The Vision

From these fair scenes, to wonders more refin'd,
Instinctive turns the ever busy Mind:
The present prospect but expands her sight;
The present joy to others tempts her flight;
Allur'd by each new good, she loves to roam,
And spreads her wings, through ages long to come;
Where Time, with hand prophetic, points her way,
And heavenly visions heavenly scenes display.

As late, when Spring awak'd the slumbering plains,
The soul, extatic, burst her earthy chains,
Approaching Morn assum'd her magic power,
And bade her visions bless the fairy hour,
In quick review, Columbia's glories spread;
The past roll on; the present swift succeed;
Behind, rank after rank, the future rise,
As clouds, successive, paint the changing skies.

I stood, methought, beside yon azure plain;
Still hung the concave; peaceful slept the main;
In heaven suspended, lingering Hesper shin'd,
And purple evening breath'd her gentlest wind.
At once I heard a solemn murmur rise,
As thunders slowly swell, in distant skies;
The waves, disturb'd, in deep convulsion lay;
The world was hush'd; the airs forgot to play.

At that still moment, from his sapphire bed,
The Genius of the Sound uprear'd his head:
Slow round his form a cloud of amber roll'd,
Now hid, now splendent, through it's skirts of gold.
Gemm'd with new stars, his seagreen mitre shin'd;
His scaly mantle rustled in the wind;
A pictur'd shield his hand, uplifted, bore,
Grav'd with the semblance of his double shore:
Unnumber'd sails propitious breezes swell'd,
And his strip'd flag disclos'd th' unfinish'd field.
Here Longa's bays, and whitening coast, were seen,
Small isles, around her, wrought in living green;
The loftier Mainland there allur'd the eye,
It's margin winding toward the southern sky;
The tall hill heav'd; expansive spread the plain;
And groves, and gardens, streak'd the subject main:
New Haven's spires, in sculptur'd silver, rose,
And York's proud domes, escap'd the waste of foes.
Here a new Thames an infant London laves;
Through a new Tempe, roll Connecta's waves;
With foamy stream, another Avon glides,
And Hudson triumphs in his freighted tides.

He stood, and thus the solemn silence broke,
And brightening nature listen'd as he spoke.

“Rise, genial years! and haste, auspicious times!
Ascend, and bless the true, Hesperian climes;
O'er happy isles, and garden'd realms, display
Th' advancing splendours of prophetic day.”

“Her themes of pride let savage Europe boast,
Her bloody enginry, and marshall'd host,
Her haughty flags, with purple stain'd, display,
The car of triumph, and the pomp of sway;
Or, wrought with Grecian skill, her columns raise,
Bend the tall arch, and teach the dome to blaze;
In art's wide regions bid her laurels grow,
And place the crown of science on her brow.
Round the mild year, let Albion's verdure run;
Let Gallia's opening vines allure the sun;
O'er brighter realms, the Turkish crescent rise,
Wash'd by fair seas, and warm'd by vernal skies;
Let richer Ind, and prouder Persia, tell
The diamond cavern, and the pearly shell;
Peruvia vaunt her streams, in silver roll'd,
And sunny Darien lift her hills of gold.
Here the best blessings of those far-fam'd climes,
Pure of their woes, and whiten'd from their crimes,
Shall blend with nobler blessings, all my own;
Here first th' enduring reign of Peace be known:
The voice of scepter'd Law wide realms obey,
And choice erect, and freemen hail, the sway:
The sun of knowledge light the general mind,
And cheer, through every class, oppress'd mankind;
Here Truth, and Virtue, doom'd no more to roam,
Pilgrims in eastern climes, shall find their home;
Age after age, exalt their glory higher,
That light the soul, and this the life inspire;
And Man once more, self-ruin'd Phœnix, rise,
On wings of Eden, to his native skies.”

“To build the finish'd bliss, see all things given,
The goods of nature, and the smiles of Heaven,
A site sequester'd, policy sublime,
The noblest manners, and the happiest time.”

“See this glad world remote from every foe,
From Europe's mischiefs, and from Europe's woe!
Th' Atlantic's guardian tide repelling far
The jealous terror, and the vengeful war,
The native malice, envy, pride, and strife,
The plagues of rank, the rust of useless life,
The cumbrous pomp, of general want the spring,
The clashing commerce, and the rival king.
See, far remote, the crimes of balanc'd sway!
Where courts contract the debt, and subjects pay;
The black intrigue, the crush of self-defence,
Th' enlistment dire, soul press, and tax immense,
Navies, and hosts, that gorge Potosi whole;
Bribes, places, pensions, and the auction'd soul:
Ills, that, each hour, invoke the wrath of God ,
And bid the world's wide surface smoke with blood,
Waste human good, in slavery nations bind,
And speed untimely death to half mankind.”

“Profusely scatter'd o'er these regions, lo!
What scenes of grandeur, and of beauty, glow.
It's noblest wonders here Creation spreads;
Hills, where skies rest, and Danubes pour cascades;
Forests, that stretch from Cancer, to the Pole;
Lakes, where seas lie, and rivers, where they roll;
Landschapes, where Edens gild anew the ball,
And plains, and meads, where suns arise, and fall:”

“To these bright wonders, Nature's hand sublime
Has join'd the varied joys of circling clime.
Winds purest breathe; benignest seasons smile;
And double harvests gild the bounteous soil;
The choicest sweets, unnumber'd fruits inhale,
And Flora wantons, on the fragrant gale:
Gains of true gold pursue th' exploring plough,
Wealth, that endures, and good unbought with woe;
With richest ore, the useful mountains shine,
And luscious treasures fill the teeming brine:
Fell Famine sickens, at th' o'erflowing good,
And, hissing, flies the native land of food.”

“See the wide realm in equal shares possess'd!
How few the rich, or poor! how many bless'd!
O happy state! the state, by H EAVEN design'd
To rein, protect, employ, and bless mankind;
Where Competence, in full enjoyment, flows;
Where man least vice, and highest virtue, knows;
Where the mind thrives; strong nerves th' invention string;
And daring Enterprize uplifts his wing;
Where Splendour spreads, in vain, his peacock-hues;
Where vagrant Sloth, the general hiss pursues;
Where Business reigns, the universal queen;
Where none are slaves, or lords; but all are men:
No nuisant drones purloin the earner's food;
But each man's labour swells the common good.”

“O state, to my lov'd sons most kindly given;
Of all their bliss, the basis laid by H EAVEN !
Curs'd be the heart, that wishes to destroy,
Curs'd be the hand, that mines this ground-work joy;
Hung be his name, in infamy's foul den;
And let the wide world rise, and say Amen!”

“Thrice wretched lands! where, thousands slaves to one,
Sires know no child, beside the eldest son;
Men know no rights; no justice nobles know;
And kings no pleasure, but from subjects' woe.
There, wealth from plunder'd throngs by few engross'd,
To rich, and poor, alike is virtue lost.
The rich, to foul oppression born, and bred,
To reason blinded, and to feeling dead,
From childhood, train'd to wield the iron rod,
Alike regard not man, and fear not God .
Science they scorn, the public bar deride;
And every feud by vengeful force decide;
Honour their deity, and will their law,
In private war, the sword of passion draw,
O'er wretched vassals, death and ruin drive,
Whose only hope, or comfort, was to live;
Unbless'd, forbid all others bliss to find,
Fools, atheists, bigots, curses to mankind.”

“Mean, base, deceitful, dead to hope, and shame,
At war with that hard world, which wars with them,
Like trees, adhesive to their native plain,
And given, or sold, as pleasure prompts, or gain,
Dower of a daughter, purchase of a hound,
Alike remov'd from worth, the poor are found.
Mere tools of fraud, oppression, whim, or rage,
No law t' avenge their wrongs, nor friend t' assuage,
By passion tempested, by instinct sped,
To' obedience whipp'd, to action hunger-led,
In knowledge brutes, in comfort brutes below,
Forbid to taste the little good, they know,
They envy the sleek dog, that passes by,
They starve, and steal, blaspheme their God , and die.”

“Thrice wretched lands! where wealth and splendour glow,
And want, and misery, in dire contrast, show;
On sheds, and pens, where palac'd pride looks down;
A god the noble, and a beast the clown;
Where tissue glares, and rags indecent yawn;
Feet step in blood, and kingly cars are drawn;
Where Luxury sickens, at Vitellius' feast,
And wretches starve, beneath the hedge, to rest;
Furs guard the silky form from winter's breath,
And the bare crose defiles the frozen heath;
Idolatry fans off the vernal breeze,
And sun-struck Labour, phrenzied, sinks to peace.
Such, Poland! long have mourn'd thy realms of woe;
Such, Russia, such, Bohemia! thine are now.”

“Hail, Prince of princes! first of modern thrones,
Hail, Stanislaus! thou king, from nature's sons!
Hail, Child of H EAVEN ! whose large, etherial mind
Look'd into woe, and felt for poor mankind.
Let fame eternal crown thy glorious brows,
And ills glance from thee to thy savage foes.
Be thine the peace, the bliss, of doing good,
Delightful earnest of the blest abode!
Sweet be thy day; thine eve supremely sweet;
Death, fear, and sorrow, laid beneath thy feet:
And oh! may H E , for ruin'd man who died,
Approve, accept, and hail thee to his side,
Who, wielding earthly power, for heavenly ends,
Had'it pity on the least, among his friends.”

“And ye exalted Poles! whose generous mind,
Offering august! your pomp, and power, resign'd,
Pleas'd, with divine benignity to see
Slaves chang'd to men, and wretches bless'd, and free;
From the far evening of th' Atlantic shore,
If some soft gale should waft this whisper o'er,
Know, for your weal, all Virtue's children glow,
Joy in your joy, and weep your every woe;
Upward, each day, their prayers with fervour rise,
And wrestle down the promise of the S KIES ,”

“In these contrasted climes, how chang'd the scene,
Where happiness expands, in living green!
Through the whole realm, behold convenient farms
Fed by small herds, and gay with cultur'd charms;
To sons, in equal portions, handed down,
The fire's bold spirit kindling in the son;
No tyrant riding o'er th' indignant plain;
A prince, a king, each independent swain;
No servile thought, no vile submission, known;
No rent to lords, nor homage to a throne;
But sense to know, and virtue to extend,
And nerves to feel the bliss, and bravery to defend!”

“As o'er the lawns the humming nations play,
Feel the soft sun, and bless reviving May,
From field to field, the fragrant wax explore,
And round each fountain, visit every flower,
Approaching frost, with steady murmur, sing,
Wake with the morn, and husband all the spring:
Thus warm'd with industry, behold my swains!
Guide the smooth plough, and dress the grateful plains;
From earth's rich bosom, bid all products rise,
The bless'd creation of indulgent skies;
The grass-grown hills with herds unnumber'd crown,
And bid the fleecy nations fill the down;
O'er countless fields, the flaxen treasure spread,
And call the canvas, from it's hempen bed:
Or bid the loom with all earth's fabric shine,
The useful strengthen, and the gay refine,
Or ocean's chambers, with bold hand, explore,
And waft his endless treasures to the shore!”

“Here first shall man, with full conviction, know
Well-system'd rule the source of bliss below;
Invent, refine, arrange, the sacred plan,
Check pride, rein power, and save the rights of man!
Here first, his savage independence bow,
And, at the public shrine, spontaneous vow;
The triumph, here, of Reason first display,
A nation yielding to elective sway.”

“See the charm'd States the glorious Rule complete,
Each hastening to be wife, and good, and great;
Power, nicely balanc'd, all the parts adjust,
The source of union, and the seat of trust;
Whence, men forgotten, Law supremely reigns,
And justice flows, a river, o'er the plains!”

“Her sky-crown'd pyramids let Egypt show,
The tomb of folly, and the work of woe;
Her walls, her gardens, Babylon display,
The pomp of spoils, and pageant of a day;
Greece, with fierce mobs, and rival fury, toss'd,
Her baseless sway, and tottering freedom, boast;
Her pride of empire haughty Rome unfold,
A world despoil'd, for luxury, and gold:
Here nobler wonders of the world shall rise;
Far other empire here mankind surprize:
Of orders pure, that ask no Grecian name,
A new born structure here ascend to fame.
The base, shall knowledge, choice, and freedom, form,
Sapp'd by no flood, and shaken by no storm;
Unpattern'd columns, union'd States ascend;
Combining arches, virtuous manners bend;
Of balanc'd powers, proportion'd stories rise,
Like Babel's dome, intended for the skies;
One speech, one soul, to every builder given,
And the tall summit shrouded high in heaven.”

“In this bright mansion, all my sons shall find
Whatever rights their God has given mankind;
To rich, and poor, alike, th' avenues clear;
Its gates, like Salem's, open round the year;
Hence justice, freedom, peace, and bounty, flow,
Redress for injuries, and relief for woe.”

“O blissful visions of the happy West!
O how unlike the miseries of the East!
There, in sad realms of desolating war,
Fell Despotism ascends his iron car;
Printed in blood, o'er all the moving throne,
The motto glows, of—M ILLIONS MADE FOR ONE .
Above, on either side, the Furies glare,
Their scorpions brandish, and their snakes uprear;
His breath their being, and his scourge their law,
Unnumber'd haggard slaves the chariot draw;
A villain, black as hell, his master guides,
A guard of blacker villains round him rides.
As rolls the pomp the wasted kingdom o'er,
With corpses causey'd, and wet deep with gore,
One wide Aceldama the region lies,
And whitening Golgothas immingled rise:
While nobles, pamper'd on the spoils of woe,
Resound—“The knee to Heaven's Vicegerent bow.” ”

“Yet there, even there, Columbia's bliss shall spring,
Rous'd from dull sleep, astonish'd Europe sing,
O'er Asia burst the renovating morn,
And startled Afric in a day be born;
As, from the tomb, when great M ESSIAH rose,
Heaven bloom'd with joy, and Earth forgot her woes,
His saints, thro' nature, truth and virtue spread,
And light, and life, the S ACRED S PIRIT shed;
Thus, thro' all climes, shall Freedom's bliss extend,
The world renew, and death, and bondage, end;
All nations quicken with th' ecstatic power,
And one redemption reach to every shore.”

“Unlike the East, whose castles rivet sway,
Shield the fell guard, and force the realm t' obey,
A nations voice, with pointed cannon, brave,
Meant to defend, but useful to enslave;
Where foes victorious in dire safety stand,
And fix oppression on a hapless land,
Here, without walls, the fields of safety spread,
And, free as winds, ascends the peaceful shade;
Invasion fierce, interfluent oceans bar;
Streams hedge the foe, and mountains mock the war.
In each dread pass, with naked side, he stands,
To sudden terrors, and to unseen hands;
On the broad plain, ten thousand ills invade,
The day's hard toils, the night's ill-boding shade;
Surrounding wilds, incessant, breathe alarms,
And moors, and forests, pour harrassing swarms:
Pain'd, at each step, he fears himself undone,
And each new movement loses all he won.
Thus shall my sons their shelter'd regions save,
Firm as their hills, and as their fathers brave,
On freedom's force, with generous trust, rely,
And ask no fortress, but the favouring S KY .”

“Warm'd by that living fire, which H EAVEN bestows;
Which Freedom lights, and Independence blows;
By that bright pomp, which moral scenes display,
The unrivall'd grandeur of elective sway;
And manners, where effulgent nature shines,
Nor tinsel glares, nor fashion false refines,
At this best æra, when, with glory bright,
Full-rising Science casts unclouded light,
Up wisdom's heights the soul shall wing her way,
And climb thro' realms of stil
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