[ { "title": "A Hymn for Christmas Day", "author": "Thomas Chatterton", "lines": [ "Almighty Framer of the Skies!", "O let our pure devotion rise,", "Like Incense in thy Sight!", "Wrapt in impenetrable Shade", "The Texture of our Souls were made", "Till thy Command gave light.", "The Sun of Glory gleam'd the Ray,", "Refin'd the Darkness into Day,", "And bid the Vapours fly;", "Impell'd by his eternal Love", "He left his Palaces above", "To cheer our gloomy Sky.", "", "How shall we celebrate the day,", "When God appeared in mortal clay,", "The mark of worldly scorn;", "When the Archangel's heavenly Lays,", "Attempted the Redeemer's Praise", "And hail'd Salvation's Morn!", "", "", "A Humble Form the Godhead wore,", "The Pains of Poverty he bore,", "To gaudy Pomp unknown;", "Tho' in a human walk he trod", "Still was the Man Almighty God", "In Glory all his own.", "", "Despis'd, oppress'd, the Godhead bears", "The Torments of this Vale of tears;", "Nor bade his Vengeance rise;", "He saw the Creatures he had made,", "Revile his Power, his Peace invade;", "He saw with Mercy's Eyes.", "", "How shall we celebrate his Name,", "Who groan'd beneath a Life of shame", "In all Afflictions tried!", "The Soul is raptured to concieve", "A Truth, which Being must believe,", "The God Eternal died.", "", "My Soul exert thy Powers, adore,", "Upon Devotion's plumage sar", "To celebrate the Day;", "The God from whom Creation sprung", "Shall animate my grateful Tongue;", "From him I'll catch the Lay!" ], "linecount": "42" }, { "title": "The Death of Nicou", "author": "Thomas Chatterton", "lines": [ "On Tiber's banks, Tiber, whose waters glide", "In slow meanders down to Gaigra's side;", "And circling all the horrid mountain round,", "Rushes impetuous to the deep profound;", "Rolls o'er the ragged rocks with hideous yell;", "Collects its waves beneath the earth's vast shell;", "There for a while in loud confusion hurl'd,", "It crumbles mountains down and shakes the world.", "Till borne upon the pinions of the air,", "Through the rent earth the bursting waves appear;", "Fiercely propell'd the whiten'd billows rise,", "Break from the cavern, and ascend the skies;", "Then lost and conquered by superior force,", "Through hot Arabia holds its rapid coursel", "On Tiber's banks where scarlet jas'mines bloom,", "And purple aloes shed a rich perfume;", "Where, when the sun is melting in his heat,", "The reeking tygers find a cool retreat;", "Bask in the sedges, lose the sultry beam,", "And wanton with their shadows in the stream;", "On Tiber's banks, by sacred priests rever'd,", "Where in the days of old a god appear'd;", "'Twas in the dead of night, at Chalma's feast,", "The tribe of Alra slept around the priest.", "He spoke; as evening thunders bursting near,", "His horrid accents broke upon the ear;", "Attend, Alraddas, with your sacred priest!", "This day the sun is rising in the east;", "The sun, which shall illumine all the earth,", "Now, now is rising, in a mortal birth.", "He vanish'd like a vapour of the night,", "And sunk away in a faint blaze of light.", "Swift from the branches of the holy oak,", "Horror, confusion, fear, and torment brake;", "And still when midnight trims her mazy lamp,", "They take their way through Tiber's wat'ry swamp.", "On Tiber's banks, close ranked, a warring train,", "Stretch'd to the distant edge of Galca's plain;", "So when arrived at Gaigra's highest steep,", "We view the wide expansion of the deep;", "See in the gilding of her wat'ry robe,", "The quick declension of the circling globe;", "From the blue sea a chain of mountains rise,", "Blended at once with water and with skies;", "Beyond our sight in vast extension curl'd,", "The check of waves, the guardians of the world.", "Strong were the warriors, as the ghost of Cawn,", "Who threw the Hill-of-archers to the lawn;", "When the soft earth at his appearance fled;", "And rising billows play'd around his head;", "When a strong tempest rising from the main,", "Dashed the full clouds, unbroken on the plain.", "Nicou, immortal in the sacred song,", "Held the red sword of war, and led the strong;", "From his own tribe the sable warriors came,", "Well try'd in battle, and well known in fame.", "Nicou, descended from the god of war,", "Who lived coeval with the morning star;", "Narada was his name; who cannot tell", "How all the world through great Narada fell!", "Vichon, the god who ruled above the skies,", "Look'd, on Narada, but with envious eyes;", "The warrior dared him, ridiculed his might,", "Bent his white bow, and summon'd him to fight.", "Vichon, disdainful, bade his lightnings fly,", "And scatter'd burning arrows in the sky;", "Threw down a star the armour of his feet,", "To burn the air with supernat'ral heat;", "Bid a loud tempes roar beneath the ground;", "Lifted him up, and bore him thro' the sea.", "The waters still ascending fierce and high,", "He tower'd into the chambers of the sky;", "There Vichon sat, his armour on his bed,", "He thought Narada with the mighty dead.", "Before his seat the heavenly warrior stands,", "The lightning quiv'ring in his yellow hands.", "The god astonish'd dropt; hurl'd from the shore,", "He dropt to torments, and to rise no more.", "", "Head-long he falls; 'tis his own arms compel.", "Condemn'd in ever-burning fires to dwell.", "From this Narada, mighty Nicou sprung;", "The mighty Nicou, furious, wild and young.", "Who led th'embattled archers to the field,", "And more a thunderbolt upon his shield;", "That shield his glorious father died to gain,", "When the white warriors fled along the plain,", "When the full sails could not provoke the flood,", "Till Nicou came and swell'd the seas with blood.", "Slow at the end of his robust array,", "The mighty warrior pensive took his way;", "Against the son of Nair, the young Rorest,", "Once the companion of his youthful breast.", "Strong were the passions of the son of Nair,", "Strong, as the tempest of the evening air.", "Insatiate in desire; fierce as the boar;", "Firm in resolve as Cannie's rocky shore.", "Long had the gods endeavour'd to destroy,", "All Nicou's friendship, happiness, and joy:", "They sought in vain, 'till Vicat, Vichon's son,", "Never in feats of wickedness outdone,", "Saw Nica, sister to the Mountain king,", "Drest beautiful, with all the flow'rs of spring;", "He saw, and scatter'd poison in her eyes;", "From limb to limb in varied forms he flies;", "Dwelt on her crimson lip, and added grace", "To every glossy feature of her face.", "Rorest was fir'd with passion at the sight.", "Friendship and honor, sunk to Vicat's right;", "He saw, he lov'd, and burning with desire,", "Bore the soft maid from brother, sister, sire.", "Pining with sorrow, Nica faded, died,", "Like a fair alow, in its morning pride.", "This brought the warrior to the bloody mead,", "And sent to young Rorest the threat'ning reed.", "He drew his army forth: Oh, need I tell!", "That Nicou conquer'd, and the lover fell;", "His breathless army mantled all the plain;", "And Death sat smiling on the heaps of slain.", "The battle ended, with his reeking dart,", "The pensive Nicou pierc'd his beating heart;", "And to his mourning valiant warriors cry'd,", "I, and my sister's ghost are satisfy'd." ], "linecount": "122" }, { "title": "An Excelente Balade of Charitie: As Wroten bie the Gode Pri", "author": "Thomas Chatterton", "lines": [ "In Virgynë the sweltrie sun gan sheene,", "And hotte upon the mees did caste his raie;", "The apple rodded from its palie greene,", "And the mole peare did bende the leafy spraie;", "The peede chelandri sunge the livelong daie;", "'Twas nowe the pride, the manhode of the yeare,", "And eke the grounde was dighte in its moste defte aumere.", "", "The sun was glemeing in the midde of daie,", "Deadde still the aire, and eke the welken blue,", "When from the sea arist in drear arraie", "A hepe of cloudes of sable sullen hue,", "The which full fast unto the woodlande drewe,", "Hiltring attenes the sunnis fetive face,", "And the blacke tempeste swolne and gatherd up apace.", "", "Beneathe an holme, faste by a pathwaie side,", "Which dide unto Seyncte Godwine's covent lede,", "A hapless pilgrim moneynge did abide.", "Pore in his newe, ungentle in his weede,", "Longe bretful of the miseries of neede,", "Where from the hail-stone coulde the almer flie?", "He had no housen theere, ne anie covent nie.", "", "Look in his glommed face, his sprighte there scanne;", "Howe woe-be-gone, how withered, forwynd, deade!", "Haste to thie church-glebe-house, asshrewed manne!", "Haste to thie kiste, thie onlie dortoure bedde.", "Cale, as the claie whiche will gre on thie hedde,", "Is Charitie and Love aminge highe elves;", "Knightis and Barons live for pleasure and themselves.", "", "The gatherd storme is rype; the bigge drops falle;", "The forswat meadowes smethe, and drenche the raine;", "The comyng ghastness do the cattle pall,", "And the full flockes are drivynge ore the plaine;", "Dashde from the cloudes the waters flott againe;", "The welkin opes; the yellow levynne flies;", "And the hot fierie smothe in the wide lowings dies.", "", "Liste! now the thunder's rattling clymmynge sound", "Cheves slowlie on, and then embollen clangs,", "Shakes the hie spyre, and losst, dispended, drown'd,", "Still on the gallard eare of terroure hanges;", "The windes are up; the lofty elmen swanges;", "Again the levynne and the thunder poures,", "And the full cloudes are braste attenes in stonen showers.", "", "Spurreynge his palfrie oere the watrie plaine,", "The Abbote of Seyncte Godwynes convente came;", "His chapournette was drented with the reine,", "And his pencte gyrdle met with mickle shame;", "He aynewarde tolde his bederoll at the same;", "The storme encreasen, and he drew aside,", "With the mist almes craver neere to the holme to bide.", "", "His cope was all of Lyncolne clothe so fyne,", "With a gold button fasten'd neere his chynne;", "His autremete was edged with golden twynne,", "And his shoone pyke a loverds mighte have binne;", "Full well it shewn he thoughten coste no sinne:", "The trammels of the palfrye pleasde his sighte,", "For the horse-millanare his head with roses dighte.", "", "\"An almes, sir prieste!\" the droppynge pilgrim saide,", "\"O! let me waite within your covente dore,", "Till the sunne sheneth hie above our heade,", "And the loude tempeste of the aire is oer;", "Helpless and ould am I alas! and poor;", "No house, ne friend, ne moneie in my pouche;", "All yatte I call my owne is this my silver crouche.\"", "", "\"Varlet,\" replyd the Abbatte, \"cease your dinne;", "This is no season almes and prayers to give;", "Mie porter never lets a faitour in;", "None touch mie rynge who not in honour live.\"", "And now the sonne with the blacke cloudes did stryve,", "And shettynge on the grounde his glairie raie,", "The Abbatte spurrde his steede, and eftsoones roadde awaie.", "", "Once moe the skie was blacke, the thunder rolde;", "Faste reyneynge oer the plaine a prieste was seen;", "Ne dighte full proude, ne buttoned up in golde;", "His cope and jape were graie, and eke were clene;", "A Limitoure he was of order seene;", "And from the pathwaie side then turned hee,", "Where the pore almer laie binethe the holmen tree.", "", "\"An almes, sir priest!\" the droppynge pilgrim sayde,", "\"For sweete Seyncte Marie and your order sake.\"", "The Limitoure then loosen'd his pouche threade,", "And did thereoute a groate of silver take;", "The mister pilgrim dyd for halline shake.", "\"Here take this silver, it maie eathe thie care;", "We are Goddes stewards all, nete of oure owne we bare.", "", "\"But ah! unhailie pilgrim, lerne of me,", "Scathe anie give a rentrolle to their Lorde.", "Here take my semecope, thou arte bare I see;", "Tis thyne; the Seynctes will give me mie rewarde.\"", "He left the pilgrim, and his waie aborde.", "Virgynne and hallie Seyncte, who sitte yn gloure,", "Or give the mittee will, or give the gode man power." ], "linecount": "91" } ]