Nor can my tongue give utterance to a name
  Of note belonging to that honoured isle,
  Philosopher or Bard, Empedocles, [P]
  Or Archimedes, [Q] pure abstracted soul! 435
  That doth not yield a solace to my grief: 
  And, O Theocritus, [R] so far have some
  Prevailed among the powers of heaven and earth,
  By their endowments, good or great, that they
  Have had, as thou reportest, miracles 440
  Wrought for them in old time:  yea, not unmoved,
  When thinking on my own beloved friend,
  I hear thee tell how bees with honey fed
  Divine Comates, [S] by his impious lord
  Within a chest imprisoned; how they came 445
  Laden from blooming grove or flowery field,
  And fed him there, alive, month after month,
  Because the goatherd, blessed man! had lips
  Wet with the Muses’ nectar. 
                              Thus I soothe
  The pensive moments by this calm fire-side, 450
  And find a thousand bounteous images
  To cheer the thoughts of those I love, and mine. 
  Our prayers have been accepted; thou wilt stand
  On Etna’s summit, above earth and sea,
  Triumphant, winning from the invaded heavens 455
  Thoughts without bound, magnificent designs,
  Worthy of poets who attuned their harps
  In wood or echoing cave, for discipline
  Of heroes; or, in reverence to the gods,
  ’Mid temples, served by sapient priests, and choirs 460
  Of virgins crowned with roses.  Not in vain
  Those temples, where they in their ruins yet
  Survive for inspiration, shall attract
  Thy solitary steps:  and on the brink
  Thou wilt recline of pastoral Arethuse; 465
  Or, if that fountain be in truth no more,
  Then, near some other spring—­which, by the name
  Thou gratulatest, willingly deceived—­
  I see thee linger a glad votary,
  And not a captive pining for his home. 470

* * * * *

VARIANTS ON THE TEXT

[Variant 1:  In the editions of 1850 and 1857, the punctuation is as follows, but is evidently wrong: 

               in the People was my trust: 
  And, in the virtues which mine eyes had seen,
  I knew ...

Ed.]

* * * * *

FOOTNOTES ON THE TEXT

[Footnote A:  The Reign of Terror ended with the downfall of Robespierre and his “Tribe.”—­Ed.]

[Footnote B:  He refers doubtless to the effect, upon the Government of the day, of the dread of Revolution in England.  There were a few partisans of France and of the Revolution in England; and the panic which followed, though irrational, was widespread.  The Habeas Corpus Act was suspended, a Bill was passed against seditious Assemblies, the Press was prosecuted, some Scottish Whigs who clamoured for reform were sentenced to transportation, while one Judge expressed regret that the practice of torture for sedition had fallen into disuse.—­Ed.] TWO