Page:The Poems of John Dyer (1903).djvu/121

 The flavour'd thea and glossy-painted vase ; Things elegant, ill-titled Luxuries, In temperance us'd delectable and good. They too from hence receive the strongest thread Of the green silkworm. Various is the wealth Of that renown'd and ancient land, secure In constant peace and commerce ; till'd to th' height Of rich fertility, where, thick as stars, Bright habitations glitter on each hill, And rock, and shady dale ; ev'n on the waves Of copious rivers, lakes, and bord'ring seas, Rise floating villages. No wonder, when In every province firm and level roads, And long canals, and navigable streams, Ever with ease conduct the works of toil To sure and speedy markets, thro' the length Of many a crowded region, many a clime, To the imperial tow'rs of Cambalu, Now Pekin, where the Fleece is not unknown ; Since Calder's woofs, and those of Exe and Frome, And Yare, and Avon flow, and rapid Trent, Thither by Russic caravans are brought, Thro' Scythia's num'rous regions, waste and wild, Journey immense ! which to th' attentive ear The Muse, in faithful notes, shall brief describe. From the proud mart of Petersburg, ere-while The watery seat of Desolation wide, Issue these trading caravans, and urge, Thro' dazzling snows, their dreary trackless road ; By compass steering oft from week to week, From month to month; whole seasons view their toils. Neva they pass, and Kesma's gloomy flood, Volga, and Don, and Oka's torrent prone, Threatening in vain ; and many a cataract