Amazement.
See Alarm.
To Him the Wind with doubtful Terror wafts
The mingled Noise: hoarse Murmurs of Distress,
And Clamours from the City pierce his Ears.
Ah me! what Sounds confus’d, what Cries disturb
The Town? Why rush these Clamours from the Walls?
He said: and, with his Courser’s Reins repress’d
In dumb Amaze stood list’ning.–
Confounded with the Crowd of various Thoughts,
And stiff’ning with Amaze, the Hero stood,
In Silence deep: within his Bosom boils
Disdainful Shame, and Grief to Madness wrought,
And Love inflam’d with Rage, and conscious Worth.–
The astonish’d Youth, where e’er his Eyes could turn,
Beheld the Universe around him burn:
The World was in a Blaze: nor could he bear
The sultry Vapours, and the scorching Air,
Which from below, as from a Furnace flow’d:
And now the Axle–tree beneath him glow’d.
Lost in the whirling Clouds that round him broke,
And white with Ashes, hov’ring in the Smoke,
He flew where–e’er the Horses drove, nor knew
Whither the Horses drove, or where he flew.–
Amazon.
Her Amazonian Files with lunar Shields
Penthesilea leads, and in the midst
Of Thousands Storms: Beneath her naked Pap
Her golden Belt she buckles, warlike Maid,
And, tho’ a Virgin, dares engage with Men.–
Here in the Brakes, and savage Dens of Beasts,
He nurs’d his Daughter from the Dugs of Mares,
Milking their Teats into her tender Lips.
Soon as the Infant first with doubtful Feet
Could press the Ground, her little Hands he fill’d
With pointed Darts, and on her Shoulder hung
A Bow and Quiver. No soft Caul of Gold
Her Tresses strains: nor flows her waving Gown:
Instead of these a Tyger’s horrid Hide
Hangs from her Head, and o’er her Back descends.
Darts with her tender Hand e’en then she threw;
And, whirling round her Head a sounding Sling,
Struck the Strymonian Crane, or Snow–white Swan.–
–Camilla came,
And led her warlike Troops, a Warrior Dame:
Unbred to Spinning, in the Loom unskill’d,
She chose the nobler Pallas of the Field.
Mix’d with the First, the fierce Virago fought,
Sustain’d the Toils of Arms, the Danger sought:
Outstrip’d the Winds in Speed upon the Plain,
Flew o’er the Fields, nor hurt the bearded Grain:
She swept the Seas, and as she skimm’d along
Her flying Feet unbath’d on Billows hung.
Men, Boys, and Women, stupid with Surprize,
Where–e’er she passes, fix their wondring Eyes:
Longing they look, and gaping at the Sight,
Devour her o’er and o’er with vast Delight.
Her purple Habit sits with such a Grace
On her smooth Shoulders, and so suits her Face:
Her Head with Ringlets of her Hair is crown’d,
And in a golden Caul the Curls are bound.
She shakes her Myrtle Jav’lin: And, behind,
Her Lycian Quiver dances in the Wind.–
But in the Midst the Amazonian Maid
Camilla, with her shafts, and Quiver storms,
Exulting, fierce among the slaughter’d Heaps:
With one Breast bare commodious for the Fight,
Now hurls repeated Jav’lins, now with Toil
Unweary’d snatches her well temper’d Ax.
Her gilded Bow, and all Diana’s Arms
Sound from her Shoulder. Ev’n, when turn’d in Flight,
(If e’er she turn) her Arrows she directs
Shot backward, and behind her bends the Bow.–
–With dissembled Flight
In a wide Ring, interior, wheeling round
She mocks Orsilochus, and him pursues,
From whom she flies: Then rising to the Blows
Redoubled, thro’ his Arms and Bones she drives
Her massy Ax, nor ought regards his Pray’rs:
From the warm Wound his Brains besmear his Face.–
Such the fair Troop of Amazons is seen
With moony Shields, and headed by their Queen:
When trembling Tanais has their Fury try’d,
Or the fierce Getes their female Arms defy’d:
And proudly glitt’ring with their plunder’d Spoils,
The fierce Viragoes march, triumphant from their Toils.–
Ambassador.
An Attic Vessel reach’d the friendly Shore,
Which Cephalus, his Country’s Envoy, bore.
The Sons of
(Henry Baker)
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Based on Topics: Man Poems, World Poems, Mind Poems, Sadness Poems, Faces Poems, Youth Poems, Fairness Poems, Sense & Perception Poems, Kings & Queens Poems, Gold Poems, Sons PoemsBased on Keywords: tyger, unweary, besmear, jav, wondring, dugs, skimm, commodious, camilla, amazons, virago