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Mary Darby Robinson - Lines inscribed to P. de Loutherbourg, Esq. R. A.
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WHERE on the bosom of the foamy RHINE,
In curling waves the rapid waters shine;
Where tow`ring cliffs in awful grandeur rise,
And midst the blue expanse embrace the skies;
The wond`ring eye beholds yon craggy height,
Ting`d with the glow of Evening`s fading light:
Where the fierce cataract swelling o`er its bound,
Bursts from its source, and dares the depth profound.
On ev`ry side the headlong currents flow,
Scatt`ring their foam like silv`ry sands below:
From hill to hill responsive echoes sound,
Loud torrents roar, and dashing waves rebound:
Th` opposing rock, the azure stream divides
The white froth tumbling down its sparry sides;
From fall to fall the glitt`ring channels flow,
`Till lost, they mingle in the Lake below.
Tremendous spot ! amid thy views sublime,
The mental sight ethereal realms may climb,
With wonder rapt the mighty work explore,
Confess TH` ETERNAL`S pow`r ! and pensively adore! 

  ALL VARYING NATURE! oft the outstretch`d eye 
Marks o`er the WELKIN`s brow the meteor fly: 
Marks, where the COMET with impetuous force, 
O`er Heaven`s wide concave, skims its fiery course: 
While on the ALPINE steep thin vapours rise, 
Float on the blast­or freeze amidst the skies: 
Or half congeal`d in flaky fragments glide 
Along the gelid mountain`s breezy side; 
Or mingling with the waste of yielding snow, 
From the vast height in various currents flow. 

  Now pale-ey`d MORNING, at thy soft command, 
O`er the rich landscape spreads her dewy hand: 
Swift o`er the plain the lucid rivers fly, 
Imperfect mirrors of the dappled sky: 
On the fring`d margin of the dimpling tide, 
Each od`rous bud, by FLORA`S pencil dy`d, 
Expands its velvet leaves of lust`rous hue, 
Bath`d in the essence of celestial dew: 
While from the METEOR to the simplest FLOW R, 
Prolific Nature ! we behold thy pow`r ! 
Yet has mysterious Heaven with care consign`d 
Thy noblest triumphs to the human mind; 
MAN feels the proud preeminence impart 
Intrepid firmness to his swelling heart; 
Creation`s lord ! where`er HE bends his way, 
The torch of REASON spreads its godlike ray. 

  As o`er SIClLlAN sands the Trav`ler roves, 
Feeds on its fruits, and shelters in its groves, 
Sudden amidst the calm retreat he hears 
The pealing thunders in the distant spheres; 
He sees the curling fumes from ETNA rise, 
Shade the green vale, and blacken all the skies. 
Around his head the forked lightnings glare,
The vivid streams illume the stagnant air: 
The nodding hills hang low`ring o`er the deep, 
The howling winds the clust`ring vineyards sweep; 
The cavern`d rocks terrific tremours rend; 
Low to the earth the tawny forests bend: 
While He an ATOM in the direful scene, 
Views the wild CHAOS, wond`ring, and serene; 
Tho` at his feet sulphureous rivers roll, 
No touch of terror shakes his conscious soul: 
His MIND ! enlighten`d by PROMETHEAN rays 
Expanding, glows with intellectual blaze! 

  Such scenes, long since, th` immortal POET charm`d,
His MUSE enraptur`d, and his FANCY warm`d:
From them he learnt with magic eye t` explore,
The dire ARCANUM of the STYGIAN shore !
Where the departed spirit trembling, hurl`d
"With restless violence round the pendent world,"
On the swift wings of whistling whirlwinds flung, 
Plung`d in the wave, or on the mountain hung. 

  While o`er yon cliff the ling`ring fires of day,
In ruby shadows faintly glide away; 
The glassy source that feeds the CATARACT`s stream, 
Bears the last image of the solar beam: 
Wide o`er the Landscape Nature`s tints disclose, 
The softest picture of sublime repose; 
The sober beauties of EVE`S hour serene, 
The scatter`d village, now but dimly seen, 
The neighb`ring rock, whose flinty brow inclin`d, 
Shields the clay cottage from the northern wind: 
The variegated woodlands scarce we view, 
The distant mountains ting`d with purple hue: 
Pale twilight flings her mantle o`er the skies, 
From the still lake, the misty vapours rise; 
Cold show`rs descending on the western breeze, 
Sprinkle with lucid drops the bending trees, 
Whose spreading branches o`er the glade reclin`d, 
Wave their dank leaves, and murmur to the wind. 

  Such scenes, O LOUTHERBOURG! thy pencil fir`d, 
Warm`d thy great mind, and every touch inspir`d: 
Beneath thy hand the varying colours glow, 
Vast mountains rise, and crystal rivers flow: 
Thy wond`rous Genius owns no pedant rule, 
Nature`s thy guide, and Nature`s works thy school: 
Pursue her steps, each rival`s art defy, 
For while she charms, THY NAME shall never die.
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