Page:The Poems of John Dyer (1903).djvu/116

Their sable chieftains may in future times 205
Burst their frail bonds, and vengeance execute
On cruel unrelenting pride of heart
And avarice. There are ills to come for crimes.
Hot Guinea, too, gives yellow dust of gold,
Which, with her rivers, rolls adown the sides 210
Of unknown hills, where fiery-winged winds,
And sandy deserts, rous'd by sudden storms,
All search forbid. Howe'er, on either hand,
Vallies and pleasant plains, and many a track
Deem'd uninhabitable erst, are found 215
Fertile and populous ; their sable tribes,
In shade of verdant groves, and mountains tall,
Frequent enjoy the cool descent of rain,
And soft refreshing breezes : nor are lakes
Here wanting ; those a sea-wide surface spread, 220
Which to the distant Nile and Senegal
Send long meanders. Whate'er lies beyond,
Of rich or barren, Ignorance o'ercasts
With her dark mantle. Mon'motapa's coast
Is seldom visited ; and the rough shore 225
Of Cafres, land of savage Hottentots,
Whose hands unnatural hasten to the grave
Their aged parents. What barbarity
And brutal ignorance where social trade
Is held contemptible ! Ye gliding Sails ! 230
From these inhospitable gloomy shores
Indignant turn, and to the friendly Cape,
Which gives the cheerful mariner good hope
Of prosperous voyage, steer. Rejoice to view
What trade, with Belgian industry, creates, 235
Prospects of civil life, fair towns, and lawns,
And yellow tilth, and groves of various fruits,
Delectable in husk or glossy rind :
There the capacious vase from crystal springs