When o'er the green undeluged earth, And when its yellow lustre smiled How glorious is thy girdle, cast As fresh as yon horizon dark, (1) Undeluged - no longer overwhelmed by the deluge. The prefix un in this word does not fully convey the meaning of the writer; un is simply not, without that reference to a previous state which is implied by the prefix dis. (2) Heaven's covenant-strictly speaking, the rainbow is not the covenant, but the sign or token of it. See Gen. ix. 13. (3) The world's grey fathers- This beautiful expression is borrowed from Henry Vaughan, a poet of the 17th century. See Appendix, Note D. (4) Anthem-literally anti-hymn- a piece of music arranged to be sung in parts, answering to each other-music for a cathedral choir. (5) In the ordinary copies we have "poet's theme," as above; the reading, however, in the standard edition of Campbell's poems is "prophet's theme," a lessappropriate expression, though not inconsistent with the first-named; inasmuch as the original idea of a poet included that of a prophet, or one who was, as it were. inspired to sing of things eternally true-of things past, present, and future. For, faithful to its sacred page, Campbell. THE THAMES.1 My eye descending from the Hill,2 surveys Though with those streams he no resemblance hold, The mower's hopes, nor mock the ploughman's toil; First loves to do, then loves the good he does. But free and common as the sea or wind; (1) The poem entitled "Cooper's Hill," from which this extract is made, was written in 1643. The date may account in part for the quaintness of the style. (2) The hill-Cooper's Hill, near Windsor. (3) This idea is beautifully amplified by Cowper (see p. 80), in the lines beginning, "The lapse of time and rivers is the same." (4) The rivers Pactolus and Hermus, in Asia Minor, were said by the ancient poets to roll down sand mingled with gold. (5) Resumes, &c.-i. e. does not first by his overflow create abundance, and then by a second inundation destroy his own creation. The figures in the last few lines display more ingenuity than taste; they are incongruous and unnecessarily multiplied. (6) Loves to do-i. e. loves to do good. The allusion here seems to be to Gen. i. 31. When1 he, to boast or to disperse his stores, Though deep, yet clear; though gentle, yet not dull; Denham. THE COMMON LOT.3 ONCE in the flight of ages past There lived a man-and who was he? Mortal! howe er thy lot be cast, That man resembled thee! Unknown the region of his birth, The land in which he lived unknown; That joy and grief, and hope and fear, (1) When-seems here to mean inasmuch, seeing that; and the sense of the passage to be, that the blessings of the Thames are unlimited, inasmuch as, through the agency of the ships-"his flying towers," that he sends forth laden with English produce and manufacture-he visits the world, and brings home both Indies to us, by making their produce and wealth ours. (2) The last two lines have been much admired for the exquisite taste displayed in the choice of words. They embody, with happy brevity, the main characteristics of a finished literary style, which should be, "though deep, yet clear," &c. "Strong, without rage," means strong without the ostentatious display of strength. (3) The lot or condition which is common to all mankind—with its hopes and fears, its pleasures and pains. (4) Joy, delight, and bliss, may be thus distinguished :— Joy-is vivid Delight-absorbing and therefore transient, pleasure. Bliss-complete and abiding happiness. A similar distinction holds between grief and woe : The bounding pulse, the languid limb, He suffered-but his pangs are o'er; He loved—but whom he loved the grave The rolling seasons, day and night, Sun, moon, and stars, the earth and main, He saw whatever thou hast seen; The clouds and sunbeams o'er his eye Have left, in yonder silent sky, No vestiges where they flew! The annals of the human race, Than this-THERE LIVED A MAN. Grief-is intense and overwhelming, but brief, sorrow. Woe-complete, absorbing, and abiding misery. Montgomery. Hence we may speak of "transports of joy or grief," "ecstacies of delight," "perfect bliss," "speechless woe." In the above poem, "joy" and "grief" are correctly said to "triumph," &c., "delights " to be "fled," but "bliss" and "woe" are less correctly employed, inasmuch as bliss properly belongs only to heaven, and woe "lies too deep for tears." (1) Erewhile-a while before-some time ago. (2) To him-for him, as far as he is concerned. (3) Vestige-from the Latin vestigium, a footmark-hence track, trace. (4) Annals, &c.-neither the written history of mankind, nor the ruins they have left behind them, afford any other trace, &c. THE LION HUNT.1 MOUNT-mount for the hunting-with musket and spear! Ride up Eildon-Cleugh, and blow loudly the bugle: In the gorge of the glen lie the bones of my steed, Ho! the Hottentot lads have discovered the track- Through the rough rocky kloof 6 into Grey Huntley-Glen, Now mark yonder brake where the bloodhounds are howling; (1) The circumstances described in this very spirited poem, came under the personal observation of the writer, Mr. Pringle, and may be read in detail in the 8th chapter of his interesting "Narrative of a Residence in South Africa." (2) The names in this piece are with the exception of "the Rennies," who were Scottish friends of the author-those of Mulatto farmers, and Hottentot and Dutch servants, residing in the neighbourhood. (3) Spoor-a Dutch word-track, the lion's track. (4) Gorge-the throat or narrow passage at the opening of a defile. (5) Fatherland-here means Scotland, which was the native country of the emigrants. (6) Kloof-a Dutch word-a small valley opening into a larger one. (7) Fell-a Scandinavian word—a rocky hill. |