Such were the strains, by antient Orpheus sung.
To such, Mufæus' heav'nly lyre was strung;
Exalted truths, in learned verse they told,
And nature's deepest secrets did unfold.
How at th' eternal mind's omnisic call,
Yon starry arch, and this terrestrial ball,
The briny wave, the blazing source of light,
And the wane empress of the silent night,
Each in it's order rose and took its place,
And filled with recent forms the vacant space;
How rolling planets trace their destin'd way,
Nor in the wastes of pathless Æther stray;
How the pale moon, with silver beams adorn
Her chearful orb, and gilds her sharpened horns;
How the vast ocean's swelling tides obey
Her distant reign, and own her watr'y sway;
How erring floods, their circling course maintain,
Supplied by constant succours from the main;
Whilst to the sea, the refluent streams restore,
The liquid treasures which she lent before;
What dreadful veil obscures the solar light,
And Phæbe's darken'd face conceals from mortal sight.
Thy learned muse, I with like pleasure hear
The wonders of the lesser world declare,
Point out the various marks of skill divine,
Which thro' its complicated structure mine,
In tuneful verse, the vital current trace,
Thro' all the windings of its mazy race,
And tell hew the rich purple tide bestows,
Vigour, and kindly warmth where e'er it flows;