I.

DESCEND, ye Nine! descend and fing;

The breathing inftruments infpire,

Wake into voice each filent ftring,
And fweep the founding lyre!

In a fadly-pleafing strain,

Let the warbling lute complain:
Let the loud trumpet foud,
'Till the roofs all around

The fhrill echoes rebound:

While in more lengthen'd notes and flow,
The deep, majeftic, folemn organs blow.
Hark! the numbers, foft and clear,

Now louder, and yet louder rife,

And fill with spreading founds the skies;

Exulting in triumph now fwell the bold notes,
In broken air, trembling, the wild mufic floats;
Till by degrees, remote and fmall,
The ftrains decay,

I.

DESCENDE cœlo, fpiritu quæ mellco

Imples, Camcena, tibias;
Defcende, pulfas quæ lyram volucri manu,
Nervumque fopitum excita:

Difcat fundere fuaviter feveras
Teftudo numerofa cantilenas :

Cava claffica clangoribus auras
Repleant, refonent tremebundarum
Laquearia convulfa domorum:

Inque vicem lentâ gravia organa majestate
Spirent, auguftoque fonore inflata tumefcant.

Ut clarè, ut placidi molliter auribus
Se furtim bibulis infinuant modi !

Mox tollunt violentum altiùs altiùs
Auditum Superis fonum !

Jamque exultantes numeri atque audacia turgent
Carmina, jam tremulus fractis fluitat furor auris;
Donec minutatim remota,

II.

By Music minds an equal temper know,
Nor fwell too high, nor fink too low.
If in the breaft tumultuous joys arife,
Mufic her foft affuafive voice applies;

Or when the foul is prefs'd with cares,
Exalts her in enliv'ning airs.

Warriors fhe fires with animated founds;

Pours balm into the bleeding lover's wounds:
Melancholy lifts her head,

Morpheus roufes from his bed,

Sloth unfolds her arms and wakes,

Lift'ning Envy drops her fnakes:

Inteftine War no more our paffions wage,
And giddy Factions hear away their rage.

III.

But when our country's cause provokes to arms,
How martial mufic every bosom warms!

So when the first bold veffel dar'd the feas,
High on the ftern the Thracian rais'd his strain,
While Argo faw her kindred trees

Defcend from Pelion to the main :
Transported demi-gods stood round,
And men grew heroes at the found,
Enflam'd with glory's charms;
Fach chief his fev'n-fold shield display'd,
And half unfheath'd the fhining blade,
And feas, and rocks, and skies rebound

To arms, to arms, to arms!

IV..

II.

Aquas ut fervat moderatrix Musica mentes!
Ut premit, aut laxat mollibus imperiis !
Seu gaudiorum turbida pectora
Tumultuofis fluctibus æftuant,
Tranquillat; urget feu malorum

Pondus, humo levat Illa voce.

Geftit bellantes animofo accendere cantu ;
Blandaque amatori medicamina fufficit ægro:
Languens ecce! caput Mæftitia erigit,
Morpheus molliculis profilit e toris,.
Ulnas implicitas pandit Inertia,
Audit deciduis Invidia anguibus:
Inteftina animi ceffant bella; applicat aures
Seditio, nec præcipites reminifcitur iras.

Aft ubi dulcis amor patriæ pia mittit in arma,
O! quanto accendunt mavortia tympana pulsu !*
Sic, cum prima viam navis tentaret inaufam,
Thrax cecinit, puppique lyram tractavit in altâ,
Dum vidit Argo Pelion arduum
Pinus forores deferere impigras,
Et turba circumfufa muto

Semideûm ftupuere plaufu :

Incedit heros, quifquis audiit fonum,
Amore flagrans gloriæ;
Dum feminudum quifque rapit manu
Enfem, et corufcat multiplicem ægida:
Ad arma fylvæ, ad arma montes,
Terra, mare, aftra fonant ad arma!
G. 3

IV..

IV.

But when thro' all the infernal bounds
Which flaming Phlegethon furrounds,

Love, ftrong as Death, the Poet led
To the pale nations of the dead,
What founds were heard,
What fcenes appear'd,
O'er all the dreary coafts!
Dreadful gleams,

Difmal fcreams,

Fires that glow,

Shrieks of woe,

Sullen moans,

Hollow groans,

And cries of tortur'd ghosts!

But hark! he ftrikes the golden lyre ;.
And fee! the tortur'd ghosts refpire,
See, fhady forms advance!

Thy ftone, O Sifyphus, ftands ftill,

Ixion rests upon his wheel,

And the pale fpectres dance!

The Furies fink upon their iron beds,

And fnakes uncurl'd hang lift'ning round their heads..

น.