothing in our hearts we found
That prompted even a sigh .
(53
Fetch,sympathizing Powers of air,
Fetch , ye that post o’er seas and lands,
Herbs moistened by Virginian dew,
A m ost untim ely sod to strew,
That lacks the ornamental care
Of kindred hum an hands
Beloved by every gentle Muse
He left h is T rans - atlantio hom e
Europe, a realized rom ance,
Had Opened on hi s eager glance !
What present bliss what golden views
What stores for years to come
Though lodged w i thin no vigorous frame,
His soul her daily tasks renew ed,
Blithe as the lark on sun - gilt wings
H igh poised or as the w ren that sings
In shady places, to proclaim
Her modest gratitude.
64
Not vain is sadly- u ttered praise !
The words Of truth’s memorial vow
Are sweet as morning fragrance shed
From flowers ’m id GOLDAU
’
s ruins bred !
Sweet as Eve’s fondly l ingering rays,
On RIGH I’
s silent brow .
And, w hen thy Mother weeps for
Lost Youth a soli tary Mother !
This tribute from a casual Fr iend
A not unwelcome aid may lend,
TO feed the tender luxury,
The rising pang to smother.
65
SONNET .
SKY- PROSPECT — FROM TH E PLAIN O F FRANCE .
LO in the burning West, the craggy nape
Of a proud Ararat and, thereupon ,
The Ark, her m elancholy voyage done
Yon rampant Cloud mim ics a Lion ’s shape !
There combats a huge Crocodile agape
A golden spear to sw allow and that brow n
And mas sy Grove, so near you blazing T own ,
S tirs and recedes destruction to escape
Yet all i s harmless as the Elysian shades
Where Spirits dwell in undisturb ’
d repose ,
S i lently disappears, or quickly fades !
Meek Nature’s evening comm ent on the shows
That for oblivion take their daily birth ,
From all the fuming vanities o f Earth
66
SONNET .
ON BE ING STRANDED NEAR TH E HARBOUR or BOULOGNE . ‘4
W HY cast ye back upon the Gallic shore,
Ye furious w aves a patriotic S on
Of England who in hope her coast had won,
H i s proj ect crowned, his pleasant travel o’
er ?
Well —let h im pace this noted beach once more,
That gave the Rom an his triumphal Shells
That saw the Corsican his cap and bells
Haughtily shake a dream ing Conqueror
Enough ! my Country’s Cliffs I can behold,
And proudly th ink, beside the murm uring sea,
Of checked Ambition Tyranny controuled,
And Folly cursed with endless memory
These local recollections ne’er can cloy
S uch ground I from my very heart enjoy
TO ENTERPRIZE.
KEEP for the Young the em passioned smile
Shed from thy coun tenance, as I see thee stand
H igh on a chalky cliff Of Britain ’s Isl e,
A slender Volume grasping in thy hand
(Perchance the pages that relate
The various turns of Crusoe’s fate)
Ah, spare the exulting sm i le,
And drop thy pointing finger bright
As the first flash of beacon - l ight !
But neither vei l thy head in shadows dim ,
Nor turn thy face away
From One wh o , in the evening o f his day,
To thee would Offer no p resumptuous hym n
TO ENTERPRIZE .
I .
Bold S p iri t w h o art free to rove
Am ong the starry courts of J ove,
And oft in sp lendour dost appear
Embodied to poetic eyes ,
While trave rsing this n ether sp here,
Where Mortals call thee ENTE RPR IZ E .
Daughter of Hope her favou r i te Child,
Whom she to young Am bition bore,
When Hunter’s arrow first defiled
The Grove, and stained the turf with gore !
Thee winged Fancy took , and nursed
On broad Euphrates’ palmy shore,
Or where the mightier Waters burst
TO ENTERPRIZE .
From Caves o f Indian moun tains hoar
She w rapp’d th ee in a Panther’s skin !
And thou (if rightly I rehearse
What wondering Shepherds told in verse)
From rocky fortress in mid air
(The food which pleased thee best to win)
Didst Oft the flam e - eyed Eagle scare
With infant shout, as often sweep,
Paired with the Ostrich , o’
er the plain !
And, tired wi th sport, wouldst sink asleep
Upon the couchant Lion ’s mane
With rolling years thy strength increased !
And, far beyond thy native East,
TO thee, by varying titles known ,
AS variously thy pow er was shown,
Did incense - bearing Altars rise,
Which caught the blaze of sacrifice,
From Suppliants panting for the sk ies
TO ENTERPRIZE .
II .
W hat though th is ancient Earth be trod
NO more by step of Dem i - god
Mounting from glorious deed to deed
As thou from clime to cl ime didst lead,
Yet stil l , the bosom beating high,
And the hushed farewell of an eye
Where no procrastinat ing gaze
A last infirmity betrays,
Prove that thy heaven - descended sway
Shall ne’er submit to cold decay .
By thy divinity impelled,
The S tripling seeks the tented field !
The aspi ring Virgin kneels and, pale
With awe, receives the hallowed veil,
A soft and tender Heroine
Vowed to severer discipl ine !
Buflamed by thee, the blooming Boy
Makes Of the whistling shrouds a toy,
And of the Ocea n’s dism al breast
A play - ground and a couch Of rest !
TO ENTERPRIZE .
But Oh what transports, what sublime reward,
W on from the w orld ofmind, dost thou prepare
For philOSOph ic Sage or h igh - souled Bard
Who, for thy service trained in lonely woods,
Hath fed on pageants floating thro’ the air,
Or calentured in depth of limpid floods
Nor g rieves— tho’ doomed, thro’ si lent night, to bear
The domination Of his glorious themes,
Or struggle in the net- work of thy dreams
Dread Minister of wrath
W ho to their destined punishment dost urge
The Pharoahs Of the earth, the men of hardened heart !
Not unassisted by the flattering stars,
Thou strew ’
st temptation o ’
er the path
When they in pomp depart,
With trampling horses and refulgent cars
TO ENTERPRIZE .
Soon to be swallowed by the briny surge
Or cast, for l ingering death, on unknown strands
Or stifled under weight of desart sands
An Army now , and now a living hil l‘G
Heaving w ith convulsive throes,
I t quivers and is still !
Or to forget thei r madness and their woes,
Wrapt in a winding- sheet of spotless snows
IV .
Back flows the will ing current o f my Song
I f to provoke such doom the Impious dare
VVhy should i t daunt a blameless prayer
Bold Goddess range our Youth among !
Nor let thy genuine impulse fai l to beat
In hearts no longer young !
S till may a veteran Few have pride
In thoughts whose sternness makes them sweet !
78 TO ENTERPRIZE .
In fixed resolves by reason justified
That to their object cleave like sleet
Whiten ing a pine - tree’s northern side,
VV hile fields are naked far and wide.
V.
But, if such homage thou disdain
As doth with mellowing years agree,
One rarely absent from thy T rain
More humble favours m ay Obtain
For thy contented Votary.
She, who incites the froli c lambs
In presence of th eir heedless dams,
And to the sol itary fawn
Vouchsafes her lessons bounteous Nymph
That w akes the breeze the sparkling lymph
Doth hurry to the lawn !
She, who inspires that strain i oyance holy
Which the sweet Bird, misnamed the melancholy,
Pours forth in shady groves, shall p lead for m e !
TO ENTERPRIZ E .
And vernal mornings opening bright
With views Of undefined delight,
And cheerful songs, and suns that shine
On busy days, with thankful nights , be mine.
VI .
But thou , O Goddess in thy favourite Isle
(Freedom’s impregnable redoubt
,
Th e wide Earth ’s store - house fenced about
With breakers roaring to the gales
That stretch a thousand thousand sail s)
Qu icken the S lothful , and exalt the Vile !
Thy impulse i s the life of Fame !
Glad Hope would alm ost cease to be
If torn from thy society
And Love, w hen worthiest of the nam e,
Is proud to walk the Earth with thee
NOTES !
But for the scars in that unhappy rage
Inflicted, firm she stands and undecayedLike our first S i res, a beaut ifu l old age
I s hers in venerable years arrayed !And yet , to her , ben ignan t stars may bring,What fate denies to m an ,
- a second Spring.
When I m ay read Of ti lts in days of old,
And tourneys grac ed by Ch ieftains of renown,Fai r dam es, grave c i t i zens , and warriors bold,If fancy w ou ld pou rtray som e state ly town,
Which for such pomp fit theatre should b e ,Fai r B ruges, I shal l then rem ember thee .
!
NOTE 2 . Page 1 1 . l ine 12.
M iserere D om ine .
See th e beau t ifu l Song in Mr. Coleridge’s Tragedy
TH E REM ORS E.
” Why is the Harp of Quantock si lent
NOTE 3. Page. 1 2. l ine 1 .
Th e even t is thus rec orded in the journals of the dayWhen the Austrians took Hockheim , in one part of the
engagem en t they got to the brow of the h i l l, w henc e they
had the i r first view of th e Rhine . They instantly hal ted—not a gun was fired—not a voi c e heard ! but theystood gazing on the river w i th those fee l ings w h ich the
NOTES .
events o f the last 15 years at once cal led up. l ’rinc e
S chwartzenb erg rode up to know the cause of this suddenstop , they then gave three cheers , rushed after th e enem y ,and drove them into the w ater .
NOTE 4 . Page 13. l ine 1 .
Not (like his great Compeers)indignantlyD oth D anube spring to light
Before th is ! uarter of the B lack Fores t was inhabited,the source of th e Danube m ight have suggested som e ofthose subl im e images w h ic h A rm strong has so fine ly desc ribed ! at present th e contrast is most striking. Th e
Spring appears in a capac ious S tone Bas in upon th e front
of aDuca l palac e, w i th a pleasure -
ground Oppos i te ! then ,pass ing under the pavem en t , takes th e form of a l i tt le
,
c lear, bright , black, vigorous ri l l , bare ly w ide enough totempt th e agi l i ty of a ch i ld five years old to leap ove r i t ,—and, entering the Garden , i t joins, after a course of afew hundred yards , a S tream much m ore cons iderablethan itself. The copiousness of th e Spring at D oneschin
genmust have procured for i t th e honou r of be ing nam ed
the Source of the Danube.
NOTES .
NOTE 5 . Page 14 . l ine 1 .
The J ung-f rau and the Rhine, (Sc.
This Sonnet belongs to another publ icat ion , but fromi ts fi tness for this place i s inserted here also.
Voilh un (infer d’
eau ,
”c ried out a Germ an Friend of
Ramond, fal l ing On h is knees on the scaffold in fron t Ofth is Waterfal l . See Ramond’s Translat ion Of Coxe .
NOTE 6. Page 15. l ine 1 1 .
We reached a votive S tone that bears
The name of Aloys Reding.
A loys Reding, i t w i l l b e remem bered, was Captain
General of the Sw iss fo rces, w h ich w i th a courage and
perseverance w orthy of th e cause , opposed the flagitious ,
and too suc c e'
ssful , attempt of Buonaparte to subjugatethei r count ry .
NOTE 7 . Page 17 . l ine 1 .
On approaching the S taub- bach .
The S taub - bach is a narrow S tream , wh ich , after along c ourse on th e he ights, com es to a sharp edge of a
om ewhat overhanging prec ip ic e, ove rleaps i t w i th a
NOTES .
bound, and, after a fal l o f 930 feet , fo rm s again a rivu le t .The vocal pow ers of these m us ical B eggars m av seem to
b e exaggerated b ut th is w i ld and savage ai r was utterlyunl ike any sounds I had ever heard ! the notes reachedm e from a distanc e , and on w hat oc cas ion they w ere sungI cou ld not guess , on ly they seem ed to belong, in som ew ay or other, to the VVaterfall— and rem inded m e o f
rel igious serv ices chaunted to S tream s and Fountains inPagan tim es .
NOTE 8 . Page 20. l ine 1
E ngelberg.
Engelberg, the H i l l of Ange ls, as the name impl ies.The Convent w hose s i te was pointed out, according to
tradi t ion, in th is m anner, is seated at its base . The
A rch i tec tu re of the B uilding is un impress i ve, b ut thes i tuat ion is worthy of the honou r w h ich the imaginationof the Mountaineers has conferred upon i t.
NOTE 9 . Page 25 . l ine 14 .
Thou, lodg’
d'
mi(l mountainous entrenchments deep,
I ts HEART
Nearly 500 years (says Ebe l , speaking of the FrenchInvasion,) had elapsed, when , for the first t im e , fore ign
G 4
NOTES .
So ldiers w ere seen upon the frontiers Of this smal l Canton, to impose upon i t the law s of thei r Governors.
NOTE 10 . Page 27 . l ine
The Church of San Salvador .
Th is Church was almost destroyed by l ightning afew years ago , but the A l tar and the Im age Of th ePatron Saint w ere un touched. Th e Mount , upon thesumm it Of wh ich the Church is bu i l t, stands in them idst of the intricac ies of the Lake of Lugano ! and is,from a hundred points of v iew ,
i ts princ ipal ornam ent,ris ing to the he igh t of 2000 fee t, and, on one s ide, nearlyperpendicular. The ascent is toi lsom e ! b u t the Traveller w h o perform s i t w i l l be amply rew arded. Splendidferti lity, rich woods and dazzl ing waters , sec lus ion and
confinem ent of view contrasted w i th sea- l ike ex tent of
plain fading in to the sky and thi s again, in an Oppos i te
! uarter, w i th an hori zon of th e loftiest and bo ldest A lpsun i te in c ompos ing a prospec t more divers ified by m agnifi
c ence , beauty, and subl im i ty, than perhaps anyother poin tin EurOpe, of so inconsiderable an e levat ion
, comm ands.
NOTE 1 1 . Page 40. l ine 15 .
Of what it utters
th e handthe vo ic e , and this th e argum ent .
M ILTON .
NOTES .
NOTE 12. Page 43. l ine 10.
Of figures human and D ivine.
The S tatues ranged round th e Spi re and along the roof
o f th e Cathedral o f M i lan , have been found faul t w i thby Persons w hose exc lus ive taste is unfortunate for themse l ves . I t is true that the sam e expense and lab ourjudi
c iously di rec ted to purposes more stric t ly arch itec tural ,m igh t have m uch he ightened the general effec t of thebu i lding ! for, seen from the ground, the S tatues appear
dim inut ive . But the coup d’
aeil, from the best poin t o f
v iew ,w hi ch is half w ay up th e Spi re , m ust strike an un
prejudic ed Person w i th adm i rat ion ! and su re ly the select ion and arrangem en t o f the Figures is ex ! u is i te ly fi ttedto support the re l igion of the Country in the imaginat ionsand feel ings of the Spec tator. I t w as w i th great pleasurethat I saw , during th e tw o ascen ts w h ich w e m ade . several Ch i ldren, of differen t ages , t ripp ing up and dow n th e
slender spire , and paus ing to look around them ,w i th fee l
ings m u ch m ore an imated than cou ld have been derivedfrom these, or th e finest w orks Of art , if plac ed w i th in easyreach .
— Rem ember also that you have th e A lps on one
side, and on th e other the Apennines , w ith the Plain of
Lombardy betw een
NOTES .
NOTE 13. Page 58 . l ine 4 .
The Glacier Pillars and the living S tream
Of white - robed Shapes
Th is Procession is a part of the sac ram ental service perform ed once a m onth . In the V al ley of Engelberg w e hadthe good fortune to be present at the Grand Festival ofthe V i rgin— b ut the Process ion on that day, though c onsist ing of upw ards of 1000 Persons , assembled from al lthe branches of the se ! uestered V al ley, was m uch l ess
striking (notw i thstanding the subl im i ty of the surroundingscenery)! i t wanted both the s impl ic i ty of the other andthe ac com pan im ent Of the G lac ier - columns
, w hose s is
terly resem b lance to the moving Figures gave i t a mostbeaut ifu l and solemn pecu l iari ty .
NOTE 14. Page 66. l ine 1 .
The Harbour of B ou logne.
Near th e Town of Boulogne, and overhanging th e
B each , are the rem ains Of a Tow er w h ich bears the nam e
of Cal igu la, wh o here term inated h is w estern Expedi tion ,of whi ch these sea - she l ls w ere th e boasted spoi ls . And,
at no great distance from these Ru ins, B uonaparte ,standing upon a mound Of earth , harangued his Army
DESULTORY STANZ AS .
II .
All that I saw retu rns upon my view,
All that I heard comes back upon my ear,
All that I felt this mom ent doth renew !
And where the foot w i th no unmanly fear
Recoil’
d— and wings alone could travel— there
I move at ease, and meet con tending them es
That press upon m e, crossing the career
Of recollections vivid as the dreams
Of midnight, cities plains forests— and m ighty
streams
I II .
Where mortal never breathed I dare to si t
Among the interior Alps, gigantic c rew,
W ho triumphed o’er diluv ian power —and yet
What are they but a w reck and residue,
Whose only business i s to perish — true
To which sad course, these wrinkled Sons of T ime
Labour their p roper greatness to subdue !
DESULTORY STANZAS .
Speaking o f death alone , beneath a c l ime
Where l ife and rap ture flow in p leni tude sub l ime.
IV .
Fancy hath flung fo r m e an airy bridge
Across thy long deep Valley, furious Rhone
Arch that here rests upon the granite ridge
Of Monte Rosa— there, on frailer stone
Of secondary birth— the J ung- frau ’s cone !
And , from that arch down - looking on the Vale,
The aspect I behold of every zone !
A sea o f foliage tossing with the gale,
Bli the Autumn’s purple crown , and Winter’s icy mail
V.
Far as ST . MAUR I CE , from yon eastern
Down the main avenue my sight can range
at Les Founcnrs, the po int at which the tw o chains o f mo untains part, that enclo se the V alais, which term inates at S T .
NIA URI CE .
DE SULTORY STANZAS .
And all i ts branchy vales, and al l that lurks
With in them, church, and town , and hu t, and grange,
For my enjoymen t meet in vision strange !
Snows— torrents — to the region’s utm ost bound,
Life, Death , in amicable interchange
But list ! the avalanche— heart- striking sound
Tumult by promp t repose and awful silence c rown ’
d
VI .
Is not the Chamois suited to his place ?
The Eagle worthy of her ancestry ?
Let Empires fall ! but ne’er shall Ye di sgrace
Your noble birthright, Ye that occupy
Your Council- seats beneath the open sky,
On Sarnen’
s Mount ', there judge of fit and right,
In simple democratic majesty !
S oft breezes fanning your rough brows— the m igh t
And purity of nature spread before your sight
Our pride m i sleads, our tim id l ikings kill .
- Long may these homely Works devi sed of old,
These sim ple Efforts of Helvetian skil l,
Aid, w i th congen ial influence, to uphold
The S tate, the Country’s destinyt o mould !
T urn ing, for them w ho pass, the comm on dust
Of se rvi l e opportuni ty to gold !
Filling the soul w i th sentim ents augu st
The beautiful, the brave, the holy, and the just
X.
And those su rrounding Mountains— but no m ore !
T im e creepeth softly as the l iquid flood !
Life slips from underneath us, l ike the floo r
Of that wide rainbow- arch whereon w e stood,
Ear th stretched below , Heaven in our neighbourhood .
Go fo rth, my l i ttle Book pursue thy way !
Go forth, and-
p lease the gentle and the good !
Nor be a whisper stifled, if i t say
That treasures, yet untouched,maygrace some futureLay.
NOTES .
NOTE 1 . Page 98 . l ine 12.
Ye who convolved in Sarnen occupy.
Sarnen , one o f the tw o Capi tals Of the Can ton ofUnder
w alden ! th e Spo t here a l luded to is c lose to the town ,
and is cal led the Landenberg, from th e Tyran t of thatnam e , w hose chateau form erly stood there . On the
1st Of Jan . 1308 , th e great day w hich the confederatedHeroes had chosen for th e del i veranc e Of the i r Country
,
al l the Cast les Of th e Governors w ere taken by force ors tratagem ! and th e Tyran ts them se l ves conduc ted, w i ththe i r Creatures, to th e front iers, after having w i tnessedthe destruc t ion of the i r S trong- holds . From that t imeth e Landenberg has been th e plac e w here the Legis latorsOf th is div i s ion Of th e Canton assemb le . Th e se i te ,w h ich i s w e l l desc ribed by Ebe l , is one Of the most beau
t ifu l in Sw itzerland.
NOT E 2 . Page 99. l ine 2 .
H onoured B ridge.
B ridges Of Lucerne are roofed, and Open atQ0 that the Passenger has , at the same time
,
NOTES .
benefi t of shade, and a v iew Of the m agn ificen t Country .
The Pi c tures are attached to th e rafters those fromS c ripture H is tory on the Cathedral - bridge, am ount , ac
c ording to my not es, to 240 . Subj ec ts from th e Old
Testam en t face th e Passenger as h e goes tow ards theCathedral , and those from the New as h e retu rns . Th e
pic tures on these B ridges, as w el l as those m m ost otherparts of Sw i t zerland, are not to b e spoken Of as works o fart ! but they are instrum en ts adm i rably answ ering th e
purpose for w h ich they w ere designed.
The fol low ing S tanzas w ere suggested by the TOWERof TELL ,
” at ALTORF , on th e outs ide w al ls Of w hich thech ief exploits of th e Hero are pain ted i t i s said to standupon the very ground w here grew the Lime Tree againstw h ich his Son w as plac ed when the Father’s archery wasput to proof under the c i rc um stances so famous in Sw issH istory .
What though the I tal ian penc i l w rough t not here,Nor su c h as did the publ i c m eed bestow
On Marathon ian va lour, yet the tear
Springs forth in presenc e of th is gaudy show ,
Wh i le narrow cares the i r l im its overflow .
Thric e happy , Burghers, Peasants, Warriors Old,Infants in arm s , and Ye , that as ye goHom e - ward or School - ward, ape what ye behold !Heroes before your t ime , in frol ic fancy bold !
But w hen that calm Spec tatress from on highLooks dow n the bright and sol itary Moon,Who never gazes b u t to beau tify !And snow - fed torrents, wh ich the blaze Of noon
