FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81  
82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>   >|  
he tears of light. Ope, then, mine eyes, your double sluice, And practise so your noblest use; For others, too, can see or sleep, But only human eyes can weep." The Bermuda Emigrants has some happy lines, as the following:-- "He hangs in shade the orange bright, Like golden lamps in a green night." Or this, which doubtless suggested a couplet in Moore's _Canadian Boat Song_:-- "And all the way, to guide the chime, With falling oars they kept the time." His facetious and burlesque poetry was much admired in his day; but a great portion of it referred to persons and events no longer of general interest. The satire on Holland is an exception. There is nothing in its way superior to it in our language. Many of his best pieces were originally written in Latin, and afterwards translated by himself. There is a splendid Ode to Cromwell--a worthy companion of Milton's glorious sonnet--which is not generally known, and which we transfer entire to our pages. Its simple dignity and the melodious flow of its versification commend themselves more to our feelings than its eulogy of war. It is energetic and impassioned, and probably affords a better idea of the author, as an actor in the stirring drama of his time, than the "soft Lydian airs" of the poems that we have quoted. AN HORATIAN ODE UPON CROMWELL'S RETURN FROM IRELAND. The forward youth that would appear Must now forsake his Muses dear; Nor in the shadows sing His numbers languishing. 'T is time to leave the books in dust, And oil the unused armor's rust; Removing from the wall The corslet of the hall. So restless Cromwell could not cease In the inglorious arts of peace, But through adventurous war Urged his active star. And, like the three-forked lightning, first Breaking the clouds wherein it nurst, Did thorough his own side His fiery way divide. For 't is all one to courage high, The emulous, or enemy; And with such to enclose Is more than to oppose. Then burning through the air he went,
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81  
82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Cromwell
 

forward

 

IRELAND

 
forsake
 

shadows

 

numbers

 
affords
 

author

 

impassioned

 
feelings

eulogy

 

energetic

 

stirring

 
HORATIAN
 
CROMWELL
 

quoted

 

Lydian

 

RETURN

 
Removing
 

divide


lightning

 

Breaking

 

clouds

 

courage

 

oppose

 

burning

 

enclose

 

emulous

 

forked

 

commend


corslet

 

unused

 
adventurous
 

active

 

restless

 
inglorious
 

languishing

 

worthy

 

doubtless

 

golden


orange

 

bright

 
suggested
 

couplet

 

falling

 
Canadian
 

practise

 
sluice
 
noblest
 
double