THE RELIEF: A POEM.
[3]WHY all this ſolemn apparatus? why?
Why all this din about a worm's concerns?
The child of duſt, of miſery, of ſcorn;
The prey of flattery, the food of pride;
[...]ain expectation's bubble, reaſon's dupe;
[...] frantic hope miſled; and loſt in whirls
[...] viſionary ſcenes, enchanted piles,
[...]he fancy'd fabricks built by vanity
[...]pon the vapours of a heated brain;
[...] craft kept up in injur'd reaſon's ſpight,
[...] cuſtom held in reverential awe;
[...]e ſacred bugbears of a frighted world;
[4]To ſerve the purpoſe of deſigning knaves,
And yoke the neck of fools?—
The awful temples, tombs, and rolling clocks;
The midnight damps that drop from weeping yews,
Beneath th' eclipſed moon, (the ſcriech-owl's haunt)
Drenching the locks of ſome night-watching pil⯑grim
Who ſits, in diſmal meditation wrapt,
And brainſick horror, o'er yon mould'ring grave,
By time defac'd, and frequent footſteps worn:
No mark remaining, but th' erected ſtone
Inſcrib'd with narratives uncouth of birth,
Of death, (a mute unmeaning blank between)
The chiſſel's ſtory to the penſive hind,
Who painful pores upon the waſted words,
And puzzling ſcans th' imperfect characters
Half hid in nettles, and perplex'd with thorn.
Here, moping ſuperſtition nightly broods;
Here counts the clarion of the bird of dawn,
Whoſe dreary note proclaims the ebbing night,
And drives the frighted goblin to his haunt,
The time-recording cock: or to the winds
Repeats her unavailing veſpers o'er;
The winds, that mournful yell, from [...] vaults,
And broken ſepulchres, their groaning access;
[5]As if they wail'd the long-departing dead,
Who ſlumber, deep in everlaſting night,
Within theſe dreary manſions; where no dawn
Returns. Thus, hideous melancholy dips
Her pencil, ſtill in dark deluſive tincts,
And paints the face of things; deteſted growpe!
A landſkip fit for hell: the work of fiends!
Let reſcu'd fancy turn aloft her eye,
And view yon wide extended arch; behold
Yon cryſtal concave, ſtudded with the gems,
The radiant gems of heav'n, that nightly burn
In golden lamps, and gild th' aetherial ſpace;
That ſmiling vault, that canopy of ſtars,
Thoſe cluſter'd conſtellations! mark yon moon
Serenely ſhine; (her borrow'd luſtre full;)
The mountain tops, the rocks, the vales, the lawns,
By her ſet off, adorn'd, and made delightful:
The boundleſs main, a poliſh'd mirror now,
Reflecting, from its boſom, back, the vaſt,
The wonderful, the glorious, glad appearance!
Bright viſions eccho to th' inchanted eye;
As, on the ear, harmonious ſounds return
In mimic notes, reſponſive made to fill,
To charm the fancy, with repeated tranſport.
All theſe, in their eternal round, rejoice;
[6]All theſe, with univerſal praiſe, proclaim
Their great creator; bountiful, benign,
Immenſely good, rejoicing in his creatures!
Behold, yon blazing ſun! but, Oh, to what;
To what ſhall we compare; (away with ſuch
A thought) to what reſemble him! this globe;
Ten thouſand thouſand worlds, beyond where ſpace
Exiſts, where matter lives; beyond the graſp
Of human thought, imagination's ken,
Nay reaſon's reach, the intellect of angels?—
But, ſilence beſt becomes the boundleſs theme;
In wonder ſwallow'd up, and deep aſtoniſhment!
What ſhould we fear? this glorious proſpect brings
No dreadful phantom to the frighted eye,
No terror to the ſoul; 'tis tranſport all!
Here fancy roves, in ſweet variety
For ever loſt; her native bliſs. For her,
The blue ethereal arch expands; her table
Spread out with all the dainties of the sky,
Imagination's rich regale. For her
The clouds abſorb the ev'ning ray; and drink
The liquid gold, which ſtains their fleecy ſides
With all the tincts of heav'n, tranſmitted through
A thouſand diff'rent ſtrainers to the eye,
[7]And thence upon the raviſh'd ſoul diffus'd.
The bluſhing beauties of the infant morn,
Aurora's ſaffron beam; the ſplendid bow,
Whoſe copious arch was bent by hands divine,
An emblem form'd of half eternity,
By angels robe'd in all the aggregate,
Th' unblended aggregate, of various day,
Of heav'n's own day; and from its ſun-beams drawn,
In all its tinges dipt, its glories dreſs'd.
For her, the ſmiling earth puts on her mantle;
Her mantle green, with purple mix'd, with gold,
With all the liv'ries of the youthful ſpring,
To wake new raptures in the heart of man;
And fill his ſoul with gratitude immenſe.
All theſe are reaſon's treaſures, ſtores of thought;
Reflection's unexhauſted funds, replete
With matter for her own delightful task.
Here wiſdom works at large; here ſmiling builds,
For ſweet content, a homely ſhed; where joy,
Where gladneſs, viſit oft her temp'rate gueſts,
And make their willing ſtay: here, undiſturb'd,
They reign, they revel, take their fill of all
That nature (ever bounteous mother) yields,
For uſe or pleaſure: but exceſs avoid;
That fiend accurs'd, whoſe bloated viſage wan,
[8]And troubled eye, betray her inward pang,
Which ſhakes ſevere her paralytic nerve,
Her tott'ring frame; e'er death, by nature taught,
And time, in ſeaſon due, with gentle hand
Can cut the waſted thread: exceſs uſurps
With force th' abortive taſk, and vindicates
Her prey—Come all, ye family of joy;
Ye children of the chearful hour, begot
By wiſdom on the virtuous mind; O, come!
Come innocence, in conſcious ſtrength ſecure;
Come courage, foremoſt in the manly train;
Come all; and in the honeſt heart abide,
Your native reſidence, your fortreſs ſtill,
From real or from fancy'd evils free:
O, come; indignant, drive out, far beyond
The utmoſt precincts of the human breaſt,
Beyond the ſprings of hope, the cells of joy,
And ev'ry manſion where a virtue lives;
O drive far off, for ever drive that bane,
That hideous peſt, engender'd deep in hell,
Where Stygian glooms condens'd dimenſion'd darkneſs,
Contains, within its dire embrace, that monſter
Horrid to ſight, and by the frighted furies
In their dread pannic SUPERSTITION nam'd!
The cloſe contracted ſpan of human life
[9]Is dearly purchas'd by the ſons of care;
Since ſickneſs, diſappointment, pain, and death,
A thouſand vary'd unavoided evils,
Prey hourly on the vexing heart of man,
Like officers of wrath, let looſe by pride,
To raiſe the rigid tax on wretched being;
A dreadful int'reſt, for a ſum ſo ſmall!
Enough are theſe, alas, to gall and ſting!
What need we then for fancy'd evils ſeek,
To ſcare the ſoul, and harrow up the heart,
Already toſs'd, and torn, and broken down
By evils of its own contrivance? evils
Still adverſe found, to nature's wholſome ways;
The bane of ev'ry bliſs, and ſocial joy:
Ambition, with her train; and luxury,
With cuſtom link'd, with fell corruption join'd,
Led up by faſhion in her frantic dance,
Follow'd by miſery, deſpair, and death.
For pity's ſake, forbear to haunt the world
With hideous ſpectres, and fantaſtic forms;
With harpy footed furies, fearful phantoms,
Everlaſting torments, and unquenched fire.
O ſay, what horrid ſcenes are theſe you draw!
What portraits of th' Almighty! hence, away;
See reaſon turns the face aſide, ſee nature
Start at the monſtrous form! and cry aloud
[10]Through all her works, It is not like. Forbear,
Ye croaking miniſters of midnight dreams,
Ye madding trumpeters of falſe report,
Forbear to pour your ghaſtly images
On truth, nor give juſt providence the lie.
What's a church-yard, what I pray? this horri [...] goblin
Array'd in midnight weeds by frantic fancy
I' th' ſolemn moon-ſtruck hour? a bed prepar'd
For ſilent unperceiving duſt that once
To human thought was wedded, vital clay,
Divorc'd by death to join the general mother,
Divided far from its companion dear,
Th' immortal ſoul, that now above the ſtars
Forgets this trampled clod, and joins the choirs
Of bliſs, 'tis gloomy all and ſolemn. Hark,
Was it the clock that told the paſſing; hour,
And told it too at midnight? when deep ſilence
And hideous darkneſs reign o'er half the world
It was.—What then? it tells it too at noon,
Amidſt the noiſe and ſunſhine of that hour,
The clock that calls to buſineſs or to pleaſure
The ſons of avarice and ſenſual joy.
What tragic buſtle when an engine ſtrikes!
Shall meer negations, unſubſtantial ſhades,
Such monſters form, to fright th' unthinking crowd
[11]To fancy tangible, to terror real?
Let monks, let nurſes put theſe vizors on,
To ſtartle bigots, and aſtoniſh babes;
Reaſon ſcorns, and common ſenſe defies 'em;
And who ſo weak to ſhudder at the ſound
Of yon departed moment fled for ever!
Or with his ſad foreboding ſighs keep time
To each elapſing ſand that ſilent flows
From his exhauſting glaſs with breaking heart:
"O wretched avarice of breath, to draw
"Freſh air, or gaze upon the wearied ſun;
To tread the ſame unvary'd round with pain,
To eat, to drink, to ſleep, to ſatisfy
Each ſenſual ſordid appetite, alas!
How oft have diſtant proſpects, verdant views,
With all that fortune's faithleſs flattering mirror
To ſanguine pride preſents and vain ſelf-love,
How oft has cheated hope complain'd, and ſought
[...]or refuge in deſpair? the ſenſe itſelf
Grows weary of the toil, the beaſtly toil,
And reaſon oft repeats this leſſon learn'd
From pain, 'tis time to die; and what is time
[...]elf! this awful ſire of births prodigious;
The creature of the mind, no more: the vaſſal
Of thought, whoſe very being is the ſoul
Made ſhort or long, as that is more or leſs
[12]Employ'd.—Good heav'n and earth, what horrid noiſe!
What ſtir about a reptile's poor concerns!
And when a worm expires, ſhall nature, ſay
Shall ſuffering nature ſympathize with me?
Re-eccho groan for groan? ſo pride aſſerts;
O, monſtrous pride! made drunk by fancy at
Ambition's feaſt. Shall yonder ſun be hid,
Fierce Aetna flame, and thunder ſhake the poles,
Becauſe, forſooth, ſome ſpring eccentric moves
Within this frail machine? and paſſion ſways
The ſoul, for this the univerſal flood
Broke looſe beyond its ſtated bounds; for this!
The mountains melt, the comets glare; for this!
Shall famine, peſtilence, and war devour?
But, hark! th' infernal forge begins to roar,
The ſounds of ſorrow, and the yells of pain,
Now tear the ſhop of death, and reach my ſenſe:
The flames aſcend, the furies howl, and all
The Stygian eccho's ring a peal; a peal ſo loud,
That ſhakes the north of hell, and makes the throne
Of terror ſtart. O whence this fierce uproar!
This ſtrong convulſion in the realms of woe!
Behold yon reptile gaſping in the arms,
Th' inexorable arms of death; how pale!
How ghaſtly are its looks! Ah! ſee, how fear,
How dread diſtort the face, and fix the eye,
The pallid eye, that window of the ſoul,
[13]The parting ſoul, that ſpark of entity,
Which now ſtands ſhiv'ring on the verge of life,
And views th' imaginary gulph beneath!
What horrors! O, what anguiſh, muſt ſhe taſte,
Whilſt yet her faculties are left entire;
Whilſt yet, ſhe views the gaping fiends and flames!
O ſay, can human thought, can words expreſs,
What nature feels in that tremenduous hour?
What pangs, what ſpaſms, twiſting too and fro
With irritated force, convulſive, tug
The rooted fibres, and the ſprings of life!
By horrors heighten'd, and diſtemper'd fumes,
That rack the mind, and tear the tortur'd frame;
Till the crack'd heart, ſubdu'd at length, forgets
To pant; and death, in mercy, ends the fray:
Nor only then, when near th' expiring gaſp,
(Tho' then, each moment counterweighs an age)
Not only then, but through the goaded length
Of harraſs'd life, we drag the burden'd weight
Of ſlaviſh fear, impos'd on childhood's thought,
By ignorance, made grey in gainful error,
And credulous deſign; who ſit enthron'd,
Like tyrants of an antient race, to plead
Preſcription's right, and rule the paſſive ſoul.
Can then a gracious GOD be ſaid to call
From forth the vacant unexiſting blank,
[14]A race of creatures capable of joy.
Enrich'd with thought, and warm with fierce deſire;
With delicate ſenſations cover'd o'er,
And nice perception, prompt to gratify
Th' implanted impulſe, and the vig'rous call?
When nature makes her ſtrong, her juſt demand;
When paſſion riſes at the loud alarm;
Led up by reaſon to the genial task;
By reaſon guided to the wiſe retreat.
Can juſtice puniſh what herſelf decrees,
And make obedience to her laws a crime?
Juſtice is nature in her ſocial dreſs;
And ſocial virtue is the voice of heav'n.
Shall arbitrary cobwebs ſkreen this truth,
With poſitive dogmatical beheſts;
And give yon blazing ſun the lye? Awake,
Unhood-wink'd man, and caſt abroad thy eyes;
Behold all nature in one gen'rous ſtrife,
The war of amity, and diſcord ſweet;
The ſtrife of ſtrong benevolence, behold,
The univerſal agents all at work,
From diff'rent quarters, with contending pow'rs;
In hoſtile harmony, to propagate
One glorious and eternal good to man:
To beaſts, to fiſh, to fowl; to plants, perhaps;
To all that feel th' informing touch of good,
[15]With grateful energy their texture ſtrike,
And ſend the gladſome tiding to the ſoul.
See nature, in her various ſtile, expreſs
The thankful tribute of inceſſant praiſe,
From lifeleſs matter, to the ſprouting blade
Of humble graſs, upon the liv'ry'd lawn;
From trodden daiſies, to the plant of JOVE.
Behold the genial aether ſwarm with life;
With quick'ning millions float. Behold the ant,
That citizen ſevere, with all her tribes
Incorporate, or diff'rent colour'd train;
Deniſons of duſt, and privileg'd to think,
Employ their parſimonious intellect,
And in their turn rejoice. 'Tis life's great charter,
Giv'n from eternity to all that breathe.
Shall thoſe, to whom our jealous pride denies
Superior talents, and immortal thought;
Shall they, in ſelf-felicity, flow o'er,
And mental tranſport; ſince, no joy, alas,
But in the mind, can live; ſhall they, whom we
Meer animates, miſcall; ſhall they rejoice,
With fearleſs hearts, of ſhadows fearleſs made,
And fancy'd terrors all? Imaginary
Phantoms! From theſe exempt, they live at eaſe;
Regale each ſenſe: enjoy exiſtence ſtill,
[16]Without exceſs. The ſons of pride may here
Be taught, what inſtinct and what reaſon mean:
Reaſon, thou title to ſuperior rank,
Thou dear bought purchaſe of the ſons of EVE,
What ravens, vultures, and what harpies cry,
What clang inceſſant, o'er thy deſtin'd head!
And ſcare thy timid ſoul, thou lord of nature!
Beaſt and angel join'd! eccentric wretch!
The property of cuſtom, fraud, and cunning!
The dupe of arrogance, the fool of forms!
With envious eyes, from thy exalted ſtand,
Look down upon thy ſubject world, and ask
Thy own experienc'd heart, what living thing,
Amidſt the meaneſt reptiles, in thy reign,
Can ſuffer ſuch extremes of woe as thee?
Riſe up, thou glorious attribute! aſſert
Thy native dignity; riſe up once more,
In injur'd man's defence; riſe, reaſon, riſe;
And with thy ray, invincible, drive far
Theſe fancy-form'd, theſe monſter-ſtalking ſhades,
Theſe giant ſhapes, by melancholy ſeen,
With horrid ſtrides, to glance athwart the ſick
Imagination, curtain'd in already
By ſuperſtition's hand, and terrify'd
By her magnific glaſs, reflecting ſtill
The midnight goblin, and the ghaſtly ſhade.
[17]In juſtice to thy great creator, riſe,
To human nature, and to injur'd truth:
Thou attribute divine! thou ray of GOD!
Immortal reaſon! come, and with thee bring
In thy exulting train, invincible,
The honeſt purpoſe, and the chearful heart;
The joyful fancy, fill'd with images
Of truth, of ſcience, and of ſocial love.
Let friendſhip too be there; O, cloſer to
Thy ſacred breaſt embrace her; cloſer yet:
She comes, ſhe comes, from heav'n, her native place,
And with her ſee whate'er deſerves thy wiſh,
Whate'er is cordial, comely, and humane,
Whate'er is rational, whate'er is pure;
The handmaid of th' Almighty, ſent to bleſs
The ſuffering ſons of men; to ſoften ſorrow;
To ſweeten care: Seraphic gueſt! all hail!
Thou, dearer than relations dear; than ſon,
Than father, brother, wife, or tender tye;
Thou child of ſweet benevolence, begot
By reaſon on the virtuous heart; ariſe,
Thou beſt belov'd of heav'n! thou joy, thou crown
Of man, ariſe; and from thy ſacred preſence
Drive far each hideous apparition, form'd
By midnight hags, beneath th' abortive gloom,
[18]The bane of ev'ry ſocial bliſs; thy bane.
What magic ſounds are theſe, that pow'rful ſhed
Their thrilling tranſport through the raptur'd ſoul,
And captivate each thought? 'tis muſic's charms
Hark! again, again, they ſtrike; again poſſeſs
The heart: O! ſweeter, louder yet proclaim
Thy large dominion o'er the kindred ſoul,
Extatic harmony, triumphant bliſs,
To the, glad heart! where virtue tunes the ſtrings.
Awake, awake, each chearful thought; ariſe
At that ſeraphic call; 'tis friendſhip's voice.
Good nature, now, ariſe, in ſmiles array'd;
Thou welcome gueſt, with aſpect open ſtill,
And with unguarded lip, becauſe thy heart
With ſocial fervor glows, and ſends its meſſage
To the rich tongue, by ſenſe directed ſtill;
By prudence taught: behold yon ſmiling bowl,
By temp'rance mix'd, with chearful hand, invite [...]
Thy lip: ſee bluſhing beauty there adorn'd
With modeſty ſublime, with meekneſs robe'd,
With grace invincible attract the ſoul,
And heighten ev'ry joy: thou fugitive,
Fly far, intruding care; from hence fly far;
And in ſome Gothic cell, with ſuperſtition,
With ſlaviſh horror, make thy drear abode.
[19]Let in the mimic arts, the muſe ſhall lead
Them in; herſelf their chief, their crown, their pride,
Immortal pride, that hands them ſafe through all
The havock and the wrecks of time; by her
Preſerv'd, recorded, and immortal made.
Behold the magic pencil's mock creation;
The peopled canvaſs, and the ſtory'd wall;
How life, how paſſion, blend together there!
To raviſh, and to warm the wond'ring ſoul,
And lift its faculties to heav'n. O, there
Let fancy feaſt, and take her fill of all,
That genius, or that learning yield; of all
That dignity or grace beſtow, to banquet
Reaſon, and chear the heart, ſuſceptible,
Whom genius, taſte, and ſcience, form'd to feel,
To foſter, cheriſh, and enjoy the gueſts
Divine; the ſoul congenial, copious, warm,
Exalted and humane, with op'ning arms
Will ruſh to meet embrace, and welcome in
Th' angelic viſitants in meek diſguiſe,
In Britain yet, (alas, how few the friends,
The hoſpitable friends they find) yet there,
Yet even there, a CHESTERFIELD and HOL⯑DERNESS,
Anxious for their country's fading glory,
[20]Inſpir'd by genius and immortal fame,
Throw wide their gates, and hail the mimic arts.
Abroad, abroad, there health invites thee forth;
There, pleaſure courts thee in her ruſſet robe
Magnificent: the morning gales ariſe,
With freighted pinions wafting all the eaſt
In od'rous incenſe to thy raviſh'd mind;
Thy mind, dilated now with all the wide
Extended various proſpect, ſtretch'd beneath
The cope of heav'n ſublime; delicious feaſt!
Th' ecchoing hills the chearing horn delight,
The ſoul exerting clangor, rip'ning CERES,
And the rich ſwelling grape; in theſe exult,
In theſe rejoice, thy lot beſtow'd, O man!
Whilſt youth and vigour in thy heart remain,
And nature bids thee to her banquet come,
Thy portion giv'n beneath the ſun. Once more,
Collect thy pow'rs divine, once more drive off
That evil thing call'd fear, that ſlaviſh fiend!
Let hope, let joy, thy boſom inmates be,
Through life ſtill cheriſh'd, and in death held faſt,
A gracious GOD, loud ſpeaking to thy heart,
Through all his works, this truth inculcates ſtill,
Nature's thy nurſe, and providence thy friend.
Integrity, with fearleſs heart, ride on,
Undaunted, tread the various path, through life,
[21]Which leads to death, that hoſpitable ſtage:
Where weary nature takes her laſt repoſe,
And lays her down from toil, and pain, to reſt
In ſweet oblivion wrapt; remote from grief,
And all th' ingrafted ills which life has foſter'd.
Why ſhould approaching death affright the ſoul?
Why reaſon ſtart, and turn away from him,
Who comes to bring us home from miſery,
Miſtake and fear? the meſſenger of heav'n!
No griſly terror to the honeſt heart:
If GOD be juſt. O blaſphemy, to doubt
His juſtice or his mercy!—Mercy all
But not unjuſt) is God. O ſacred ſource
Of bounty, life, and truth eternal; riſe,
Look down, and vindicate thy injur'd name,
From thoſe, who dreſs thee out in terror, thunder,
Revenge, with flaming bolts and hiſſing wheels;
With all the dreadful equipage of wrath,
Infernal malice, and tyrannic pride,
O bigot blaſphemy! begot on fear,
By pride made drunk! by melancholy nurs'd!
By ignorance, by cruelty, brought up!
By craft accompliſh'd, and by cuſtom fix'd!
Deteſted monſter!—Tell, ye ſtars that rule
Th' ambroſial night, thou circling moon proclaim,
[...]azon abroad thy great original,
[22]Thou glorious ſun! of unperceiving things,
Thy maker's brighteſt image! O declare,
Was it thy great, thy good creator's view,
(O horrid plan,) to cheat me into being,
To gratify revenge and rage eternal,
In tortures beyond thought, and endleſs woe.
Can he enjoy a wretch's dolors? He exult
At agony? can he, like Nero, view
His nobleſt work conſum'd, and triumph in
The blaze? O juſtice, lift thy righteous arm:
Yet hold! Compaſſion, patience, and redreſs,
Still beſt become thee, 'tis but frenzy all,
And brain-ſick rant, which phyſick ſhould remove,
And reaſon cool. Thou homicide forbear!
And from thy throat thy deſp'rate hand withdraw;
Lay down the murd'rous knife, the loaded gun,
And fling the baneful volume by; nay, burn it
Tear, ſcatter it abroad; O, quick deface
The peſtilential lye that taints the whole,
And breathes thro' ev'ry page. A way with fuel
Contagion from the eyes of man; with tombs,
With church-yards, tolling midnight clocks; away
With fun'ral pomp, with gloomy mock parade,
With ſable hearſes, ſcutcheons, nodding plumes,
And all the diſmal pegeantry of death.
Let fancy drive theſe goblins from her ſight;
[23]Let mirth, let joy, let tranſport fill their place;
Philoſophy and faith ſhall hand them in,
And nature bid them welcome. O rejoice,
Diſtinguiſh'd man! rejoice, how bleſs'd thy lot,
Whilſt reaſon is thy guide! look up, look up,
O ſee where hope ſtands pointing to the ſky,
On ſun-beams rais'd, by angels beckon'd on;
See her celeſtial flight, where thou ſhalt follow.
Turn thy eyes thither; thither lift thy heart.
Thy gracious GOD awaits thee there; to him
Thou ſhalt return in ſeaſon due, to taſte
Immortal tranſports! thy beginning, end,
Thy center, father, ſaviour, and thy friend.
FINIS.