The Spirit of Discovery; or, the Conquest of Ocean. A Poem, in Five Books (poemat Williama Lisle’a Bowlesa)

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The Spirit of Discovery; or, the Conquest of Ocean. A Poem, in Five Books – poemat epicki angielskiego duchownego i poety Williama Lisle’a Bowlesa (1762–1850), opublikowany w Londynie w 1804. Utwór składa się z pięciu ksiąg, zatytułowanych kolejno The Vision of the Ark, Aegyptians and Phoenicians, The Fall of Babylon, to Founding Alexandria, Progress of Discovery, in the Atlantic, Cape of Good-Hope, America, &c. i General Recapitulation and Conclusion. Utwór jest napisany wierszem białym, czyli nierymowanym pentametrem jambicznym, to znaczy sylabotonicznym dziesięciozgłoskowcem, w którym akcenty padają na parzyste sylaby wersu.

Awake a louder and a loftier Strain!

Beloved Harp, whose tones have oft beguil'd

My solitary sorrows, when I left

The scene of happier hours, and wander'd far,

A pale and drooping stranger; I have sat

(While evening listen'd to the convent's bell)

On the wild margin of the Rhine, and woo'd

Thy sympathies, "a-weary of the world,"

And I have found with thee sad fellowship,

Yet always sweet, whene'er my languid hand

Passed carelessly o'er the responsive wires,

While unambitious of the laurel'd meed

That crowns the gifted bard, I only ask'd

Some stealing melodies the heart might love,

And a brief sonnet to beguile my tears!

Bibliografia

• William Lisle Bowles: The Spirit of Discovery; or, The Conquest of Ocean. A Poem, in Five Books: with Notes, Historical and Illustrative. Archive.org, 1804. [dostęp 2017-04-17]. (ang.).