The Works of Alexander Pope Part 34

[Footnote 4: These remarks of Pope appeared in the form of a note to the first edition.]

[Footnote 5: Specimens of the British Poets, ed. Cunningham, p. 5.]

[Footnote 6: Singer's Spence, p. 211.]

[Footnote 7: Spence, p. 214.]

THE TEMPLE OF FAME.

In that soft season,[1] when descending show'rs[2]

Call forth the greens, and wake the rising flow'rs;[3]

When opening buds salute the welcome day,[4]

And earth relenting[5] feels the genial ray; As balmy sleep had charmed my cares to rest, 5 And love itself was banished from my breast,[6]

(What time the morn mysterious visions brings,[7]

While purer slumbers spread their golden wings) A train of phantoms in wild order rose, And joined, this intellectual scene[8] compose. 10 I stood, methought, betwixt earth, seas, and skies;[9]

The whole creation open to my eyes: In air self-balanced hung the globe below,[10]

Where mountains rise, and circling oceans flow; Here naked rocks, and empty wastes were seen, 15 There tow'ry cities, and the forests green; Here sailing s.h.i.+ps delight the wand'ring eyes; There trees, and intermingled temples rise:[11]

Now a clear sun the s.h.i.+ning scene displays;[12]

The transient landscape now in clouds decays. 20 O'er the wide prospect as I gazed around, Sudden I heard a wild promiscuous sound, Like broken thunders that at distance roar, Or billows murm'ring on the hollow sh.o.r.e:[13]

Then, gazing up, a glorious pile beheld, 25 Whose tow'ring summit ambient clouds concealed.

High on a rock of ice the structure lay,[14]

Steep its ascent, and slipp'ry was the way;[15]

The wondrous rock like Parian marble shone, And seemed, to distant sight, of solid stone. 30 Inscriptions here of various names I viewed,[16]

The greater part by hostile time subdued; Yet wide was spread their fame in ages past, And poets once had promised they should last.

Some fresh engraved appeared of wits renowned; 35 I looked again, nor could their trace be found.

Critics I saw, that other names deface, And fix their own, with labour, in their place: Their own, like others, soon their place resigned, Or disappeared, and left the first behind. 40 Nor was the work impaired by storms alone,[17]

But felt th' approaches of too warm a sun; For Fame, impatient of extremes, decays Not more by envy than excess of praise.[18]

Yet part no injuries of heav'n could feel,[19] 45 Like crystal faithful to the graving steel: The rock's high summit, in the temple's shade, Nor heat could melt, nor beating storm invade.

Their names inscribed unnumbered ages past From time's first birth, with time itself shall last; 50 These ever new, nor subject to decays, Spread, and grow brighter with the length of days.

So Zembla's rocks (the beauteous work of frost)[20]

Rise white in air, and glitter o'er the coast; Pale suns, unfelt, at distance roll away, 55 And on th' impa.s.sive ice the lightnings play; Eternal snows the growing ma.s.s supply, Till the bright mountains prop th' inc.u.mbent sky[21]: As Atlas fixed, each h.o.a.ry pile appears,[22]

The gathered winter of a thousand years.[23] 60 On this foundation Fame's high temple stands; Stupendous pile! not reared by mortal hands.[24]

Whate'er proud Rome or artful Greece beheld, Or elder Babylon, its frame excelled.

Four faces had the dome,[25] and ev'ry face 65 Of various structure, but of equal grace: Four brazen gates, on columns lifted high,[26]

Salute the diff'rent quarters of the sky.[27]

Here fabled chiefs in darker ages born, Or worthies old, whom arms or arts adorn,[28] 70 Who cities raised, or tamed a monstrous race, The walls in venerable order grace.[29]

Heroes in animated marble frown,[30]

And legislators seem to think in stone.

Westward, a sumptuous frontispiece appeared, 75 On Doric pillars of white marble reared,[31]

Crowned with an architrave of antique mold, And sculpture rising on the roughened gold,[32]

In s.h.a.ggy spoils here Theseus was beheld,[33]

And Perseus dreadful with Minerva's s.h.i.+eld:[34] 80 There great Alcides stooping with his toil, Rests on his club, and holds th' Hesperian spoil.[35]

Here Orpheus sings; trees moving to the sound Start from their roots, and form a shade around: Amphion there the loud-creating lyre 85 Strikes,[36] and beholds a sudden Thebes aspire!

Cithaeron's echoes answer to his call, And half the mountain rolls into a wall: There might you see the length'ning spires ascend, The domes swell up, the widening arches bend, 90 The growing tow'rs like exhalations rise,[37]

And the huge columns heave into the skies.[38]

The Eastern front was glorious to behold, With di'mond flaming and barbaric gold.[39]

There Ninus shone, who spread th' a.s.syrian fame, 95 And the great founder of the Persian name:[40]

There in long robes the royal Magi stand, Grave Zoroaster waves the circling wand, The sage Chaldaeans, robed in white, appeared,[41]

And Brachmans, deep in desert woods revered.[42] 100 These stopped the moon, and called th' unbodied shades To midnight banquets in the glimm'ring glades; Made visionary fabrics round them rise, And airy spectres skim before their eyes;[43]

Of talismans and sigils knew the pow'r, 105 And careful watched the planetary hour.[44]

Superior, and alone, Confucius stood,[45]

Who taught that useful science, to be good.

But on the South, a long majestic race Of Egypt's priests the gilded niches grace, 110 Who measured earth, described the starry spheres, And traced the long records of lunar years.[46]

High on his car, Sesostris struck my view, Whom sceptered slaves in golden harness drew: His hands a bow and pointed jav'lin hold;[47] 115 His giant limbs are armed in scales of gold.[48]

Between the statues obelisks were placed, And the learn'd walls with hieroglyphics graced.[49]

Of Gothic structure was the Northern side,[50]

O'erwrought with ornaments of barb'rous pride: 120 There huge Colosses rose, with trophies crowned, And Runic characters were graved around.

There sat Zamolxis with erected eyes,[51]

And Odin here in mimic trances dies.[52]

There on rude iron columns, smeared with blood,[53] 125 The horrid forms of Scythian heroes stood, Druids and bards[54] (their once loud harps unstrung), And youths that died to be by poets sung.

These, and a thousand more, of doubtful fame, To whom old fables gave a lasting name, 130 In ranks adorned the temple's outward face; The wall in l.u.s.tre and effect like gla.s.s, Which o'er each object casting various dyes, Enlarges some, and others multiplies:[55]

Nor void of emblem was the mystic wall, 135 For thus romantic Fame increases all.

The temple shakes, the sounding gates unfold,[56]

Wide vaults appear, and roofs of fretted gold:[57]

Raised on a thousand pillars, wreathed around With laurel-foliage, and with eagles crowned: 140 Of bright transparent beryl were the walls,[58]

The friezes gold, and gold the capitals: As heav'n with stars, the roof with jewels glows, And ever-living lamps depend in rows.[59]

Full in the pa.s.sage of each s.p.a.cious gate, 145 The sage historians in white garments wait;[60]

Graved o'er their seats the form of Time was found, His scythe reversed, and both his pinions bound.

Within stood heroes, who through loud alarms In b.l.o.o.d.y fields pursued renown in arms. 150 High on a throne with trophies charged, I viewed The youth that all things but himself subdued;[61]

His feet on sceptres and tiaras trod, And his horned head belied the Libyan G.o.d.[62]

There Caesar, graced with both Minervas,[63] shone; 155 Caesar, the world's great master, and his own;[64]

Unmoved, superior still in ev'ry state, And scarce detested in his country's fate.[65]

But chief were those, who not for empire fought, But with their toils their people's safety bought: 160 High o'er the rest Epaminondas stood;[66]

Timoleon, glorious in his brother's blood;[67]

Bold Scipio, saviour of the Roman state; Great in his triumphs, in retirement great; And wise Aurelius, in whose well-taught mind, } 165 With boundless pow'r, unbounded virtue joined, } His own strict judge, and patron of mankind,[68] } Much-suff'ring heroes next their honours claim, Those of less noisy, and less guilty fame,[69]

Fair Virtue's silent train:[70] supreme of these 170 Here ever s.h.i.+nes the G.o.dlike Socrates: He whom ungrateful Athens could expel, At all times just, but when he signed the sh.e.l.l:[71]

Here his abode the martyred Phocion claims,[72]

With Agis, not the last of Spartan names:[73] 175 Unconquered Cato shows the wound he tore,[74]

And Brutus his ill Genius meets no more.[75]

But in the centre of the hallowed choir,[76]

Six pompous columns o'er the rest aspire;[77]

Around the shrine itself of Fame they stand, 180 Hold the chief honours, and the fane command.

High on the first, the mighty Homer shone;[78]

Eternal adamant composed his throne; Father of verse! in holy fillets drest, His silver beard waved gently o'er his breast; 185 Though blind, a boldness in his looks appears; In years he seemed, but not impaired by years.

The wars of Troy were round the pillar seen: Here fierce Tydides wounds the Cyprian queen; Here Hector, glorious from Patroclus' fall, 190 Here dragged in triumph round the Trojan wall:[79]

Motion and life did ev'ry part inspire, Bold was the work, and proved the master's fire; A strong expression most he seemed t' affect, And here and there disclosed a brave neglect. 195 A golden column next in rank appear'd, On which a shrine of purest gold was rear'd; Finished the whole, and laboured ev'ry part, With patient touches of unwearied art: The Mantuan there in sober triumph sate, 200 Composed his posture, and his looks sedate;[80]

On Homer still he fixed a rev'rent eye, Great without pride, in modest majesty.[81]

In living sculpture[82] on the sides were spread The Latian wars, and haughty Turnus dead; 205 Eliza stretched upon the fun'ral pyre, aeneas bending with his aged sire: Troy flamed in burning gold, and o'er the throne "Arms and the man" in golden ciphers shone.

Four swans sustain a car of silver bright,[83] 210 With heads advanced, and pinions stretched for flight:[84]

Here, like some furious prophet, Pindar rode, And seem'd to labour with th' inspiring G.o.d.

Across the harp a careless hand he flings, And boldly sinks into the sounding strings.[85] 215 The figured games of Greece the column grace, Neptune and Jove survey the rapid race.

The youths hang o'er the chariots as they run; The fiery steeds seem starting from the stone; The champions in distorted postures threat,[86] 220 And all appeared irregularly great.

Here happy Horace tuned th' Ausonian lyre To sweeter sounds, and tempered Pindar's fire: Pleased with Aleaeus' manly rage t'infuse The softer spirit of the Sapphic muse.[87] 225 The polished pillar diff'rent sculptures grace; A work outlasting monumental bra.s.s.

Here smiling loves and baccha.n.a.ls appear, The Julian star,[88] and great Augustus here.

The doves that round the infant poet spread 230 Myrtles and bays, hung hov'ring o'er his head.