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| NOW o’er the hills red streams began to burn, | |
| And bursting splendors usher’d in the morn; | |
| With living dyes the flowers all beauteous glow’d, | |
| O’er the glad fields etherial odors flow’d; | |
| The forest echoed with a boundless song, | 5 |
| And rising breezes pour’d the strains along. | |
| Adorn’d with green before the palace lay | |
| A spacious square, and smiled upon the day. | |
| Here, ere the dawn the kindling skies illumed, | |
| Or opening flowers the fragrant gales perfumed, | 10 |
| Of every age, a vast, assembled train | |
| Pour’d from the lofty domes, and fill’d the plain. | |
| High in the midst two sacred altars shone, | |
| Adorn’d with honors to their God, the Sun. | |
| This, deck’d with art, and bright in royal pride, | 15 |
| With sable gore the quivering victim dyed: | |
| On that, gay flowers in rich profusion lay, | |
| And gales of Eden bore their sweets away. | |
| Here, white with age, in snowy vesture dress’d, | |
| Aradon stood, their monarch, and their priest; | 20 |
| Red in his hand a torch refulgent shone, | |
| And his fix’d countenance watch’d the rising sun. | |
| When first the flaming orb, with glorious rays, | |
| Roll’d o’er the hills, and pour’d a boundless blaze; | |
| Charmed at the sight, the monarch stretch’d his hand, | 25 |
| And touch’d the tributes with the sacred brand; | |
| Through freshen’d air perfumes began to rise, | |
| And curling volumes mounted to the skies. | |
| Thrice to the earth the raptured suppliants bow’d, | |
| Then struck the lyre, and hymn’d the rising god. | 30 |
| “O thou, whose bursting beams in glory rise, | |
| And sail, and brighten, through unbounded skies! | |
| The world’s great Parent! heaven’s exalted King! | |
| Sole source of good! and life’s eternal Spring! | |
| All hail, while cloth’d in beauty’s endless ray, | 35 |
| Thy face unclouded gives the new-born day! | |
| “Above all scenes is placed thy heavenly throne; | |
| Ere time began, thy spotless splendor shone; | |
| Sublime from east to west thy chariot rolls, | |
| Cheers the wide earth, and warms the distant poles; | 40 |
| Commands the vegetable race to grow, | |
| The fruit to redden, and the flower to blow. | |
| This world was born to change: the hand of Time | |
| Makes, and unmakes the scenes of every clime. | |
| The insect millions scarce the morn survive; | 45 |
| One transient day the flowery nations live; | |
| A few short years complete the human doom; | |
| Then pale death summons to the narrow tomb. | |
| Lash’d by the flood, the hard rocks wear away; | |
| Worn by the storm, the lessening hills decay; | 50 |
| Unchanged alone is thine exalted flame, | |
| From endless years to endless years the same; | |
| Thy splendors with immortal beauty shine, | |
| Roll round the eternal heavens, and speak thy name divine | |
| “When thy bright throne, beyond old ocean’s bound, | 55 |
| Through nether skies pursues its destined round, | |
| Lost in the ascending darkness, beauty fades; | |
| Through the blank field, and through the woodland, spreads | |
| A melancholy silence. O’er the plain | |
| Dread lions roam, and savage terrors reign. | 60 |
| “And when sad autumn sees thy face retire, | |
| And happier regions hail thy orient fire, | |
| High in the storm imperious winter flies, | |
| And desolation saddens all the skies. | |
| But when once more thy beam the north ascends, | 65 |
| Thy light invigorates, and thy warmth extends; | |
| The fields rejoice, the groves with transport ring, | |
| And boundless nature hails the sky-born spring. | |
| “Nor even in winter’s gloom, or night’s sad reign, | |
| Darts the warm influence of thy beams in vain. | 70 |
| “Beyond the main some fairer region lies, | |
| Some brighter isles beneath the southern skies, | |
| Where crimson war ne’er bade the clarion roar, | |
| Nor sanguine billows dyed the vernal shore: | |
| No thundering storm the day’s bright face conceals, | 75 |
| No summer scorches, and no frost congeals; | |
| No sickness wastes, no grief provokes the tear, | |
| Nor tainted vapors blast the clement year. | |
| Round the glad day-star endless beauties burn, | |
| And crowned with rainbows, opes the imperial morn; | 80 |
| A clear unbounded light the skies display, | |
| And purple lustre leads the the changing day. | |
| O’er conscious shades, and bowers of soft repose, | |
| Young breezes spring, and balmy fragrance blows, | |
| The fields all wanton in serenest beams, | 85 |
| Wake fairer flowers, and roll diviner streams; | |
| Through the long vales aerial music roves, | |
| And nobler fruitage dyes the bending groves. | |
| “Through spotless nations as the realm refined, | |
| Thy influence there sublimes the immortal mind; | 90 |
| Its active pinions swift through nature roam, | |
| Lose the low world, and claim a nobler home. | |
| Their limbs, of endless life, with glory crown’d, | |
| New youth improves, and growing charms surround: | |
| On the bless’d shore thy splendors love to shine, | 95 |
| And raise thy sons each hour, to raptures more divine.” | |
| Thus ceased the sound: the harp’s melodious strain | |
| Join’d the glad hymn, and charm’d the listening train; | |
| A sparkling joy each speaking face display’d, | |
| While light expanding lessen’d every shade. | 100 |
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