A poem on the earthquake at Lisbon

A poem on the earthquake at Lisbon

CALM was the Sky, the Sun serenely bright, Shot oer the Sea long dazzling Streams of Light. Thro Orange Groves soft breathing Breezes playd, And gatherd Sweets like Bees where eer they strayd. In fair Relievo stood the lofty Town, 5 Set off by radiant Lights and Shadows brown; While evry Dome, each Cupola and Spire, Shone doubly gilt by the Suns lambent Fire. And where beneath, the Silver Tagus flowd, {4}In many a stately Row tall Vessels rode; 10 So smooth it flowd that all the various View, Reflected there, was downward seen anew, And as it softly stole along the Plain, Carryd a floating Landskip to the Main. Within the Town gay Crowds were seen to stray, 15 While full Processions gracd the festive Day. Mechanicks by their honest Labour fed, With chearful Visage earnd their daily Bread; Misers were counting oer their ill-got Store, But not contented meditating more. 20 Spendthrifts were just awakd from Golden Dreams; Projectors were inventing Lottery Schemes; Merchants were storing Goods from India brought; Clients were selling Lands which Lawyers bought. Behold a Youth, and sitting by his Side, 25 A Damsel new-betrothd, his destind Bride; Around them throngs a Train of Virgins gay, Preparing Garments for the Marriage-day. Alas!And now rings out the Matin Bell, The pious Matron issuing from her Cell, 30 Inspird by true Devotion joins the Crowd, And awd with Reverence seeks the House of God; There humbly prostrate kneels upon the Ground Happy the Few that watching so are sound! Ill-fated City! there were Revels kept, 35 Devoid of Fear, they eat, they drank, they sleepd. No friendly Voice like that of antient Rome, Was sent to give them Warning of their Doom: No Airy Warriours to each other clung, Such as tis said oer destind Sion hung; 40 But like a nightly Thief their dreadful Fate, {5}Unlookd for came and undermind their State. For with a sudden Shock the solid Ground, In dreadful Waves came rolling all around; Not those rough Seas beneath the frozen Pole, 45 Impelld by Winds, more furious Billows roll. Earths Womb was heard to groan with hollow Roar, The Dwellings trembledbut Men trembled more. Aghast they reel like Drunkards here and there, And all distracted fly they know not where. 50 Destruction drives them from their dear Abodes, And where their Safety was, fell Ruin nodds. Husbands are here seen pressing thro the Throng, Nor know they drag their clinging Wives along. Coy Virgins of their Lovers once afraid, 55 Now hang on Strangers Necks and court their Aid. And there a ghastly Group of Women see! A Picture of the Ghosts they soon must be, Wringing their Hands, sad solemn Silence keep, While Infants wonder why their Mothers weep. 60 And now a Moments Pause, Fates Heralds lend, A dreadful Pause like that when Time shall end. Lo what a sudden Change! On Ruins Brink, The Proud turn humble, and the Thoughtless think. 65 Dark gloomy Sadness overclouds the Gay, And Hypocrites for once sincerely pray. In their own proper Shapes now Crimes appear, For Danger touching like Ithuriels Spear, Does by its Power the fatal Magic end; 70 Down falls the Vizor, and upstarts the Fiend! Atheists no longer can themselves deceive, And now too late they tremble and believe. But the good Man looks boldly on his Fate, {6}Alone unshaken in a shaking State. 75 Again the Storm with double Fury rolls, And from the dreadful Deeps the Tempest howls. With thicker Throws now groans the labring Earth, The sure Fore-runners of the fatal Birth. 80 The City loosend with repeated Shocks, Now to and fro from her Foundations rocks. Amazd, confounded, of all Sense bereft, The shipwreckd Souls behold their Vessels cleft. Down from on high the shatterd Tacklings rush, 85 And big with rattling Ruin Thousands crush. There gapes the vast Abyss with hideous Roar, And in its Entrails swallows Thousands more. Where should they run for Help? the gushing Tide Breaks in above, below, on every Side: 90 From Danger unto Danger they retreat, And while they shun one Death, another meet. So Mariners, Charybdis Rock to shun, Have into Syllas Whirlpools headlong run. But they between those Rocks and Pools might steer; 95 Ten Thousand Rocks and Whirlpools threaten here. For those that scapd the Caverns gaping wide, In endless Night the falling Ruins hide; And those the Ruins had denied a Tomb, The Fires on Funeral Piles alive consume. 100 Lo! where the Gulphs wide yawning round the Town, In swiftest Eddies drink the River down, With it the Navy down impetuous flies, And to the Centre a new Passage tries. Horror and Desolation youd no more! {7}And now that once fair Town with all her Store, 105 And evry Soul that haild the rising Day, Heaving in Death like one vast Body lay. The Fires, that glimmring still with paley Red, Like Burial Tapers, nodded oer the Dead, 110 Performing the last Office, as they wave, Add Dust and Ashes to the genral Grave. Lo! the good King from out the ruind Heaps, By Providence divine, like Lot, escapes; 115 But Lots Command, while yet the City burnd, The weeping King had disobeyd and turnd: There in Salt Tears congeald, he fixd had staid, And, like the Woman, a new Pillar made: Forbid his dear Eurydice to view, Like Orpheus he had lookd and perishd too. 120 Viewing the dreadful Havock, sore he grievd, And his sad Heart within his Bosom heavd: Towrs, Houses, Palaces, all sunk to Ground, Evn Gods own Fanes in the dry Deluge drownd! Like Noah placd on Ararat he stood, 125 And waild Mankind, while round him rolld the Flood. But yet resignd to that all powrful Sway, That kills and saves, that gives and takes away, Like Job he grievd, like Job he kissd the Rod, And ownd the Justice of his angry God. 130 Slowly retiring thus with mournful Eye, Anchises Son beheld his burning Troy: By their own horrid Light while Temples shone, When Dwellings, Friends, and Treasures all were gone, The pious Prince resignd, the Loss endures, 135 And safe within his Breast his Gods secures.{8} From every Port there Merchants flockd for Wealth, Poor pining Patients thither flew for Health: In vain the Lungs decayd their Tone resume; In vain the Cheek regains its faded Bloom. 140 Of what Avail are now those wholesome Skies? For what its Air restord, its Earth destroys; And those whom for another Fate prepard, The short Catarrh and wheezing Asthma spard: Like fatted Victims drest with Garlands gay, 145 The general Consumption sweeps away. But let it not be thought, their horrid Deeds Had pulld this dreadful Judgment on their Heads; Or that for Crimes too horrible to tell, Like guilty Sodom Thunderstruck they fell; 150 Or like presumptuous Dathan: Other Climes Afford as frequent and as flagrant Crimes. But when oer all Degeneracy prevails, And on the Minds grown callous Precept fails; Where only the least vicious are the best, 155 Some must be made Examples to the rest. The Chance was theirsbut why to them twas givn, Remains among the Mysteries of Heavn; Which hides its Secrets from our erring Sense; For Chance on Earth in Heavn is Providence. 160 As when to some Frontier by slow Blockade, And silent Sap, a sure Approach is made, If skilful Miners can their Chamber set, Under some Ravelin, Horn-work, or Lunette, The starting Pile a loud Explosion tears, 165 And all aloof the shatterd Fragments bears; Stones, Arms, and blasted Guards together fly, And scatterd round in one great Ruin lie:{9} While those who neighbouring Bastions maintain, With Grief behold their Fellow-Soldiers slain; 170 Conscious of equal Guilt, none eer presumd To think for greater Crimes they first were doomd; But thankful that so long themselves are spard, With double Vigilance they stand prepard. So may the WorldFor now by dreadful Bands, 175 Lo the wide Universe invested stands! Winds, Flames, and Sulphur in her Bowels lurk, And in her hidden Chambers secret work. In this great Siege the Crown-works and Lunettes Are spacious Provinces and wealthy States; 180 Mountains her Curtains, Seas her Ditches are, And mighty Kingdoms are the Bastions there: And lo! where springs the Mine! the Mine of Fate! And in wide rushing Ruins whelms a State! Let none here deem this bold poetic Strain, 185 A wild unreal Fiction of the Brain. Who can with curious Eye this Globe survey, And not behold it tottring with Decay; All Things created Gods Designs fulfill, And natral Causes work his destind Will. 190 And that eternal Word which cannot lie, To Mortals hath reveald in Prophecy, That in these latter Days such Signs should come, Preludes and Prologues to the genral Doom. But not the Son of Man can tell that Day; 195 Then, left it find you sleeping, watch and pray! Ye silent Tenants of the dreary Deep, Whom rocking Nature lulld to your last Sleep,{10} And all the while rung out your passing Bell, Amidst the Ruins, tolling as it fell. 200 Ye who from Earth so hastily withdrew, That in your Deaths ye found your Burials too. Whom yet your Friends attended to your Grave, While flaming Piles instead of Torches wave. Dark Caves your State instead of sable Rooms. 205 And nodding Towrs instead of nodding Plumes. Yet shall the Muses dress with Flowers your Bier, And oer your Grave a Monument shall rear, Bearing the mournful Tale to after Age. Lo where in AEtnas Womb the Grecian Sage, 210 Plunging a voluntary Death endures, And seeks a Fate to find a Fame like yours; But more than AEtnas Flames your Relicts burn, Your Piles a Continent, a Realm your Urn. And see, a weeping World in solemn State, 215 Sad, silent following mourns your hapless Fate! Now the too deeply ploughd and furrowd Earth No Harvest yields, but feels a sudden Dearth; Like Canaan blasted sinks beneath her Woes, And now no more with Milk and Honey flows. 220 When lo, Britannia stretching forth her Hand, With kind Supply relieves the famishd Land. Long may the sacred Gold those Temples bind, Where Pharaohs Power is usd with Josephs Mind! His Brethren their great Preserver bless, 225 (To good Minds all are Brethren in Distress) And while they feast upon the welcome Gains, In each Mans Sack the Price untouchd remains.{11} Oh Ground and Source of evry social Tye! Soft soothing Balm of Grief, and Soul of Joy! 230 Fair Charity, thou Bond twixt Great and Small, Bright universal Medium joining all! Strong Chain that ties the Cottage to the Throne, Still rising till it links the Three in One; By thee, while yet on Earth thy Foot remains, 235 Ascending Angels mount the therial Plains. By thee inspird our good Samaritan, (Great in the Monarch, greater in the Man!) A helpless People robbd and bleeding sound, Pourd out thy sacred Oil, and heald their Wound. 240 And when, on opning of the Sixth great Seal, With her last Earthquake this round World shall reel, The Sun shall lose his Fires in endless Night, And the Moon turnd to Blood glare horrid Light, When Comets dire shall sweep athwart the Sky, 245 And Stars like Leaves before the Tempest fly; When fervent Heat the Elements shall burn, And like a Furnace Earth to Ashes turn, And all the Heavens in that dreadful Day, Like to a Scroll rolld up shall pass away 250 When the Seventh Angel his last Trump shall found, And those whom God hath seald in Myriads Round, Shall raise to Heavn the universal Song, And Brunswick mong the foremost of the Throng, In Garments white arrayd shall bend the Knee, 255 And bow before the ThroneThen Charity, Thou in his heavnly Crown a Place shall bear, And sparkle in the Front the brightest Jewel there. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 67011
Author: Biddolf, John‏
Release Date: Dec 25, 2021
Format: eBook
Language: English