and sea,

clouds appear

Semichorus 1.

Panthea, 'Tis the deep music of the We, beyond heaven, are driven along:

rolling world Semichorus II.

Kindling within the strings of the waved

air, Us the enchantments of earth retain :

Eolian modulations.
Semichorus I.

Ione.

Listen too, Ceaseless, and rapid, and fierce, and free, How every pause is filled with underWith the Spirits which build a new earth

notes,

Clear, silver, icy, keen, awakening tones, And a heaven where yet heaven could Which pierce the sense, and live within never be.

the soul, Semichorus II.

As the sharp stars pierce winter's crystal Solemn, and slow, and serene, and bright, And gaze upon themselves within the sea.

air Leading the Day and outspeeding the

Panthea.
Night,

But see where through two With the powers of a world of perfect

openings in the forest light.

Which hanging branches overcanopy,

And where two runnels of a rivulet, Semichorus I. We whirl, singing loud, round the gather. Have made their path of melody, like

Between the close moss violet-inwoven, ing sphere,

sisters Till the trees, and the beasts, and the Who part with sighs that they may meet

in smiles, From itschaos made calm by love, not fear. Turning their dear disunion to an isle Semichorus II.

Of lovely grief, a wood of sweet sad We encircle the ocean and mountains of thoughts ; earth,

Two visions of strange radiance float And the happy forms of its death and birth

upon Change to the music of our sweet mirth. The ocean-like enchantment of strong

sound, Chorus of Hours and Spirits. Which flows intenser, keener, deeper yet Break the dance, and scatter the song, Under the ground and through the wind. Let some depart, and some remain,

less air. Wherever we fly we lead along

Ione. I see achariot like that thinnest In leashes, like starbeams, soft yet boat, strong,

In which the mother of the months is The clouds that are heavy with love's

borne sweet rain.

By ebbing night into her western cave, Panthea. Ha! they are gone! When she upsprings from interlunar Ione.

Yet feel you no delight dreams, From the past sweetness?

O'er which is curved an orblike canopy Panthea, As the bare green hill Of gentle darkness, and the hills and When some soft cloud vanishes into rain,

woods Laughs with a thousand drops of sunny Distinctly seen through that dusk airy

veil, To the unpavilioned sky!

Regard like shapes in an enchanter's Tone. .

Even whilst we speak glass; New notes arise. What is that awful Its wheels are solid clouds, azure and sound?

gold,

water

Such as the genii of the thunderstorm Such as ghosts dream dwell in the lamp. Pile on the floor of the illumined sea

less deep, When the sun rushes under it; they roll Yet each inter-transpicuous, and they And move and grow as with an inward whirl wind;

Over each other with a thousand motions, Within it sits a wingèd infant, white Upon a thousand sightless axles spinning, Its countenance, like the whiteness of And with the force of self-destroying bright snow,

swiftness, Its plumes are as feathers of sunny frost, Intensely, slowly, solemnly roll on, Its limbs gleam white, through the wind. Kindling with mingled sounds, and flowing solds

many tones, Of its white robe, woof of ethereal pearl. Intelligible words and music wild. Its hair is white, the brightness of white With mighty whirl the multitudinous light

orb Scattered in strings; yet its two eyes Grinds the bright brook into an azure are heavens

mist Of liquid darkness, which the Deity Of elemental subtlety, like light ; Within seems pouring, as a storm is And the wild odour of the forest flowers, poured

The music of the living grass and air, From jagged clouds, out of their arrowy The emerald light of leas-entangled beams lashes,

Round its intense yet self-conflicting Tempering the cold and radiant air speed, around,

Seem kneaded into one aërial mass With fire that is not brightness ; in its Which drowns the sense. Within the hand

orb itself, It sways a quivering moonbeam, from Pillowed upon its alabaster arms, whose point

Like to a child o'erwearied with sweet A guiding power directs the chariot's toil, prow

On its own folded wings, and wavy hair, Over its wheeled clouds, which as they The Spirit of the Earth is laid asleep, roll

And you can see its little lips are Over the grass, and flowers, and waves, moving, wake sounds,

Amid the changing light of their own Sweet as a singing rain of silver dew.

smiles, Panthea. And from the other open. Like one who talks of what he loves ing in the wood

in dream. Rushes, with loud and whirlwind har. lone. 'Tis only mocking the orb's mony,

harmony. A sphere, which is as many thousand Panthea. And from a star upon its spheres,

forehead, shoot, Solid as crystal, yet through all its mass Like swords of azure fire, or golden Flow, as through empty space, music

spears and light :

With tyrant-quelling myrtle overtwined, Ten thousand orbsinvolving and involved, Embleming heaven and earth united Purple and azure, white, and green, and

now, golden,

Vast beams like spokes of some invisible Sphere within sphere ; and every space

wheel between

Which whirl as the orb whirls, swister Peopled with unimaginable shapes,

than thought,

Filling the abyss with sun-like lightnings, And serpents, bony chains, twisted And perpendicular now, and now trans

around verse,

The iron crags, or within heaps of dust Pierce the dark soil, and as they pierce To which the tortuous strength of their

and pass,

last pangs

once

worms

Make bare the secrets of the earth's deep Had crushed the iron crags; and over heart;

these Infinite mine of adamant and gold, The jagged alligator, and the might Valueless stones, and unimagined gems, Of earth-convulsing behemoth, which And caverns

on crystalline columns poised

Were monarch beasts, and on the slimy With vegetable silver overspread ;

shores, Wells of unfathomed fire, and water And weed-overgrown continents of earth, springs

Increased and multiplied like summer Whence the great sea, even as a child is fed,

On an abandoned corpse, till the blue Whose vapours clothe earth's monarch globe mountain-tops

Wrapt deluge round it like a cloke, and With kingly, ermine snow. The beams they flash on

Yelled, gasped, and were abolished; or And make appear the melancholy ruins

some God Of cancelled cycles; anchors, beaks of Whose throne was in a comet, past, and ships;

cried, Planksturned to marble; quivers, helms, Be not ! And like my words they were and spears,

no more. And gorgon - - headed targes, and the

The Earth. wheels

The joy, the triumph, the delight, Of scythèd chariots, and the emblazonry the madness! Of trophies, standards, and armorial The boundless, overflowing, bursting beasts,

gladness, Round which death laughed, sepulchred The vaporous exultation not to be conemblems

fined ! Of dead destruction, ruin within ruin ! Ha! ha! the animation of delight The wrecks beside of many a city vast, Which wraps me, like an atmosWhose population which the earth grew phere of light,

And bears me as a cloud is borne by Was mortal, but not human; see, they

its own wind.

The Moon. Their monstrous works, and uncouth Brother mine, calm wanderer, skeletons,

Happy globe of land and air, Their statues, homes and fanes; pro- Some Spirit is darted like a beam from digious shapes

thee, Huddled in gray annihilation, split, Which penetrates my frozen frame, Jammed in the hard, black deep; and And passes with the warmth of flame, over these,

With love, and odour, and deep melody The anatomies of unknown winged

Through me, through me! things,

The Earth. And fishes which were isles of living IIa! ha! the caverns of my hollow scale,

over

lie,

This true fair world of things, a sea A spirit ill to guide, but mighty to obey, reflecting love;

Is as a tempest-winged ship, whose Which over all his kind as the sun's

helm heaven

Love rules, through waves which Gliding o'er ocean, smooth, serene, dare not overwhelm, and even

Forcing life's wildest shores to own its Darting from starry depths radiance and sovereign sway. life, doth move,

All things confess his strength. Leave Man, even as a leprous child Through the cold mass is left,

Or marble and of colour his dreams Who follows a sick beast to some

pass; warm cleft

Bright threads whence mothers weave Of rocks, through which the might of

the robes their children wear; healing springs is poured;

Language is a perpetual orphic song, Then when it wanders home with

Which rules with Dadal harmony rosy smile,

a throng Unconscious, and its mother fears of thoughts and forms, which else senseawhile

less and shapeless were. It is a spirit, then, weeps on her child

The lightning is his slave; heaven's restored.

utmost deep Man, oh, not men ! a chain of

Gives up her stars, and like a flock linked thought,

of sheep of love and might to be divided not,

They pass before his eye, are numbered,

and roll on! Compelling the elements with adaman. tine stress;

The tempest is his steed, he strides

the air; As the sun rules, even with a tyrant's gaze,

And the abyss shouts from her

depth laid bare, The unquiet republic of the maze

Heaven, hast thou secrets?

Man unOf planets, struggling fierce towards

veils me; I have none. heaven's free wilderness.

The Moon. Man, one harmonious soul of many

The shadow of white death has past a soul,

From my path in heaven at last, Whose nature is its own divine

A clinging shroud of solid frost and control,

sleep; Where all things flow to all, as rivers to

And through my newly-woven bowers,

Wander happy paramours, Familiar acts are beautiful through Less mighty, but as mild as those who love;

keep Labour, and pain, and grief, in

Thy vales more deep. life's green grove Sport like tame beasts, none knew how

The Earth. gentle they could be !

As the dissolving warmth of dawn His will, with all mean passions, A half unfrozen dew.globe, green, bad delights,

and gold, And selfish cares, its trembling And crystalline, till it becomes a winged satellites,

mist,

the sea;

may fold