English Anthology.

XIV.

The bridal is over,

The pageant has past,
Thy fortunate lover
Has won thee at last.
And now I may wander
All sadly and lorn,
And silently-ponder
On joys that are gone.

On happiness vanish'd,
And fleeted away,
And hopes that are banish'd,

To die and decay.
On love unrequited,
Devotion unprized,
On agony slighted,
And passion despised.

Once beauty was shedding
Its light upon all,
And secretly wedding
My heart to its thrall;
And fancy was weaving
Its fallacies sweet,
I joy'd in believing
The lovely deceit.

Now Earth is all sadness,
And pleasure-distress
And love is a madness
Words cannot express
The blood in its motion
Seems wildly to fly,
Like waves of the Ocean
When tempests are nigh.

Thy smile still may brighten,
Though grief it has made;
Thine eyes still enlighten

Both sunshine and shade.
Though banish'd be never
The pang and the pain,
Farewell and for ever,

We meet not again.

X

XV.

I hear, I hear in the distant west,

An echo from many a far-away shore,

On the wings of the breeze that is sinking to rest,
On the bosom of ocean whose toiling is o'er.
It floats along

Like a Syren's song,

But nearer it seems

The speech of some monster amidst his dreams; : Or the words of a giant awoke from his sleep. Hush!--Hark !-'tis the voice of the mighty deep.

*

*

*

I come, I come from all countries and climes,
All kindreds and ages, all nations and times.
I come from the tomb of departed years,
And I come with smiles, and I come with tears.
Long e'er the span

Of mortal man

Was meted above, 'twas given to me

The great globe to lave,

With my restless wave;

And onward I roll'd,

All uncontroll'd,

Like a child at play, unfetter'd and free:
And my cradle was rock'd in Eternity.

From my home alar,

I saw the first star
Burst forth into light,

On the brow of night.

I caught from the moon her young virgin ray,
Which I wooed and won with my laughing spray.
And the kindling sun first smiled upon me,
All gorgeous and bright,
From his throne of light.
On the morn of his birth,
To come upon earth,

He took his red way thro' the paths of the sea.
I've seen all this, and more since then,

That has pass'd in this restless world below,

I've seen how the fallen children of men,
Have drunk of the wormwood cup of woe.'
I've seen the last of a sinning race,
In anger swept from the earth's fair face:
"Twas I, even I who in anger went forth,
Heaven's weapon of wrath;

And I left no trace

Thro' the word's wide space,

Kneeling in tears on my desert shore,
An exiled people, whose voice was woe,
For they saw their foe

Advance in the pride of his kingly might,
With chariot swift and belmet bright,

To fetter once more the limbs that were free:
But Israel's king was greater than he.
The cry of Jacob's sons ascended

Where prayer of man ne'er vainly rose :
And Israel saw his cause defended,
His children saved from angry foes.
The word went forth and lo! I gave
A pathway thro' my stormy wave.
They pass'd along,
With grateful song:

But when the haughty king had driven
His chariot midst the fetter'd wave,
My task was done, my chains were riven,
And Israel's Hope was Egypt's Grave.
The gilded banner, the gorgeous crest,
And the glittering mail on the warrior's breast,
Were things of nought, and the clang of war,
And the neighing steed were heard no more.
And Egypt's king and Egypt's pride,

Beneath my fatal waters died.

Time slowly told

The years that roll'd

Through space into Eternity:
And still my waves
Swept o'er the graves

Of sons of fail humanity.
There came on earth a being of grace,
So fair a form the world ne'er saw :
Tho' mean his guise, tho' meek his face,

He spoke as man ne'er spoke before.
The moon was up and in beauty shone,
On my chrystal wave, where all alone
The man of sorrows in meekness trod,
And my waters felt and owned their God.
The world was still and darkness hung
Her mantle o'er the hours of night;

One lonely star in sadness flung
O'er earth its soft aud feeble light.

Across the seas a fragile bark

Flew swiftly on before the gale; Aud all around its form was dark,

Save the white foam and bursting sail.
The storm wax'd fierce the waves ran high,
And on their breast the frail bark toss'd,
From whence arose a fearful cry,

“Save, Lord! Oh ! save, or all are lost.”
He rose in meekness and his hand stretch'd forth;
He spake the words of peare, and lo, the wrath
Of howling winds subsided at his will,

And the wild waves lay awed, subdued and still,

All this I have done and heard and seen,
Wonders that earth never knew, I ween:
I've drunk the best blood of the heroes of yore:
I've swept the proud town from its fortified shore;
Th' adventurer's bark in my blue arms I bore,
All dauntless and proud, a new world to explore.
I saw the Armada go forth o'er my wave,
To fetter my children, the free and the brave:

But I laugh'd at their madness and found them a grave.

I come, I come with music and song,

Then list to me as 1 roll along.

Sons of earth be not so proud,

Look, look at my waves they are stronger

My sparkling spray may be your shroud,

than ye:

For my storms are but toys to one mightier than me.

Children of men are your eyes so dim,

Or your hearts so hard, that ye see not him,

Whose mercy and bounty all good things gave,
Reflected in love on my chrystal wave?
And see ye not in the stormy night,
In the winds and waves his fearful might?
O! yes, weak man in the tempest hour,
Is not slow to feel and own his power.

ED. C. M.

Original Correspondence.

A MECHANICS' INSTITUTE FOR CEYLON

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CEYLON MAGAZINE.

SIR,-Will you permit me to offer, through the medium of your pages, & few remarks upon a subject which must be considered as of importance to this Colony-the intellectual improvement of its rising population-for I con ceive they cannot have a more fitting place than in the “Ceylon Magazine one of the avowed purposes of which is "to give a higher tone to our co, lonial literature."

Much, very much has been accomplished by the Colombo Acadamy and the Pettah Library, but unfortunately the finances of the latter are in such state as to materially circumscribe its sphere of doing good: while from the benefits of the former many youths are debarred by being forced at an early age to go forth and labor with the bands instead of with the mind. Now it has occurred to me that much of this evil might be obviated by the formation of a "Colombo Mechanics' Institute" on a scale as comprehensive and as cheap as those so universally and beneficially established in the mother country. I need not remind you, or your readers, of the very recent formation of Mechanics' Institutes, under the auspices of Lord Brougham and of their rapid extension throughout the united Kingdom, nor need I call your attention to the immense benefits they have conferred on those who, from their occupations and station in society, were otherwise debarred from intellectual relaxation and improvement-I mean the Mechanics and ArtizansMany of the London and provincial Institutes possess libraries of some hundred thousand volumes besides valuable collections and models of Machinery' philosophical instruments &c. yet are supported by annual subscriptions of bu̟ a few shillings. In so small a colony as this we cannot hope to effect any. thing similar, yet by union much might be done, as much, indeed, in proportion, as in the splendid London Halls of Science.

I would propose that an "Institnte" be established in connection with the Pettah Library for the purpose of delivering courses of lectures on every branch of art and science: its' footing and consitution I leave to those who may deem it worthy their consideration, I would merely observe that a very trifling subscription-say one rix dollar per quarter would with 100 or 150 members, be sufficient for the maintenance of it when once established.

A public meeting should be called and a subscription set on foot amongs both Europeans and natives for the purchase of Books, Mechanical apparatus. and Philosophical Instruments, and I have little doubt but that the civil and military residents would liberally support so laudable an undertaking: the Government might also be requested to aid it by either money or a building for the purpose.