Слике страница
PDF
ePub
[ocr errors]

"Written in light o'er ALLA's head,

"By seraph eyes shall long be read.
"But, PERI, see-the crystal bar

"Of Eden moves not holier far

[ocr errors]

"Than ev'n this sigh the boon must be

"That opes the Gates of Heav'n for thee."

Now, upon SYRIA's land of roses 3

Softly the light of Eve reposes,

And, like a glory, the broad sun

Hangs over sainted LEBANON ;

Whose head in wintry grandeur towers,
And whitens with eternal sleet,
While summer, in a vale of flowers,
Is sleeping rosy at his feet.

To one, who look'd from upper air
O'er all the' enchanted regions there,
How beauteous must have been the glow,
The life, the sparkling from below!

3 Richardson thinks that Syria had its name from Suri, a beauti

ful and delicate species of rose for which that country has been al ways famous; hence, Suristan, the Land of Roses.

Fair gardens, shining streams, with ranks
Of golden melons on their banks,
More golden where the sun-light falls; —
Gay lizards, glittering on the walls *
Of ruin'd shrines, busy and bright

As they were all alive with light;

And, yet more splendid, numerous flocks
Of pigeons, settling on the rocks,

With their rich restless wings, that gleam
Variously in the crimson beam

[blocks in formation]

With brilliants from the mine, or made

Of tearless rainbows, such as span

The' unclouded skies of PERISTAN !
And then, the mingling sounds that come,
Of shepherd's ancient reed, with hum

4 "The number of lizards I saw one day in the great court of the Temple of the Sun at Baalbec, amounted to many thousands; the ground, the walls, and stones of the ruined buildings, were covered with them."- Bruce.

5 The Syrinx or Pan's pipe is still a pastoral instrument in Syria.-Russel.

Of the wild bees of PALESTINE,

Banquetting through the flowery vales;

And, JORDAN, those sweet banks of thine, And woods, so full of nightingales !

But nought can charm the luckless PERI;
Her soul is sad- her wings are weary -
Joyless she sees the sun look down
On that great Temple, once his own,"
Whose lonely columns stand sublime,
Flinging their shadows from on high,
Like dials, which the wizard, Time,
Had rais'd to count his ages by!

Yet haply there may lie conceal'd

Beneath those Chambers of the Sun,

Some amulet of gems, anneal'd
In upper fires, some tablet seal'd
With the Great Name of SOLOMON,
Which, spell'd by her illumin'd eyes,

The Temple of the Sun at Balbec.

May teach her where, beneath the moon,

In earth or ocean lies the boon,

The charm, that can restore so soon,
An erring Spirit to the skies!

Cheer'd by this hope she bends her thither;
Still laughs the radiant eye of Heaven,
Nor have the golden bowers of Even
In the rich West begun to wither; -
When, o'er the vale of BALBEC winging
Slowly, she sees a child at play,
Among the rosy wild-flowers singing,
As rosy and as wild as they;
Chasing, with eager hands and eyes,
The beautiful blue damsel-flies,"

That flutter'd round the jasmine stems,
Like winged flowers or flying gems: —

And, near the boy, who tir'd with play

Now nestling 'mid the roses lay,

"You behold there a considerable number of a remarkable species of beautiful insects, the elegance of whose appearance and their attire procured for them the name of Damsels."-- Sonnini.

She saw a wearied man dismount

From his hot steed, and on the brink

Of a small imaret's rustic fount

Impatient fling him down to drink. Then swift his haggard brow he turn'd To the fair child, who fearless sat, Though never yet hath day-beam burn'd Upon a brow more fierce than that,Sullenly fierce a mixture dire, Like thunder-clouds, of gloom and fire! In which the PERI's eye could read Dark tales of many a ruthless deed; The ruin'd maid- the shrine profan'd Oaths broken- and the threshold stain'd With blood of guests! - there written, all, Black as the damning drops that fall From the denouncing Angel's pen,

Ere Mercy weeps them out again!

Yet tranquil now that man of crime,
(As if the balmy evening time
Soften'd his spirit,) look'd and lay,
Watching the rosy infant's play :-

« ПретходнаНастави »