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Literary
September 17, 1831
The Liberator
Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
What is this article about?
A meditative poem addressed to an ancient sun-dial, observing the slow crawl of an hour's shadow while contrasting subtle natural changes with profound human experiences of desire, despair, love, war, birth, and death, emphasizing time's relentless flow and hidden depths.
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LITERARY.
From the London Literary Gazette
TO AN ANCIENT SUN-DIAL.
An hour has passed with lingering pace,
Since, bent in careless musing nigh,
I marked upon thy moss grown face
The noiseless shadow stealing by ;
An hour has passed-and wandering back
: The fit of vacant idlesse o'er, :
I see that shade in onward track .
Advanced one scanty inch-no more.
Less blue the wide exulting sea, '
, 'More white the morning cloud may seem
A little more the merry bee
: Hath toiled beside the chiming stream,
A little bent appears the flower,
A little raised the mounting sun,
Less bright the dew--less cool the bower-
But other change on earth is none.
Yet to the world of nobler life
What has that hour of stillness brought
Desire-Despair-far-wasting strife-
The madness and the bliss of thought
And Hope, that flatters to depart,
And Love, with unresisted chain :
And O !, the anguish of the heart
." Which knows its all of fondness vain.
City 'and tower perchance have sunk,
, To waste and howling ruin cast, ,
And armaments embattled, shrunk
∵ Like reeds before the rending blast :
The mother to her new-born child
' Has bared her life-bestowing breast.
And many a brow yet undefiled,
The ruthless grave has called to rest.
A knell or joys forever fled-
A dooming voice beyond recall
A trumpet-signal, stern and dread,
. Of warfare and of watch to all
A sound o'er earth's arena sent,
To bid the strife of thousands cease
Such is the gentlest moment, spent
Amidst the calm of halcyon peace.
But we, beneath the varying beam,
Whilst thus Time's onward waters flow
O'er straw and bubble dream and dream,
. Nor heed the torrent's depth below.
Destruction, wide as land and sea,
And life, and death, and waste, and woe
Alas! who thinks that such must be
The record of each sunny hour ?
From the London Literary Gazette
TO AN ANCIENT SUN-DIAL.
An hour has passed with lingering pace,
Since, bent in careless musing nigh,
I marked upon thy moss grown face
The noiseless shadow stealing by ;
An hour has passed-and wandering back
: The fit of vacant idlesse o'er, :
I see that shade in onward track .
Advanced one scanty inch-no more.
Less blue the wide exulting sea, '
, 'More white the morning cloud may seem
A little more the merry bee
: Hath toiled beside the chiming stream,
A little bent appears the flower,
A little raised the mounting sun,
Less bright the dew--less cool the bower-
But other change on earth is none.
Yet to the world of nobler life
What has that hour of stillness brought
Desire-Despair-far-wasting strife-
The madness and the bliss of thought
And Hope, that flatters to depart,
And Love, with unresisted chain :
And O !, the anguish of the heart
." Which knows its all of fondness vain.
City 'and tower perchance have sunk,
, To waste and howling ruin cast, ,
And armaments embattled, shrunk
∵ Like reeds before the rending blast :
The mother to her new-born child
' Has bared her life-bestowing breast.
And many a brow yet undefiled,
The ruthless grave has called to rest.
A knell or joys forever fled-
A dooming voice beyond recall
A trumpet-signal, stern and dread,
. Of warfare and of watch to all
A sound o'er earth's arena sent,
To bid the strife of thousands cease
Such is the gentlest moment, spent
Amidst the calm of halcyon peace.
But we, beneath the varying beam,
Whilst thus Time's onward waters flow
O'er straw and bubble dream and dream,
. Nor heed the torrent's depth below.
Destruction, wide as land and sea,
And life, and death, and waste, and woe
Alas! who thinks that such must be
The record of each sunny hour ?
What sub-type of article is it?
Poem
What themes does it cover?
Nature
Death Mortality
War Peace
What keywords are associated?
Sun Dial
Time Passage
Nature Changes
Human Emotions
Life Death
War Destruction
Literary Details
Title
To An Ancient Sun Dial.
Key Lines
An Hour Has Passed With Lingering Pace,
Since, Bent In Careless Musing Nigh,
I Marked Upon Thy Moss Grown Face
The Noiseless Shadow Stealing By ;
Yet To The World Of Nobler Life
What Has That Hour Of Stillness Brought
Desire Despair Far Wasting Strife
The Madness And The Bliss Of Thought
Destruction, Wide As Land And Sea,
And Life, And Death, And Waste, And Woe
Alas! Who Thinks That Such Must Be
The Record Of Each Sunny Hour ?