The Bijou;
or Annual of Literature and the Arts
compiled by William Fraser
London: William Pickering,
1828
pp. pp. 93-97
[Sir Cloudesley Shovel's ship, the Association, struck upon the Gilstone, off Sicilly, with so much violence, that in about two minutes the vessel went down, and every soul on board, but one, perished. This man saved himself on a piece of timber, which floated to a rock called the Hellweathers, where he was compelled to remain some days before he could receive any assistance. Besides the Association, the Eagle, of 70, and the Romney, of 50 guns, perished, with all their crews. The Firebrand, fireship, was also lost, but most of her men were saved. Many persons of rank, and about 2000 seamen perished on this occasion. DREW'S HISTORY OF CORNWALL.]
THE blue wave roll'd away before the breeze | 1 |
Of evening, and that gallant fleet was seen | 2 |
Darting across the waters; ship on ship | 3 |
Following in eager rivalry, for home | 4 |
Lay on the welcome lee. The sun went down | 5 |
Amid a thousand glorious hues that liv'd | 6 |
But in his presence; and the giant clouds | 7 |
Mov'd on in beauty and in power before | 8 |
The day- god's burning throne. But soon was o'er | 9 |
The pomp celestial, and the gold-fring'd cloud | 10 |
Grew dark and darker, and the Elysian tints | 11 |
Evanish'd swift; the clear, bright azure chang'd | 12 |
To blackness, and with twilight came the shriek | 13 |
Of the pursuing winds. Anon on high, | 14 |
Seen dimly through the shadowy eve, the Chief | 15 |
Threw out the wary signal, and they paus'd | 16 |
Awhile upon the deep 1 . Again they gave | 17 |
Their sails to the fresh gale — again the surge | 18 |
Swept foaming by, and every daring prow | 19 |
Pointed to England; — England! that should greet | 20 |
With her green hills, and long- lost vales, their eyes | 21 |
On the sweet morrow. Beautiful is morn, | 22 |
But, oh, how beautiful the morn that breaks | 23 |
On the returning wanderer, doom'd no more | 24 |
To live on fancy's visions of that spot | 25 |
Beyond all others lov'd; — that very spot | 26 |
Now rising from the broad, blue waters, dear | 27 |
To him as Heav'n. | 28 |
With fatal speed they flew | 29 |
Through the wide- parting foam. Again the deck | 30 |
Slop'd to the billow, and the groaning mast | 31 |
Bent to the rising gale; yet on that night | 32 |
The voice of the loud ocean rose to them | 33 |
In music, for the winds that hurry'd by | 34 |
So fierce and swift, but heralded the way | 35 |
To the lov'd island- strand. The jaws of death | 36 |
Were round them, and they knew it not, until | 37 |
Chilling the life- blood of the bravest, burst | 38 |
The everlasting cry of waves and rocks | 39 |
From stern Cornubia's isles. Alas, to them — | 40 |
The lost, there blaz'd no friendly Pharos' fire, | 41 |
No star gleam'd from the heav'n. The sailor heard | 42 |
The roar of the huge cliff, and on his brow | 43 |
Fell the cold dew of horror. On they came — | 44 |
Those gallant barks, fate driv'n — on they came — | 45 |
Borne on the wings of the wild wind, to rush | 46 |
In darkness on the black and bellowing reef | 47 |
Where human help avails not. There they struck | 48 |
And sank; — the hopes, the fears, the wishes all | 49 |
Of myriads o'er, at once. Each fated ship | 50 |
One moment sat in all her pride, and pomp, | 51 |
And beauty, on the main; — the next, she plung'd | 52 |
Into the "hell" of waves, and from her deck | 53 |
Thrill'd the loud death scream — stifled as it rose | 54 |
By the dark sea; — one blow — one shriek — the grave! | 55 |
*************** | 117 |
*************** | 118 |
[Page 97]
A shout | 119 |
Comes from the cliffs — a shout of joy! Awake, | 120 |
Thou lonely one from death's fast- coming sleep! — | 121 |
Arise, the strand is thronging with brave men — | 122 |
A thousand eyes are on thee, and a bark | 123 |
Bursts o'er the breaching foam! The shifting cloud | 124 |
Flies westward, and away the storm, repell'd | 125 |
Relunctant sails: the winds have backward flung | 126 |
The billows of the Atlantic! See, — they come, — | 127 |
They come — a dauntless island- band — and now | 128 |
A cheer is heard— and hark the dash of oars | 129 |
Among the reefs! His eye with instant hope | 130 |
Brightens, and all the ebbing tides of life | 131 |
Rush with returning vigour! Now the spray | 132 |
Flies o'er the advancing pinnace, for the wave | 133 |
Though half subdued is mighty; yet her prow | 134 |
Victorious parts the surges, — nearer roll | 135 |
The cheers of that bold crew — the welcome sounds | 136 |
Thrill on his ear — the deep'ning plunge of oars | 137 |
Foams round the desert rock — 'tis won! 'tis won! | 138 |
And — he is sav'd! | 139 |
1. [Note to "The Hellweathers":] A few hours before the ships struck, Sir Cloudesley Shovel hove out the signal to lie to, in order to ascertain the situation of the fleet. [Author, N.T. Carrington.] Back