The temple of nature, or, The origin of society : a poem, with philosophical notes / by Erasmus Darwin, M.D.

  • Darwin, Erasmus, 1731-1802.
Date:
1804
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The temple of nature, or, The origin of society : a poem, with philosophical notes / by Erasmus Darwin, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    Warm'd into life the bursting egg of Night, And gave young Nature to admiring Light!— You ! whose wide arms, in soft embraces hurl'd Round the vast frame, connect the whirling Avorld ! 20 Whether immers'd in day, the Sun your throne, You gird the planets in your silver zone; Or warm, descending on ethereal wing, The Earth's cold bosom with the beams of spring j Press drop to drop, to atom atom bind, Link sex to sex, or rivet mind to mind ; Attend my song!—With rosy lips rehearse, And with your polish'd arrows write my verse!— So shall my lines soft-rolling eyes engage, And snow-white fingers turn the volant page ; 30 The smiles of Beauty all my toils repay, And youths and virgins chant the living lay. II. Where Eden's sacred bowers triumphant sprung, By angels guarded, and by prophets sung, Wav'd o'er the east in purple pride unfurl'd, And rock'd the golden cradle of the World; Cradle of the <world, 1. 56. The nations which possess Europe and a part of Asia and of Africa, appear to have descended from one family ; and to have had their origin near the banks of the Mediterranean, as pro- bably in Syria, the site of Paradise, according to the Mosaic history. This seems highly probable from the similarity of the structure of the Ian- guages of these nations, and from their early possession of similar reli- gions, customs, and arts, as well as from the most ancient histories ex- tant. The two former of these may be collected from Lord Monboddo's