New Hampshire Statesman And Concord Register

The following song was written by the late Mr. Canning, and sung at a dinner, in honor of Mr. Pitt, in the year 1803.

THE PILOT THAT WEATHERED THE STORM.

If hush'd the loud whirlwind that ruffl'd the deep,
The sky if no longer dark tempests deform:
When our perils are past shall our gratitude sleep?
No—Here's to the pilot that weather'd the storm.

At the footstool of power let flattery fawn,
Let faction her idol extol to the skies;
To virtue in humble retirement withdrawn,
Unblam'd may the accents of gratitude rise.

And shall not his memory to Britain be dear,
Whose example with envy all nations behold—
A Statesman unbiassed by interest or fear,
By power uncorrupted untainted by gold?

Who, when terror and doubt thro' the universe reign'd,
While rapine and treason their standards unfurl'd,
The heart and the hopes of his country maintain'd,
And one kingdom preserv'd midst the wreck of the world.

Unheeding, unthankful, we bask in the blaze,
While the beams of the sun in full majesty shine,
When he sinks into twilight with fondness we gaze,
And mark the mild lustre that gilds his decline.

So Pitt, when the course of thy greatness is o'er,
Thy talents, thy virtues, we fondly recall!
Now justly we prize thee, when lost we deplore:
Admir'd in thy zenith, but lov'd in thy fall!

O! take then—for dangers by wisdom repell'd.
For evils by courage and constancy brav'd—
O! take for a throne by thy counsels upheld,
The thanks of a people thy firmness hath sav'd!

And O! if again the rude whirlwind should rise,
The dawning of peace should fresh darkness deform,
The regret of the good and the fears of the wise
Shall return to the Pilot that weather'd the storm.