The Shipwreck Author:William Falconer Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE FIRST CANTO. I. A Ship from Egypt, o'er the deep impelled By guiding winds, her course for Venice held. Of famed Britannia were the gallant crew, And... more » from that Isle her name the Vessel drew; The wayward steps of Fortune they pursued, And sought in certain ills imagined good: Though cautioned oft her slippery path to shun, Hope still with promised joys allured them on; And, while they listened to her winning lore, The softer scenes of Peace could please no more: Long absent they from friends and native home The cheerless Ocean were inured to roam ; Yet Heaven, in pity to severe distress, Had crowned each painful voyage with success; Still to compensate toils and hazards past Restored them to maternal plains at last. Thrice had the Sun to rule the varying year Across th' equator rolled his flaming sphere, Since last the Vessel spread her ample sail From Albion's coast, obsequious to the gale ; She o'er the spacious flood from shore to shore Unwearying wafted her commercial store; The richest ports of Afric she had viewed, Thence to fair Italy her course pursued; Had left behind Trinacria's burning isle, And visited the margin of the Nile: And now, that Winter der-pens round the Pole, The circling voyage hastens to its goal; They, blind to Fate's inevitable law, No dark event to blast their hope foresaw, But from gay Venice soon expect to steer For BaiTAiu's coast, and dread no perils near; Inflamed by Hope, their throbbing hearts elate Ideal pleasures vainly antedate, Before whose vivid intellectual ray Distress recedes, and dangr-r melts away: Already British Coasts appear to rise, The chalky Cliffs salute their longing eyes; Each to his breast, where floods of rapture roll, Embracing strains the Mistress of his soul; ...« less