Of these portraitures, the first presents the god to his worshippers under the attitude of calm and majestic sublimity. Behold! amid Th' irradiate sky, by swift degrees display'd, Burst through the blue meridian vault, and soon Its gorgeous wheels, flashing purpureal rays, A still more striking delineation of Odin is given in the following lines, where he is brought before us in the exercise of his most terrific functions: From Valhalla's courts, Conspicuous, arm'd in steel, with clashing noise, A pillar huge of fire; likest a storm O'ershadowing heaven, pregnant with sulph'rous flame. * As a specimen of the calm beauty, philosophic dignity, and tenderness of thought, which pervade a large portion of this extensive and elaborate poem, I must beg leave to quote the following lines, being a part of the meditations of Alfred, in his seclusion beneath the cottage roof of the neat-herd, and under the persuasion that his queen had fallen a sacrifice to the savage fury of his enemies. Ye stars, or beamy worlds, that hang on high In grandeur so sublime:-the Power who these VOL. II. Reverting, however, to the poem of Mr. Hole, we find Valdemar, animated to enthusiasm by the First form'd, must needs surpass in wisdom, might, Infinite as unspeakable; that made All we behold around, systems of worlds Stretching beyond weak fancy's utmost flight, Yet The good man's life connects this earth with heaven, Death has thus lost his terrors: and the good Winging its way, free from material check, Among angelic shapes and blessed spirits More various than men's minds, or stars, or flowers, Delights unspeakable as unconceived, Around the present throne of the Supreme, Oh! there, thou dearest partner of my soul, appearance of Odin, summoning his warriors to be ready to take the field by dawn of day; whilst Hacon, jealous of his authority, refuses to acknowledge him as superior in command, and declares that he will march beneath no other banner than his own. Valdemar, anxious to preserve unanimity, yields up his claim, and admits Hacon to an equality of power, and to a perfect independence as to the marshalling and regulation of his own forces. The priests of Odin are then described as offering, during the night, sacrifices to that deity, whilst one of them, instigated to prophetic ecstasy by the suggestions of Urda, declares that Arthur shall never Thou livest still; thy pure angelic mind, Of beings like thyself, fair, kind, and good, To dwell in happy realms, where never tears, Oh! if, through favour of the good Supreme, In thy immortal purity ev'n thou We will retain; and heaven itself to me Shall be more happy from thy presence there. Book xiv sway the British sceptre, until, violating every tie of concord, the most renowned of the northern heroes Plant in each other's breast the deadly wound, an announcement which seeming to afford them a sure presage of victory, they rush forward in two columns to meet the British army. Towards night, Lancelot and his forces are beheld approaching in the distant horizon, and Hacon, infuriated by the sight, advances instantly to attack them; but Valdemar, well acquainted with the bravery and determination of the British warriors, arrests his course, and advises postponing the engagement until the morning, when the sun may be a witness of their might; and Hacon's reluctant assent to this proposition, the suggestion of prudence and experience, closes the fourth book. [To be continued.] |