BOOK I.

Tritonia ! goddess of the new born skies,
Birth-day of heaven, wise daughter of the A LL W ISE ;
When from Jove's head in perfect sapience born,
Of heaven you rose the first empyreal morn,
As erst descend — — —
To mortals thy immortal charms display,
And in our Lake thy heavenly form survey!

Or rather T HOU , whom ancient prophet stiles
V ENUS U RANIA ! born the babe of smiles,
When from the deep thy bright emergence sprung,
And Nature on thy form divinely hung;
Whose steps, by Loves and Graces kiss'd, advance,
And laughing Hours lead on the sprightly dance;
While Time, within eternal durance bound,
Harmonious moves on golden hinges round —
Such, Goddess! as when Silence wondering gazed,
And even thyself beheld thyself amazed;
Such haply by that C├┤on artist known,
Seated apparent queen on Fancy's throne;
From thence thy shape his happy canvas blest,
And colours dipt in heaven thy heavenly form confest — —
Such, Goddess! thro' this virgin foliage shine;
Let kindling beauties glow thro' every line,
And every eye confess the work divine.
O say, while yet, nor time, nor place was found,
And space immense in its own depth was drown'd;
If Nothing was, or Something yet was not,
Or tho' to be , e'erwhile was unbegot ;
If caused, then how? — if causeless, why effect?
(No hand to form, nor model to direct)
Why ever made? — so soon? — or why so late?
What chance, what will, what freedom, or what fate? — —
Matter, and spirit, fire, air, ocean, earth;
All Nature born, nor conscious of its birth! — —
Alike unconscious did the womb disclose,
And Nothing wonder'd whence this Something rose — —
Then, by what power? — or what such power could move?
Wisdom, or chance? — necessity, or love?
O, from what root could such high plenty grow?
From what deep fount such boundless oceans flow?
What fund could such unwearied wealth afford?
Subjects unnumber'd! where, O where's your Lord?
Whence are your attributes of time and place
Won from eternity and boundless space?
Motion from rest? just order from misrule?
A world from nought? — all empty, now all full!
From silence harmony? from darkness light?
And beamy day from everlasting night?
Light, matter, motion, music, order, laws!
And silent dark nonentity the cause?
But chance, you'll say — I ask you, chance of what,
If nothing was? — 'tis answer'd, chance of nought.
Alike from matter moved, could B EAUTY rise,
The florid planets, and gay ambient skies;
Or painted skies, and rolling orbs, dispense
Perception, life, thought, reason, judgment, sense.
Mysterious T HOUGHT ! swift A NGEL of the mind!
By space unbounded, tho' to space confined,
How dost thou glow with just disdain, how scorn,
That thought could ever think thee earthly born?
Thou who canst distance motion in thy flight,
Wing with aspiring plume the wondrous height,
Swifter than light outspeed the flame of day,
Pierce thro' the dark profound, and shame the darting ray;
Throughout the universal system range,
New form old systems, and new systems change;
Thro' nature traffick on, from pole to pole,
And stamp new worlds on thy dilated soul;
(By time unlimited, unbound by space)
Sure demonstration of thy heavenly race,
Derived from that, which is derived from none,
Which ever is — but of H IMSELF alone!
O could'st thou search — nor may'st thou search in vain,
Haply some glimpse, some dawning to obtain,
Some taste divine of thy eternal spring,
Above those Heliconian bards to sing —
How H E who inaccessible remains,
Yet omnipresent thro' all nature reigns;
Whose age blooms ever in eternal youth,
His substance, Beauty, and essential Truth,
Essential Truth! and Beauty's charm! in course,
Of boundless Love the ever boundless source!
Of boundless Love, which would not, could not miss,
To be the boundless source of boundless bliss! —
Beatitude, rejecting all access!
Repletion, never to be more, nor less!
Why this Ineffable, this Inexprest,
This Fulness in Himself, past utterance blest,
Spontaneous pour'd these wondrous worlds around,
And fill'd with blessings this immense profound?
Swift rolled the spheres to their appointed place,
Jocund thro' heaven to run the various race;
Orb within orb in living circlets turn,
And central suns thro' every system burn;
Revolving planets on their gods attend,
And tow'rds each sun with awful reverence bend;
Still tow'rds the loved enlivening beam they wheel,
And pant, and tremble, like the amorous steel.
They spring, they revel in the blaze of day,
Bathe in the golden stream, and drink the orient ray;