The clouds consign their treasures to the fields; And, softly shaking on the dimpled pool Prelusive drops, let all their moisture flow, In large effusion, o'er the freshen'd world. The stealing show'r is scarce to patter heard, By such as wander through the forest walks, Beneath th' umbrageous multitude of leaves. But who can hold the shade, while heav'n descends In universal bounty, shedding herbs, And fruits, and flow'rs, on nature's ample lap? Swift fancy fir'd anticipates their growth; And, while the milky nutriment distils, Beholds the kindling country colour round. Thus all day long the full-distended clouds Indulge their genial stores, and well-show'r'd earth Is deep enrich'd with vegetable life;
Till, in the western sky, the downward sun Looks out, effulgent, from amid the flush
Of broken clouds, gay-shifting to his beam. The rapid radiance instantaneous strikes Th' illumin'd mountain, thro' the forest streams, Shakes on the floods, and in a yellow mist, Far smoking o'er th' interminable plain,
In twinkling myriads lights the dewy gems. Moist, bright, and green, the landscape laughs
Full swell the woods; their very music wakes, Mix'd in wild concert with the warbling brooks Increas'd, the distant bleatings of the hills, And hollow lows responsive from the vales, Whence blending all the sweeten'd zephyr springs. Mean-time, refracted from yon eastern cloud, Bestriding earth, the grand ethereal bow Shoots up immense; and ev'ry hue unfolds, In fair proportion running from the red,
To where the violet fades into the sky. Here, awful Newton, the dissolving clouds Form, fronting on the sun, thy show'ry prism; And to the sage-instructed eye unfold
The various twine of light, by thee disclos'd From the white mingling maze. Not so the boy; He wond'ring views the bright inchantment bend, Delightful, o'er the radiant fields, and runs
To catch the falling glory; but amaz’d Beholds th' amusive arch before him fly,
Then vanish quite away. Still night succeeds,
A soften'd shade, and saturated earth Awaits the morning beam, to give to light, Rais'd through ten thousand diff'rent plastic tubes, The balmy treasures of the former day.
Then spring the living herbs, profusely wild, O'er all the deep-green earth, beyond the pow'r Of botanist to number up their tribes: Whether he steals along the lonely dale,
In silent search; or through the forest, rank With what the dull incurious weeds account,
Bursts his blind way; or climbs the mountain
Fir'd by the nodding verdure of its brow. With such a lib'ral hand has nature flung Their seeds abroad, blown them about in winds, Innum❜rous mix'd them with the nursing mould, The moist❜ning current, and prolific rain.
But who their virtues can declare? who pierce, With vision pure, into these secret stores Of health, and life, and joy? the food of man, While yet he liv'd in innocence, and told A length of golden years; unflesh'd in blood, A stranger to the savage arts of life,
Death, rapine, carnage, surfeit, and disease;
The lord, and not the tyrant, of the world. The first fresh dawn then wak'd the gladden'd
Of uncorrupted man, nor blush'd to see The sluggard sleep beneath its sacred beam: For their light slumbers gently fum'd away; And up they rose as vig'rous as the sun, Or to the culture of the willing glebe,
Or to the cheerful tendance of the flock.
Mean-time the song went round; and dance and
Wisdom and friendly talk successive, stole Their hours away: while in the rosy vale Love breath'd his infant sighs, from anguish free, And full replete with bliss; save the sweet pain, That inly thrilling, but exalts it more.
Nor yet injurious act, nor surly deed,
Was known among those happy sons of heav'n; For reason and benevolence were law.
Harmonious nature too look'd smiling on.
Clear shone the skies, cool'd with eternal gales, And balmy spirit all. The youthful sun
Shot his best rays, and still the gracious clouds Dropp'd fatness down, as o'er the swelling mead The herds and flocks, commixing, play'd secure: This when, emerging from the gloomy wood, The glaring lion saw, his horrid heart
Was meeken'd, and he join’d his sullen joy. For music held the whole in perfect peace: Soft sigh'd the flute; the tender voice was heard, Warbling the varied heart; the woodlands round Applied their quire; and winds and waters flow'd In consonance. Such were those prime of days. But now those white unblemish'd manners,
The fabling poets took their golden age, Are found no more amid these iron times, These dregs of life! Now the distemper'd mind Has lost that concord of harmonious pow'rs, Which forms the soul of happiness; and all Is off the poise within: the passions all
Have burst their bounds; and reason half extinct, Or impotent, or else approving, sees
The foul disorder. Senseless, and deform'd, Convulsive anger storms at large; or pale,
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