Wat'ry god (1)/The Wat'ry God

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Wat'ry god (1) (1799)
The Wat'ry God
3286937Wat'ry god (1) — The Wat'ry God1799

THE WAT'RY GOD.

THE wat'ry God, great Neptune lay,
In dalliance ſoft and am'rous play,
On Amphitrite's ſoft breaſt;
When uproar rear'd its horrid head,
The Tritons ſhrunk, the Nereiads fled,
And all their fears confeſt.

Loud thunder ſhook the vaſt domain,
The liquid world was wrapt in flame,
The God amazed ſpoke!
Ye winds go forth and make it known,
Who dares to ſhake my coral throne,
And fill my realm with ſmoke?

The winds obſequious at his word,
Sprung ſtrongly up to obey their Lord,
And ſaw two fleets a-weigh;
One victorious-Hawke, was thine,
The other Conflans wretched line,
In terror and diſmay.

Appall'd they view Breitannia's Sons.
Deal Death and Slaughter from their guns,
And ſtrike the fatal blow;
Which caus'd ill-fated Gallic ſlaves,
To find a tomb in briney waves,
And ſink to ſhades below;

With ſpeed they fly and tell their chief,
That France was ruin'd, paſt relief,
And Hawks triumphant rode;
Hawke! cry'd the Fair, Pray what is he,
Who dare uſurp his power at ſea,
And thus inſult a God?

The Wind reply'd in diſtant lands,
There reigns a King who Hawke commands,
He ſcorns all foreign force;
And when their floating caſtles roll,
From ſea to ſea, from pole to pole,
Great Hawke directs their courſe.

Or when his winged bullets fly,
To puniſh frawd and perfidy,
Or ſcourge a guilty land;
The gallant Hawke ſerenely great
Though death and horror round him wait,
Performs his dread command.

Neptune with wonder heard the ſtory,
Of Georg's Sway and Britain's Glory,
Which time ſhall ne'er ſubdue;
Boſcawen's deeds, and Saunder's fame,
Join'd with brave Wolfe's immortal name,
Then cry'd, Can this be true?

A King! He ſure muſt be a God!
Who has ſuch Heroes at his nod,
To govern earth and ſea;
I yield to Trident and my Crown,
A tribute due to ſuch renown,
Great George ſhall rule for me.




This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.

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