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He fought, but in the dark tempeftuous night
He knew not whither to direct his fight.
So whirl the feas, fuch darkness blinds the sky,
That the black night receives a deeper dye.

The giddy fhip ran round; the tempeft tore
Her mast, and over-board the rudder bore.
One billow mounts; and with a scornful brow,
Proud of her conqueft gain'd, infults the waves below;
Nor lighter falls, than if fome giant tore
Pindus and Athos, with the freight they bore,
And tofs'd on feas: prefs'd with the pond'rous blow
Down finks the ship within th' abyfs below :
Down with the veffel fink into the main
The many, never more to rise again.

Some few on scatter'd planks with fruitless care
Lay hold, and fwim, but while they fwim, despair.
Ev'n he who late a fceptre did command

Now grafps a floating fragment in his hand,
And while he ftruggles on the ftormy main,
Invokes his father, and his wife, in vain;
But yet his comfort is his greater care;
Alcyone he names amidst his pray'r,

Names as a charm against the waves, and wind;

Moft in his mouth, and ever in his mind :
'Tir'd with his toil, all hopes of fafety paft,
From pray'rs to wishes he defcends at laft;
That his dead body wafted to the fands,
Might have its burial from her friendly hands.
As oft as he can catch a gulph of air,
And peep above the feas, he names the fair,
And ev'n when plung'd beneath, on her he raves,
Murm'ring Alcyone below the waves:

At laft a falling billow stops his breath,

Breaks o'er his head, and whelms him underneath.
Bright Lucifer unlike himself appears

That night, his heav'nly form obfcur'd with tears;

And

And fince he was forbid to leave the skies,
He muffled with a cloud his mournful eyes.
Mean time Alcyone (his fate unknown)
Computes how many nights he had been gone,
Obferves the waning moon with hourly view,
Numbers her age, and wishes for a new;
Against the promis'd time provides with care,
And haftens in the woof the robes he was to wear :
And for herself employs another loom,

New drefs'd to meet her lord returning home,
Flatt'ring her heart with joys that never were to come:
She fum'd the temples with an od❜rous flame,
And oft before the facred altars came,
To pray for him, who was an empty name.
All Pow'rs implor'd, but far above the reft
To Juno fhe her pious vows addrefs'd,
Her much-lov'd lord from perils to protect,
And fafe o'er feas his voyage to direct :
Then pray'd that she might still possess his heart,
And no pretending rival fhare a part;
This laft petition heard of all her pray'r,
The reft difpers'd by winds were lost in air.
But fhe, the Goddefs of the nuptial bed,
Tir'd with her vain devotions for the dead,
Refolv'd the tainted hand fhould be repell'd,
Which incenfe offer'd, and her altar held:
Then Iris thus befpoke; Thou faithful maid,
By whom the queen's commands are well convey'd,
Hafte to the house of fleep, and bid the God,
Who rules the night by vifions with a nod,
Prepare a dream, in figure and in form
Refembling him who perifh'd in the storm:
This form before Alcyone prefent,

To make her certain of the fad event.

Indu'd with robes of various hue the flies, And flying draws an arch, (a fegment of the skies :)

Then

Then leaves her bending bow, and from the fteep
Defcends to fearch the filent houfe of fleep.
Near the Cimmerians, in his dark abode
Deep in a cavern, dwells the drowsy God;
Whofe gloomy manfion nor the rifing fun,
Nor fetting, vifits, nor the lightsome noon:
But lazy vapours round the region fly,
Perpetual twilight, and a doubtful sky;
No crowing cock does there his wings display,
Nor with his horny bill provoke the day:
Nor watchful dogs, nor the more wakeful geefe,
Disturb with nightly noise the facred peace:
Nor beaft of nature, nor the tame are nigh,
Nor trees with tempefts rock'd, nor human cry;
But fafe repofe without an air of breath
Dwells here, and a dumb quiet next to death.
An arm of Lethe, with a gentle flow
Arifing upwards from the rock below,

The palace moats, and o'er the pebbles creeps,
And with foft murmurs calls the coming fleeps ;
Around its entry nodding poppies grow,
And all cool fimples that fweet rest bestow;
Night from the plants their fleepy virtue drains,
And paffing fheds it on the filent plains:
No door there was th' unguarded house to keep,
On creeking hinges turn'd, to break his fleep.
But in the gloomy court was rais'd a bed,
Stuff'd with black plumes, and on an ebon-fted:
Black was the cov'ring too, where lay the God
And flept fupine, his limbs difplay'd abroad :
About his head fantastick vifions fly,

Which various images of things fupply,

And mock their forms; the leaves on trees not more,
Nor bearded ears in fields, nor fands upon the fhore.
The virgin entring bright indulg'd the day
To the brown cave, and brush'd the dreams away:

The

The God disturb'd with this new glare of light,
Caft fudden on his face, unfeal'd his fight,
And rais'd his tardy head, which funk again,
And finking on his bosom knock'd his chin:
At length fhook off himself; and afk'd the dame,
(And asking yawn'd) for what intent she came ?
To whom the Goddess thus: O facred Reft,
Sweet pleafing fleep, of all the pow'rs the best!
O peace of mind, repairer of decay,

Whose balms renew the limbs to labours of the day,
Care fhuns thy foft approach, and fallen flies away!
Adorn a dream, expreffing human form,
The fhape of him who fuffer'd in the ftorm,
And fend it flitting to the Trachin court,
The wreck of wretched Ceyx to report:
Before his queen bid the pale fpectre ftand,
Who begs a vain relief at Juno's hand.
She said, and scarce awake her eyes could keep,
Unable to fupport the fumes of fleep:
But fled returning by the way fhe went,
And fwerv'd along her bow with fwift afcent.
The God uneafy till he flept again,
Refolv'd at once to rid himself of pain ;
And, tho' against his cuflom, call'd aloud,
Exciting Morpheus from the fleepy crowd:
Morpheus of all his numerous train exprefs'd
The fhape of man, and imitated beft;
The walk, the words, the gefture could fupply,
The habit mimic, and the mien bely;

Plays well, but all his action is confin'd;
Extending not beyond our human kind.
Another birds, and beafts, and dragons apes,
And dreadful images, and monster shapes:
This dæmon, Icelos, in heaven's high hall
The Gods have nam'd; but men Phobeter call:

VOL. IV.

D

A

1

A third is Phantafus, whose actions roll

On meaner thoughts, and things devoid of foul;
Earth, fruits, and flow'rs, he reprefents in dreams,
And folid rocks unmov'd, and running ftreams:
These three to kings and chiefs their fcenes difplay,
The reft before th' ignoble commons play:
Of these the chofen Morpheus is difpatch'd:
Which done, the lazy monarch overwatch'd
Down from his propping elbow drops his head,
Diffolv'd in fleep, and fhrinks within his bed.
Darkling the dæmon glides for flight prepar'd,
So foft that scarce his fanning wings are heard.
To Trachin, fwift as thought, the flitting fhade
Through air his momentary journey made:
Then lays afide the steerage of his wings,
Forfakes his proper form, affumes the king's;
And pale as death, defpoil'd of his array,
Into the queen's apartment takes his way,
And ftands before the bed at dawn of day:
Unmov'd his eyes, and wet his beard appears;
And shedding vain, but seeming real tears;
The briny water dropping from his hairs;
Then staring on her, with a ghaftly look
And hollow voice, he thus the Queen bespoke.
Know'st thou not me! Not yet, unhappy wife?
Or are my features perish'd with my life?
Look once again, and for thy husband lost,
Lo all that's left of him, thy husband's ghoft!
Thy vows for my return were all in vain;
The ftormy fouth o'ertook us in the main;
And never fhalt thou fee thy living lord again.
Bear witness, heaven, I call'd on thee in death,
And while I call'd, a billow ftopp'd my breath:
Think not that flying fame reports my fate;
I prefent, I appear, and my own wreck relate.

}

Rife,

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