A blessed family is this
Assembled in the Bower of Bliss!
Strange woe, Ladurlad, hath been thine,
And pangs beyond all human measure,
And thy reward is now divine,
A foretaste of eternal pleasure.
He knew indeed there was a day
When all these joys would pass away,
And he must quit this blest abode;
And, taking up again the spell,
Groan underneath the baleful load,
And wander o'er the world again
Most wretched of the sons of men:
Yet was this brief repose, as when
A traveller in the Arabian sands,
Half-fainting on bis sultry road,
Hath reach'd the water-place at last;
And resting there beside the Well,
Thinks of the perils he has past,
And gazes o'er the unbounded plain,
The plain which must be travers'd still,
And drinks, . . yet cannot drink his fill;
Then girds his patient loins again.
So to Ladurlad now was given
New strength, and confidence in Heaven,
And hope, and faith invincible.
For often would Ereenia tell
Of what in elder days befell,
When other Tyrants, in their might,
Usurp'd dominion o'er the earth;
And Veeshnoo took a human birth,
Deliverer of the Sons of men;
And slew the huge Ermaccasen,
And piece-meal rent, with lion force,
Errenen's accursed corse,
And humbled Baly in his pride;
And when the Giant Ravanen
Had borne triumphant, from his side,
Sita, the earth-born God's beloved bride,
Then, from his island kingdom, laugh'd to scorn
The insulted husband, and his power defied;
How to revenge the wrong in wrath he hied,
Bridging the sea before his dreadful sway,
And met the hundred-headed foe,
And dealt him the unerring blow;
By Brama's hand the righteous lance was given,
And by that arm immortal driven,
It laid the mighty Tyrant low;

And Earth and Ocean, and high Heaven,
Rejoiced to see his overthrow.

U 2

Oh!

Oh! doubt not thou, Yedillian cried,
Such fate Kehama will betide;
For there are Gods who look below,...
Seeva, the Avenger, is not blind,
Nor Veeshaóo careless for mankind.

Thus was Ladurlad's soul imbued
With hope and holy fortitude;
And Child and Sire, with pious mind
Alike resolv'd, alike resign'd,
Look'd onward to the evil day:
Faith was their comfort, Faith their stay;
They trusted woe would pass away,
And Tyranny would sink subdued,
And Evil yield to Good.

Lovely wert thou, O Flower of Earth!
Above all flowers of mortal birth;
But fostered in this blissful bower
From day to day, and bour to hour,
Lovelier grew the lovely flower.
O blessed, blessed company!
When men and heavenly spirits greet,
And they whom Death had severed meet,
And hold again communion sweet;...
O blessed, blessed company!
The Sun, careering round the sky,
Beheld them with ejoicing eye,
And bade his willing Charioteer
Relax their speed as they drew near;
Arounin check'd the rainbow reins,
The seven green coursers shook their manes,
And brighter rays around them threw ;
The Car of glory in their view
More radiant, more resplendent grew;
And Surya, through his veil of light,
Beheld the Bower, and blest the sight.
The Lord of Night, as he sail'd by,

Stay'd his pearly boat on high;
And, while around the blissful Bower
He bade the softest moonlight flow,
Lingered to see that earthly flower,
Forgetful of his Dragon foe,
Who, mindful of their ancient feud,
With open jaws of rage pursued.
There all good Spirits of the air,
Suras and Devetas repair,
Aloft they love to hover there
And view the flower of mortal birth
Here, for her innocence and worth,

Transplanted

Transplanted from the fields of earth;...
And him who, on the dreadful day
When Heaven was filled with consternation,
And Indra trembled with dismay,
And, for the sounds of joy and mirth,
Woe was heard, and lamentation,
Defied the Rajah in his pride,
Though all in Heaven and Earth beside
Stood mute in dolorous expectation;
And rushing forward in that hour,
Saved the Swerga from his power.
Grateful for this they hover nigh,
And bless the blessed company.

One God alone, with wanton eye,
Beheld them in their Bower;
O ye, he cried, who have defied
The Rajah, will ye mock my power?
'Twas Camdeo riding on his lory,
'Twas the immortal youth of Love;
If men below and Gods above,
Subject alike, quoth he, have felt these darts,
Shall ye alone, of all in story,
Boast impenetrable hearts?
Hover here, my gentle lory,
Gently hover, while I see

To whom hath Fate decreed the glory,
To the Glendoveer or me.

Then in the dewy evening sky,
The bird of gorgeous plumery
Pois'd his wings and hover'd nigh.
It chanced at that delightful hour
Kailyal sate before the Bower,
On the green bank with amaranth sweet,
Where Ganges warbled at her feet.
Ereenia there, before the Maid,
His sails of ocean-blue displayed;
And sportive in her sight,
Mov'd slowly o'er the lake with gliding flight;
Anon, with sudden stroke and strong,
In rapid course careering, swept along;
Now shooting downward from his heavenly height,
Plunged in the deep below,
Then rising, soar'd again,

And shook the sparkling waters off like rain,
And hovering o'er the silver-surface hung.
At him young Camdeo bent the bow;
With living bees the bow was strung,
The fatal bow of sugar-cane,

And

Thy skill is baffled here!

A deeper love I bear that Maid divine,
Sprung from a higher will,

A holier power than thine!

A second shaft, while thus Ereenia cried,
Had Camdeo aim'd at Kailyal's side,
But, lo! the Bees which strung his bow
Broke off, and took their flight.

that sweet Flower of earth they wing their way,
Around her raven tresses play,

And buzz about her with delight,
As if, with that melodious sound,
They strove to pay their willing duty
To mortal purity and beauty.
Ah, Wanton! cried the Glendoveer,
No power hast thou for mischief here!
Chuse thou some idler breast,

For these are proof, by nobler thoughts possest.
Go to thy plains of Matra go,
And string again thy broken bow!
Rightly Ereenia spake; and ill had thoughts
Of earthly love beseem'd the sanctuary
Where Kailyal had been wafted, that the Soul
Of her dead Mother there might strengthen her,
Feeding her with the milk of heavenly lore,
And influxes of Heaven imbue her heart
With hope and faith, and holy fortitude,
Against the evil day. Here rest awhile
In peace, O Father! mark'd for misery
Above all sons of men; O Daughter! doom'd
For sufferings and for trials above all
Of women;... yet both favour'd, both belov'd
By all good Powers, here rest awhile in peace.

DOMESTIC

DOMESTIC LITERATURE.

CHAPTER I.

BIBICAL AND THEOLOGICAL.

Comprising Biblical Criticism; Theological Criticism; Sacred Morals; Sermons and Discourses; Single Sermons; Controversial Divinity.