As Man's dull form inert and silent lay,
A senseless heap of unenliven'd clay,
Till bold Prometheus with ethereal flame
...
STROPHE.
Great Jove! supreme immortal King!
Borne on the unwearied thunder's wing;
...
Not mine to sing the racer's rapid flight,
Or the athletic wrestler's sinewy force,
Not tho' his limbs are strung with giant might,
...
What blooming garlands shall the Muses twine,
What verdant laurels weave, what flowers combine,
To crown their favorite Son whose generous heart
...
O rising Sun! on this auspicious day
With brighter beams gild every hill and grove;
Ye feather'd songster ...
...
Thee, sad Melpomene, I once again
Invoke, nor ask the idly plaintive verse:
Quit the light reed for sorrow's sober strain,
...
Now has bright Sol fulfill'd his circling course,
Again to Taurus roll'd his burning car,
Since, cruel Prudence, thy resistless force
...
Cruel the pang to hear the struggling sigh,
Watch o'er the faded cheek and closing eye;
See infant innocence with parting breath
...
I.
1 .
The fading beam of parting day
Forsakes the western sky,
...
When bold Ambition tempts the ingenuous mind
To leave the beaten paths of life behind,
Sublime on Glory's pinions to arise,
...