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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A THUNDER STORM by WILLIAM COWPER

Poet Analysis

First Line: THE SKY BEGINS TO LOWER AND THICK'NING CLOUDS
Last Line: AND HARMONY ONCE MORE REVISITS EARTH.
THE Sky begins to lower and thick'ning Clouds
Portend a speedy storm, the Vocal tribes
No longer Sonnets sing; all, @3all@1 are mute;
The Beasts forbear to graze and seek the shade:
Yon herd of Swine—see, see how fast they run;
'Tis said they see the Wind—
A solemn and awful silence now prevails,
Save when the breeze the Thunder's harbinger
Just rustles through the Grove: on ev'ry brow
A dark despondence reigns, and hark! it comes;
I heard the sudden roar,—my Soul, be calm,
Look up and view its progress, be serene,
Calm and collected, as becomes a Man.
Again it roars—and now the Lightning flies;
Not faster flies the timid Hare from Hounds;
Nor from the victor flies the vanquish'd Foe,
Than Trav'llers seek for Shelter; e'en my Dog
Cow'rs at my feet and looks up for protection.
And now 'tis dreadful truly—Heav'n and Earth,
How hard it rains! the Atmosphere's on fire!
Chaos presides! Confusion quite surrounds me!
Yet, yet again the broad expanded glare
Of vivid Lightning flashes o'er the Plain
Leaving a sulph'rous stench; Heav'ns what a Peal!
Still; still it roars incessant! What to this
The din of armies on the hostile Plain?
An Atom to a Mountain.—
See the sky opens—shuts—and forky fires
Dart oblique to the Earth; and o'er my Head
Tempest rides forward on the Whirlwind's wing:
Still the Almighty flashes for his Spear;
His Chariot wheels most awfully resound:
Well! be it so, my Soul: consoling thought!
He is thy maker and, I trust, thy friend;
Then wherefore tremble, wherefore shudder thus?
No, I will cease to fear, tho' even now
The Ear of Nature feels so strong a Shock
As scarce before it felt: yet as a Man,
A Christian Man, I shudder now no more.
When God in Thunder spoke from Sinai's mount,
Israel approach'd with Awe; if Moses then
Could mediate for the People, and avert
The great Jehovah's anger, sure his Son,
The fam'd Immanuel, the Prince of Peace,
Can ransom from his wrath and reconcile.
But oh! my Soul how poor a Portrait this!
How weak the Colours and how faint th' Idea,
Of what one day thou must be a Spectator!
Oh! bright and blessed morning to the Just!
Oh! Day of doom, of infinite distress,
To those who unprepar'd Messiah meet;
When thron'd in Clouds, surrounded by the Host
Of Heav'n, worshipping, the Judge descends:
Consummate Triumph. Hark! the Trumpet sounds,
The Breath of Michael blows th' Amazing blast;
The Dead arise, the Living all are Chang'd,
And Adam's family appear before Him.
Amid that throng, in that Assembly vast,
Must thou, my soul, appear and there receive
A Plaudit glorious or Silence sad:
Sink deep in Thought, Oh, deeper, deeper still:
May it ne'er be forgotten, on my Couch
Be it my dreaming subject; when awake,
Oh! be it still remember'd: for its worth
What tongue can speak, or any language tell?
Then from this hour deep on my heart engraved
Be all my duty needful; Ha! that blaze,
That Shock tremendous that appals me thus
Says I am not prepar'd—but I submit;
No more will I rebel against thy sway
Nor dispute thy dominion, Gracious God!
My sins shall suffer, and by Grace divine
I will forsake them all and trust alone
For true felicity, for pleasure high,
To Thee: who only can true pleasure give.
The Storm abates—less too the Thunder roars,
The Vault of Heav'n grows brighter, and the Sun
Strives to Emerge from yonder dusky Cloud;
More faint the flashes grow—and distant fly;
Nature resumes her charms, and from the Grove
Musick again is heard: the Warblers there
Attempt a feeble strain: The Dog Star now
Throws his warm beams around the weeping Scene;
Salubrious Zephyrs gently fan the Air:
Love, Life, and Joy return by due degrees
And Harmony once more revisits Earth.



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