Hark! loud difcord breaks her chain:
The hoftile atoms clash with deaf'ning roar:

Her hoarfe voice thunders through the drear domain,
And kindles ev'ry element to war.—

"Tumult cease!

"Sink to peace!

"Let there be light!"-Th' Almighty faid:

And lo, the radiant fun,

Flaming from his orient bed,

His endless courfe begun.

See, the twinkling Pleiads rife :
Thy ftar, Orion, reddens in the skies:
While flow around the northern plain,
Arcturus wheels his mighty wane.

Thy glories, too, refulgent moon, he fung;
Thy mystic mazes, and thy changeful ray:
O fairest of the starry throng!

Thy folemn orb of light

Guides the triumphant car of night O'er filver clouds, and sheds a fofter day!

Ye planets, and each circling constellation,
In fongs harmonious tell your generation!
Oh, while yon radiant feraph turns the spheres,
And on the stedfast pole-star stands fublime;
Wheel your rounds

To heav'nly founds;

.And footh his fong-inchanted ears

With your celeftial chime.

In

In dumb furprize the lift'ning monarch lay; (His woe fufpended by fweet mufic's fway ;) And awe-ftruck, with uplifted eye

Mus'd on the new-born wonders of the sky.

Lead the foothing verfe along:

He feels, he feels the pow'r of fong.-
Ocean haftens to his bed:

The lab'ring mountain rears his rock-encumber'd head;
Down his steep and fhaggy fide

The torrent rolls his thund'ring tide;

Then fmooth and clear, along the fertile plain
Winds his majestic waters to the diftant main.
Flocks and herds the hills adorn :

The lark, high-foaring, hails the morn.
And while along yon-crimfon-clouded fteep
The flow fun fteals into the golden deep,
Hark! the folemn nightingale

Warbles to the woodland dale.

See, defcending angels show'r

Heav'n's own blifs on Eden's bow'r:
Peace on Nature's lap repofes;
Pleasure ftrews her guiltless rofes:

Joys divine in circles move,

Link'd with innocence and love.

Hail, happy love, with innocence combin'd!

All hail, ye

finlefs parents of mankind!

They paus'd:-the monarch, proftrate on his bed,
Submiffive bow'd his head;

Ador'd

Ador'd the works of boundless pow'r divine:
Then, anguish-struck, he cry'd (and smote his breast)

Why, why is peace the welcome guest
Of ev'ry heart but mine!

Now let the solemn numbers flow,
Till he feel that guilt is woe.

Heav'nly harp, in mournful strain
O’er yon weeping bow'r complain :
What sounds of bitter

pangs

I hear!
What lamentations wound mine ear!
In vain, devoted pair, these tears ye shed :

Peace with innocence is fled.
The messengers of grace depart:

Death glares, and shakes the dreadful dart!
Ah, whither fly ye, by yourselves abhorr'd,
To fhun that frowning cherub's fiery sword ?

Lo!
Hapless, hapless pair,
Goaded by despair,

Forlorn, thro''desart climes they go!
Wake, my lyre! can pity sleep,
When heav'n is mov'd, and angels weep!

Flow, ye melting numbers, flow;
Till he feel, that guilt is woe.

m

The king, with pride, and shame, and anguish torn,

Shot fury from his eyes, and scorn.
The glowing youth,
Bold in truth,

(So

(So ftill fhould virtue guilty pow'r engage)
With brow undaunted met his rage.
See, his cheek kindles into gen'rous fire:
Stern, he bends him o'er his lyre;
And, while the doom of guilt he fings,
Shakes horror from the tortur'd strings.
What founds of terror and distress

Rend yon howling wilderness!

The dreadful thunders found;

The forked lightnings flash along the ground. Why yawns that deep'ning gulph below?'Tis for heav'n's rebellious foe:

Fly, ye fons of Ifrael, fly,

Who dwells in Korah's guilty tents muft die!-
They fink!-Have mercy, Lord!-Their cries
In dreadful tumult rife.

Hark, from the deep their loud laments I hear!

They leffen now, and leffen on the ear!

Now, deftruction's ftrife is o'er!

The countless hoft

For ever loft!

The gulph is clos'd!-Their cries are heard no more !—

But oh, my lyre, what accents can relate

Sinful man's appointed fate!

He comes, he comes! th' avenging God!
Clouds and darkness round him rowl:
Tremble, earth! Ye mountains, nod!
He bows the skies, and shakes the pole.

The

The gloomy banners of his wrath unfurl'd, He calls the floods, to drown a guilty world: "Ruin, lift thy baneful head;

"Rouze the guilty world from fleep:

"Lead up thy billows from their cavern'd bed, "And burst the rocks that chain thee in the deep.Now, th' impetuous torrents rise;

The hoarfe-afcending deluge roars:

Down rush the cataracts from the skies;
The fwelling waves o'erwhelm the shores.
Juft, O God, is thy decree!

Shall guilty man contend with thee?
Lo, hate and envy, fea-intomb'd,
And rage with luft in ruin fleep;
And fcoffing luxury is doom'd

To glut the vast and rav'nous deep!-

In vain from fate th' astonish'd remnant flies :-
"Shrink, ye rocks! Ye oceans, rife!"-
The tott'ring cliffs no more the floods controul;
Sea following fea ingulphs the ball:

O'er the funk hills the watry mountains roll,
And wide deftruction swallows all!-
Now fiercer let th' impaffion'd numbers glow;
Swell the fong, ye mighty choir!
Wing your dreadful darts with fire!

Hear me, monarch!-Guilt is woe!

Thus while the frowning fhepherd pour'd along
The deep impetuous torrent of his fong;

Saul, ftung by dire despair,

Gnash'd his teeth, and tore his hair:

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