Look down-on what? A fathom.less abyss. 65 Poor pensioner on the bounties of an hour? How poor, how rich, how abject, how august, How complicate, how wonderful, is man! How passing wonder He who made him such! 70 Who centred in our make such strange extremes ! From different natures marvellously mix'd, 95 'Tis past conjecture; all things rise in proof: While o'er my limbs Sleep's soft dominion spreads, What though my soul fantastic measures trod O'er fairy fields, or mourn'd along the gloom Of pathless woods, or down the craggy steep Hurl'd headlong, swam with pain the mantled pool, Or scaled the cliff, or danced on hollow winds With antic snapes, wild natives of the brain! Her ceaseless flight, though devious, speaks her nature Of subtler essence then the trodden clod; Active, aerial, towering, unconfined, 100 105 Unfetter'd with her gross companion's fall. Slumbers, raked up in dust, ethereal fire? They live! they greatly live! a life on earth 110 Unkindled, unconceived, and from an eye On me, more justly number'd with the dead. This is the desert, this the solitude : 115 How populous, how vital is the grave! This is Creation's melancholy vault, The vale funereal, the sad cypress gloom; All, all on earth is shadow, all beyond 120 Is substance; the reverse is Folly's creed. How solid all, where change shall be no more! The twilight of our day, the vestibule : Life's theatre, as yet is shut; and Death, 125 Strong Death, alone can heave the massy bar, 130 Yet man, fool man! here buries all his thoughts, Inters celestial hopes without one sigh: 136 Prisoner of earth and pent beneath the moon, Here pinions all his wishes; wing'd by Heaven Where seraph's gather immortality. 140 On Life's fair tree fast by the throne of God, What golden joys ambrosial clustering glow In His full beam, and ripen for the just, 146 Where Time, and Pain, and Chance, and Death expire! 150 Where falls this censure? it o'erwhelms myself; 156 How like a worm, was I wrapp'd round and round 160 165 How richly were my noontide trances hung With gorgeous tapestries of pictured joys, 170 Joy behind joy, in endless perspective: Where now my frenzy's pompous furniture? 175 The spider's most attenuated thread Could you, so rich in rapture, fear an end, 480 That ghastly thought would drink up all your joy, 180 Strikes empires from the root; each moment plays 196 Of sweet domestic comfort, and cuts down The fairest bloom of sublunary bliss. Bliss! sublunary bliss!-proud words, and vain! implicit treason to divine decree ! 200 A bold invasion of the rights of Heaven! I clasp'd the phantoms, and I found them air. O had I weigh'd it ere my fond embrace, What darts of agony had miss'd my heart! Death great proprietor of all! 'tis thine 205 To tread out empire, and to quench the stars. And, one day, thou shalt pluck him from his sphere: Amid such mighty plunder, why exhaust Thy partial quiver on a mark so mean? 210 Why thy peculiar rancour wreak'd on me? Thy shaft flew thrice, and thrice my peace was slain; 215 Thy wretched neighbour? grieve to see thy wheel In every varied posture, place, and hour, I rue the riches of my former fate; I tremble at the blessings once so dear, And every pleasure pains me to the heart. 220 225 230 240 Yet why complain? or why complain for one? 235 Hangs out the Sun his lustre but for me, The single man? are angels all beside ? I mourn for millions; 'tis the common lot: In this shape or in that has Fate entail'd The mother's throes on all of woman, born; Not more the children than sure heirs of pain. War, famine, pest, volcano, storm, and fire, Intestine broils, Oppression, with her heart Wrapp'd up in triple brass, besiege mankind. God's image, disinherited of day, 215 Here plunged in mines, forgets a Sun was made: Are hammer'd to the galling oar for life, And plough the winter's wave, and reap despair. Some for hard masters, broken under arms, 250 In battle lopp'd away, with half their limbs, Beg bitter bread through realms their valour saved, If so the tyrant or his minion doom. |