The propagated cry redoubling bounds, And winged zephyrs waft the floating joy _190 Through all the regions near: afflictive birch No more the school-boy dreads, his prison broke, Scampering he flies, nor heeds his master"s call; The weary traveller forgets his road, And climbs the adjacent hill; the ploughman leaves The unfinished furrow; nor his bleating flocks Are now the shepherd"s joy; men, boys, and girls Desert the unpeopled village; and wild crowds Spread o"er the plain, by the sweet frenzy seized.
Look, how she pants! and o"er yon opening glade _200 Slips glancing by; while, at the further end, The puzzling pack unravel wile by wile, Maze within maze. The covert"s utmost bound Slily she skirts; behind them cautious creeps, And in that very track, so lately stained By all the steaming crowd, seems to pursue The foe she flies. Let cavillers deny That brutes have reason; sure "tis something more, "Tis Heaven directs, and stratagems inspires, Beyond the short extent of human thought.
_210 But hold--I see her from the covert break; Sad on yon little eminence she sits; Intent she listens with one ear erect, Pond"ring, and doubtful what new course to take, And how to escape the fierce blood-thirsty crew, That still urge on, and still in vollies loud, Insult her woes, and mock her sore distress.
As now in louder peals, the loaded winds Bring on the gathering storm, her fears prevail; And o"er the plain, and o"er the mountain"s ridge, _220 Away she flies; nor ships with wind and tide, And all their canvas wings, scud half so fast.
Once more, ye jovial train, your courage try, And each clean courser"s speed. We scour along, In pleasing hurry and confusion tossed; Oblivion to be wished. The patient pack Hang on the scent unwearied, up they climb, And ardent we pursue; our labouring steeds We press, we gore; till once the summit gained, Painfully panting, there we breathe a while; _230 Then like a foaming torrent, pouring down Precipitant, we smoke along the vale.
Happy the man, who with unrivalled speed Can pa.s.s his fellows, and with pleasure view The struggling pack; how in the rapid course Alternate they preside, and jostling push To guide the dubious scent; how giddy youth Oft babbling errs, by wiser age reproved; How, n.i.g.g.ard of his strength, the wise old hound Hangs in the rear, till some important point _240 Rouse all his diligence, or till the chase Sinking he finds; then to the head he springs, With thirst of glory fired, and wins the prize.
Huntsman, take heed; they stop in full career.
Yon crowding flocks, that at a distance graze, Have haply soiled the turf. See! that old hound, How busily he works, but dares not trust His doubtful sense; draw yet a wider ring.
Hark! now again the chorus fills; as bells Silenced a while at once their peal renew, _250 And high in air the tuneful thunder rolls.
See, how they toss, with animated rage Recovering all they lost!--That eager haste Some doubling wile foreshews.--Ah! yet once more They"re checked--hold back with speed--on either hand They nourish round--even yet persist--"Tis right, Away they spring; the rustling stubbles bend Beneath the driving storm. Now the poor chase Begins to flag, to her last shifts reduced.
From brake to brake she flies, and visits all _260 Her well-known haunts, where once she ranged secure, With love and plenty bless"d. See! there she goes, She reels along, and by her gait betrays Her inward weakness. See, how black she looks!
The sweat that clogs the obstructed pores, scarce leaves A languid scent. And now in open view See, see, she flies! each eager hound exerts His utmost speed, and stretches every nerve.
How quick she turns! their gaping jaws eludes, And yet a moment lives; till round inclosed _270 By all the greedy pack, with infant screams She yields her breath, and there reluctant dies.
So when the furious Baccha.n.a.ls a.s.sailed Thracian Orpheus, poor ill-fated bard!
Loud was the cry; hills, woods, and Hebrus" banks, Returned their clamorous rage; distressed he flies, Shifting from place to place, but flies in vain; For eager they pursue, till panting, faint, By noisy mult.i.tudes o"erpowered, he sinks, To the relentless crowd a bleeding prey.
_280 The huntsman now, a deep incision made, Shakes out with hands impure, and dashes down Her reeking entrails, and yet quivering heart.
These claim the pack, the b.l.o.o.d.y perquisite For all their toils. Stretched on the ground she lies, A mangled corse; in her dim glaring eyes Cold death exults, and stiffens every limb.
Awed by the threatening whip, the furious hounds Around her bay; or at their master"s foot, Each happy favourite courts his kind applause, _290 With humble adulation cowering low.
All now is joy. With cheeks full-blown they wind Her solemn dirge, while the loud-opening pack The concert swell, and hills and dales return The sadly-pleasing sounds. Thus the poor hare, A puny, dastard animal, but versed In subtle wiles, diverts the youthful train.
But if thy proud, aspiring soul disdains So mean a prey, delighted with the pomp, Magnificence and grandeur of the chase; _300 Hear what the Muse from faithful records sings.
Why on the banks of Gemna, Indian stream, Line within line, rise the pavilions proud, Their silken streamers waving in the wind?
Why neighs the warrior horse? from tent to tent, Why press in crowds the buzzing mult.i.tude?
Why shines the polished helm, and pointed lance, This way and that far-beaming o"er the plain?
Nor Visapour nor Golconda rebel; Nor the great Sophy, with his numerous host _310 Lays waste the provinces; nor glory fires To rob, and to destroy, beneath the name And specious guise of war. A n.o.bler cause Calls Aurengzebe[7] to arms. No cities sacked, No mother"s tears, no helpless orphan"s cries, No violated leagues, with sharp remorse Shall sting the conscious victor: but mankind Shall hail him good and just. For "tis on beasts He draws his vengeful sword; on beasts of prey Full-fed with human gore. See, see, he comes!
_320 Imperial Delhi opening wide her gates, Pours out her thronging legions, bright in arms, And all the pomp of war. Before them sound Clarions and trumpets, breathing martial airs, And bold defiance. High upon his throne, Borne on the back of his proud elephant, Sits the great chief of Tamur"s glorious race: Sublime he sits, amid the radiant blaze Of gems and gold. Omrahs about him crowd, And rein the Arabian steed, and watch his nod: _330 And potent Rajahs, who themselves preside O"er realms of wide extent; but here submiss Their homage pay, alternate kings and slaves.
Next these, with prying eunuchs girt around, The fair sultanas of his court; a troop Of chosen beauties, but with care concealed From each intrusive eye; one look is death.
A cruel Eastern law! (had kings a power But equal to their wild tyrannic will) To rob us of the sun"s all-cheering ray, _340 Were less severe. The vulgar close the march, Slaves and artificers; and Delhi mourns Her empty and depopulated streets.
Now at the camp arrived, with stern review, Through groves of spears, from file to file he darts His sharp experienced eye; their order marks, Each in his station ranged, exact and firm, Till in the boundless line his sight is lost.
Not greater mult.i.tudes in arms appeared, On these extended plains, when Ammon"s[8] son _350 With mighty Porus in dread battle joined, The va.s.sal world the prize. Nor was that host More numerous of old, which the great king Poured out on Greece from all the unpeopled East; That bridged the h.e.l.lespont from sh.o.r.e to sh.o.r.e, And drank the rivers dry. Meanwhile in troops The busy hunter-train mark out the ground, A wide circ.u.mference; full many a league In compa.s.s round; woods, rivers, hills, and plains, Large provinces; enough to gratify _360 Ambition"s highest aim, could reason bound Man"s erring will. Now sit in close divan The mighty chiefs of this prodigious host.
He from the throne high-eminent presides, Gives out his mandates proud, laws of the chase, From ancient records drawn. With reverence low, And prostrate at his feet, the chiefs receive His irreversible decrees, from which To vary is to die. Then his brave bands Each to his station leads; encamping round, _370 Till the wide circle is completely formed; Where decent order reigns, what these command, Those execute with speed, and punctual care; In all the strictest discipline of war: As if some watchful foe, with bold insult Hung lowering o"er their camp. The high resolve, That flies on wings, through all the encircling line, Each motion steers, and animates the whole.
So by the sun"s attractive power controlled, The planets in their spheres roll round his...o...b.. _380 On all he shines, and rules the great machine.
Ere yet the morn dispels the fleeting mists, The signal given by the loud trumpet"s voice, Now high in air the imperial standard waves, Emblazoned rich with gold, and glittering gems; And like a sheet of fire, through the dun gloom Streaming meteorous. The soldiers" shouts, And all the brazen instuments of war, With mutual clamor, and united din, Fill the large concave. While from camp to camp, _390 They catch the varied sounds, floating in air, Round all the wide circ.u.mference, tigers fell Shrink at the noise; deep in his gloomy den The lion starts, and morsels yet unchewed Drop from his trembling jaws. Now all at once Onward they march embattled, to the sound Of martial harmony; fifes, cornets, drums, That rouse the sleepy soul to arms, and bold Heroic deeds. In parties here and there Detached o"er hill and dale, the hunters range _400 Inquisitive; strong dogs that match in fight The boldest brute, around their masters wait, A faithful guard. No haunt unsearched, they drive From every covert, and from every den, The lurking savages. Incessant shouts Re-echo through the woods, and kindling fires Gleam from the mountain tops; the forest seems One mingling blaze: like flocks of sheep they fly Before the flaming brand: fierce lions, pards, Boars, tigers, bears, and wolves; a dreadful crew _410 Of grim blood-thirsty foes: growling along, They stalk indignant; but fierce vengeance still Hangs pealing on their rear, and pointed spears Present immediate death. Soon as the night Wrapt in her sable veil forbids the chase, They pitch their tents, in even ranks around The circling camp. The guards are placed, and fires At proper distances ascending rise, And paint the horizon with their ruddy light.
So round some island"s sh.o.r.e of large extent, _420 Amid the gloomy horrors of the night, The billows breaking on the pointed rocks, Seem all one flame, and the bright circuit wide Appears a bulwark of surrounding fire.
What dreadful bowlings, and what hideous roar, Disturb those peaceful shades where erst the bird That glads the night, had cheered the listening groves With sweet complainings! Through the silent gloom Oft they the guards a.s.sail; as oft repelled They fly reluctant, with hot-boiling rage _430 Stung to the quick, and mad with wild despair.
Thus day by day, they still the chase renew; At night encamp; till now in straiter bounds The circle lessens, and the beasts perceive The wall that hems them in on every side.
And now their fury bursts, and knows no mean; From man they turn, and point their ill-judged rage Against their fellow brutes. With teeth and claws The civil war begins; grappling they tear.
Lions on tigers prey, and bears on wolves: _440 Horrible discord! till the crowd behind Shouting pursue, and part the b.l.o.o.d.y fray.
At once their wrath subsides; tame as the lamb The lion hangs his head, the furious pard, Cowed and subdued, flies from the face of man, Nor bears one glance of his commanding eye.
So abject is a tyrant in distress!
At last within the narrow plain confined, A listed field, marked out for b.l.o.o.d.y deeds, An amphitheatre more glorious far _450 Than ancient Rome could boast, they crowd in heaps, Dismayed, and quite appalled. In meet array Sheathed in refulgent arms, a n.o.ble band Advance; great lords of high imperial blood, Early resolved to a.s.sert their royal race, And prove by glorious deeds their valour"s growth Mature, ere yet the callow down has spread Its curling shade. On bold Arabian steeds With decent pride they sit, that fearless hear The lion"s dreadful roar; and down the rock _460 Swift-shooting plunge, or o"er the mountain"s ridge Stretching along, the greedy tiger leave Panting behind. On foot their faithful slaves With javelins armed attend; each watchful eye Fixed on his youthful care, for him alone He fears, and to redeem his life, unmoved Would lose his own. The mighty Aurengzebe, From his high-elevated throne, beholds His blooming race; revolving in his mind What once he was, in his gay spring of life, _470 When vigour strung his nerves. Parental joy Melts in his eyes, and flushes in his cheeks.
Now the loud trumpet sounds a charge. The shouts Of eager hosts, through all the circling line, And the wild bowlings of the beasts within Rend wide the welkin, flights of arrows, winged With death, and javelins launched from every arm, Gall sore the brutal bands, with many a wound Gored through and through. Despair at last prevails, When fainting nature shrinks, and rouses all _480 Their drooping courage. Swelled with furious rage, Their eyes dart fire; and on the youthful band They rush implacable. They their broad shields Quick interpose; on each devoted head Their flaming falchions, as the bolts of Jove, Descend unerring. Prostrate on the ground The grinning monsters lie, and their foul gore Defiles the verdant plain. Nor idle stand The trusty slaves; with pointed spears they pierce Through their tough hides; or at their gaping mouths _490 An easier pa.s.sage find. The king of brutes In broken roarings breathes his last; the bear Grumbles in death; nor can his spotted skin, Though sleek it shine, with varied beauties gay, Save the proud pard from unrelenting fate.
The battle bleeds, grim Slaughter strides along, Glutting her greedy jaws, grins o"er her prey.
Men, horses, dogs, fierce beasts of every kind, A strange promiscuous carnage, drenched in blood, And heaps on heaps ama.s.sed. What yet remain _500 Alive, with vain a.s.sault contend to break The impenetrable line. Others, whom fear Inspires with self-preserving wiles, beneath The bodies of the slain for shelter creep.
Aghast they fly, or hide their heads dispersed.
And now perchance (had Heaven but pleased) the work Of death had been complete; and Aurengzebe By one dread frown extinguished half their race.
When lo! the bright sultanas of his court Appear, and to his ravished eyes display _510 Those charms, but rarely to the day revealed.
Lowly they bend, and humbly sue, to save The vanquished host. What mortal can deny When suppliant beauty begs? At his command Opening to right and left, the well-trained troops Leave a large void for their retreating foes.
Away they fly, on wings of fear upborne, To seek on distant hills their late abodes.
Ye proud oppressors, whose vain hearts exult In wantonness of power, "gainst the brute race, _520 Fierce robbers like yourselves, a guiltless war Wage uncontrolled: here quench your thirst of blood: But learn from Aurengzebe to spare mankind.
BOOK III.
THE ARGUMENT.
Of King Edgar and his imposing a tribute of wolves" heads upon the kings of Wales: from hence a transition to fox-hunting, which is described in all its parts.--Censure of an over-numerous pack.--Of the several engines to destroy foxes, and other wild beasts.--The steel-trap described, and the manner of using it.--Description of the pitfall for the lion; and another for the elephant.--The ancient way of hunting the tiger with a mirror.--The Arabian manner of hunting the wild boar.--Description of the royal stag-chase at Windsor Forest.--Concludes with an address to his Majesty, and an eulogy upon mercy.
In Albion"s isle when glorious Edgar reigned, He wisely provident, from her white cliffs Launched half her forests, and with numerous fleets Covered his wide domain: there proudly rode Lord of the deep, the great prerogative Of British monarchs. Each invader bold, Dane and Norwegian, at a distance gazed, And disappointed, gnashed his teeth in vain.
He scoured the seas, and to remotest sh.o.r.es With swelling sails the trembling corsair fled.
_10 Rich commerce flourished; and with busy oars Dashed the resounding surge. Nor less at land His royal cares; wise, potent, gracious prince!
His subjects from their cruel foes he saved, And from rapacious savages their flocks.
Cambria"s proud kings (though with reluctance) paid Their tributary wolves; head after head, In full account, till the woods yield no more, And all the ravenous race extinct is lost.
In fertile pastures, more securely grazed _20 The social troops; and soon their large increase With curling fleeces whitened all the plains.
But yet, alas! the wily fox remained, A subtle, pilfering foe, prowling around 24 In midnight shades, and wakeful to destroy.
In the full fold, the poor defenceless lamb, Seized by his guileful arts, with sweet warm blood Supplies a rich repast. The mournful ewe, Her dearest treasure lost, through the dun night Wanders perplexed, and darkling bleats in vain: _30 While in the adjacent bush, poor Philomel, (Herself a parent once, till wanton churls Despoiled her nest) joins in her loud laments, With sweeter notes, and more melodious woe.
For these nocturnal thieves, huntsman, prepare Thy sharpest vengeance. Oh! how glorious "tis To right the oppressed, and bring the felon vile To just disgrace! Ere yet the morning peep, Or stars retire from the first blush of day, With thy far-echoing voice alarm thy pack, _40 And rouse thy bold compeers. Then to the copse, Thick with entangling gra.s.s, or p.r.i.c.kly furze, With silence lead thy many-coloured hounds, In all their beauty"s pride. See! how they range Dispersed, how busily this way and that, They cross, examining with curious nose Each likely haunt. Hark! on the drag I hear Their doubtful notes, preluding to a cry More n.o.bly full, and swelled with every mouth.
As straggling armies at the trumpet"s voice, _50 Press to their standard; hither all repair, And hurry through the woods; with hasty step Bustling, and full of hope; now driven on heaps They push, they strive; while from his kennel sneaks The conscious villain. See! he skulks along, Sleek at the shepherd"s cost, and plump with meals Purloined. So thrive the wicked here below.
Though high his brush he bear, though tipped with white It gaily shine; yet ere the sun declined Recall the shades of night, the pampered rogue _60 Shall rue his fate reversed; and at his heels Behold the just avenger, swift to seize His forfeit head, and thirsting for his blood.
Heavens! what melodious strains! how beat our hearts Big with tumultuous joy! the loaded gales Breathe harmony; and as the tempest drives From wood to wood, through every dark recess The forest thunders, and the mountains shake.
The chorus swells; less various, and less sweet The trilling notes, when in those very groves, _70 The feathered choristers salute the spring, And every bush in concert joins; or when The master"s hand, in modulated air, Bids the loud organ breathe, and all the powers Of music in one instrument combine, An universal minstrelsy. And now In vain each earth he tries, the doors are barred Impregnable, nor is the covert safe; He pants for purer air. Hark! what loud shouts Re-echo through the groves! he breaks away, _80 Shrill horns proclaim his flight. Each straggling hound Strains o"er the lawn to reach the distant pack.
"Tis triumph all and joy. Now, my brave youths, Now give a loose to the clean generous steed; Flourish the whip, nor spare the galling spur; But in the madness of delight, forget Your fears. Far o"er the rocky hills we range, And dangerous our course; but in the brave True courage never fails. In vain the stream In foaming eddies whirls; in vain the ditch _90 Wide-gaping threatens death. The craggy steep Where the poor dizzy shepherd crawls with care, And clings to every twig, gives us no pain; But down we sweep, as stoops the falcon bold To pounce his prey. Then up the opponent hill, By the swift motion slung, we mount aloft: So ships in winter-seas now sliding sink Adown the steepy wave, then tossed on high Ride on the billows, and defy the storm.
What lengths we pa.s.s! where will the wandering chase _100 Lead us bewildered! smooth as the swallows skim The new-shorn mead, and far more swift we fly.
See my brave pack! how to the head they press, Jostling in close array; then more diffuse Obliquely wheel, while from their opening mouths The vollied thunder breaks. So when the cranes Their annual voyage steer, with wanton wing Their figure oft they change, and their loud clang From cloud to cloud rebounds. How far behind The hunter-crew, wide straggling o"er the plain!
_110 The panting courser now with trembling nerves Begins to reel; urged by the goring spur, Makes many a faint effort: he snorts, he foams, The big round drops run trickling down his sides, With sweat and blood distained. Look back and view The strange confusion of the vale below, Where sour vexation reigns; see yon poor jade, In vain the impatient rider frets and swears, With galling spurs harrows his mangled sides; He can no more: his stiff unpliant limbs _120 Rooted in earth, unmoved and fixed he stands, For every cruel curse returns a groan, And sobs, and faints, and dies. Who without grief Can view that pampered steed, his master"s joy, His minion, and his daily care, well clothed, Well fed with every nicer cate; no cost, No labour spared; who, when the flying chase Broke from the copse, without a rival led The numerous train: now a sad spectacle Of pride brought low, and humbled insolence, _130 Drove like a panniered a.s.s, and scourged along.
While these with loosened reins, and dangling heels, Hang on their reeling palfreys, that scarce bear Their weights; another in the treacherous bog Lies floundering half engulfed. What biting thoughts Torment the abandoned crew! Old age laments His vigour spent: the tall, plump, brawny youth Curses his c.u.mbrous bulk; and envies now The short Pygmean race, he whilom kenn"d With proud insulting leer. A chosen few _140 Alone the sport enjoy, nor droop beneath Their pleasing toils. Here, huntsman, from this height Observe yon birds of prey; if I can judge, "Tis there the villain lurks; they hover round And claim him as their own. Was I not right?
See! there he creeps along; his brush he drags, And sweeps the mire impure; from his wide jaws His tongue unmoistened hangs; symptoms too sure Of sudden death. Ha! yet he flies, nor yields To black despair. But one loose more, and all _150 His wiles are vain. Hark! through yon village now The rattling clamour rings. The barns, the cots And leafless elms return the joyous sounds.
Through every homestall, and through every yard, His midnight walks, panting, forlorn, he flies; Through every hole he sneaks, through every jakes Plunging he wades besmeared, and fondly hopes In a superior stench to lose his own: But faithful to the track, the unerring hounds With peals of echoing vengeance close pursue.
_160 And now distressed, no sheltering covert near, Into the hen-roost creeps, whose walls with gore Distained attest his guilt. There, villain, there Expect thy fate deserved. And soon from thence The pack inquisitive, with clamour loud, Drag out their trembling prize; and on his blood With greedy transport feast. In bolder notes Each sounding horn proclaims the felon dead: And all the a.s.sembled village shouts for joy.
The farmer who beholds his mortal foe _170 Stretched at his feet, applauds the glorious deed, And grateful calls us to a short repast!
In the full gla.s.s the liquid amber smiles, Our native product. And his good old mate With choicest viands heaps the liberal board, To crown our triumphs, and reward our toils.
Here must the instructive Muse (but with respect) Censure that numerous pack, that crowd of state, With which the vain profusion of the great Covers the lawn, and shakes the trembling copse.
_180 Pompous inc.u.mbrance! A magnificence Useless, vexatious! For the wily fox, Safe in the increasing number of his foes, Kens well the great advantage: slinks behind And slily creeps through the same beaten track, And hunts them step by step; then views escaped With inward ecstasy, the panting throng In their own footsteps puzzled, foiled and lost.
So when proud Eastern kings summon to arms Their gaudy legions, from far distant climes _190 They flock in crowds, unpeopling half a world: But when the day of battle calls them forth To charge the well-trained foe, a band compact Of chosen veterans; they press blindly on, In heaps confused, by their own weapons fall, A smoking carnage scattered o"er the plain.
Nor hounds alone this noxious brood destroy: The plundered warrener full many a wile Devises to entrap his greedy foe, Fat with nocturnal spoils. At close of day, _200 With silence drags his trail; then from the ground Pares thin the close-grazed turf, there with nice hand Covers the latent death, with curious springs Prepared to fly at once, whene"er the tread Of man or beast unwarily shall press The yielding surface. By the indented steel With gripe tenacious held, the felon grins, And struggles, but in vain: yet oft "tis known, When every art has failed, the captive fox Has shared the wounded joint, and with a limb _210 Compounded for his life. But if perchance In the deep pitfall plunged, there"s no escape; But unreprieved he dies, and bleached in air The jest of clowns, his reeking carcase hangs.
Of these are various kinds; not even the king Of brutes evades this deep devouring grave: But by the wily African betrayed, Heedless of fate, within its gaping jaws Expires indignant. When the orient beam With blushes paints the dawn; and all the race _220 Carnivorous, with blood full-gorged, retire Into their darksome cells, there satiate snore O"er dripping offals, and the mangled limbs Of men and beasts; the painful forester 224 Climbs the high hills, whose proud aspiring tops, With the tall cedar crowned, and taper fir, a.s.sail the clouds. There "mong the craggy rocks, And thickets intricate, trembling he views His footsteps in the sand; the dismal road And avenue to death. Hither he calls _230 His watchful bands; and low into the ground A pit they sink, full many a fathom deep.
Then in the midst a column high is reared, The b.u.t.t of some fair tree; upon whose top A lamb is placed, just ravished from his dam.
And next a wall they build, with stones and earth Encircling round, and hiding from all view The dreadful precipice. Now when the shades Of night hang lowering o"er the mountain"s brow; And hunger keen, and pungent thirst of blood, _240 Rouse up the slothful beast, he shakes his sides, Slow-rising from his lair, and stretches wide His ravenous jaws, with recent gore distained.
The forests tremble, as he roars aloud, Impatient to destroy. O"erjoyed he hears The bleating innocent, that claims in vain The shepherd"s care, and seeks with piteous moan The foodful teat; himself, alas! designed Another"s meal. For now the greedy brute Winds him from far; and leaping o"er the mound _250 To seize his trembling prey, headlong is plunged Into the deep abyss. Prostrate he lies Astunned and impotent. Ah! what avail Thine eye-b.a.l.l.s flashing fire, thy length of tail, That lashes thy broad sides, thy jaws besmeared With blood and offals crude, thy s.h.a.ggy mane The terror of the woods, thy stately port, And bulk enormous, since by stratagem Thy strength is foiled? Unequal is the strife, When sovereign reason combats brutal rage.
_260 On distant Ethiopia"s sun-burnt coasts, The black inhabitants a pitfall frame, But of a different kind, and different use.
With slender poles the wide capacious mouth, And hurdles slight, they close; o"er these is spread A floor of verdant turf, with all its flowers Smiling delusive, and from strictest search Concealing the deep grave that yawns below.
Then boughs of trees they cut, with tempting fruit Of various kinds surcharged; the downy peach, _270 The cl.u.s.tering vine, and of bright golden rind The fragrant orange. Soon as evening gray Advances slow, besprinkling all around With kind refreshing dews the thirsty glebe, The stately elephant from the close shade With step majestic strides, eager to taste The cooler breeze, that from the sea-beat sh.o.r.e Delightful breathes, or in the limpid stream To lave his panting sides; joyous he scents The rich repast, unweeting of the death _280 That lurks within. And soon he sporting breaks The brittle boughs, and greedily devours The fruit delicious. Ah! too dearly bought; The price is life. For now the treacherous turf Trembling gives way; and the unwieldy beast Self-sinking, drops into the dark profound.
So when dilated vapours, struggling heave The inc.u.mbent earth; if chance the caverned ground Shrinking subside, and the thin surface yield, Down sinks at once the ponderous dome, engulfed _290 With all its towers. Subtle, delusive man!
How various are thy wiles! artful to kill Thy savage foes, a dull unthinking race!
Fierce from his lair, springs forth the speckled pard, Thirsting for blood, and eager to destroy; The huntsman flies, but to his flight alone Confides not: at convenient distance fixed, A polished mirror stops in full career The furious brute: he there his image views; Spots against spots with rage improving glow; _300 Another pard his bristly whiskers curls, Grins as he grins, fierce-menacing, and wide Distends his opening jaws; himself against Himself opposed, and with dread vengeance armed.
The huntsman now secure, with fatal aim Directs the pointed spear, by which transfixed He dies, and with him dies the rival shade.
Thus man innumerous engines forms, to a.s.sail The savage kind: but most the docile horse, Swift and confederate with man, annoys _310 His brethren of the plains; without whose aid The hunter"s arts are vain, unskilled to wage With the more active brutes an equal war.
But borne by him, without the well-trained pack, Man dares his foe, on wings of wind secure.
Him the fierce Arab mounts, and with his troop Of bold compeers, ranges the deserts wild, Where by the magnet"s aid, the traveller Steers his untrodden course; yet oft on land Is wrecked, in the high-rolling waves of sand _320 Immersed and lost; while these intrepid bands, Safe in their horses" speed, out-fly the storm, And scouring round, make men and beasts their prey.
The grisly boar is singled from his herd As large as that in Erimanthian woods.