Nor could old ocean's monarch, while he dwelt Or -- I've seen seven columns, standing now at Corinth, Who laid the corner-stone of Corinth's state, How much above the æra of Timoleon, Whom that proud state commissioned to dethrone A Grecian colony to Syracuse 'Tis all unknown. The ruins there, and here, Twice blooming in a year. And he who first As I do now, to muse among these columns, Of times whose works remain, whose history's lost. And yet the palace of that same Augustus, Of the superior-converting thus Things inorganic, mortar, bricks, and stones, To soil, that it may feed organic life, Grass, flowers, and trees, that they, in turn, may serve As food for animals, and they for man, According to the eternal laws of God Are all, of Cæsar's palace, that remains. VOL. XIII. But of this solemn temple, not a shaft In the warm sunshine, up and down their grooves, To see how many ages more 't would stand. Methinks, even now, as the soft wind flows through -- And solemn voice it is the temple's voice- For Mezzofanti or the Polyglott, Without a close attention, to decide; For, since this temple pyenostyle hath stood, And to my ear it says, or seems to say: 'Stranger, I know as little of the world From which thou comést, as thou dost of the time I was so young, when I was first set up, Would, through the lines which thou wilt write of me, But Hercules-the friend of whom I've spoken- For, once he sat where thou art sitting now. Excuse what, to thy cold and western ear, To be laudator acti temporis. And, long since then, I've heard events, unmoved, Which shook all Italy with their report, And, ever since, have echoed round the globe. For, I was quite in years when Hannibal Came down the Alps, and at the river Ticin, Which, on thy journey homeward, thou shalt cross, 33 When, after that, by Thrasymene's lake, . But later still, when, had the conqueror gone Those gates would have swung open. O, when I On the soft bosom of Parthenopè; When they who scaled the Alps, and stemmed the Po, (A very muddy river that, you'll find,) And stood against the arms of Rome's best men, Fell, as fell Sampson in Dalilah's lap; Then was I moved, indeed; yea deeply moved, 'Stranger, beware! for still Parthenope, From whose bewitching smile thou hast withdrawn, To visit these drear solitudes, and muse For a few hours among my colonnades, Spreads all the snares that were by Capua spread, (I see thou takest pleasure in my stones!) Spare me, as Time hath spared; though I am sure I owe him little thanks; for I have felt The hackings of his scythe, (now somewhat dulled, To judge which hath the better of the game: To break a fragment, as 'a specimen' Of the strange, hard, but spongy-looking stone Yea, spare me, friend, and spare me, all ye gods, THE SHIPWRECK. ALL OF WHICH I SAW, AND PART OF WHICH I WAS 'BREAKERS ahead! - breakers ahead! All hands on deck!' These startling words, uttered in a loud, shrill voice, accompanied by violent stamping overhead, roused me from a delightful slumber, as I lay in the berth of a noble coaster, on a bleak December night. It was but a few weeks after the melancholy wreck of the HOME, whose timbers, peering above the water, we had seen and passed a few days before. With the velocity of thought, I sprang from my berth, and made for the companion-way; but such a getting up stairs!' I was twice violently prostrated, before I succeeded in the attempt. The captain, who was also sleeping when the alarm was given, reached the deck just before me. On the first appearance of danger, an attempt had been made to put the vessel about, when there were but two men on deck; and she was now rolling and struggling in the trough of the sea, while the utmost confusion prevailed among the crew. The roar of the tempest, the blackness of the night, the rain sweeping and hurtling by, with the thunder-voice of the breakers, that seemed entirely to surround us, gave a terrific character to the scene, which I can never forget. I had scarcely glanced at our situation, when the vessel, raised by a tremendous sea, was pitched forward upon the bottom. Heavens! how the 'many waters' swept over her! For a moment, not a word was uttered by the crew, who were laying hold of the nearest objects, as a temporary security against being borne overboard. Drenched from head to foot by the chilling flood, I retreated farther into the cabin. Every timber in the vessel groaned audibly; she trembled like a huge leviathan, in the agonies of death. As she rose upon the succeeding wave, she seemed to recover from the shock of the first breaker. The crew, inspired with courage by the apparent effort which she made to escape destruction, resumed their endeavors to put her about. She wore round beautifully;' and we began to flatter ourselves we had escaped. ་ With this hope swelling his bosom, one of the crew sang out, in exulting tones, We are off!- we are off! But before the words died upon his lips, the delusion had vanished. The vessel struck again and again. We were in a field of breakers! Orders were given to take in the few sails that were flying; but the united strength of a crew of nine men failed to accomplish the object. The next command was, to throw overboard the deck load, naval stores and cotton. A few barrels were cast into the sea; but the attendant danger was so great, that the captain soon ordered the crew to desist. While these operations were going forward, I still occupied my place on the steps of the companion-way, with my eye fixed upon a spar near at hand; for I recollected that some who escaped the wreck of the Home, had floated to the shore upon a similar material. At length we all sought refuge in the cabin; which-thanks to copper bolts, live oak, and faithful workmen― had admitted but little water. Drawing over the sliding cover of the cabin passage-way, we were in a comparatively comfortable situation. A light was soon obtained, by means of a flint and steel, when I had an opportunity of observing the countenances of the crew. The captain, having great confidence in the strength of his vessel, was more collected than the rest; but his faith was greatly diminished, whenever a quick succession of heavy seas ground the vessel with such force upon the bottom, that it seemed impossible for any materials, united by human means, long to hold together. The terror of most of the crew could not be concealed, as they stood shivering and dripping with cold and wet, clinging to a berth or pillar, to keep themselves upright, amidst falling stoves, tables, chairs, trunks, barrels, etc. I confess, I was not a little surprised at the change which had come over these men in so short a time. I had fancied that persons inured to danger, by continued exposure to it, were entirely free from fear; but these hardy sailors, by the subdued tone of their voices, half-choked utterance, and lamentations over their helpless condition, showed that a near prospect of death was to them any thing but a matter of indifference. Caged in our narrow cabin, exposed to all the violence of the breakers, during a protracted storm, and entirely ignorant of our whereabout, our situation may be easily conceived. The reef of breakers upon which we were rocking and grinding, was truly terra incognita. Perchance it was one of those fearful shoals that make far out to sea, whence there is no hope of escape. Ever and anon some of the crew would venture upon deck, and strain their eyes in the vain endeavor to pierce the surrounding darkness. Their reports varied, as hope or fear held the supremacy. One thought, while the rain slackened for a moment, and wind and wave raged less furiously, that he could discern, in the 'dim obscure,' something blacker than the rest, which he 'guessed' was land. Another could see no sign of land; we were far at sea; and, with the thought that he should never again see his distant home, he threw himself into a berth, exclaiming, in the bitterness of his soul, that he would die there! The most philosophical of the crew, was the cook, a long, lank, limping negro, named Nuby, who sat demurely in a corner, patiently awaiting the course of events. When asked if he was not alarmed, he replied: Me ben wreck before, cap'n; twice in de West Indies; but 't want half so bad as dis bout!' When confined to a bed of sickness, I have often thought the nighthours moved slowly on; that the hand of the great time-piece must have been reversed, for some inscrutable purpose, and that the blessed light of day would never again break upon my vision. But now, penned up in a narrow inclosure; protected from the sea only by a few planks, that threatened every moment to separate; surrounded by night, and storm, and darkness;' the moments waned slowly' indeed. The Captain assured us we could not be far from land, and that at day-break we must receive assistance from the residents near the beach. With this hope, we looked eagerly forward to the first gray hue of morning. At last the hour for day arrived, but it brought small increase of light. The water, meanwhile, had been gaining upon us very fast, and we were soon compelled to retreat to the deck. |