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Straight as the plane-tree which the streamlet loves.
Around soft cinnamon its odour spreads,
Aspalathus perfumes our balmy meads;
More grateful still does myrrh its fragrance yield,
Sweet to the sense the glory of the field;-
In Salem's temple, at JEHOVAH's shrine,
From frankincense ascends a fume divine;
Yet did my breath more precious balms exhale,
And charge with fragrance each auspicious gale.
I the rich produce of the seasons bring,
And grace and honour 'midst my foliage spring;
Richer than vineyards rise my sacred bow'rs,
Sweeter than roses bloom my vernal flow'rs ;
Fair love is mine, and hope, and gentle fear;
Me science hallows, as a parent dear.

Come, who aspire beneath my shade to live;
Come, all my fragrance, all my fruits receive!
Sweeter than honey are the strains I sing,
Sweeter than honey-comb the dower I bring:
Me, taste who will, shall feel increas'd desire,
Who drinks shall still my flowing cups require;
He whose firm heart my precepts still obeys,
With safety walks through life's perplexing maze;
Who cautious follows where my footsteps lead,
No cares shall feel, no nightly terrors dread.

Heaven's book records my ever sacred lore,
Deriv'd from HIM, whom earth and seas adore;
His wisdom guides this varying scene below,
(Clear as in spring the streams of Tigris flow)
His spirit fills with hope th' expanding soul,
Full as the waters of Euphrates roll,
Or as, when harvest swells the golden grain,
Impetuous Jordan rushes o'er the plain.—
From him the ray of holy science shines,
Bright as the sun maturing Geon's vines :-
Man breath'd at first unconscious of the power,
Nor knows heaven's wisdom at his latest hour.

Small was my stream, when first I roll'd along,
In clear meanders Eden's vales among ;
With freshening draughts each tender plant I fed,
And bade each flow'ret raise its blushing head;
But soon my torrent o'er its margin rose,
Where late a brook, behold an ocean flows!

For Wisdom's blessings shall o'er earth extend,
Blessings that know no bound, that know no end-
Each selfish labour Wisdom shall disdain,
My fruit, my treasures, all who seek shall gain.

OF LYRIC POETRY.

LECTURE XXV.

OF THE HEBREW ODE IN GENERAL; AND FIRST OF THAT CLASS, THE CHARACTERISTICS OF WHICH ARE SWEETNESS AND ELEGANCE.

Lyric Poetry originated from the most jocund and pleasing affections of the human mind-The most ancient species of poetry, and almost coeval with human nature itself-Particularly cultivated by the Hebrews-The manner, introduced by David, of singing their odes highly magnificentThe general character of this species of poetry: its principal distinctions-The first character of the Ode, sweetness-What passions and affections it is intended to express: examples from the Psalms-The cxxxiiid Psalm in English verse.

THOSE

HOSE Compositions which were intended for music, whether vocal alone, or accompanied with instruments, obtained among the Hebrews the appellation of Shir, among the Greeks that of Odé; and both these words have exactly the same power and signification. The Hebrew word, as well as the Greek, appears in course of time to have been appropriated to denote a particular form and species of poetry, with this difference however, that it is occasionally used with greater latitude.

The ode is in its nature sufficiently expressive of its origin. It was the offspring of the most vivid, and the most agreeable passions of the mind, of love, joy, and admiration. If we consider man on his first creation, such as the sacred writings represent him; in perfect possession of reason and speech; neither ignorant of his own nor of the divine nature, but fully conscious of the

goodness, majesty, and power of God; not an unobservant spectator of the beautiful fabric of the universe; is it not probable, that on the contemplation of these objects, his heart would glow with gratitude and love? And is it not probable, that the effect of such an emotion would be an effusion of praise to his great creator, accompanied with a suitable energy and exaltation of voice? Such indeed were the sensations experienced by the author of that most beautiful psalm, in which the whole creation is invited to celebrate the glory of the most high God:

"Praise JEHOVAH from the heavens;

"Praise him in the heights:

"Praise him all his angels;

"Praise him all his hosts."1

This hymn is, therefore, most elegantly imitated, and put into the mouth of Adam by our countryman Milton,❜ who is justly accounted the next in sublimity to those poets, who wrote under the influence of divine inspiration. Indeed we scarcely seem to conceive rightly of that original and perfect state of man, unless we assign him some of the aids of harmony and poetical expression, to enable him to testify in terms becoming the dignity of the subject, his devout affections towards his infinite Creator.

Without carrying our researches, however, to objects so remote from human information, if we appeal only to the common testimony of history, we shall find that, among every people not utterly barbarous, the use of music and poetry in the celebration of their religious mysteries, has prevailed from the first periods of society. Of all that sacred melody, which Plato informs us was sometimes established by the solemn sanction

↑ Ps. cxlviii.

2 Paradise Lost, lib. v.

of legal authority," he assigns the first rank to that which assumed the form of addresses to the Deity, and was distinguished by the appellation of Hymns. In all the Latin poetry, there is nothing that can boast equal antiquity with the Salian poems of Numa, composed by that wise and learned monarch on the first institution of his religious rites, and sung by the Salii, whom Dio- * nysius styles "the chorus of the gods of war," with solemn dancing and other religious ceremonies. There is scarcely any necessity to mention, that the most ancient of all poems extant (those I mean of which the date is ascertained, and which deserve the name of poems) is the thanksgiving Ode of Moses on passing the Red Sea, the most perfect in its kind, and the true and genuine effusion of the joyful affections. Thus the origin of the ode may be traced into that of poetry itself, and appears to be coeval with the commencement of religion, or more properly the creation of man."

3 De Legibus, iii.

4 Antiq. Rom. ii. 70.

5 This conclusion appears to me neither consonant to reason nor to fact. The first use of poetry was probably to preserve the remembrance of events, and not the expressions of passion; accordingly, the remains of the first po etic compositions appear to have been of the former kind. One instance was given in a preceding Lecture relative to the history of Lamech, and another may here be added concerning that of Nimrod—” He was a mighty hunter (rather warrior) before the Lord:" wherefore it is said :

"As Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.”

Agreeable to this idea is an observation, respecting the Arabians, of the late ingenious but ill-treated Dr. Brown: "The oldest compositions are in “ rhythm, or rude verse, and are often cited as proofs of their subsequent his"tory." It is not only evident that Moses applied them in this way, but also that they were long prior to any example of the existence of an ode; which, however, seems to have been in fact, as well as in nature, the next species of poetic composition. S. H.

The rude poetry of barbarous nations (as far as we can judge from the accounts of those who have visited the South-sea islands and the Indian nations) relates in general to love and war; it is employed in cherishing, or in exciting the passions. Notwithstanding, therefore, the ingenuity of

The Hebrews cultivated this kind of poetry above every other, and therefore may well be supposed to have been peculiarly excellent in it. It was usual in every period of that nation to celebrate in songs of joy their gratitude to God, their Saviour, for every fortunate event, and particularly for success in war. Hence the triumphal odes of Moses, of Deborah, of David. The schools of the prophets were also, in all probability, coeval with the republic; and were certainly antecedent to the monarchy by many years: there, as we have already seen, the youth, educated in the prophetic discipline, applied themselves, among other studies, particularly to sacred poetry, and celebrated the praises of Almighty God in Lyric compositions, accompanied with music. Under the government of David, however, the arts of music and poetry were in their most flourishing state. By him no less than four thousand singers or musicians were appointed from among the Levites, under two hundred and eighty-eight principal singers, or leaders of the band, and distributed into twenty-four companies, who officiated weekly by rotation in the temple, and whose whole business was to perform the sacred hymns; the one part chanting or singing, and the other playing upon different instruments. The chief of these were Asaph, Heman, and Iduthun, who also, as we may presume from the titles of the Psalms, were composers of hymns. From so very splendid an establishment, so far surpassing every other appointment of the kind, some reasonable conjectures may be formed concerning the original dignity

7

the above remark (which on that account I would not omit) I am inclined to think there is more foundation for our author's theory than Mr. H. supposes. See Essays Hist. and Mor. Ess. i. p. 31 T.

61 CHRON. xxiii. 5.

See also 2 CHRON. xxix. 30.

7 1 CHRON. XXV. 1-7.

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