A Tribute to the United States. a Poem

Long have I sought, beset with grievous toil, To gain AMERICA'S applauded soil, To fly a Land oppress'd with bleeding woes That savage war and tumult only knows; To feel no more Corruption's growing force, Of griefs the spring, my Country's baneful curse; To see no more the pageantry of state, That kings command and princes can create: Nor view the potentate with haughty nod, Exact an homage due alone to GOD.

Joyful I press the ground with FREEDOM blest, Where FRANKLIN liv'd with self-emblazen'd crest, Where WASHINGTON his grateful Country brought Calm Independance, Liberty of thought; Snucck the stern sceptre from the Tyant's hand, And bliss restor'd to all his native Land.

This Country once in Natures rudest state, Where no fine feeling did the breast elate, Where Wedlock's laws no human being blest, But babes unfather'd hung upon the breast; Where War destructive ravag'd ev'ry plain, And parent by the child was often slain; This Country now another aspect wears, Each gentler virtue now its bosom shares. Here comely Peace, the nymph of placid mien, With smiling visage gladdens ev'ry scene: War's brazen trump no more is heard to sound, No panting coursers shake th'embattled ground, But Commerce catching each auspicious gale, To ev'ry sky unfurls the swelling sail.

Survey this Country, view its blessings o'er, Who would not court its hospitable shore? Here Independance holds her smiling reign, Of laws despotic none can here complain: Freedom, the birth-right of the human soul, None here dispute, and none would here controul: But all a common friend to Freedom's cause, From Freedom's source derive their noble laws.

Be ever sacred that eventful hour When fir'd with England's vile abuse of pow'r, The peaceful Colonists indignant rose, To meet oppression and her yoke oppose.

For justice struggling, and for human right, How many sunk to everlasting night: Fell, bravely fell, deplor'd by ev'ry eye, From ev'ry breast eliciting the sigh.

Where Quebec's rocks with tow'ring summits rise, And proudly soaring point towards the skies, MONTGOMERY, the leader of his train, Crown'd with the laurel, at the siege was slain. In that sad hour each heart with sorrow bled, And ev'ry Muse dejected hung her head. Thalia mournful, threw her mask away, Beat her bare breast, and wept the live-long day.

But yet, lamented shade, the Muse shall save Thy shining virtues from the clay-cold grave: Throughout the world where Freedom souths to rest, Where love of Liberty exalts the breast, The fame shall live, thy deeds shall grace the page Of rising poets in some future age; Ev'n lisping babes be taught thy name to sound, Their infant hearts exulting with a bound.

But turn, O Muse, where rural scenes invite, Where Nature's charms can ev'ry eye delight. Lo! Philadelphia rising from the main. With Sylvan beauties cheers the happy swain. The Delaware with ample channel laves The flow'ry banks that court its silver waves: Ships from all empires on its bosom roll, And waft their riches from the furthest pole.

The busy trader hails the cheerful day That safe conducts the vessel to its bay; With joyful heart beholds the bark draw near, At length releas'd from ev'ry painful fear. The vessel o'er the surface lightly glides, The rising keel the foaming surge divides; The cordage cracks, the sails exulting swell, The waving banner strives its joy to tell.

But, here, O Muse, in pity drop the tear O'er the dead body, o'er the untimely bier: To parent, kindred, tune thy plaintive strains, That felt the Pestilence consume their veins: Their loss deplore, and raise the pensive sigh For those who mourn with sorrow streaming eye, A Father, child, a brother or a friend, That healing pity once themselves could lend.

If o'er this scene a retrospect we take, How ev'ry object sorrow doth awake. Here in the solemn stillness of the night, The bleeding heart wept o'er the chilling sight Of victims seiz'd with pestilential blast, In painful anguish breathing out their last: In each sad street was heard the dying moan, And ev'ry gale came loaded with a groan.

Here widows weeping o'er their husbands' bier. With looks distracted drop the briny tear, Or rend the air with pity moving strains, That echo from the walls, the hills, the neigb'ring plains.

There tender mothers act the parent's part, And mourn their offspring with a bursting heart, While friendless orphans in the streets are found That view their parents lifeless on the ground.

Sad was the scene, dejecting was the sight Of bodies carry'd by the moon's pale light, To where the church-yard's satiated cave At ev'ry part display'd the new-made grave!

But turn, O Muse, from scenes of woe and grief, To themes congenial fly thee for relief. Soon as the Spring, at Nature's just command, Her visit pays to this delightful land, The conscious swain partakes the genial pow'r, Basks in the breeze, or curls the vernal flow'r. Each comely Grace to Music's silver sound, Leads up the dance, and lightly beats the ground; Then laugh the vales, the woods their tribute bring, And to the gales their balmy odours fling. The crystal stream with softer murmur flows, And sweetly whispers to the breeze that blows; The ox no more demands his wonted stall, But courts the mead, and distant water fall: The snowy flocks abroad for pasture range, The joyful shepherd glories in the change.

But when the Summer's blushing tints appear, To deck with flow'rs and fruits the ripen'd year, When golden harvests crown each fertile field. And bending boughs their rosy produce yield, When through the meads the mazy rivers stray, And dancing sun-beams on the water play, The husbandman beholds with grateful eye, His yellow corn fields smile beneath the sky, Begins the labour, and with careful hand, Reaps the blest produce of his fruitful land; The rustic nymphs and swains in busy throng, Solace their labours with the woodland song: Thus through the day the circling hours roll, And night rewards them with the flowing bowl.

If bards delight in streams and shady grove, If near the stream the Muse delights to rove, This smiling land with ev'ry charm is blest, Its streams yield pleasure, and its bowers rest.

The Bay of Chesapeak its source divides, And to the West pours out its ample tides, To where Potowmack curls its silver waves, And Alexandria's lofty structure laves. The smiling vessels dancing on the flood, Of ev'ry clime bring home the native good.

The Schuyskill river fertile in its views, With scenes romantic charms the rural Muse. That loves to pluck the flowret from its sides, Through which the stream with wave translucent glides,

The Susquehannah now invites my lay, Beneath huge mountains pouring forth its way. Its fragrant banks a fruitful valley shades, Adorn'd with woods and wild luxuriant glades: The rural hamlet, where its arms divide, Enchants the view, and courts the purple tide.

If any form of government be known, In which the seeds of equity are sown, To common-wealths it surely is confin'd, A form that suits the dictates of the mind.

In days of yore, when force and strength prevail'd, The weaker by the strong became assail'd, Till pow'r usurp'd a calm obedience found, And human rights were trampled on the ground. Then kings arose with stern and haughty brow, To wrest submission from the croud below, Who having once obey'd the stern decree, Approach'd the throne, and bent the suppliant knee. Oppression then a ready sanction found, And cast her iron sceptre on the ground, Now growing embers kindled into flame, And what the father was the son became: Hence sprang a race of pow'r supreme possest, And monarchs, princes, nobles stood confest.

But since mankind grown bold in Freedom's cause Have caught the love of self-created laws, Nations the yoke of slav'ry have o'erthrown, And regal pow'r with triumph now disown.

This rising land, though yet an infant state, Enjoys the blessings that on empires wait, Can boast of souls exalted as the earth, That calls them sons, and smil'd upon their birth; Of men made warriors in their country's cause, Zealous to frame, and then obey its laws.

See honour'd WASHINGTON, with lofty soul, Of manners gentle, yet above controul, Whole armies conquer. Independance find, The smiling emblem of his noble mind.

Declare, O Muse, how Caesar wild with pow'r, To ruin hurl'd in some well destin'd hour, Say how doth he who came to AFRIC'S shore, Wept when he found no blood he could spill more, Of LETHE'S stream the dark oblivion share, When we to WASHINGTON'S their deeds compare, Who having once with just and mighty arm, Found means his foes of terror to disarm, Retir'd like CINCINNATUS to his farm. May then these acts that warm the generous heart, To times remote their influence impart, Grace the soft song, adorn th' historic page, And call forth Heroes in each future age.