INVOCATION, addreffed to Fancy. Subject
proposed; a fhort excursive survey of the Earth and
Heavens. The poems opens with a defcription of the
face of Nature in the different scenes of morning, fun-
rife, noon, with a thunder-storm, evening, night, and
a particular night-piece, with the character of a
friend deceafed.
With the return of morning Fancy continues her ex-
curfion, firft northward-A view of the arctic conti-
nent and the deferts of Tartary-From thence fouth-
ward a general profpect of the globe, followed by
another of the mid-land part of Europe, fuppofe
Italy. A city there upon the point of being swal-
lowed up by an earthquake: figns that usher it in :
defcribed in its caufes and effects at length-Erup-
tion of a burning mountain, happening at the fame
time and from the fame caufes, likewife defcribed.
COMPANION of the Mufe, creative power,
Imagination! at whose great command
Arife unnumber'd images of things,
Thy hourly offspring: thou, who canft at will
People with air-born fhapes the filent wood,
And folitary vale, thy own domain,
Where Contemplation haunts; Oh come, invok'd,
To waft me on thy many-tinctur'd wing,
O'er Earth's extended space: and thence, on high,
Spread to fuperior Worlds thy bolder flight,
Excurfive, unconfin'd. Hence from the haunts
Of vice and folly, vanity and man —
To yon expanfe of plains, where Truth delights,
Simple of heart; and, hand in hand with her,
Where blameless Virtue walks. Now parting Spring,
Parent of beauty and of fong, has left,
His mantle, flower-embroider'd on the ground.
While Summer laughing comes, and bids the Months
Crown his prime season with their choiceft stores;
Fresh roles opening to the folar ray,
And fruits flow-fwelling on the loaded bough.
Here let me frequent roam, preventing morn,
Attentive to the cock, whofe early throat,
Heard from the distant village in the vale,
Crows chearly out, far-founding through the gloom. Night hears from where, wide-hovering in mid-sky,
She rules the fable hour and calls her train
Of visionary fears, the shrouded ghost,
The dream diftressful, and th' incumbent hag,
That rife to Fancy's eye in horrid forms,
While reason flumbering lies. At once they fly,
As fhadows pafs, nor is their path beheld.
And now, pale-glimmering on the verge of heaven,
From east to north in doubtful twilight feen,
A whitening luftre fhoots its tender beam;
While shade and filence yet involve the ball.
Now facred Morn, afcending, fimiles ferene
A dewy radiance, brightening o'er the world.
Gay daughter of the air, for ever young,
For ever pleasing! lo, the onward comes,
In fluid gold and azure loose-array'd,
Sun-tinctur'd, changeful hues. At her approach,
The western grey of yonder breaking clouds
Slow-reddens into flame: the rifing mists,
From off the mountain's brow, roll blue away
In curling spires; and open all his woods,
High waving in the sky: th' uncolour'd stream,
Beneath her glowing ray, translucent shines.
Glad Nature feels her through her boundless realms
Of life and fenfe: and calls forth all her fweets,
Fragrance and fong. From each unfolding flower
. Transpires the balm of life, that Zephyr wafts,
Delicious, on his rofy wing: each bird,
Or high in air, or fecret in the fhade,
Rejoicing warbles wild his mattin hymn.
While beasts of chace, by fecret inftinct mov'd,
Scud o'er the lawns, and, plunging into night,
In brake, or cavern, slumber out the day.
Invited by the chearful morn abroad,
See, from his humble roof, the good Man comes
To tafte her freshness, and improve her rife
In holy mufing. Rapture in his eye,
And kneeling wonder fpcak his filent foul,
With gratitude o'erflowing, and with praise !
Now Industry is up. The village pours
Her ufeful fons abroad to various toil:
The labourer here, with every inftrument
Of future plenty arm'd; and there the swain,
A rural king amid his fubject-flocks,
Whofe bleatings wake the vocal hills afar.
The traveller, tco, purfues his early road,
Among the dews of morn. Aurora calls :
And all the living landscape moves around.
But fee, the flufh'd horizon flames intenfe
With vivid red, in rich profufion ftream'd
O'er heaven's pure arch. At once the clouds affume
Their gayeft liveries; thefe with filvery beams
Fring'd lovely, fplendid thofe in liquid gold:
And peak their fovereign's itate. He comes, behold!
Fountain of light and colour, warmth and life!
The King of Glory! round his head divine,
Diffufive thowers of radiance circling flow,
As o'er the Indian wave up-rifing fair
He looks abroad on Nature, and invests,
Where'er his univerfal eye furveys,
Her ample bofom, earth, air, fea, and fky,
In one bright robe, with heavenly tinctures gay. ·
From this hoar hill, that climbs above the plain,
Half-way up heaven ambitious, brown with woods-
Of broadeft fhade, and terrafs'd round with walks,
Winding and wild, that deep embowering rife,
Maze above maze, through all its fhelter'd height;
From hence, th' aëreal concave without cloud,
Tranflucent, and in pureft azure dreft;
The boundless fcene beneath, hill, dale, and plain
The precipice abrupt; the diftant deep,
Whofe fhores remurmur to the founding furge;
The nearest forest in wide circuit spread,
Solemn recefs, whofe folitary walks,
Fair Truth and Wisdom love; the bordering lawn,
With flocks and herds enrich'd; the daisy'd vale;
The river's crystal, and the meadow's green
Grateful diverfity! allure the eye
Abroad, to rove amid ten thousand charms.
Thefe fcenes, where every Virtue, every Muse
Delighted range, ferene the foul, and lift,
Borne on devotion's wing, beyond the pole,
To highest heaven her thought; to Nature's God,
First fource of all things lovely, all things good,
Eternal, infinite! before whofe throne
Sits fovereign Bounty, and through heaven and earth
Careless diffufes plenitude of bliss.
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