The weekly standard., 1870-07-06
The Passions.

When Music, heavenly maid! WI ~ =
While yet, in carly Greece, she sun
The Passions oft, to hear her she'll
Thronged around her magic cell;
Exulting- trembling-ragirg-ta -.
Possessed beyond the muses. pain
By turns, they felt the glowing M
Disturbed, delighted, raised, refiD' :
Till once, tits said, when all were n D.,
FILLED with fury, rapt, inspired;
FROM the supporting myrtles ron'd
They snatched her instruments OF .'u d;
And, as they oft had heard, apart,
Sweet lessons of her forceful art,
Each-(for madness ruled the hour }
Would prove his own expressive power.
First, Fear, his hand, its skill to try,
Amid the cherds bewildered laid;
And back recoiled, he knew not why,
E'en at the sound himself had made
Next Anger rushcd-his eyes, on fire,
In lightnings owned his secret stings;
In one rude clash he struck the Tyre
And swept with hurried hand, the strings.
With woful measures, wan Despair
Low sullen sounds his grief beguied;
solemn, strange, and mingled air;
Twas sad. by tits-by starts, twas Wild
But thou, Oh Hope! with eyes so fair,
What was thy delighted measure!
Still it whispered promised pleasure,
And bade the lovely scenes at distance hail.
Still would her touch the strain prolong;
And from the rocks, the woods, the vale,
She called on Echo still through all her song
And where her sweetest theme she chose,
A soft responsive voice was hrard at every
close;
And Hope, enchanted, smiled and waved her
golden hair.
Aud longer had she sung-but, with a frown,
Revenge impatient rose.
He threw his bood-stalned sword in thunder
down,
Ard, with whitening look,
The war-denouncing trumpet took,
And blew blast, so loud and dread,
Were meier prophetic sounds so full of wo;
And ever and anon, he beat
The doubling drum with furious heat;
And though, sometimes, each dreary pause
between,
Detected Pity, at his side,
Her ulsubduing voice applied,
Yet still he kept his wild unaltered mien;
While each strained ball of sight seemed burst
ing from his head.
Thy numbers, Jeslousy, to naught were fixed
Sad proof of thy distrcssiuI state;
Of differing themes the yecring song was mixed;
And now it courted Love, now, raving, called
on Hate.
With eyes upraised, as one inspired,
Pale Melancholy Eat retired;
And from her wild sequestered seat,
In notes by distance made more sweet,
Poured through the mellow horn her pensive
soul,
And dashing safe from rocks around,
Bubbling runnels joined the sound:
Through glades and glooms the mingled meas
ures stole,
Or, DER some haunted streams, with fond delay.
(Round holy calm difusing,
Love of peace and lonely musing,)
In hollow murmurs-died away.
But, oh! how altered was its sprightlier tone,
When Cheerfulness-a nymph oil healthiest
hue
Her bow across her shoulder flung,
Her buskins gemmed with morning dew,
Blew an inspiring air, that dale and thicket
rung !
The hunters call, to Faun and Dryad known.
queen,
Satyrs and sylvan boys were seen,
Peeping from forth their alleys green:
Brown exercise reoiced to bear,
And sport leaped up and seized his beechen
spear.
Last came joys ecstatic trial.
lie with viny crown advancing,
First to the lively pipe his hand addressed;
But soon he saw the brisk awakening viol,
Whose sweet enhancing voice he loved the best.
They would have thought who heard the strain,
They saw in Temples vale her native maids,
Amidst the festal-sounding shades,
To some unwearied minstrel dancing:
While, as his flying fingers kissed the strings,
Love framed with mirth gay fantastic round,
(LOose were her tresses seen, her zone unbound
And he, amidst his frolic play,
AS if he would the charming air repay,
Shook thousand odors from bis dewy wings.
Collins.