Together press'd, fair and uncouth, All motley forms of age and youth. And, still along the dark-ranged pile Of clustering life, was heard the while Mix'd brawling joy, and shouts that rung From many a loud and deafening tongue. Ah! little thought the gazing throng, As pass'd that pageant show along, How Spain should rue, in future times, With desert plains and fields untill❜d, And towns with listless loiterers fill'd,
The withering spoil received from foreign climes ! Columbus gave thee, thankless Spain ! A new-found world o'er which to reign; But could not with the gift impart
A portion of his liberal heart
And manly mind, to bid thee soar
Above a robber's lust of ore,
Proud was the don of high degree, Whose honour'd guest he deign'd to be. Whate'er his purposed service wanted, With ready courtesy was granted: No envious foe durst cross his will. While eager shipwrights ply their skill, To busy dockyard, quay, or port, Priests, lords, and citizens resort: Their wains the heavy planks are bringing, And hammers on the anvil ringing; The far-toss'd boards on boards are falling, And brawny mate to work-mate calling: The cable strong on windlass winding; On wheel of stone the edge tool grinding; Red fire beneath the caldron gleaming, And pitchy fumes from caldron steaming. To sea and land's men too, I ween, It was a gay, attractive scene;
Which hath a curse entail'd on all thy countless Beheld, enjoyed, day after day,
To Barcelona come, with honours meet
Such glorious deeds to grace, his sovereigns greet Their mariner's return. Or hall,
Or room of state was deem'd too small For such reception. Pageant rare! Beneath heaven's dome, in open square, Their gorgeous thrones were placed; And near them on an humbler seat, While on each hand the titled great, Standing in dizen'd rows, were seen,
Priests, guards, and crowds, a living screen,— Columbus sat, with noble mien, With princely honours graced.
There to the royal pair his tale he told: A wondrous tale, that did not want Or studied words or braggart's vaunt; When at their royal feet were laid
Gems, pearls, and plumes of many a shade, And stores of virgin gold,
Whilst, in their feathered guise arrayed, The Indians low obeisance paid. And at that wondrous story's close The royal pair with reverence rose,
And kneeling on the ground, aloud
Gave thanks to Heaven. Then all the crowd, Joining, from impulse of the heart, The banded priest's ecstatic art, With mingled voice Te Deum sang;
With the grand choral burst, walls, towers, and
This was his brightest hour, too bright For human weal;-a glaring light, Like sunbeam through the rent cloud pouring On the broad lake, when storms are roaring; Bright centre of a wild and sombre scene; More keenly bright than summer's settled sheen. XXIX.
With kingly favour brighten'd, all His favour court, obey his call. At princely boards, above the rest, He took his place, admired, caress'd:
Till all his ships, in fair array, Were bounden for their course at last, And amply stored and bravely mann'd, Bore far from blue, receding land. Thus soon again, th' Atlantic vast With gallant fleet he past.
By peaceful natives hail'd with kindly smiles, He shortly touch'd at various pleasant isles; And when at length her well-known shore appear'd, And he to fair Hispaniola near'd,
Upon the deck, with eager eyes Some friendly signal to descry, He stood; then fired his signal shot, But answering fire received not. "What may this dismal silence mean? No floating flag in air is seen,
Nor e'en the Tower itself, though well Its lofty site those landmarks tell. Ha! have they so regardless proved Of my command ?-their station moved!" As closer to the shore they drew, To hail them came no light canoe; The beach was silent and forsaken: Nor clothed nor naked forms appear'd, Nor sound of human voice was heard; Naught but the sea birds from the rock, With busy stir that fluttering broke;
Sad signs,which in his mind portentous fears awaken. XXXI.
Then eagerly on shore he went, His scouts abroad for tidings sent;
But to his own loud echo'd cry
An Indian came with fearful eye, Who guess'd his questions' hurried sound, And pointed to a little mound, Not distant far. With eager haste The loosen'd mould aside was cast. Bodies, alas! within that grave were found, Which had not long been laid to rest, Though so by changeful death defaced, Nor form nor visage could be traced.- In Spanish garments dress'd.
Back from each living Spaniard's cheek the blood Ran chill, as round their noble chief they stood,
Who sternly spoke to check the rising tear. "Eight of my valiant men are buried here; Where are the rest?" the timid Indian shook In every limb, and slow and faintly spoke. "Some are dead, some sick, some flown; The rest are up the country gone, Far, far away." A heavy groan Utters the chief; his blanch'd lips quiver; He knows that they are gone for ever.
But here 'twere tedious and unmeet A dismal story to repeat,
Which was from mild Cazique received, Their former friend, and half believed. Him, in his cabin far apart, Wounded they found, by Carib dart; Received, said he, from savage foe Spaniards defending. Then with accents low He spoke, and ruefully began to tell, What to those hapless mariners befell. How that from lust of pleasure and of gold, And mutual strife and war on Caribs made, Their strength divided was, and burnt their hold, And their unhappy heads beneath the still earth laid.
Yet, spite of adverse fate, he in those climes Spain's infant power establish'd; after-times Have seen it flourish, and her sway maintain In either world, o'er many a fair domain. But wayward was his irksome lot the while, Striving with malice, mutiny, and guile; Yet vainly striving: that which most His generous bosom sought to shun, Each wise and liberal purpose crost,
Must now at Mammon's ruthless call be done. Upon their native soil,
They who were wont in harmless play
To frolic out the passing day,
Must pine with hateful toil.
Yea; this he did against his better will; For who may stern ambition serve, and still
His nobler nature trust?
May on unshaken strength rely,
Cast fortune as she will her dye,
And say "I will be just?"
Envy mean, that in the dark
Strikes surely at its noble mark,
Against him rose with hatred fell,
Which he could brave, but could not quell.
Then he to Spain indignant went, And to his sovereigns made complaint, With manly freedom, of their trust, Put, to his cost, in men unjust, And turbulent. They graciously
His plaint and plea received; and hoisting high His famed and gallant flag upon the main, He to his western world return'd again. Where he, the sea's unwearied, dauntless rover, Through many a gulf and strait, did first discover
That continent, whose mighty reach From th' utmost frozen north doth stretch E'en to the frozen south; a land
Of surface fair and structure grand.
There, through vast regions rivers pour, Whose midway skiff scarce sees the shore; Which, rolling on in lordly pride, Give to the main their ample tide; And dauntless then, with current strong, Impetuous, roaring, bear along,
And still their separate honours keep, In bold contention with the mighty deep.
There broad-based mountains from the sight Conceal in clouds their vasty height,
Whose frozen peaks, a vision rare,
Above the girdling clouds rear'd far in upper air At times appear, and soothly seem
To the far distant, up-cast eye,
Like snowy watch-towers of the sky,- Like passing visions of a dream.
There forests grand of olden birth, O'er-canopy the darken'd earth, Whose trees, growth of unreckon❜d time, Rear o'er whole regions far and wide A checker'd dome of lofty pride Silent, solemn, and sublime.-
A pillar'd labyrinth, in whose trackless gloom, Unguided feet might stray till close of mortal doom.
There grassy plains of verdant green Spread far beyond man's ken are seen, Whose darker bushy spots that lie Strew'd o'er the level vast, descry Admiring strangers, from the brow Of hill or upland steep, and show, Like a calm ocean's peaceful isles,
When morning light through rising vapours smiles.
O'er this, his last-his proudest fame, He did assert his mission'd claim. Yet dark, ambitious envy, more Incensed and violent than before, With crafty machinations gain'd His royal master's ear, who stain'd His princely faith, and gave it power To triumph, in a shameful hour. A mission'd gownsman o'er the sea Was sent his rights to supersede, And all his noble schemes impede,- His tyrant, spy, and judge to be. With parchment scrolls and deeds he came To kindle fierce and wasteful flame. Columbus' firm and dauntless soul Submitted not to base control. For who that hath high deeds achieved, Whose mind hath mighty plans conceived, Can of learn'd ignorance and pride The petty vexing rule abide ?
The lion trampled by an ass!
No; this all-school'd forbearance would surpass. Insulted with a felon's chain,
This noble man must cross the main,
From its vast bed profound with heaving throws The mighty waste of weltering waters rose.
And answer his foul charge to cold, ungrateful O'er countless waves, now mounting, now deprest,
By India's gentle race alone Was pity to his suffering shown. They on his parting wait,
And looks of kindness on him cast, Or touch'd his mantle as he past, And mourn'd his alter'd state. "May the Great Spirit smooth the tide With gentle gales, and be thy guide!" And when his vessel wore from land, With meaning nods and gestures kind He saw them still upon the strand Tossing their dark arms on the wind. He saw them like a helpless flock Who soon must bear the cruel shock Of savage wolves, yet reckless still, Feel but the pain of present ill.
He saw the fate he could not now control, And groan'd in bitter agony of soul.
He trode the narrow deck with pain, And oft survey'd his rankling chain. The ship's brave captain grieved to see Base irons his noble prisoner gall, And kindly sued to set him free; But proudly spoke the lofty thrall, "Until the king whom I have served, Who thinks this recompense deserved, Himself command th' unclasping stroke, These gyved limbs will wear their yoke. Yea, when my head lies in the dust, These chains shall in my coffin rust. Better than lesson'd saw, though rude,
As token, long preserved of black ingratitude!"
Thus pent, his manly fortitude gave way To brooding passion's dark tumultuous sway. Dark was the gloom within, and darker grew Th' impending gloom without, as onward drew Th' embattled storm that, deepening on its way, With all its marshall'd host obscured the day. Volume o'er volume, roll'd the heavy clouds, And oft in dark, dim masses, sinking slow, Hung in the nether air, like misty shrouds, Veiling the sombre, silent deep below. Like eddying snow-flakes from a lowering sky, Athwart the dismal gloom the frighten'd sea-fowl fly. Then from the solemn stillness round, Utters the storm its awful sound.
It groans upon the distant waves ;
O'er the mid-ocean wildly raves; Recedes afar with dying strain, That sadly through the troubled air Comes like the wailings of despair,
And with redoubled strength returns again: Through shrouds and rigging, boards and mast,
Whistles, and howls, and roars th' outrageous blast.
The ridgy surges swell with foaming crest, Like Alpine barriers of some distant shore, Now seen, now lost amidst the deafening roar ; While, higher still, on broad and sweepy base, Their growing bulk the mountain billows raise, Each far aloft in lordly grandeur rides,
With many a vassal wave roughening his furrow'd sides.
Heaved to its height, the dizzy skiff Shoots like an eagle from his cliff Down to the fearful gulf, and then On the swoln waters mounts again,- A fearful way! a fearful state
For vessel charged with living freight!
Within, without, the tossing tempest's rage: This was, of all his earthly pilgrimage, The injured hero's fellest, darkest hour. Yet swiftly pass'd its gloomy power; For as the wild winds louder blew, His troubled breast the calmer grew; And, long before the mighty hand, That rules the ocean and the land,
Had calm'd the sea, with pious reverence fill'd The warring passions of his soul were still'd. Through softly parting clouds the blue sky peer'd, And heavenward turn'd his eye with better feel- ings cheer'd.
Meek are the wise, the great, the good ;- He sigh'd, and thought of Him, who died on holy rood.
No more the angry tempest's sport, The vessel reach'd its destined port. A town of Christendom he greets,
And treads again its well-known streets; A sight of wonder, grief, and shame To those who on his landing came. And on his state in silence gazed, "This is the man whose dauntless soul”— So spoke their looks-" Spain's power hath raised To hold o'er worlds her proud control! His honour'd brows with laurel crown'd, His hands with felon fetters bound!"
And he before his sovereign dame And her stern lord, indignant came; And bold in conscious honour, broke The silence of his smother'd flame,
In words that all his inward anguish spoke.
The gentle queen's more noble breast Its generous sympathy exprest;
And as his varied story show'd
What wrongs from guileful malice flow'd,
Th' indignant eye and flushing cheek
Did oft her mind's emotion speak. The sordid king, with brow severe, Could, all unmoved, his pleadings hear;
Save, that, in spite of royal pride, Which self reproach can ill abide, His crimson'd face did meanly show Of conscious shame th' unworthy glow. Baffled, disgraced, his enemies remain'd, And base ambition for a time restrain'd.
With four small vessels, small supply I trow! yet granted tardily, For such high service, he once more The western ocean to explore Directs his course. On many an isle
He touch'd, where cheerly, for a while, His mariners their cares beguile Upon the busy shore.
And there what wiles of barter keen Spaniard and native pass between;
As feather'd crowns, whose colours change To every hue, with vizards strange, And gold and pearls are given away, For bead or bell, or bauble gay! Full oft the muttering Indian eyes With conscious smile his wondrous prize, Beneath the shady plantain seated, And thinks he hath the stranger cheated; Or foots the ground like vaunting child, Suapping his thumbs with antics wild.
But if, at length, tired of their guests, Consuming like those hateful pests, Locusts or ants, provisions stored For many days, they will afford No more, withholding fresh supplies, And strife and threatening clamours rise,— Columbus' gentle craft pursues, And soon their noisy wrath subdues. Thus speaks the chief,-" Refuse us aid From stores which Heaven for all hath made! The moon, your mistress, will this night From you withhold her blessed light, Her ire to show; take ye the risk." Then, as half frighten'd, half in jest, They turn'd their faces to the east, From ocean rose her broaden❜d disk; But when the deep eclipse came on, By science sure to him foreknown, How cower'd each savage at his feet, Like spaniel couching to his lord, Awed by the whip or angry word, His pardon to entreat!
"Take all we have, thou heavenly man! And let our mistress smile again!"
Or, should the ship, above, below,
Be fill'd with crowds, who will not go; Again to spare more hurtful force, To harmless guile he has recourse. "Ho! gunner! let these scramblers know The power we do not use:" when, lo! From cannon's mouth the silvery cloud Breaks forth, soft curling on the air, Through which appears the lightning's glare, And bellowing roars the thunder loud.
Quickly from bowsprit, shroud, or mast, Or vessel's side the Indians cast Their naked forms, the water dashing O'er their dark heads, as stoutly lashing The briny waves with arms out-spread, They gain the shore with terror's speed.
Thus checker'd still with shade and sheen Pass'd in the west his latter scene, As through the oak's toss'd branches pass Soft moonbeams, flickering on the grass; As on the lake's dark surface pour Broad flashing drops of summer shower:- As the rude cavern's sparry sides When past the miner's taper glides. So roam'd the Chief, and many a sea Fathom'd and search'd unweariedly, Hoping a western way to gain
To eastern climes,-an effort vain; For mighty thoughts, with error uncombined, Were never yet the meed of mortal mind.
At length, by wayward fortune cross'd, And oft-renew'd and irksome strife Of sordid men,-by tempests tost,
And tired with turmoil of a wanderer's life,
He sail'd again for Europe's ancient shore,
So will'd high Heaven! to cross the seas no more. His anchor fix'd, his sails for ever furl'd, A toil-worn pilgrim in a weary world.
And thus the Hero's sun went down, Closing his day of bright renown. Eight times through breeze and storm he past O'er surge and wave th' Atlantic vast; And left on many an island fair Foundations which the after care Of meaner chieftains shortly rear'd To seats of power, serv'd, envied, fear'd. No kingly conqueror, since time began The long career of ages, hath to man
A scope so ample given for trade's bold range, Or caused on earth's wide stage such rapid, mighty change.
He, on the bed of sickness laid,
Saw, unappall'd, death's closing shade;
And there, in charity and love
To man on earth and God above,
Meekly to heaven his soul resign'd,
His body to the earth consign'd.
'Twas in Valladolid he breathed his last,
And to a better, heavenly city pass'd;
But St. Dominga, in her sacred fane
Doth his blest spot of rest and sculptured tomb contain.
There burghers, knights, adventurers brave, Stood round in funeral weeds bedight; And bow'd them to the closing grave, And wish'd his soul good night.
Now all the bold companions of his toil, Tenants of many a clime, who wont to come, (So fancy trows,) when vex'd with worldly coil, And linger sadly by his narrow home ;- Repentant enemies, and friends that grieve In self-upbraiding tenderness, and say, "Cold was the love he did from us receive," The fleeting, restless spirits of a day, All to their dread account are pass'd away. LVII.
Silence, solemn, awful, deep,
Doth in that hall of death her empire keep; Save when at times the hollow pavement smote By solitary wanderer's foot, amain
From lofty dome, and arch, and aisle remote A circling loud response receives again. The stranger starts to hear the growing sounds, And sees the blazon'd trophies waving near ;- "Ha! tread my feet so near that sacred ground!" He stops and bows his head :-" Columbus resteth
Some ardent youth, perhaps, ere from his home He launch his venturous bark, will hither come, Read fondly o'er and o'er his graven name With feelings keenly touch'd,—with heart of flame; Till wrapp'd in fancy's wild, delusive dream, Times past and long forgotten, present seem. To his charm'd ear, the east wind rising shrill, Seems through the Hero's shroud to whistle still. The clock's deep pendulum swinging, through the
Sounds like the rocking of his lofty mast; While fitful gusts rave like his clamorous band, Mix'd with the accents of his high command. Slowly the stripling quits the pensive scene,
The brightest rays of cheering shed, That point to immortality?
A twinkling speck, but fix'd and bright, To guide us through the dreary night, Each hero shines, and lures the soul To gain the distant happy goal.
For is there one who, musing o'er the grave Where lies interr'd the good, the wise, the brave, Can poorly think, beneath the mouldering heap, That noble being shall for ever sleep?
No; saith the generous heart, and proudly swells,"Though his cered corse lies here, with God his spirit dwells."
LADY GRISELD BAILLIE.
WHEN, sapient, dauntless, strong, heroic man! Our busy thoughts thy noble nature scan, Whose active mind, its hidden cell within, Frames that from which the mightiest works begin; Whose secret thoughts are light to ages lending, Whose potent arm is right and life defending, For helpless thousands, all on one high soul de- pending :-
We pause, delighted with the fair survey, And haply in our wistful musings say,
What mate, to match this noble work of heaven, Hath the all-wise and mighty master given? One gifted like himself, whose head devises High things, whose soul at sound of battle rises, Who with glaved hand will through arm'd squad-
And, death confronting, combat by his side; Will share with equal wisdom grave debate, And all the cares of chieftain, kingly state? Ay, such, I trow, in female form hath been
And burns, and sighs, and weeps to be what he has Of olden times, and may again be seen,
O! who shall lightly say that fame
Is nothing but an empty name! Whilst in that sound there is a charm
The nerve to brace, the heart to warm, As, thinking of the mighty dead, The young, from slothful couch will start, And vow, with lifted hands outspread, Like them to act a noble part?
O! who shall lightly say that fame Is nothing but an empty name! When, but for those, our mighty dead, All ages past, a blank would be, Sunk in oblivion's murky bed,- A desert bare, a shipless sea? They are the distant objects seen,- The lofty marks of what hath been.
O! who shall lightly say that fame Is nothing but an empty name! Then memory of the mighty dead To earth-worn pilgrim's wistful eye
When cares of empire or strong impulse swell The generous breast, and to high deeds impel; For who can these as meaner times upbraid, Who think of Saragossa's valiant maid? But she of gentler nature, softer, dearer, Of daily life, the active, kindly cheerer; With generous bosom, age, or childhood shielding, And in the storms of life, though moved, unyield-
Strength in her gentleness, hope in her sorrow, Whose darkest hours some ray of brightness borrow From better days to come, whose meek devotion Calms every wayward passion's wild commotion; In want and suffering, soothing, useful, sprightly, Bearing the press of evil hap so lightly, Till evil's self seems its strong hold betraying To the sweet witchery of such winsome playing; Bold from affection, if by nature fearful, With varying brow, sad, tender, anxious, cheerful,— This is meet partner for the loftiest mind, With crown or helmet graced,-yea, this is woman- kind!
Come ye, whose grateful memory retains Dear recollection of her tender pains To whom your oft-conn'd lesson, daily said, With kiss and cheering praises was repaid;
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