Odes on Several Subjects/On Despair
On DESPAIR.
Save me!—what means yon grisly shade,Her stony eye-balls staring wide;In foul, and tatter'd patches clad,With dirt, and gore, and venom dy'd?A burning brand she whirls around,And stamps, and raves, and tears the ground,And madly rends her clotted hair;While thro' her cank'red breast are seenMyriads of serpents bred within,The cursed spawn of self-consuming Care!—
'Twas thus, [1]O poor enamour'd Maid,The Stygian fiend approach'd the sea-girt tow'r,What time, in sad misfortune's evil hour,The faithless Lamp, Love's Cynosure decay'd."And why," the ghastly Phantom cries,"Wilt thou, deluded Hero, wait"Leander's wish'd return, forbid by fate?"See floating on his wat'ry bier he lies; "Pale are his cheeks, where Love was wont to play,"And clos'd those radiant eyes, that late out-shone the day."
The woe-foreboding voice she heard,And wishing, trembling pray'd for morn—When lo the bleeding corse appear'dBy savage rocks all rudely torn!Where were ye, Nymphs, O tell me where,Daughters of Nereus fresh, and fair?And why, sweet silver-footed Queen,Would'st thou not leave thy coral cave,And sooth the rough remorseless wave,Ere Death had seiz'd thy best, thy boldest swain?—
With haggard eyes, all-streaming blood,Distracted Hero saw her Lover slain,And thrice indignant view'd the guilty main,And thrice accus'd each merc'less watry God.Aye me in vain!—For "see, she cry'd,"My dear Leander's beck'ning shade!"And can'st thou live, O lost, O wretched Maid?"Shall envious Fate so fond a pair divide? "Forbid it Love!"—Then head-long from the tow'rDeep in the ruthless flood she plung'd to rise no more!
With scenes of woe, O cursed Pow'r,How are thy greedy eyes regal'd?How did thy heart exult of yore,When Heav'n's vindictive rod assail'd[2]The Queen of arts?—With Giant-strideContagion stalks, and lo the bride,The Virgin-bride unpity'd dies!Claspt to his daughter's throbbing breast,The father breathes his soul to rest,And sorrowing sons compose the widow'd mother's eyes!
Scar'd by the Dæmon's spotted hand,The Eagle scream'd, the famisht Vulture fled,The hungry Wolf forsook th' unburied dead,And pale Diseases shiv'ring left the land! What cries, and piercing shrieks resoundThro' ev'ry street, at ev'ry fane?Yet ah! they weep, they weary heav'n in vain!Death and Distraction stare on all around!The wretched few, whom pois'nous Pest'lence spares,Of moody madness die, and heart-distracting fears.
These are thy deeds, O fell Despair,Thou tyrant of the tortur'd foul,[3]Sister of pale-ey'd Grief, and Care,At whose command impetuous rollPassion's rough tides, and swelling highBurst thro' each dear, and sacred tye,And ev'ry pleasing thought o'erwhelm;Anon the crazy bark is born,Of winds, and waves, and rocks the scorn,For Reason shrinks appall'd, and trembling quits the helm!
O fly, thou first-born Child of Hell,To some far distant, dreary, doleful plain,Where starting Fear, and agonizing Pain,And black Remorse, and sullen Sorrows dwell: Where arm'd with poison, racks, and death, Stern Horrour rears his Gorgon head;And writhing dreadful on their Iron-bedThe purple Furies grind their cank'red teeth;While percht on stubs of trees the shriek-owl sings,And screaming deadly hoarse night-ravens flap their wings!
Thither embost with vary'd woe,Misfortune's pallid slave retires—Hark, hark he raves!—Thy tablet shew,Charg'd with damn'd ghosts, and sulph'rous fires.Oh Mercy Heav'n!—Upstaring standsHis grisly hair; his nerveless handsShake; o'er his face the curdled blood,From his swoln heart, with tidings flies,"Give me another Horse," he cries,"Oh bring the poison'd bowl, let loose life's crimson flood!"
Sad, sacred Wretch!—Thou Pow'r divine,Whose god-like word from Chaos dark and dread,Bad Discord fly, and Light sweet-smiling spreadHer orient wing, controul this breast of mine!And still when gloomy thoughts prevail,Oh short, and partial be their sway! And beam'd from thee, let pleasure's gladsome rayThe mournful progeny of grief dispel.So shall the chequer'd scenes of life delight,As morning brighter peers preceded still by Night.
- ↑ Vide Musæum καθ' Ἡρω και Λεανδρον.
- ↑ See the account, which is given by Thucydides, of the Plague at Athens. Amongst many other extraordinary circumstances are the following, το μεν γαρ ετος εκ παντων μαλιστα δη εκεινο ανοσον ες τας αλλας ασθενειας ετυγχανεν ον᾽ ει δε τις και προσκαμνε τι, ες τουτο παντα απεκρίθη.———Τα γαρ ορνεα, και τετραποδα, οσα ανθρωπων απτεται, πολλων αταφων γιγνομενων, η ου προσηει, η γευσαμενα διεφθειρετο.
- ↑ According to the Table of Cebes, Αθυμια is the Sister of Οδυρμος.