Ritmennt - 01.01.2000, Síða 145

RITMENNT
THE DREAM
Inviting sleep assail'd my spying eye;
And whilst my thought in th'age of heroes'39 dwelt,
The nature's demands o'er my will prevail'd;
I slumber'd soft in dewy lap of ground,
Where darkness' wings embraced me around. 30
What dreams now met me in this wondrous night
What heav'nly shows she opened for my sight
My ravish'd muse cannot to world rehearse,
They wane tarnishing in my humble verse
To theme, so high, sublimer strains belong,
Worthy to live in more exalted song.—
I dreamt, I saw an heroic ghost appear,
That fill'd my soul with rev'rence and with fear.
His part was free, his face surpassing bright,
Around his head shone beams of heav'nly light: 40
While I surpris'd admir'd a shape, so new,
Another vision from this part me drew.—
A reverend train of Britons fall'n in wars,
Come riding from the skies in cloudy cars:
Their bosoms still with noble courage glow
As when they breath'd their last by Waterloo.40
Their generous ghosts still watch o'er Europe's peace
For which they sacrificed life and ease.—
With awful fear erected stood my hair,
When I beheld thern driving in the air; 50
In cars, like them, which 'land's41 voice has sung,
Immortal heroes, and their weapons, rung.—
I saw me soon encompass'd, where I slept,
With shining warriors in their stoutness wrapt—
Near Ingolfs shadow I them heard descend
And with their feet to shake th'astonish'd land
In fair array they wander'd to the ghost,
That gaz'd upon them as in wonder lost.
But since he lcnew not, whence this army flow'd
That on his forgot tomb embattled stood; 60
39 Rangt tvöfalt eignarfall, merkt bæði með forsetningu og úrfellingarmerki.
40 Orrustan við Waterloo 1815, þar sem hertoginn af Wellington bar sigurorð af
Napoleon Bonaparte.
41 Stytt mynd af „England's".
141