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And to thy just, thy gentle hand,
Submits the Fasces of her sway,

While spirits blest above, and men below

Join with glad voice the loud symphonious lay."

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VIII.

Through the wild waves as they roar,
With watchful eye and dauntless mien,
Thy steady course of honour keep,

Nor fear the rocks, nor seek the shore:
The star of Brunswick smiles serene,

And gilds the horrors of the deep."

85

90

Ver. 85. And to thy just, thy gentle hand.] Mr. Wakefield compares this with Horace,—“ lenibus imperiis;" and Milton's "gentle sway:" but Mr. Mitford discovers a yet closer resemblance to Dryden, Threnod. August, 284:

"And with a willing hand restores

The fasces of the main."

Ver. 92. Nor fear the rocks, nor seek the shore.] The deep follows just below, or the poet would have written:

Nor fear the deep, nor seek the shore

which had been more accurate; for so his original : "Rectius vives, licini, neque altum

Semper urguendo, neque, dum procellas

. Cautus horrescis, nimium premendo

Littus iniquum." Hor. Lib. ii. Od. x. 1.-WAKEFIELD.

This Ode, to which, on the title, I have given the epithet of irregular, is the only one of the kind which Mr. Gray ever wrote; and its being written occasionally, and for music, is a sufficient apology for the defect. Exclusive of this, (for a defect it certainly is,) it appears to me, in point of lyrical arrangement and expression, to be equal to most of his other Odes. It is remarkable that, amongst the many irregular Odes which have

been written in our own language, Dryden's and Pope's, on St. Cecilia's Day, are the only ones that may properly be said to have lived. The reason is, (as it is hinted in a note on Letter xxx. Sect. 4. of the Memoirs,) that this mode of composition is so extremely easy, that is gives the writer an opening to every kind of poetical licentiousness: whereas the regularly repeated stanza, and still more the regular succession of strophe, antistrophe, and epode, put so strong a curb on the wayward imagination, that when she has once paced in it, she seldom chooses to submit to it a second time. It is therefore greatly to be wished, in order to stifle in their birth a quantity of compositions, which are at the same time wild and jejune, that regular Odes and these only, should be deemed legitimate amongst us.

The Cambridge edition (published at the expence of the University) is here followed; but I have added at the bottom of the page a number of explanatory notes, which this Ode seemed to want still more than that which preceded it; especially when given, not to the University only, but the public in general, who may be reasonably supposed to know little of the particular founders of different Colleges and their history here alluded to. For the sake of uniformity in the page, I have divided the Ode into stanzas, and discarded the musical divisions of recitative, air, and chorus; but shall here insert them in order, according as the different stanzas were set by Dr. Randal, Professor of Music. Stanza 1. The first eight lines "air," the four last "chorus." Stanza 2. 66 Recitative" throughout, but accompanied at the sixth line.

Stanza 3." Air."

Stanza 4. "Recitative" throughout, the last nine lines accompanied.

Stanza 5. "Air Quartetto." The musical reader will easily see and admire how well this stanza is suited to that species of music.

Stanza 6. First six lines" recitative;" the rest of the stanza, beginning at "thy liberal heart," "air."

Stanza 7. "Recitative" throughout.

Stanza 8. "Grand chorus," and well suited for that purpose.

MASON.

ODE VIII.

THE FATAL SISTERS.

FROM THE NORSE TONGUE.

To be found in the Orcades of Thormodus Torfæus; Hafniæ, 1697, folio; and also in Bartholinus, p. 617. lib. iii. c. 1. 4to.

Vitt er orpit fyrir valfalli, &c.

In the eleventh century Siguard, Earl of the Orkney islands, went with a fleet of ships and a considerable body of troops into Ireland, to the assistance of Sictryg with the silken beard, who was then making war on his father-in-law Brian, king of Dublin: the earl and all his forces were cut to pieces, and Sictryg was in danger of a total defeat; but the enemy had a greater loss by the death of Brian their king, who fell in the action. On Christmas-daya, (the day of the battle,) a native of Caithness, in Scotland, of the name of Darrud, saw at a distance a number of persons on horseback, riding full speed towards a hill, and seeming to enter into it. Curiosity led him to follow them, till looking through an opening in the rocks, he saw twelve gigantic figures resembling women:

a The people of the Orkney islands were Christians, yet did not become so till after A. D. 966, probably it happened in 995; but though they and the other Gothic nations no longer worshipped their old divinities, yet they never doubted of their existence, or forgot their ancient mythology, as appears from the history of Olaus Tryggueson.-GRAY.

they were all employed about a loom; and as they wove, they sung the following dreadful song; which when they had finished, they tore the web into twelve pieces, and (each taking her portion) galloped six to the north, and as many to the south. These were the Valkyriur, female divinities, servants of Odin, (or Woden,) in the Gothic mythology. Their name signifies Chusers of the slain. They were mounted on swift horses, with drawn swords in their hands; and in the throng of battle selected such as were destined to slaughter, and conducted them to Valhalla, the hall of Odin, or paradise of the brave; where they attended the banquet, and served the departed heroes with horns of mead and ale.

Now the storm begins to lower,
(Haste, the loom of hell prepare,)

Iron sleet of arrowy shower

Hurtles in the darkened air.

Glittering lances are the loom,

Where the dusky warp we strain,

5

Ver. 1. Now the storm begins to lower.] The design Mr. Gray had in publishing this and the succeeding poems, is stated in a letter to Mr. Walpole: see Sect. iv. Letter 80.

Mr. Wakefield disdains to comment upon them, as being translations; this before us, however, is by no means a literal one, and has been esteemed inferior to those which follow. Ver. 3. Iron sleet of arrowy shower.]

"How quick they wheeled; and, flying, behind them shot Sharp sleet of arrowy shower."

Milton's Par. Reg. iii. 324.—GRAY.

Ver. 4. Hurtles in the darkened air.]

"The noise of battle hurtled in the air.”

Shakspeare's Jul. Cæs.-GRAY.

Weaving many a soldier's doom,
Orkney's woe, and Randver's bane.

See the griesly texture grow !

('Tis of human entrails made,) And the weights, that play below, Each a gasping warrior's head.

Shafts for shuttles, dipt in gore,

Shoot the trembling cords along.

Sword, that once a monarch bore,

Keep the tissue close and strong.

Mista, black terrific maid,

Sangrida, and Hilda, see,

Join the wayward work to aid:

'Tis the woof of victory.

Ere the ruddy sun be set,

Pikes must shiver, javelins sing,
Blade with clattering buckler meet,

Hauberk crash, and helmet ring.

10

15

20

(Weave the crimson web of war)
Let us go, and let us fly,

25

Where our friends the conflict share,

Where they triumph, where they die.

Ver. 17. Mista, black terrific maid.] This name does not occur in the original, but we have instead, beside those in the next line, Hiorthrimula and Swipula. The name Geira, in line 32, is, in the original, Gunna.

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