14
Buried and stiff, awhile thy form must rest,
The cold, damp earth thy dream of life must blot.
Thus all, like thee, shall sink on Natures breast,
Like thee be mourn'd a moment—then forgot.
ON THE DOVE'S LEAVING THE ARK.
STILL did an unseen Being guide
The lonely vessel o'er the tide,
And still, with steady prow, it braves
The fury of the foaming waves.
While fierce the deluge pours its stream,
The thunders roll—the meteors gleam,
When Ocean's mighty cisterns broke,
And earth like a rent cottage shook,
And slowly as its axle turn'd,
The wat'ry planet mov'd and mourn'd;
Though trembling at the tempest's ire,
Or scorching in the lightning's fire,
While holding in her firm embrace
The remnant of a wasted race,
Still o'er the waves the wandering ark
Roam'd like some lone, deserted bark.
