And eastward thrice, and westward thrice was whirled,
And from the skies surveyed the nether world.
But when grey ev'ning showed the verge of night,
He feared in darkness to pursue his flight.
He poised his pinions, and forgot to soar,
And sinking, closed them on th' Hesperian shore:
Then begged to rest, till Lucifer begun
To wake the morn, the morn to wake the sun.
Here Atlas reigned of more than human size,
And in his kingdom the world's limit lies.