Before me stood sweet Liberty!
All light, and chaste, and airy,
Thy Temple tow'ring to the sky,
Thy safe and lofty eyry!!
There there it is, I inward thought,
We nurse the infant Eagle,
And when to full grown strength he's brought;
"Fell swoop" at things illegal,
He'll make some day.
As right and left I turn my eye,
Far flashing light assails,
From splendid domes that scatter'd lie
Upon a thousand hills;
But dark as Erebus below,
Black wreaths of smoke arise,
Where commerce follows James' flow
Then pale, they fade in brighten❜d skies,
So sweet, this day.
What interchange of hill and dale !—
It was indeed a lovely scene,
Of island-bridge, and silver sail,
And scatter'd tree that waved between :
Nay, more-it had a touch sublime,
For as I stood to scan,
My thoughts went back to former time,
To thine, old Powhatan!
So changed this day.
But time would fail to tell of him,
I'll sing no dismal ditty,
I'll now pursue my idle whim,
And dash my tear of pity—
One word, however, as we pass,
Smith, had he laid his hands on
Smyth, Banks & Co. would not, alas,
Have kill'd his great, great grandson
So dead one day.
On ev'ry side, in glittering pride,
Each lass herself was showing,
The bonnet wide, disdained to hide
Her cheek with beauty glowing-
The brilliant silk-the dazzling shawl,
The plumes that fell so wavy;
The jaunty air-the one and all
Made me to cry peccavi!—
'I've sinn'd this day.
The bucks!-of them I took no notes,
I hardly saw the wretches-
I guess they wore straight jacket coats,
And petticoats for breeches-
They mar too much, man's form divine,
But girls! somehow they get ye,
'Tis throwing pearls before the swine;
My garters! how it frets me,
To see 't some day.
While in my breast this envious thought
Finds place and deeply rankles,
Up to the steps the crowd is brought,
That place for showing ankles
The heads of girls were in such whirls,
Their tongues kept such a clinking,
They gave their curls some graceful twirls,
But cared not, who was blinking
At feet, that day.
The lofty flight of steps o'erpast,
We gain'd at length the House,
With awe my mind was overcast,
It made me still as mouse-
My friend, to whom I held me tight,
Led through the grand Rotund,
And there I saw a reverend sight
That nail'd me to the ground
At once, that day.
In marble stillness !-calm!-sublime!—
The Father of his country stands,
Serene majestic, as in time
At head of his immortal bands-
In freedom's vestibule, he guards
The passway to her Hall,
To point at once to great rewards
And traitors' hearts appal
With dread some day.
But who are these who chatter round,
Their paltry wares here vending ?-
Shall they profane this sacred ground?
To h-ll let them be wending-
The money changers once were driven
From God's own holy temple,
And here, as we have hopes o' Heaven,
Let's take the great example
Was set that day.
With thoughts of scorn, we hasten off,
Press through the erowded lobby,
Before the lads of hawk and cough
Had got upon their hobby-
The wish'd for land is now in view,
We push across old Jordan,*
He foams and swells-it will not do,
He's forced to yield, friend Gordon ;
He's dry this day.
A sorry sight now meets my eye,
A plainer strikes on no man's,
They seem but men like you or I,
I thought to see old Romans-
Here sit in rows a motley crew,
Within a large quadrangle,
On seats alternate rais'd to view,
That all who choose to wrangle
May do't this day.
Upon the left, midway the Hall,
You must not think I'm scoffin',
There stands a sort of what d'ye call,
Just like a long black coffin-
'Tis rais'd somewhat above the floor,
A table has, and standish;
"Twas built no doubt in days of yore,
Ecod! It looks outlandish
They call it here the Speaker's seat,
The Speaker he was in it—
And now and then, rose on his feet,
But only for a minute;
The thing's miscall'd as others are,
Lucus a non Lucendo;
He doth not speak so much, I'll swear,
By half, as other men do,
Who rise this day.
"Twould not be right-he must look grand,
And bear himself full proudly-
His patience tax to understand
What they are bleth'ring loudly-
Poor man! I would not have his trade,
For all its great attractions,
To list to each "fanfaronade"
Of "nonsense and abstractions."
He has to sit and fix his eye,
And bow, as comprehending-
But faith, at times he looks so sly,
I think he's not attending-
A gape I've seen, in vain suppress'd,
Convulse his handsome features,
And lurking smile has then confess'd,
"Deuce take the prosing creatures.
I'll doze some day."
Just at his feet, in cloth of green,
There was a table standing,
And several men were round it seen,
Who pen with ink were handling-
One rose, and with stentorian throat,
Read out some clishma-claver-
Two others seem'd as taking note
Of all they did palaver,
Or read that day.
And now and then some man came out
And strutted to the table,
I'm thinking what he was about,
To tell, he'd not be able
He'd seat himself with pompous air,
And write so many letters,
Thinks I, my lad, you'd best take care,
Such things have killed your betters,
Before this day.
But what surprised me most of all,
And what I thought improper,
Was constant motion 'bout the Hall
And want of some mouth stopper-
And men whom we have proudly put
In that august Assembly,
So cram their g-t with plum and nut,
They must feel "wooly wambly,"
I think some day.
Besides there is another thing-
When each should be attending,
They seem to give their fancy wing,
And glances up are sending-
I think their necks must get a crick,
As gall'ry-ward they're straining,
Such wicked thought, and boyish trick
Grave men should be disdaining,
On such a day.
But heavens! it is a lovely sight,
My friends! I must excuse ye,
Those charming tints of red and white
May well enough confuse ye-
How could ye turn to earth your eyes
And look on man's coarse features,
When stars were glittering in the skies,
And such transcendent creatures
Were seen that day.
How would it do to pass a law,
A Salic law in raillery,
By which t' enact that lasses braw
Should not ascend the gallery ?—
How many votes d'ye think 'twould get?
Not one, I do protest-
But Pegasus, come, cease curvet,
I think we've done our best
To please this day.
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