‘TWAS on a gloomy sombre night,
When clust’ring clouds had form’d
Into a mass so densely thick,
That Nature seem’d appall’d!
The whistling winds with hollow sound
Proclaim’d the tempest near;
Whilst Echo , from the neighb’ring rocks,
Increas’d the force of fear!
Soon did electric fires illume
With rapid darting rays;
Whilst peals of thunder quick pursu’d
Each flash’s fearful blaze!
Alonzo wandering o’er the waste,
Benighted and forlorn;
Beheld this elemental strife,
And pray’d for early dawn!
Pray’d , did I say? ah no! for prayer
His lips would have prophan’d;
He had denied Omnipotence,
By vices unrestrain’d !
Not satisfied with doing wrong ,
It was Alonzo’s pride
To propagate his dang’rous thoughts ,
And Virtue’s laws deride!
Still bounteous Nature to this youth
Such personal charms had giv’n;
He seem’d to move a god on earth,
The favourite child–of heav’n!
For never was a finer form,
And ne’er did manly grace
Appear more strikingly display’d
Than in Alonzo’s face!
But ah ! the casket was adorn’d,
Whilst that which it contain’d
Was but the seeds of ev’ry vice,
Polluted–and distain’d.
Still smoothness flow’d from the youth’s tongue;
Persuasion mark’d his speech;
And deep Attention mutely sate
To hear Alonzo teach.
He taught, that passions were bestow’d
But to be gratified ;
He taught, that virtue was a name;
An ignus-fat
(Mary Hopkins Pilkington)
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Based on Topics: God Poems, Night Poems, Faces Poems, Youth Poems, Name Poems, Fear Poems, Education Poems, Passion Poems, Vice & Virtue Poems, Speech Poems, Persuasion PoemsBased on Keywords: propagate, distain, alonzo, densely, unrestrain, prophan, strikingly