Orient Harping A Desultory Poem Author:John Lawson General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1822 Original Publisher: Baptist Mission Press Subjects: History / General Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access... more » to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: The change of ages saw no change in him, Inflexible. He sought no'mitigation Of pain in holiest act. Bent to the point, His soul swerv'd not from misery prescribed. Thou saw'st, O Bramha, (couklst thou otherwise Than see such rivalship of holiness ?) Thou saw'st the grey ascetic, nor disdain'dst T' approve the sanctity, and grant the boon. Now shall ye rise, O sons of Sagara, For Gariga shall descend. Pure are her streams, Pure as the blessed life ye shall inherit! -- Hast thou not seen in times of generous youth, When the warm soul lov'd such transporting views Of nature in her loveliest, grandest dress, Some picture, painted on the evening sky, Serene as the calm light of infant dreams ? Thou hast, and gazed upon it till the tear, Unconscious starting, waked thee from thy trance. O, I remember through the length of years Such dear delights; and while 1 muse, I see Again the long lost imagery, burst Distinctly from amidst the endless forms Depicted on the memory. I've watch'd, When the departed sun leaves nought behind Save his expiring blush, the dubious light Long struggle with encountering darkness, high The curious vapours lodge of varying shape In the vast silent arch, and not a breath Of wayward air disturbs the cloudy fabric. Then the fond eye of fancy fix'd, intense, Descries a new creation, wild and bright, Stretch'd on the rosy heavens. The shadowy spire There upward points to higher firmaments; The fiery turrets rise in battle pomp ; And castles bold and large, or dwindled low Till lost in distant horizon, ...« less