of life, 1730
Through their wide empires!--What behold I now?
A wilderness of wonder burning round;
Where larger suns inhabit higher spheres;
Perhaps the villas of descending gods;
Nor halt I here; my toil is but begun;
'Tis but the threshold of the Deity;
Or, far beneath it, I am grovelling still.
Nor is it strange; I built on a mistake;
The grandeur of his works, whence folly sought
For aid, to reason sets his glory higher; 1740
Who built thus high for worms (mere worms to Him),
Oh, where, Lorenzo! must the Builder dwell?
Pause, then; and, for a moment, here respire--
If human thought can keep its station here.
Where am I?--Where is earth?--Nay, where art thou,
O sun?--Is the sun turn'd recluse?--and are
His boasted expeditions short to mine?--
To mine, how short! On nature's Alps I stand,
And see a thousand firmaments beneath!
A thousand systems! as a thousand grains! 1750
So much a stranger, and so late arrived,
How can man's curious spirit not inquire,
What are the natives of this world sublime,
Of this so foreign, unterrestrial sphere,
Where mortal, untranslated, never stray'd?
"O ye, as distant from my little home,
As swiftest sunbeams in an age can fly!
Far from my native element I roam,
In quest of new, and wonderful, to man.
What province this, of His immense domain, 1760
Whom all obeys? Or mortals here, or gods?
Ye borderers on the coasts of bliss! what are you?
A colony from heaven? or, only raised,
By frequent visit from heaven's neighbouring realms,
To secondary gods, and half divine?--
Whate'er your nature, this is past dispute,
Far other life you live, far other tongue
You talk, far other thought, perhaps, you think,
Than man. How various are the works of God?
But say, what thought? Is Reason here enthroned, 1770
And absolute? or Sense in arms against her?
Have you two lights? Or need you no reveal'd?
Enjoy your happy realms their golden age?
And had your Eden an abstemious Eve? 1774
Our Eve's fair daughters prove their pedigree,
And ask their Adams--'Who would not be wise?'
Or, if your mother fell, are you redeem'd?
And if redeem'd--is your Redeemer scorn'd?
Is this your final residence? If not,
Change you your scene, translated? or by death?
And if