Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1828-08-01
FRIDAY, AUGUST /, 1928.
CHARACTER AND GENIUS OF BYRON
From Po!g6ch's "Course Of Time"

A man of rank, and OF capacious souls
Who riches had aud fame beyond desire;
An heir of iattery, TO titles born,
And reputation, and luxurious life,
Yet not content with ancestoral name,
Or to be known, because his fathers were;
lie on this height hereditary stood,
And gazing higher, pnrposed IN his heart
To take another step. Above him seemed
Alone the mount of Song-the lofty seat
Of canonized bards; and ththerwsrd,
BY nature taught, and inward melody,
In prime of youth, he bent his eagle eve.
No cost was spared. What books he wish'd he read:
What sage to hear, he heard: what scenes TO see,
lie And first in rambling schoolboy days,
Britannia's mountain walks, and heath sirt lakes,
And storytelling gleIs and founts, and brooks;
And maids as dew-drops pure and fair, his soul
With grandeur filed, and melody and love,
Then travel came and took him where he wished
He cities saw, and courts, and princely pomp:
And mused alone on ancient mountain brows'
And mused on battle fields, where yaiour fought
I'm other days: and mused on ruins grey
With years: and drank from old and fabulous wellsi
And pucke the vine that first born prophets plucked,
And mused on famous tombs; and ON the wave
of ocean mused; and on the desert waste.
The heavens and earth Of every country saw:
Where'er she old inspiring Genm dwet
Aught that could rouse, expand, refine the soul,
= Th Their he went, and me tated there.
He touched his harp, and nations heard entrancd
As some vast river of unfahng source,
Rapid, exhaustle>s, deep, his nun bers flowed,
And opened new fountains in the human heart,
Where fancy halted, weary in her flight,
In other men, his fresh morning rose,
And scared untrodlen heights, and seemed at home,
Where angels bashfll look. Others, tho great
Beneath their argument seemed struggling willie
lie from above descending stopped to touch
The oftiest thought; and proudly stopped, as mo
Ii scarce deserved his VERSE! With Nature'sset
He seen'd an oil acquainta nce, free TO jest
A. viii with all her glorlous majesty.
He laid his hand upon 1.-THE Oceans msne,"
Aud played familiar with his hoary locks.
Stood on the Alps, stood ON the Appearances,
And With the thunder talked, as friend to friend,
Aud woye his garland OF the hShtning's wing,
InsPortve twist-the lishtning's her, wing,
Marching upon the storm in vengeance seemed
Then turned, and with the grasshopper, WHO sung
HIS evening song, beneath his feet, conversed.
SUNS moons, and stars, and clouds his sisters were;
Rocks, mountains meteor a., and winds, and storms
His brothers Younger brothers, whom he scarce
Asequas deemed. All passions of all men
The wild and tame the gentle and severe;
All thoughts all maxims, sacred and prcfane;
Acreeds; all seasons, Time, ETERNITY;
All that was hated. and al. that was dear,
All that was hoped, all that was feared by mar,
He tossed about, as tempest-wthcred leaves,
Then smiling look'd upon the wreck he made.
With terror now he troze the covering blood,
And now dissolved the heart in tenderness:
Yet would not tremble, would not weep himself,
But back into his soul retired; alone,
Dark. sullen, proud: gazing contemptuously
Tn neartSand passions PROSTATE al MS fcCt.
So Ocean from the plains, his waves had late
To desolation swept, retired in pride,
Exulting in the glor, of his might,
And seemed to mock the ruin he had wroug ht.
As some fierce comet of tremendous size,
To which the stars did reverence, as it passed.
So he through learning, and through fancy took
His Il lght sublime; and on the Hottest top
OF Fame's dread mountain sat: not soiled and worn,
AS if he from the earth had laboured up,
But as some bird of heavenly plumage fair,
He looked, which down from higher regions came,
And perched 1t there, TO see what lay beneath.
The nations gazed, and wondered much, & praised;
Critics before him fell in humble plight,
COMPOUNDED fell; and made debasing signs,
To catch his eve; and stretched swelled themselves
To bursting nigh, TO utter bulky words
Of admiration vast; and many too,
Many that aimed to initiate his fight
With weaker wing, unearky huttering made,
And gave abundant sport to after days.
Great man! the nations gazed, and wondered much,
And praised; and many call his evil good,
Wits wrote in favor OF his wckedness:
And kings to do him honor took delight.
Thus full OF titles, honour, hattery famei
Beyond desire, beyond ambition FULL
He died-he died of what of wretchcdness.
Drank every cup ofjoy; heard every trump
of fame, drank early, deeply drank drank drauehts
That common millions nigh, have quench'd-thended
VI tnirst, because uefe Was no more 10 urinN.
- Nature wooed, embraced, enjoyed,
Fell from his arms sbhorred his passions died.
Died all but dreary solitary pride;
And all his sympathes in being died,
As some i'll guided bark, we'll built and tail,
Which angry tdesc cast out on desert shore,
And then retiring, left it there TO rot
And moGlder in The winds and rams of-heaven:
So he, cut from the sym, athes of life.
And cast ashore from pleasure boisterous surge
wandering, weary, worn and Nretched thing;
scorched, and desolste, and blasted soul;
A gloomy wilderness of dying thought
r. pinned, and grosned, and wthered from the earth.
H,s grosnings FL. d the land his numbers filed:
And vet he seemed ashamedto groan. Poor man!
Ashamed to ask, and yet he needed help
Mr. Irving announced las week To enc Of the
crowded congregations which his ministry al