Without either sign or sound of their shock,
The waves floated over the Inchcape Rock;
So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape bell.
The good old abbot of Aberbrothock
Had floated that bell on the Inchcape Rock;
On the waves of the storm it floated and swung,
And louder and louder its warning rung.
When the rock was hid by the surge's swell,
The mariners heard the warning bell;
And then they knew the perilous rock,
And blessed the priest of Aberbrothock.
The sun in heaven was shining gay,
All things were joyful on that day;
The sea-birds screamed, as they wheeled around,
And there was pleasure in the sound.
The float of the Inchcape bell was seen,
A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the rover 1 walked the deck,
And he fixed his eye on the darker speck.
He felt the cheering power of spring;
It made him whistle, it made him sing;
His heart was mirthful to excess-
But the rover's mirth was wickedness.
His eye was on the bell and float;
Quoth he, "My men, put out the boat,
And row me to the Inchcape Rock,
And I'll plague the priest of Aberbrothock."
1 Rover-wanderer, pirate.
The boat is lowered, the boatmen row,
And to the Inchcape Rock they go;
Sir Ralph bent over from the boat,
And cut the warning-bell from the float !
Down sank the bell with a gurgling sound:
The bubbles arose and burst around;
Quoth Sir Ralph, "The next who comes to the rock, Will not bless the priest of Aberbrothock."
Sir Ralph the rover sailed away;
He scoured the seas for many a day;
And now, grown rich with plundered store,
He steers his course for Scotland's shore.
So thick a haze o'erspread the sky,
They could not see the sun on high;
The wind had blown a gale all day,
At evening it had died away.
On deck the rover takes his stand;
So dark it is, they see no land;
Quoth Sir Ralph, "It will be lighter soon, For there is the dawn of the rising moon.' "Canst hear," said one, the breakers roar? Yonder, methinks, should be the shore; Now, where we are, I cannot tell,
But I wish we could hear the Inchcape bell." They hear no sound, the swell is strong, Though the wind has fallen, they drift along, Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock"Alas! it is the Inchcape Rock! "
Sir Ralph the rover tore his hair,
He beat himself in wild despair;
But the waves rush in on every side,
And the vessel sinks beneath the tide.
I SAW the Memphian 1 pyramid
In awful grandeur rise,
Which, like a mighty pillar, seemed
To prop the lofty skies.
An old man, with a snow-white beard,
Across the desert came,
With a long grey robe thrown loosely o'er
His breast and withered frame.
He stood beside the pyramid,
And laid his hand thereon,
When, lo! the pile fell crumbling down,
Till every stone was gone.
There was a city vast and great,
The world's imperial queen,
Whose lofty towers and palaces
On every side were seen;
The hum of busy multitudes,
The shout of armed bands,
The song of triumph, and the clash
Of shields and glittering brands;
With every sound of revelry,
That from the banquet flows,
From out that city's crowded streets,
In mingled discord, rose.
1 Memphian-belonging to Memphis, a celebrated city of ancient Egypt, situated on the western bank of the Nile.
I looked, and, lo! that same old man,
With a visage pale and grim,
Passed through those streets, observing none,
And none observing him;
Yet as he paced those crowded streets,
Quick hurrying to and fro,
All sounds of revelry were changed
To the bitter wails of woe.
Still on he went without a stop,
Till every sound had fled;
And nought within those walls was heard
But the echo of his tread.
Still on he went, still on he went,
Till palace, tower, and wall,
Sank down in one unseemly mass,
And ruin covered all.
Who art thou, stern destroyer? say
"I'm known in every clime
Man and his works all pass away
Beneath the hand of TIME!
How cheerful along the gay mead
The daisy and cowslip appear!
The flocks, as they carelessly feed,
Rejoice in the spring of the year;
The myrtles that deck the gay bowers,
The herbage that springs from the sod,
Trees, plants, cooling fruits, and sweet flowers
All rise to the praise of my God!
Shall man, the great master of all,
The only insensible prove?
Forbid it, fair gratitude's call;
Forbid it, devotion and love!
The Lord who such wonders could raise,
And still can destroy with a nod,
My lips shall incessantly praise;
My soul shall rejoice in my God.
BEAUTIFUL, sublime, and glorious;
Mild, majestic, foaming, free-
Over time itself victorious,
Image of eternity!
Sun, and moon, and stars shine o'er thee,
See thy surface ebb and flow;
Yet attempt not to explore thee
In thy soundless1 depths below.
Whether morning's splendours steep thee
With the rainbow's glowing grace,
Tempests rouse, or navies sweep thee,
'Tis but for a moment's space.
Earth-her valleys and her mountains,
Mortal man's behests obey;
Thy unfathomable fountains
Scoff his search, and scorn his
Such art thou-stupendous ocean!
But, if overwhelmed by thee,
Soundless-that cannot be fathomed or measured.
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