HOW LIGHTLY MOUNTS THE MUSE'S WING. HOW lightly mounts the Muse's wing Whose theme is in the skies Like morning larks, that sweeter sing Though Love his magic lyre may tune, Yet ah! the flowers he round it wreathes Were plucked beneath pale Passion's moon, Whose madness in their odor breathes. How purer far the sacred lute, Round which Devotion ties Sweet flowers that turn to heavenly fruit, Though War's high-sounding harp may be Alas, his chords of victory Are wet all o'er with human tears. How far more sweet their numbers run GO FORTH TO THE MOUNT. GO forth to the Mount - bring the olive-branch home,* And rejoice, for the day of our Freedom is come! In the presence of God's mighty Champion grow pale, Bring myrtle and palm-bring the boughs of each tree That is worthy to wave o'er the tents of the Free !§ From that day, when the footsteps of Israel shone With a light not their own, through' the Jordan's deep tide, * And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and fetch olivebranches, etc. etc. NEHEMIAH Viii: 15. + For since the days of Joshua the son of Nun, unto that day, had not the children of Israel done so: and there was very great gladness. NEHEMIAH viii : 17. ‡ Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. JOSHUA X: 12. § Fetch olive-branches, and pine-branches, and myrtle-branches, and palm-branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths. NEHEMIAH Viii: 15, Whose waters shrunk back as the Ark glided on—‡ IS IT NOT SWEET TO THINK. IS it not sweet to think, hereafter, Hearts, from which 't was death to sever, When wearily we wander, asking Of earth and heaven, where are they, Beneath whose smile we once lay basking Blest, and thinking bliss would stay! Hope still lifts her radiant finger And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the ites passed over on dry ground. midst of Jordan, and all the IsraelJOSHUA iii: 17. Upon whose portal yet they linger, Alas! alas! doth Hope deceive us ? Shall friendship, love, shall all those ties That bind a moment, and then leave us, Be found again where nothing dies? O, if no other boon were given, To keep our hearts from wrong and stain, WAR AGAINST BABYLON. "WAR against Babylon !" shout we around,* Be our banners through earth unfurled ; Rise up, ye nations, ye kings, at the sound-† "War against Babylon!" shout through the world! O thou, that dwellest on many waters,‡ Thy day of pride is ended now; And the dark curse of Israel's daughters * Shout against her round about. JEREMIAH i: 15. + Set up a standard in the land, blow the trumpet among the nations, prepare the nations against her, call together against her the kingdoms, etc. etc. JEREMIAH li: 27. O thou, that dwellest upon many waters, thy end is come. JEREMIAH li: 13. Make bright the arrows, and gather the shields,$ Swarm we, like locusts, o'er all her fields, 'Zion' our watchword, and 'Vengeance' our cry! Woe! woe !-the time of thy visitation * Is come, proud Land, thy doom is castAnd the black surge of desolation Sweeps o'er thy guilty head, at last! War, war, war, against Babylon ! $ Make bright the arrows; gather the shields. the standard upon the walls of Babylon. JEREMIAH li. * Woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation. JEREMIAH li. |