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

 Their sable chieftains may in future times 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 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 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, 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 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 ! 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, 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