L ONG had the East, in weary slumber bound,
Reclined in mental solitude profound,
When ignorance her boundless empire spread,
And dire oppression fill'd mankind with dread,
When papal mandates trampled on the law,
While nations bow'd with unresisting awe.
The lamp of science faded in the gloom,
And all was dark and dreary as the tomb, —
Save when the bloody steel of war shone bright,
Like meteors glittering in the depth of night.
But a glorious morning began to appear,
When the day star, adorning the heavens, drew near;
When the press and the pen their importance display'd,
And knowledge and truth were diffused by their aid;
When the Bible no longer from men was conceal'd,
And spotless Religion its beauty reveal'd;
When Newton unfolded the wonders of heaven,
And the course of the stars in their wide circle driven;
When the magnet was found to be true to the pole,
Though the tempest should rage and the mad billows role
When daring Columbus his genius had shown,
And discover'd a world and a people unknown.
Now bright as the ray which illumines the earth,
When the author of day in his glory shines forth,
From the regions of bliss, in a chariot of light,
Did the Goddess of Liberty burst on the sight.
Array'd in her robes of perpetual youth,
Attended by wisdom, and justice, and truth;
Protected by virtue and guided by love,
She had left her bright home in the mansions above,
And descended to earth, a new dwelling to find,
With the wisest, the bravest, and best of mankind.
Then first she paused on Afric's burning shore,
Its various climes and people to explore.
Here roll'd the Nile through Egypt's fertile clime,
Here tower'd the pond'rous pyramid sublime;
There lofty Atlas rose above the plain,
And drear Sahara stretch'd his wide domain;
But stain'd with sensuality and lust,
The human mind lay prostrate in the dust.
The lions roar'd on Ethiopia's waste,
And tigers' yells were mingled with the blast;
While the dark Ethiop, fleeing from distress,
Fled not to knowledge or to happiness.
There slave-ships plough'd the Gambia's golden flood,
Whose dismal dungeons smoked with human blood,
While frantic negroes, prostrate on the strand,
Now bade farewell to Guinea's wretched land;
Then, bound in chains, were wafted o'er the wave,
Or closed their suff'rings in a watery grave.
The Goddess, weeping, saw her labor lost,
Then wing'd her way to Asia's verdant coast.
She view'd the vast variety of man,
The dark Malay, the savage Tartar clan,
In northern climes, Siberia's frozen isles,
Or southern shores where fragrant India smiles;
Where sacred Ganges rolls his purple tide,
Or deep Hoangho's winding waters glide;
Where Himmaleh is crown'd with endless snow,
Or bright Arabia's spicy breezes blow.
Here luxury had wove her silken bands,
And sordid nations follow'd her commands;
A race effeminate, a sensual crowd,
To idol gods in adoration bow'd;
And bloody Juggernaut was roll'd along,
While death and carnage hover'd o'er the throng.
The Goddess paused, oppress'd with growing cares
Then turn'd away her eyes suffused with tears,
Mourn'd for a race degraded by their crimes,
Then swiftly soar'd to Europe's brighter climes.
In classic lands she sought to find a home,
And fondly turn'd to visit Greece and Rome.
But Greece no longer fed the sacred fires
Which beam'd around her patriotic sires;
No Homer's harp in lofty numbers rung,
The fame of no Achilles could be sung;
Her marble temples crumbled on the plain,
And Greece submitted to the Turkish chain.
Imperial Rome, once mistress of the East,
Had sunk in vice, degraded and oppress'd;
Her palaces, with age and moss grown gray,
And lofty walls were hastening to decay.
Vesuvius, raging, pour'd his fiery streams,
And angry Etna belch'd his liquid flames,
While father Tiber roll'd his yellow waves,
Mournful and silent in a land of slaves.
The Goddess, turning, bade a sad adieu;
Then o'er the Alps on rapid pinions flew,
Explored the wilds of Europe's farthest space,
To seek and bless a more congenial race.
Here Spain exulted in her balmy bowers,
Where happy lovers pass'd their blissful hours;
Here France, luxuriant, till'd the fruitful vine;
And heedless life was drown'd with mirth and wine.
There, in a narrow hut, mean and obscure,
Joyless and wretched, dwelt the German boor;
While princely halls, magnificent and wide,
Contrasted poverty with wealth and pride.
There Russian peasants, doom'd to bootless toil,
Were bought and sold together with the soil;
And Swedish hordes were sunk in dreamless sleep,
Where stormy Baltic roll'd his mighty deep.
Here Britain's fairer isle in prospect lay,
Queen of the earth, and mistress of the sea.
The silver Thames, upon his bosom, bore
A thousand ships from Europe's farthest shore,
And gentle Avon slowly moved along,
Where sages listen'd to the poet's song.
Here infant knowledge, driven by savage foes,
From tedious flight had dared to seek repose.
But genius sung, and science strove in vain,
While Europe bow'd beneath the tyrant's chain;
Her haughty nobles seized the reins of might,
And wealth and grandeur triumph'd over right;
While lawless kings were sceptred on their thrones,
And tears were mingled with the people's groans.
The heavenly stranger, overwhelm'd with care,
Now paused awhile, convulsed in mute despair,
Then spread her glitt'ring wings, prepared to fly,
And seek her native mansions in the sky.
Now she turn'd with regret to bid mortals adieu,
When the bark of the pilgrims appear'd in her view;
Their white canvass courted the prosperous gale,
From the land of oppression and terror to sail;
As they sought a retreat in a region afar,
Beneath the pale beams of Hesperia's star.
Fair Liberty, smiling, advanced by their side,
And the Pilgrims received her, their guardian and guide
And the fleet spurn'd the sea as it sail'd o'er the wave,
To the land of the free, and the home of the brave;
Till they reach'd the blue shore of Atlantic's vast flood,
Where the Goddess of Liberty chose her abode.
Now the blows of the axe in the wild wood resound,
And the oak of the forest is fell'd to the ground:
The meadows enrobed in rich verdure appear,
Where the shaft of the forest is fell'd to the ground:
The fields lately barren are cover'd with grain,
And villages rise in the midst of the plain.
But hark! the loud yell sounds to war's dread alarms,
And the heroes of liberty fly to their arms.
Now the savages rush from the depth of the wood,
Imbued with fresh slaughter, and reeking in blood; —
In night's awful gloom the red firebrands they hurl,
While the volumes of smoke in the dark ether curl,
And the victims, o'erwhelm'd in the ruins expire,
Or escape from the flames by the light of the fire.
Anon see the champions of freedom advance,
With tears on their cheeks and revenge in their glance
As the rock meets the torrents around it that flow,
Unmoved they sustain the attack of the foe;
As the torrents, impetuous, break over their banks,
They crush and discomfit the enemy's ranks;
Till weary and weak, their hostilities cease,
And they bury the axe 'neath the broad tree of peace.
Now Britain, insatiate, from freemen demands
The blood of their bosoms, the work of their hands;
And baffled in plunder, her forces prepare
To crush Liberty's realm by the Hydra of war,
But armies and navies advance o'er the main,
And Britannia's Lion growls thund'ring in vain;
For the strong arm of truth is the patriot's guard,
And the sword of the just, is the sword of the Lord.
Attended by wisdom, and virtue, and peace,
Columbia's wide regions in glory increase;
The spirit of knowledge revisits the West,
By slumber and darkness no longer oppress'd;
And the bright sun of science diffuses his rays
Till Europe receives a new light from the blaze.
On swift waving pinions fair Liberty rides,
To extend her dominions o'er Amazon's tides;
Now the heights of the Andes acknowledge her power,
And the climes of the south are in slavery no more.
From the slumber of ages the Grecians have sprung,
And heroes and sages the clangor have rung;
To freedom and light they are seeking the way,
And the Ottoman throne hastens on to decay.
Saw ye the lightning flash dart from the sky?
Heard ye the thunder crash roaring on high?
'Tis the vengeance of heaven on the head of the foe,
And the impious crescent lies harmless and low.
Fast break the clouds away, fading in air,
Revealing the lord of day, splendid and fair,
And the morning breaks forth, when the multitude see
" The land of the bard and the warrior free! "
Now swift as the march of mind light shall extend,
Knowledge and justice in harmony blend,
Till Science illumes the terrestrial ball,
And the Goddess of Liberty rules over all.
Reclined in mental solitude profound,
When ignorance her boundless empire spread,
And dire oppression fill'd mankind with dread,
When papal mandates trampled on the law,
While nations bow'd with unresisting awe.
The lamp of science faded in the gloom,
And all was dark and dreary as the tomb, —
Save when the bloody steel of war shone bright,
Like meteors glittering in the depth of night.
But a glorious morning began to appear,
When the day star, adorning the heavens, drew near;
When the press and the pen their importance display'd,
And knowledge and truth were diffused by their aid;
When the Bible no longer from men was conceal'd,
And spotless Religion its beauty reveal'd;
When Newton unfolded the wonders of heaven,
And the course of the stars in their wide circle driven;
When the magnet was found to be true to the pole,
Though the tempest should rage and the mad billows role
When daring Columbus his genius had shown,
And discover'd a world and a people unknown.
Now bright as the ray which illumines the earth,
When the author of day in his glory shines forth,
From the regions of bliss, in a chariot of light,
Did the Goddess of Liberty burst on the sight.
Array'd in her robes of perpetual youth,
Attended by wisdom, and justice, and truth;
Protected by virtue and guided by love,
She had left her bright home in the mansions above,
And descended to earth, a new dwelling to find,
With the wisest, the bravest, and best of mankind.
Then first she paused on Afric's burning shore,
Its various climes and people to explore.
Here roll'd the Nile through Egypt's fertile clime,
Here tower'd the pond'rous pyramid sublime;
There lofty Atlas rose above the plain,
And drear Sahara stretch'd his wide domain;
But stain'd with sensuality and lust,
The human mind lay prostrate in the dust.
The lions roar'd on Ethiopia's waste,
And tigers' yells were mingled with the blast;
While the dark Ethiop, fleeing from distress,
Fled not to knowledge or to happiness.
There slave-ships plough'd the Gambia's golden flood,
Whose dismal dungeons smoked with human blood,
While frantic negroes, prostrate on the strand,
Now bade farewell to Guinea's wretched land;
Then, bound in chains, were wafted o'er the wave,
Or closed their suff'rings in a watery grave.
The Goddess, weeping, saw her labor lost,
Then wing'd her way to Asia's verdant coast.
She view'd the vast variety of man,
The dark Malay, the savage Tartar clan,
In northern climes, Siberia's frozen isles,
Or southern shores where fragrant India smiles;
Where sacred Ganges rolls his purple tide,
Or deep Hoangho's winding waters glide;
Where Himmaleh is crown'd with endless snow,
Or bright Arabia's spicy breezes blow.
Here luxury had wove her silken bands,
And sordid nations follow'd her commands;
A race effeminate, a sensual crowd,
To idol gods in adoration bow'd;
And bloody Juggernaut was roll'd along,
While death and carnage hover'd o'er the throng.
The Goddess paused, oppress'd with growing cares
Then turn'd away her eyes suffused with tears,
Mourn'd for a race degraded by their crimes,
Then swiftly soar'd to Europe's brighter climes.
In classic lands she sought to find a home,
And fondly turn'd to visit Greece and Rome.
But Greece no longer fed the sacred fires
Which beam'd around her patriotic sires;
No Homer's harp in lofty numbers rung,
The fame of no Achilles could be sung;
Her marble temples crumbled on the plain,
And Greece submitted to the Turkish chain.
Imperial Rome, once mistress of the East,
Had sunk in vice, degraded and oppress'd;
Her palaces, with age and moss grown gray,
And lofty walls were hastening to decay.
Vesuvius, raging, pour'd his fiery streams,
And angry Etna belch'd his liquid flames,
While father Tiber roll'd his yellow waves,
Mournful and silent in a land of slaves.
The Goddess, turning, bade a sad adieu;
Then o'er the Alps on rapid pinions flew,
Explored the wilds of Europe's farthest space,
To seek and bless a more congenial race.
Here Spain exulted in her balmy bowers,
Where happy lovers pass'd their blissful hours;
Here France, luxuriant, till'd the fruitful vine;
And heedless life was drown'd with mirth and wine.
There, in a narrow hut, mean and obscure,
Joyless and wretched, dwelt the German boor;
While princely halls, magnificent and wide,
Contrasted poverty with wealth and pride.
There Russian peasants, doom'd to bootless toil,
Were bought and sold together with the soil;
And Swedish hordes were sunk in dreamless sleep,
Where stormy Baltic roll'd his mighty deep.
Here Britain's fairer isle in prospect lay,
Queen of the earth, and mistress of the sea.
The silver Thames, upon his bosom, bore
A thousand ships from Europe's farthest shore,
And gentle Avon slowly moved along,
Where sages listen'd to the poet's song.
Here infant knowledge, driven by savage foes,
From tedious flight had dared to seek repose.
But genius sung, and science strove in vain,
While Europe bow'd beneath the tyrant's chain;
Her haughty nobles seized the reins of might,
And wealth and grandeur triumph'd over right;
While lawless kings were sceptred on their thrones,
And tears were mingled with the people's groans.
The heavenly stranger, overwhelm'd with care,
Now paused awhile, convulsed in mute despair,
Then spread her glitt'ring wings, prepared to fly,
And seek her native mansions in the sky.
Now she turn'd with regret to bid mortals adieu,
When the bark of the pilgrims appear'd in her view;
Their white canvass courted the prosperous gale,
From the land of oppression and terror to sail;
As they sought a retreat in a region afar,
Beneath the pale beams of Hesperia's star.
Fair Liberty, smiling, advanced by their side,
And the Pilgrims received her, their guardian and guide
And the fleet spurn'd the sea as it sail'd o'er the wave,
To the land of the free, and the home of the brave;
Till they reach'd the blue shore of Atlantic's vast flood,
Where the Goddess of Liberty chose her abode.
Now the blows of the axe in the wild wood resound,
And the oak of the forest is fell'd to the ground:
The meadows enrobed in rich verdure appear,
Where the shaft of the forest is fell'd to the ground:
The fields lately barren are cover'd with grain,
And villages rise in the midst of the plain.
But hark! the loud yell sounds to war's dread alarms,
And the heroes of liberty fly to their arms.
Now the savages rush from the depth of the wood,
Imbued with fresh slaughter, and reeking in blood; —
In night's awful gloom the red firebrands they hurl,
While the volumes of smoke in the dark ether curl,
And the victims, o'erwhelm'd in the ruins expire,
Or escape from the flames by the light of the fire.
Anon see the champions of freedom advance,
With tears on their cheeks and revenge in their glance
As the rock meets the torrents around it that flow,
Unmoved they sustain the attack of the foe;
As the torrents, impetuous, break over their banks,
They crush and discomfit the enemy's ranks;
Till weary and weak, their hostilities cease,
And they bury the axe 'neath the broad tree of peace.
Now Britain, insatiate, from freemen demands
The blood of their bosoms, the work of their hands;
And baffled in plunder, her forces prepare
To crush Liberty's realm by the Hydra of war,
But armies and navies advance o'er the main,
And Britannia's Lion growls thund'ring in vain;
For the strong arm of truth is the patriot's guard,
And the sword of the just, is the sword of the Lord.
Attended by wisdom, and virtue, and peace,
Columbia's wide regions in glory increase;
The spirit of knowledge revisits the West,
By slumber and darkness no longer oppress'd;
And the bright sun of science diffuses his rays
Till Europe receives a new light from the blaze.
On swift waving pinions fair Liberty rides,
To extend her dominions o'er Amazon's tides;
Now the heights of the Andes acknowledge her power,
And the climes of the south are in slavery no more.
From the slumber of ages the Grecians have sprung,
And heroes and sages the clangor have rung;
To freedom and light they are seeking the way,
And the Ottoman throne hastens on to decay.
Saw ye the lightning flash dart from the sky?
Heard ye the thunder crash roaring on high?
'Tis the vengeance of heaven on the head of the foe,
And the impious crescent lies harmless and low.
Fast break the clouds away, fading in air,
Revealing the lord of day, splendid and fair,
And the morning breaks forth, when the multitude see
" The land of the bard and the warrior free! "
Now swift as the march of mind light shall extend,
Knowledge and justice in harmony blend,
Till Science illumes the terrestrial ball,
And the Goddess of Liberty rules over all.