った THE DESTINY OF NATIONS Infinite myriads of self-conscious minds With absolute ubiquity of thought Some nurse the infant diamond in the 71 Scream in its scanty cradle: he the Wins gentle solace as with upward eye Thinking himself those happy spirits shall Who there in floating robes of rosy light power That first unsensualizes the dark mind, 86; Some roll the genial juices through the Giving it new delights; and bids it in air, 50 swell oak; wind speed, Yoke the red lightnings to their volley ing car. Thus these pursue their never-varying course, No eddy in their stream. Others, more wild, control, Till Superstition with unconscious hand not vain, Nor yet without permitted power im- With complex interests weaving human I deemed those legends terrible, with By mis-shaped prodigies beleaguered, Held commune with that warrior-maid As earth ne'er bred, nor air, nor the Who scourged the Invader. From her And such, perhaps, the Spirit, who (if Had shrunk or paled. Her front sub And her full eye, now bright, now un Shouts to himself, there first the Abbeylights illumed, Spake more than Woman's thought; Seen in Neufchâtel's vale; now slopes and all her face 160 Was moulded to such features as declared adown The winding sheep-track vale-ward: when, behold That pity there had oft and strongly In the first entrance of the level road An unattended team! The foremost horse worked, And sometimes indignation. mien, Bold her 190 Lay with stretched limbs; the others, yet alive But stiff and cold, stood motionless, Hoar with the frozen night-dews. The dark-red dawn now glimmered; Disclosed no face of man. The maiden paused, Then hailed who might be near. No voice replied. In this bad World, as in a place of From the thwart wain at length there tombs, 170 And touched not the pollutions of the dead. reached her ear A sound so feeble that it almost seemed Distant and feebly, with slow effort pushed, 'Twas the cold season when the rustic's A miserable man crept forth his limbs The silent frost had eat, scathing like eye From the drear desolate whiteness of his fields Rolls for relief to watch the skiey tints And clouds slow-varying their huge imagery; When now, as she was wont, the health ful Maid Had left her pallet ere one beam of day Slanted the fog-smoke. She went forth alone Urged by the indwelling angel - guide, With dim inexplicable sympathies course To the predoomed adventure. Now the ascent She climbs of that steep upland, on whose top The Pilgrim-man, who long since eve had watched The alien shine of unconcerning stars, The drowsy calm that steals on worn- They closed their eyes in sleep, nor The rustic bands, with difficulty and Then hopeless, strengthless, sick for lack toil The stiff cramped team forced home ward. There arrived, of food, He crept beneath the coverture, en tranced, Anxiously tends him she with healing Till wakened by the maiden.—Such his His voice had faltered out this simple Of misery fancy-crazed! and now once (To her the tutelary Power exclaimed) Of Chaos the adventurous progeny From off her brow, and through the uncouth maze Retraced her steps; but ere she reached the mouth Of that drear labyrinth, shuddering she paused, Nor dared re-enter the diminished Gulph. As through the dark vaults of some mouldered tower (Which, fearful to approach, the evening hind Circles at distance in his homeward way) 300 Thou seest; foul missionaries of foul The winds breathe hollow, deemed the And trembled; till engendered by fierce Hate, plaining groan Of prisoned spirits; with such fearful Even so (the exulting Maiden said) The sainted heralds of Good Tidings fell, Fierce Hate and gloomy Hope, a Dream And thus they witnessed God! But now arose, 290 Shaped like a black cloud marked with streaks of fire. It roused the Hell-Hag; she the dewdamp wiped the clouds Treading, and storms beneath their feet, they soar Higher, and higher soar, and soaring sing |