MEMORIALS OF A TOUR ON THE CONTINENT, 1820

XXXIII. SKY-PROSPECT--FROM THE PLAIN OF FRANCE

          LO! in the burning west, the craggy nape
          Of a proud Ararat! and, thereupon,
          The Ark, her melancholy voyage done!
          Yon rampant cloud mimics a lion's shape;
          There, combats a huge crocodile--agape
          A golden spear to swallow! and that brown
          And massy grove, so near yon blazing town,
          Stirs and recedes--destruction to escape!
          Yet all is harmless--as the Elysian shades
          Where Spirits dwell in undisturbed repose--                 10
          Silently disappears, or quickly fades:
          Meek Nature's evening comment on the shows
          That for oblivion take their daily birth
          From all the fuming vanities of Earth!