The Norton Anthology of English literature. Volume 2

50 There the Earth hides within her glowing breast The beamy adamant,7 and the round pearl Enchased0 in rugged covering; which the slave, enclosed With perilous and breathless toil, tears off From the rough sea-rock, deep beneath the waves.

55 These are the toys of Nature; and her sport Of little estimate in Reason's eye: And they who reason, with abhorrence see Man, for such gaudes and baubles, violate The sacred freedom of his fellow man�

60 Erroneous estimate! As Heaven's pure air, Fresh as it blows on this aerial height, Or sound of seas upon the stony strand, Or inland, the gay harmony of birds, And winds that wander in the leafy woods;

65 Are to the unadulterate taste more worth Than the elaborate harmony, brought out From fretted stop, or modulated airs Of vocal science.�So the brightest gems, Glancing resplendent on the regal crown,

70 Or trembling in the high born beauty's ear,

Are poor and paltry, to the lovely light Of the fair star,0 that as the day declines Venus Attendent on her queen, the crescent moon, Bathes her bright tresses in the eastern wave.

75 For now the sun is verging to the sea, And as he westward sinks, the floating clouds Suspended, move upon the evening gale, And gathering round his orb, as if to shade The insufferable brightness, they resign

so Their gauzy whiteness; and more warm'd, assume All hues of purple. There, transparent gold Mingles with ruby tints, and sapphire gleams, And colours, such as Nature through her works Shews only in the ethereal canopy.

85 Thither aspiring Fancy fondly soars, Wandering sublime thro' visionary vales, Where bright pavilions rise, and trophies, fann'd By airs celestial; and adorn'd with wreaths Of flowers that bloom amid elysian bowers.

90 Now bright, and brighter still the colours glow, Till half the lustrous orb within the flood Seems to retire: the flood reflecting still Its splendor, and in mimic glory drest;

6. Cotton. Goss)'pium herbaceum [Smith's note]. the Indians in diving for the pearl oysters, see the The worm's "filmy toil" in line 46 produces silk. account of the Pearl fisheries in Percival's Vieiv of 7. Diamonds, the hardest and most valuable of Ceylon [Smith's note]. precious stones. For the extraordinary exertions of

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50 / CHARLOTTE SMITH

Till the last ray shot upward, fires the clouds

95 With blazing crimson; then in paler light, Long lines of tenderer radiance, lingering yield To partial darkness; and on the opposing side The early moon distinctly rising, throws Her pearly brilliance on the trembling tide.

100 The fishermen, who at set seasons pass Many a league off at sea their toiling night, Now hail their comrades, from their daily task Returning; and make ready for their own, With the night tide commencing:�The night tide

105 Bears a dark vessel on, whose hull and sails Mark her a coaster8 from the north. Her keel Now ploughs the sand; and sidelong now she leans, While with loud clamours her athletic crew Unload her; and resounds the busy hum

no Along the wave-worn rocks. Yet more remote Where the rough cliff hangs beetling0 o'er its base, projecting All breathes repose; the waters rippling sound Scarce heard; but now and then the sea-snipe's9 cry Just tells that something living is abroad;

115 And sometimes crossing on the moonbright line, Glimmers the skiff, faintly discern'd awhile, Then lost in shadow.

Contemplation here, High on her throne of rock, aloof may sit, And bid recording Memory unfold

120 Her scroll voluminous�bid her retrace The period, when from Neustria's hostile shore0 Normandy The Norman launch'd his galleys, and the bay O'er which that mass of ruin1 frowns even now In vain and sullen menace, then received

125 The new invaders; a proud martial race, Of Scandinavia2 the undaunted sons,

8. Ship that sails along the coast. 9. In crossing the channel this bird is heard at night, uttering a short cry, and flitting along near the surface of the waves. The sailors call it the Sea Snipe; but I can find no species of sea bird of which this is the vulgar name. A bird so called inhabits the Lake of Geneva [Smith's note]. 1. Pevensey Castle [Smith's note]. 2. The Scandinavians (modern Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Lapland, &c.) and other inhabitants of the north, began towards the end of the 8th century, to leave their inhospitable climate in search of the produce of more fortunate countries. The North-men made inroads on the coasts of France; and carrying back immense booty, excited their compatriots to engage in the same piratical voyages: and they were afterwards joined by numbers of necessitous and daring adventurers from the coasts of Provence and Sicily.

In 844, these wandering innovators had a great number of vessels at sea; and again visiting the coasts of France, Spain, and England, the follow

ing year they penetrated even to Paris: and the unfortunate Charles the Bald, king of France, purchased at a high price, the retreat of the banditti he had no other means of repelling.