ARGUMENT.
I. The beneficial influence of Poetry in the civilization of Mankind—Diffidence of the Author.—II. Wreck of the Mizen-mast cleared away—Ship put before the Wind—Labours much—Different stations of the Officers—Appearance of the Island of Falconera.—III. Excursion to the adjacent Nations of Greece renowned in Antiquity—Athens—Socrates—Plato—Aristides—Solon—Corinth—Its Architecture—Sparta—Leonidas—Invasion by Xerxes—Lycurgus—Epaminondas—Present state of the Spartans—Arcadia—Former happiness and fertility—Its present distress the effect of Slavery—Ithaca—Ulysses and Penelope—Argos and Mycæne—Agamemnon—Macronisi—Lemnos—Vulcan—Delos—Apollo and Diana—Troy—Sestos—Leander and Hero—Delphos—Temple of Apollo—Parnassus—The Muses.—IV. Subject resumed—Address to the Spirits of the Storm—A Tempest, accompanied with Rain, Hail, and Meteors—Darkness of the Night, Lightning and Thunder—Day-break—St. George’s Cliffs open upon them—The Ship, in great danger, passes the Island of St. George.—V. Land of Athens appears—Helmsman struck blind by Lightning—Ship laid broadside to the Shore—Bowsprit, Foremast, and Main Top-mast carried away—Albert, Rodmond, Arion, and Palemon strive to save themselves on the wreck of the Foremast—The Ship parts asunder—Death of Albert and Rodmond—Arion reaches the Shore—Finds Palemon expiring on the Beach—His dying Address to Arion, who is led away by the humane Natives.
THE
SHIPWRECK.
CANTO III.
Hadst thou, soft Maiden! in this hour of woe
Beheld him writhing from the deadly blow,
What force of art, what language could express
Thine agony, thine exquisite distress?
DRAWN BY RICHARD WESTALL, R.A. ENGRAVED BY F. ENGLEHEART.
PUBLISHED BY JOHN SHARPE, PICCADILLY,
OCT. 1, 1819.
