the

COD

the earth.

an orb

*

The sanguine* sunrise, with his meteor* eyes, Sanguine, blood-red;
And his burning plumes outspread,

it also means being

ardent, hopeful. Leaps on the back * of my sailing rack, *

Meteor, flashing, like When the morning star * shines dead; a meteor or falling

star. 35 As on the jag of a mountain crag,

Leaps on the back, Which an earthquake * rocks and swings, rises above the back An eagle, alit, one moment may sit,

of the clouds. In the light of its golden wings.

Rack, thin, broken

clouds drifting across And when sunset may breathe, from the lit the sky. sea beneath,

Morning-star, the

planet Venus, when 40 Its ardours * of rest and love,

it rises before the sun, And the crimson pall of eve may fall

and shines in From the depth of heaven above,

morning.

Earthquake, a With wings folded I rest, on mine airy nest, vulsion or shaking of As still as a brooding dove.

Ardour, warmth of 45 That orbèd * mnaiden, with white fire laden, passion or feeling ; Whom mortals call the moon,

eagerness.

Orbed, in the form of Glides glimmering o'er my fleece-like floor,

or sphere ;

circular. By the midnight breezes strewn ;

And wherever the beat of her unseen feet, 50 Which only the angels bear, May have broken the woof* of my tent’s thin The worf, the cross

threads woven into roof,

and crossing the The stars peep behind her and peer ; warp, which extends And I laugh to see them whirl * and flee,

lengthwise.

Whirl, to turn round Like a swarm of golden bees,

very rapidly. 55 When I widen the rent in my wind-built tent,

Till the calm rivers, lakes, and seas,
Like strips of the skyfallen through me on high,

I bind the sun's
Are each paved with the moon and these.

throne, &c., here an

allusion is made to I bind the sun's throne* with a burning zone, the flame-like

ap60 And the moon's * with a girdle of pearl ; pearance The volcanoes* are dim, and the stars reel and tipped clouds,

And the moon's, &c. swim,

By moonlight, the When the whirlwinds * my banner unfurl.* edges of the clouds

present a mellow, From cape to cape, with a bridge-like shape, pearl - like

appearOver a torrent sea,

Volcano, a mountain 65 Sunbeam-proof, I hang like a roof:

from which smoke, The mountains its columns be.

flame, lava, &c., are

thrown.
The triumphal arch * through which I march

Whirlwind, a violent
With hurricane,* fire, and snow,
When the powers of the air are chained to my Unfurl, unfold,
chair

The triumphal arch,

the rainbow. 70 Is the million-coloured bow;

Hurricane, a tem The sphere-fire * above its soft colours wove,

pest,

The sphere-fire, the While the moist earth was laughing below.

of

sun

*

ance.

storm.

sun,

E

the sun

Naughter of ear:hand I am the daughter of earth and water,* water, the vapour of

And the nursling * of the sky; which the clouds are formed is raised from I pass through the pores of the ocean and 75 the earth and the

shores ; water by the heat of

I change, but I cannot die.
Nursling, child. For after the rain, when with never a stain
Pavilion of heaven,
the sky; because it

The pavilion of heaven * is bare,
appears to be spread And the winds and sunbeams with their con-

vex * gleams like a canopy or tent. Convex, curved like Build up the blue dome of air,

80 the outer surface of I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,* a ball or globe.

And out of the caverns of rain, Cenotaph, an empty tomb, or memorial Like a child from the womb, like a ghost from built to a person who

the tomb, is buried elsewhere.

I arise and unbuild it again.

out over our heads

a

ADVICE TO A YOUTH.-Jonson.

value.

5

person,

one's

Own

*

*

Thrive, to succeed. LEARN to be wise, and practise how to thrive; *

That would I have you do: and not to spend Bauble, a trifle, a Your coin on every bauble * that you fancy, thing of very small

Or
every

foolish brain * that humours you. Foolish brain, a silly I would not have you to invade each place,

Nor thrust yourself on all societies, Desert, being worthy of reward ; merit.

Till men's affections, or your own desert, Rank, here means Should worthily invite you to your rank.

proper He that is so respectless * in his courses, position in society. Respectless, wanting Oft sells his reputation * at cheap market. in self-respect. Nor would I you should melt away yourself Reputation, character, good name.

In flashing bravery,* lest, while you affect * Courses, habits, To make a blaze of gentry * to the world, Flashing bravery, ex

A little puff of scorn extinguish it; travagance in dress. Affect, pretend. And you be left like an unsavoury snuff, Blaze of gentry, pre- Whose property is only to offend. tending to be in a position superior to I'd have you sober, and contain yourself, that which one holds. Not that your sail be bigger than your

But moderate your expenses now, at first,

As you may keep the same proportion stíll : Your gentility, the Nor stand so much on your gentility, fact of your being a Which is an airy and mere borrowed thing, gentleman by birth.

From dead men's dust, and bones ; and none

15

boat;

20

*

of yours,

Except you make, or hold it.

BRET HARTE (1835

) is a popular American writer, and author of some

humorous poems.

Hark! I hear the tramp of thousands,

And of armed men the hum;
Lo!* a nation's hosts have gathered

Lo, behold, look.
Round the quick alarming drum,-

Saying, “ Come,

Freemen, come! Ere your heritage be wasted,” said the quick Heritage, that which alarming drum.

one claims by right

5

ot birth.

IO

“Let me of my heart take counsel :* Counsel, advice.

War is not of life the sum ;
Who shall stay and reap the harvest
When the autumn days shall come?”

But the drum
Echoed, *
*6 Come !

Echoed, to give back
Death shall reap the braver harvest,” said the a sound.

solemn-sounding drum.

15

“ But when won the coming battle,

What of profit springs therefrom?
What if conquest,* subjugation, *
Even greater ills become ?”

But the drum

Answered, “ Come !
You must do the sum to prove it,” said the

Yankee-answering drum.

Conquest, that which is obtained by force. Subjugation, to conquer, to bring under power.

20

*

25

6 What if, ʼmid the cannons' thunder,
Whistling shot and bursting bomb, *

Bomb, a large hollow

ball or shell of iron When my brothers fall around me,

filled with gunpowShould my heart grow cold and numb ?” * der, to be thrown

from a mortar, so as But the drum

to explode when it Answered, “Come!

falls. Better there in death united, than in life a Numb, deprived of

feeling. recreant, *—come !"

30

Thus they answered, -hoping, fearing,

Some in faith, and doubting some,
Till a trumpet-voice proclaiming,
Said, “My chosen people, come !"

Then the drum,

Lo! was dumb,
For the great heart of the nation, throbbing,

answered, “ Lord, we come!”

35

THE WRECK OF THE HESPERUS.-Longfellow.

*

Schooner, a ship with two masts.

It was the schooner * Hesperus,

That sailed the wintry sea ;
And the skipper * had taken his little daughter

To bear him company.

*

Skipper, the captain of a merchant ship.

5

Blue were her eyes as the fairy fax,

Her cheeks like the dawn of day,
And her bosom white as the hawthorn buds
That
ope

* in the month of May.

Ope, open.

IO

The skipper, he stood beside the helm,

His pipe was in his mouth ;
And he watched how the veering * flaw * did blow

The smoke now west, now south,

*

Then up and spake an old sailor,

Had sailed the Spanish Main :
I
pray

thee put into yonder port,
For I fear the hurricane.

66

15

*

*

Veering, varying, changeable. Flaw, a sudden gust of wind, usually termed a squall. Spanish Main, that part of the Atlantic Ocean which washes the north part of South America, from the Leeward Islands to the Isthmus of Darien. The term is also applied to the coast. Hurricane, a furious storm. Golden ring, a halo orluminous ring around the moon, supposed to indicate the approach of stormy weather. Amain, with great force.

“Last night the moon had a golden ring, *

And to-night no moon we see !"
And the skipper, he blew a whiff from his pipe,

And a scornful laugh laughed he.

а

20

Colder and colder blew the wind,

A gale from the north-east;
The snow fell hissing in the brine,

And the billows frothed like yeast.

*

25

Down came the storm, and smote amain

The vessel in its strength ;

*

She shuddered and paused, like a frighted steed,
Then leaped her cable's * length.

Cable, a thick

strong rope (240 “Come hither! come hither ! my little daughter, to hold ships at

, And do not tremble so ;

anchor, or to tow For I can weather * the roughest gale,

vessels in large That ever wind did blow.”

Weather, endure.

30

rivers.

He wrapped her warm in his seaman's coat,

Against the stinging blast; 35 He cut a rope from a broken spar,*

And bound her to the mast.

Spar, a small beam.

“O father! I hear the church bells ring;
Oh
say,
what
may

it be ?"
“ 'Tis a fog-bell on a rockbound coast.'
40

And he steered for the open sea.
“O father! I hear the sound of guns ;

Oh say, what may it be ? .”
“Some ship in distress, that cannot live

In such an angry sea.”
45 “O father! I see a gleaming light;
Oh say, what

may

it be ?
But-the father answered never a word

A frozen corpse was he.

Lashed to the helm, all stiff and stark, 50 With his face turned to the skies,

The lantern gleamed through the gleaming snow

On his fixed and glassy eyes.
Then the maiden clasped her hands, and prayed

That saved she might be;
55 And she thought of Him who stilled the waves

On the lake of Galilee.

And fast, through the midnight dark and dear,

Through the whistling sleet and snow,
Like a sheeted ghost, the vessel swept

Towards the reef * of Norman's Woe.

60

Reef, ridge of rocks in the sea, near the surface.

And ever, the fitful gusts between,

A sound came from the land :
It was the sound of the trampling surf,

On the rocks and the hard sea sand.