Vision Of Columbus - Book 4 Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ KKLLMMNNOOPPBBQRHHST DDUUVVGGSSVVWWXVYYRR VVGGZA2B2B2WWIILLC2C 2D2E2F2F2LLHHXVLLRRG 2G2LLE2D2RREELLGGLLH 2H2VVDDGGI2I2J2J2K2L 2GGMMHHXVEELLM2M2WWG GI2I2N2N2YYEO2P2P2Q2 Q2WWR2GXVH2H2VVS2T2U 2U2NNV2W2LLRGIn one dark age beneath a single hand | A |
Thus rose an empire in the savage land | A |
Her golden seats with following years increase | B |
Her growing nations spread the walks of peace | B |
Her sacred rites display the purest plan | C |
That e'er adorn'd the unguided mind of man | C |
Yet all the pomp the extended climes unfold | D |
The fields of verdure and the towers of gold | D |
Those works of peace and sovereign scenes of state | E |
In short lived glory hasten to their fate | E |
Thy followers rushing like an angry flood | F |
Shall whelm the fields and stain the shrines in blood | F |
Nor thou Las Casas best of men shalt stay | G |
The ravening legions from their guardless prey | G |
Oh hapless prelate hero saint and sage | H |
Doom'd with hard guilt a fruitless war to wage | H |
To see with grief thy life of virtues run | I |
A realm unpeopled and a world undone | I |
While impious Valverde mock of priesthood stands | J |
Guilt in his heart the gospel in his hands | J |
Bids in one field unnumber'd squadrons bleed | K |
Smiles o'er the scene and sanctifies the deed | K |
And thou brave Gasca with thy virtuous train | L |
Shalt lift the sword and urge thy power in vain | L |
Vain the late task the sinking land to save | M |
Or call her slaughter'd millions from the grave | M |
The Seraph spoke Columbus with a sigh | N |
Cast o'er the hapless climes his moisten'd eye | N |
And thus return'd Oh hide me in the tomb | O |
Why should I live to view the impending doom | O |
If such dread scenes the scheme of heaven compose | P |
And virtuous toils induce redoubled woes | P |
Unfold no more but grant a kind release | B |
Give me 'tis all I ask to rest in peace | B |
Thy soul shall rest in peace the Power rejoin'd | Q |
Ere these conflicting shades involve mankind | R |
But nobler views shall first thy mind engage | H |
Beyond the bounds of this destructive age | H |
Where happier fruits of thy unwearied toil | S |
Thro' future years and other empires smile | T |
Europe's contending realms shall soon behold | D |
These fruitful plains and hills of opening gold | D |
Fair in the path of thy adventurous fail | U |
Their countless navies float in every gale | U |
For wealth and commerce sweep the extended shore | V |
And load the ocean with the shining ore | V |
As up the orient heaven the dawning ray | G |
Smiles o'er the world and gives the promised day | G |
Drives fraud and rapine from their nightly spoil | S |
And social nature wakes to peaceful toil | S |
So from the blazing mine the golden store | V |
Mid warring nations spreads from shore to shore | V |
With new ambition fires their ravish'd eyes | W |
O'er factious nobles bids the monarch rise | W |
Unites the force of realms the wealth to share | X |
Leads larger hosts to milder walks of war | V |
The golden scale while rival states suspend | Y |
And princely powers their mutual aid extend | Y |
Wide o'er the world while genius unconfined | R |
Tempts happier flights and opens all the mind | R |
Unbinds the slavish bands of monkish lore | V |
Awakes the arts and bids the Muses soar | V |
Then shall thy northern climes their charms display | G |
United nations there extend their sway | G |
O'er the new world exalt their peerless throne | Z |
And twine thy wreaths immortal on their crown | A2 |
Now lift thine eye O'er Europe's circling rounds | B2 |
Where kings contending claim their bordering bounds | B2 |
Behold in light the nations slowly rise | W |
Like trembling vapours in the morning skies | W |
Where those long shores their different courses run | I |
Round the dim north and tow'rd the eastern sun | I |
The naked harbours looking to the main | L |
Unfold their bounds and break the winds in vain | L |
The labouring ride no foreign treasure brings | C2 |
No floating forest waves its canvass wings | C2 |
No busy throngs the lonely margin tread | D2 |
Nor sails nor cities cast a watery shade | E2 |
Save where yon opening gulph the strand divides | F2 |
Proud Venice bathes her in the broken tides | F2 |
Beholds her scattering barks around her strown | L |
And sovereign deems the watery world her own | L |
The nations fierce that local faiths enrage | H |
In causeless strife perpetual combat wage | H |
No martial system claims the monarch's care | X |
Nor standing legions guard the realm from war | V |
Give general laws to nations and restrain | L |
The untemper'd rage of passion's lawless reign | L |
But the firm bondage of the slavish mind | R |
Spreads deeper glooms and subjugates mankind | R |
As the dark northern tribes in elder times | G2 |
Drove every art from Europe's cultured climes | G2 |
O'er ruin'd Latium fix'd their savage reign | L |
Mid towers o'erturn'd and learned millions slain | L |
Thus o'er the same fair seats with deadlier shade | E2 |
Folly and zeal their sable ensigns spread | D2 |
Send their cowl'd teachers every sect to blind | R |
Stretch the deep mantle and secure the mind | R |
Warn from the world by Gallileo's fate | E |
Each daring truth that boasts a modern date | E |
Support all crimes by full indulgence given | L |
Usurp the power and wield the sword of Heaven | L |
But see where future years their scenes unroll | G |
And rising arts inspire the venturous soul | G |
Behold from all the extended coasts of Spain | L |
Unnumber'd navies croud the whitening main | L |
High o'er the western wave in cloudly flight | H2 |
They stream and lessen on the varying sight | H2 |
Dim thro' the isles and middle regions pour | V |
Furl the low sails and skirt the masted shore | V |
From the long strand the moving loads behold | D |
The sparkling gems and heaps of burning gold | D |
The sails ascend and tow'rd their native day | G |
With heavier burdens win their arduous way | G |
Now from all coasts that Europe's realms surround | I2 |
See the long squadrons o'er the billows bound | I2 |
Thro' Afric's isles observe the sweeping sails | J2 |
Full pinions tossing in Arabian gales | J2 |
Indus and Ganges deep in canvass lost | K2 |
And navies crouding round each orient coast | L2 |
New nations rise to light extend the toil | G |
Unfold their treasures share the foreign spoil | G |
Join distant worlds all climes and oceans brave | M |
And shade with sheets the immeasurable wave | M |
While rival realms in greater works engage | H |
And wake the genius of a happier age | H |
Their bounds enlarge and mutual safety share | X |
By leagues of peace and standing strength of war | V |
See lofty Ximines with solemn gait | E |
Move from the cloister to the walks of state | E |
Thro' all the extended baronies of Spain | L |
Curb the fierce lords and fix the royal reign | L |
Behold dread Charles the sovereign seat ascends | M2 |
O'er kings and climes his eager view extends | M2 |
Europe's surrounding states before his eyes | W |
Lure the wide wish and bid his claims arise | W |
While wealthier shores beneath the western day | G |
Unfold their treasures and enlarge his sway | G |
See the brave Francis lift his banners round | I2 |
To guard the realms and give his rival bound | I2 |
With equal pomp the imperial sceptre claim | N2 |
And fire the nations with an equal name | N2 |
Unite his kingdom and his power extend | Y |
Of arms the patron and of arts the friend | Y |
And see proud Wolsey rise securely great | E |
Kings in his train and sceptres at his feet | O2 |
From monkish walls the hoards of wealth he draws | P2 |
To aid the tyrant and restrain the laws | P2 |
Wakes Albion's genius abler monarchs braves | Q2 |
And shares with them the empire of the waves | Q2 |
Behold dark Solyman from eastern skies | W |
With his grim host magnificently rise | W |
Extend his limits o'er the midland sea | R2 |
And tow'rd Germania drive his conquering way | G |
Frown o'er the Christian Powers with haughty air | X |
And teach the nations how to lead the war | V |
There powerful Leo rises into sight | H2 |
And generous calls the finer arts to light | H2 |
New walls and structures throng the Latian shore | V |
The Pencil triumphs and the Muses soar | V |
Snatch'd from the ground where Gothic rage had trod | S2 |
And monks and prelates held their drear abode | T2 |
The Roman statues rise and wake to view | U2 |
The same bold taste their ancient glory knew | U2 |
O'er the dark world Erasmus casts his eye | N |
In schoolmen's lore sees kings and nations lie | N |
With strength of judgement and with fancy warm | V2 |
Derides their follies and dissolves the charm | W2 |
Draws the deep veil that bigot zeal has thrown | L |
O'er pagan Books and science long unknown | L |
From faith of pageant rites relieves mankind | R |
And seats bol | G |
Joel Barlow
(1)
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