[First published in Noel's Life of Lord Byron , 1890. The manuscript was given to the author of the Life by S. McCalmont Hill, who inherited it from his great-grandfather, Robert Dallas. The date and occasion of the poem are unknown.]
 B ESIDE the confines of the Ægean main,
 Where northward Macedonia bounds the flood,
 And views opposed the Asiatic plain,
 Where once the pride of lofty Ilion stood,
 Like the great Father of the giant brood,
 With lowering port majestic Athos stands,
 Crown'd with the verdure of eternal wood,
 As yet unspoil'd by sacrilegious hands,
And throws his mighty shade o'er seas and distant lands.

 And deep embosom'd in his shady groves
 Full many a convent rears its glittering spire,
 Mid scenes where Heavenly Contemplation loves
 To kindle in her soul her hallow'd fire,
 Where air and sea with rocks and woods conspire
 To breathe a sweet religious calm around,
 Weaning the thoughts from every low desire,
 And the wild waves that break with murmuring sound

Along the rocky shore proclaim it holy ground.
 Sequester'd shades where Piety has given
 A quiet refuge from each earthly care,
 Whence the rapt spirit may ascend to Heaven!
 Oh, ye condemn'd the ills of life to bear!
 As with advancing age your woes increase,
 What bliss amidst these solitudes to share
 The happy foretaste of eternal Peace,
Till Heaven in mercy bids your pain and sorrows cease.