THE PROSPECT OF PEACE. Joel Barlow Alexander Huber Editor Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BG UK
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive
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Oxford This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. N12454 Barlow, Joel, 1754-1812. Yale College. The prospect of peace. A poetical composition, delivered in Yale-College, at the public examination, of the candidates for the degree of bachelor of arts; July 23, 1778. / By Joel Barlow, A.B. New-Haven Printed by Thomas and Samuel Green 1778 M,DCC,LXXXVIII pp. []-12. 12 p. ; 17 cm. (12mo)

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THE PROSPECT OF PEACE . THE closing scenes of Tyrants ' fruitless rage , The opening prospects of a golden age , The dread events that crown th' important year , Wake the glad song , and claim th' attentive ear . Long has Columbia rung with dire alarms , While Freedom call'd her injur'd sons to arms ; While various fortune fir'd th' embattled field , Conquest delay'd , and victory stood conceal'd ; While closing legions mark'd their dreadful way , And Millions trembled for the dubious day . In this grand conflict heaven's Eternal Sire , At whose dread frown the sons of guilt expire , Bade vengeance rise , with sacred fury driven , On those who war with Innocence and Heaven . Behold , where late the trembling squadrons fled , Hosts bow'd in chains , and hapless numbers bled , In different fields our numerous heroes rouse , To crop the wreath from Britain's impious brows . Age following age shall these events relate 'Till Time's old empire yield to destin'd Fate ; Historic truth our guardian chiefs proclaim , Their worth , their actions , and their deathless fame ; Admiring crouds their life-touch'd forms behold In breathing canvass , or in sculptur'd gold , And hail the Leader of the favorite throng , The rapt'rous theme of some heroic song . And soon , emerging from the orient skies , The blisful morn in glorious pomp shall rise , Wafting fair Peace from Europe's fated coast ; Where wand'ring long , in mazy factions lost , From realm to realm , by rage and discord driven , She seem'd resolv'd to reascend her heaven . This LEWIS view'd , and reach'd a friendly hand , Pointing her flight to this far-distant land ; Bade her extend her empire o'er the West , And Europe's balance tremble on her crest ! Now , see the Goddess mounting on the day , To these fair climes direct her circling way , Willing to seek , once more , an earthly throne , To cheer the globe , and emulate the sun . With placid look she eyes the blissful shore , Bids the loud-thundering cannon cease to roar ; Bids British navies from these ports be tost , And hostile keels no more insult the coast ; Bids private feuds her sacred vengeance feel , And bow submissive to the public weal ; Bids long , calm years adorn the happy clime , And roll down blessings to remotest time . Hail ! heaven-born Peace , fair Nurse of Virtue hail ! Here , fix thy sceptre and exalt thy scale ; Hence , thro' the earth extend thy late domain , 'Till Heaven's own splendor shall absorb thy reign ! What scenes arise ! what glories we behold ! See a broad realm its various charms unfold ; See crouds of patriots bless the happy land , A godlike senate and a warlike band ; One friendly Genius fires the numerous whole , From glowing Georgia to the frozen pole . Along these shores , amid these flowery vales , The woodland shout the joyous ear assails ; Industrious crouds in different labors toil , Those ply the arts , and these improve the soil . Here the fond merchant counts his rising gain , There strides the rustic o'er the furrow'd plain , Here walks the statesman , pensive and serene , And there the school boys gambol round the green . See ripening harvests gild the smiling plains , Kind Nature's bounty and the pride of swains ; Luxuriant vines their curling tendrils shoot , And bow their heads to drop the clustering fruit ; In the gay fields , with rich profusion strow'd , The orchard bends beneath its yellow load , The lofty boughs their annual burden pour , And juicy harvests swell th' autumnal store . These are the blessings of impartial Heaven , To each fond heart in just proportion given . No grasping lord shall grind the neighbouring poor , Starve numerous vassals to increase his store ; No cringing slave shall at his presence bend , Shrink at his frown , and at his nod attend ; Afric's unhappy children , now no more Shall feel the cruel chains they felt before , But every State in this just mean agree , To bless mankind , and set th' oppressed free . Then , rapt in transport , each exulting slave Shall taste that Boon which God and nature gave , And , fir'd with virtue , join the common cause , Protect our freedom and enjoy our laws . At this calm period , see , in pleasing view , Art vies with Art , and Nature smiles anew : On the long , winding strand that meets the tide , Unnumber'd cities lift their spiry pride ; Gay , flowery walks salute th' inraptur'd eyes , Tall , beauteous domes in dazzling prospect rise ; There thronging navies stretch their wanton sails , Tempt the broad main and catch the driving gales ; There commerce swells from each remotest shore , And wafts in plenty to the smiling store , To these throng'd seats the country wide resorts , And rolls her treasures to the op'ning ports ; While , far remote , gay health and pleasure flow , And calm retirement cheers the laboring brow . No din of arms the peaceful patriot hears , No parting sigh the tender matron fears , No field of fame invites the youth to rove , Nor virgins know a harsher sound than love . Fair Science then her laurel'd beauty rears , And soars with Genius to the radiant stars . Her glimmering dawn from Gothic darkness rose , And nations saw her shadowy veil disclose ; She cheer'd fair Europe with her rising smiles , Beam'd a bright morning o'er the British isles , Now soaring reaches her meridian height , And blest Columbia hails the dazzling light ! Here , rapt in tho't , the philosophic soul Shall look thro' Nature's parts and grasp the whole . See Genius kindling at a FRANKLIN'S fame , See unborn sages catch th' electric flame , Bid hovering clouds the threatening blast expire , Curb the fierce stream and hold th' imprison'd fire ! See the pleas'd youth , with anxious study , rove , In orbs excentric thro' the realms above , No more perplex'd , while RITTENHOUSE appears To grace the museum with the rolling spheres . See that young Genius , that inventive soul , Whose laws the jarring elements control ; Who guides the vengeance of mechanic power , To blast the watery world & guard the peaceful shore . And where's the rising Sage , the unknown name , That new advent'rer in the lists of fame , To find the cause , in secret nature bound , The unknown cause , and various charms of sound ? What subtil medium leads the devious way ; Why different tensions different sounds convey ; Why harsh , rough tones in grating discord roll , Or mingling concert charms th' enraptur'd soul . And tell the cause why sluggish vapors rise , And wave , exalted , thro' the genial skies ; What strange contrivance nature forms to bear The ponderous burden thro' the lighter air . These last Displays the curious mind engage , And fire the genius of the rising age ; While moral tho'ts the pleas'd attention claim , Swell the warm soul , and wake the virtuous flame ; While Metaphysics soar a boundless height , And launch with EDWARDS to the realms of light . See the blest Muses hail their roseate bowers , Their mansions blooming with poetic flowers ; See listening Seraphs join the epic throng , And unborn JOSHUAS rise in future song . Satire attends at Virtue's wakening call , And Pride and Coquetry and Dulness fall . Unnumber'd bards shall string the heavenly lyre , To those blest strains which heavenly themes inspire ; Sing the rich Grace on mortal Man bestow'd , The Virgin's Offspring and the filial God ; What love descends from heaven when JESUS dies ! What shouts attend him rising thro' the skies ! See Science now in lovelier charms appear , Grac'd with new garlands from the blooming Fair . See laurel'd nymphs in polish'd pages shine , And Sapphic sweetness glow in every line . No more the rougher Muse shall dare disgrace The radiant charms that deck the blushing face ; But rising Beauties scorn the tinsel show , The powder'd coxcomb and the flaunting beau ; While humble Merit , void of flattering wiles , Claims the soft glance , and wakes th'enlivening smiles . The opening lustre of an angel-mind , Beauty's bright charms with sense superior join'd , Bid Virtue shine , bid Truth and Goodness rise , Melt from the voice , and sparkle from the eyes ; While the pleas'd Muse the gentle bosom warms , The first in genius , as the first in charms . Thus age and youth a smiling aspect wear , Aw'd into virtue by the leading Fair ; While the bright offspring , rising to the stage , Conveys the blessings to the future age . THESE are the views that Freedom's cause attend ; THESE shall endure 'till Time and Nature end . With Science crown'd , shall Peace and Virtue shine , And blest Religion beam a light divine . Here the pure Church , descending from her God , Shall fix on earth her long and last abode ; Zion arise , in radiant splendors dress'd , By Saints admir'd , by Infidels confess'd ; Her opening courts , in dazzling glory , blaze , Her walls salvation , and her portals praise . From each far corner of th' extended earth , Her gathering sons shall claim their promis'd birth . Thro' the drear wastes , beneath the setting day , Where prowling natives haunt the wood for prey , The swarthy Millions lift their wondring eyes , And smile to see the Gospel morning rise : Those who , thro' time , in savage darkness lay , Wake to new light , and hail the glorious day ! In those dark regions , those uncultur'd wilds , Fresh blooms the rose , the peaceful lilly smiles . On the tall cliffs unnumber'd Carmels rise , And in each vale some beauteous Sharon lies . From this fair Mouth th'excinded stone shall roll , Reach the far East and spread from pole to pole ; From one small Stock shall countless nations rise , The world replenish and adorn the skies . Earth's blood-stain'd empires , with their Guide the Sun , From orient climes their gradual progress run ; And circling far , reach every western shore , 'Till earth-born empires rise and fall no more . But see th' imperial GUIDE from heaven descend , Whose beams are Peace , whose kingdom knows no end ; From calm Vesperia , thro' th' etherial way , Back sweep the shades before th' effulgent day ; Thro' the broad East , the brightening splendor driven , Reverses Nature and illumins heaven ; Astonish'd regions bless the gladdening sight , And Suns and Systems own superior light . As when th' asterial blaze o'er Bethl'em stood , Which mark'd the birth-place of th' incarnate God ; When eastern priests the heavenly splendor view'd , And numerous crouds the wonderous sign pursu'd : So eastern kings shall view th' unclouded day Rise in the West and streak its golden way : That signal spoke a Savior's humble birth , This speaks his long and glorious reign on earth ! THEN Love shall rule , and Innocence adore , Discord shall cease , and Tyrants be no more ; 'Till you bright orb , and those celestial spheres , In radiant circles , mark a thousand years ; 'Till the grand fiat burst th' etherial frames , Worlds crush on worlds , and Nature sink in flames ! The Church elect , from smouldering ruins , rise , And sail triumphant thro' the yielding skies , Hail'd by the Bridegroom ! to the Father given , The Joy of Angels , and the Queen of Heaven !