The Sun.
London, England, 1822-06-07 00:00:00

POETIt Y.

FOR THE LITERARY FUND SOCIETY.
WRITTEN BY THE REV. CHARLES SYMMONS, D.D.

PROMETHEUS, deathless in poetic fame,
Kindled a torch in heaven with vital flame :
Then, blazing with his trophy, shot to earth ;
And, eager for his grand conception's birth,
Bathed in the empyreal fire his man of clay.
The dead mass woke and wonder'd at the day :
Sprang from the ground with new fruition fraught;
And soar'd through nature on the wins of thought.
But soon the vengeance of the Olympian Sire
O'ertook the bold invader of his fire ' -
And, whilst the man, just starting from the clod,
Walk'd conversant with Heaven, an earthly god,
Chain'd on a rock his glorious author lay ;
And a fierce vulture tore his heart for prey.
The mortal, hallow'd by the Muses' love,
Brings to our earth the fire that lives above ;
And, throwing round the etherial energy,
Informs the clay with spirit of the sky :
Makes man, AUTHENTIC max, of him who stood
The half-brute tenant of the cave or wood :
And bids the column of the state aspire,
With the sweet magic of A3IPIIION'S lyre ;
Poet or sage : who prodigal of mind
Flings its rich blessings to exalt his kind ;
And, nobly reckless, for himself reserves
Nought but the world's cold gratitude, and starves ;
Doom'd on a barren:rock to mourn his fate,
With Fame alone the soother of his state :
And what is Fame against the vulture Care ?
A plume to fan hiM while the pounces tear.
Oh ! let me lead you where to want rengn'd,
Fades the lorn master of the illumined mind :
Starts from high converse with the mighty dead,
As his pale infants ask with tears for bread ;
Or, rudely call'd from Fancy's fairy bowers,
Where he lay slumbering on Elysian flowers,
Shrinks from the sad realities of life,
A board unfurnish'd and a pining wife ;
Or stands with stony eyes, congeal'd by fear,
As ruthless creditors assail his ear.
Yes ! there behold him : from that man of woe
The great idea has been taught to grow :
His affluent mind has flow'd through .many a page,
To youth in wisdom, in delight to age :
Has roll'd the tide of reason clear and strong.;
Or bathed the ravish'd soul htliquid song.
That eye, which now is rigid with dismay,
HOpe lately kindled with her liveliest ray;
And those dead brows Which, whelm'd by grief, subside,
Once were elate with honourable pride.
Conscious of power, by Nature's boon possess'd ;
With classic ages in his mind compress d,
Proudly he sought the lists, and, yet unrun
The race of glory, deeni'd the contest won.
But him, who scorn'd intrigue, and could not bend,
Learning and wit were feebre to defend.
Surprised he found his young ambition vain;
And, doom'd to that worst toil the toil of brain,
Ile sinks into a hard mechanic's thrall •
And, bankrupt of the world, gives wealth to all.
And will ye not with generous pity glow,
To light again his eve and lift his brow ?
His bark was freighted with the golden ore :
Ali ! save him, wreck'd upon a desert shore ;-
And joyous let him spread anew his sail,
To waft his gather'd treasures with the gale.
Yes ! to the.man, whose commerce is in mind,
Through all the perils of his course be kind,
Your gain is sure, whate'er his skiff betides,
As loosely on Opinion's wave it rides.
Then give him safety though his venture fail.—
Oh ! let the press not open on the jail !•
Think too that here, should Pity vainly plead, ,
Your country's pride incites to Mercy's deed.
Screen'd by your fostering hand Should Genius know
His buds of intellect may safely blow,
The powers of mind would fearlessly. expand ;
And throw a living lustre o'er the land.
The same kind warmth, that lifts the pansy's head, J
Nurses the richest floret's silken bed ;
And giVes each nobler bloom the soul to spread :
Till waking Beauty robes the wide parterre ;
And the light wings of fragrance play in air :
Till tint with tint,- with odour odour strive;
And earth with Heaven's full blessing is alive.
C. S.
The literary world is indebted to this gentleman for an
admirable life of MILTON, which, with a firm attachment to
the British Constitution, breathes the genuine spirit of British
freedom, and which, to the credit of public taste and public
principles, has reached to a third edition. He is also the author
of an English version of THE ENEID, which may fairly be
said to equal in spirit,' while it exceeds in fidelity, all the pre-
vious translations of the great Roman Poet. This work, to the
honour of public taste also, has reached a second edition. •

TILE FAIR CIRCASSJAN.—It will be recollected
that this celebrated beauty, who was purchased by the Persian
Ambassador, on his way to this country, at Constantinople, and
who was so much an object of attraction during her stay in Eng-
land, was sent back to Persia by command of her lord and master,
under the care of a favourite eunuch. On her journey, it
appears, she was met by Mr. Kerr Porter, the British tra-
veller, and recognizing him as an Englishman, she immediately
rode up to him with an intention of addressing him. This was,
however, according to the notion of her attendant, contra bony;
mores ; and in order to remind her of tier duty, he struck her
a violent blow across the shoulders with his stick. She instantly
dropped her veil,closed her lips,and proceeded in sad silence, and
no doubt was thus deprived of the opportunity of expressing
those feelings of gratitude which her heart dictated, on seeing
the native of a kingdom where she had been so hospitably re-
ceived.

REPARTEE.—M. LALANDE dined one day at the
house of RECAMIER, the hanker; he was seated
between the celebrated beauty, Madame RECA-
MIER, and Madame de STAEL, equally distin-
guished for her wit. Wishing to say something
agreeable to the ladies, the astronomer exclaimed
" How happy I am to he thus placed between
wit and beauty !"--" Yes, M. LALANnE," sar-
castically replied Madame de STALL, " and
without possessing either."
Sir WALTER SCOTT intends to visit Ireland in
the course of the present summer. Rumour says
h • purposes collecting materials in that country,
for writing a series of novels, founded on the
ancient history and records of Ireland.

MERCANTILE SHIPPING, &c.

DEAL, JUNE 6.—Wmd E.N.E.—Arrived and sailed for
the River the Princess Charlotte, Blyth, from Ceylon ; Raw-
cliff, De Bois, Honduras; Dryad, Fell, Tobago. Came down
from the River and sailed the Vertumnus, Lash, Quebec;
Ann, Ferguson, Rio Janeiro ; Optulu, Culloney, Mediterra-
nean. Passed at the back of the Goodwin Sands the North
America, Isaacs, from Batavia to Antwerp.
PORTSMOUTH, JUNE 6.—Wind S.E.—Arrived the God-
mid, Haab, from Cork; James Sibbald, Forbes, from the
Downs for Bombay.

BRISTOL, JUNE 6.—A letter has been received this day
from Liverpool, stating that the Fairley, Dawson, while load-
ing at Demerara for this port, was burnt, with about 300 casks
of sugar, which account was brought by a vessel arrived at
Cork from Barbadoes, but the owner of the Fairley has not
received any advices on the subject.
INTENDED.NEW LIGHT HOUSE NEAR THE SALTEES.
—Measures, we understand, arc in progress for either erect-
ing a new light house, or placing a floating light, at the dange-
rous rocks the Cunnies, a few miles S. W. of the Saltee
Islands, in the Irish Channel. Last week, Mr. J. Grantham,
pilot master in Dublin harbour, was engaged, in company with
Mr. T. Hunt, pilot master of Waterford harbour, in making a
complete survey of that part of the coast. The completion of
this long desired work will be highly gratifying to commercial
and seafaring men, and will be of essential importance to vessels
bound up the Irish Channel, particularly those coining from the
westward.-4 Whitchaven • Gazette. )