(7) Decorated as Tirzah, etc. The whole of this eclogue, we apprehend, is composed of military allusions and phrases: consequently, the cities, with the mention of which it opens, were those most famous for handsome fortifications. "Thou art (Ipi) decorated as Tirzah (Naweh) ; adorned as Jerusalem (Aimeh) : ornamented in a splendid. sparkling, radiant manner, as bannered ranks, or corps of soldiers. are ornamented. which is not far from the compliment formerly paid her as resembling an officer of cavalry, riding with dig nity among the horse of Pharaoh: nor is it unlike the reference of the prince himself to a (fiery) standard, in the preceding eclogue. See what is said on the banner of the heavens in a following verse: these banners, we must recollect, were flaming fire-pots. usually carried on the top of a staff.
(8) Wheel about thine eyes. Literally, do that return, or, at least. turn round hut this phrase is not in our language either military or poetical we have, therefore, adopted a word of command whose import is of the same nature and whose application has been sufficiently familiar to us of late.
(o) My station Literally, my region, the ground I occupy with my troops, my post, in a military sense; which station you attack, and by your at tack force me to give ground, to retire; you drive me off, overpower me, advance into my terri tories, and, in spite of my resistance, add them by victory and conquest to your own. These are clearly military ideas, and, therefore, we suppose, are expressed in military terms.
(io) Here follow four lines, or verses, repeated from the second eclogue of the second day. They have every appearance of being misplaced; a mere duplicate of the former passage. It would seem rather unlikely that, in so short a poem, such a duplication should be inserted intentionally. Whether these lines replace others which should be here, or merely are a repetition, the reader will judge for himself by the connection, or want of connection, of the passage.
Daccling as 112c streamers? (a COMET?) The reader will probably be startled at this idea, as we also should have been had we not accidentally met with the following Arabic verses in Richard son : When I describe your beauty, my thoughts are perplexed, Whether to compare it To the sun, to the moon, or to the wandering star (a COMET).
Now this idea completes the climax of the pas sage, which was greatly wanted, so that the com parisons stand (1) daybreak, a small glimmering light; (2) the moon (full moon?) ; (3) the sun clearly shining; (4) the comet, which, seen by night, is dazzling; as it were, the fiery banner, or streamer of the hosts of heaven ; such a phe nomenon has ever been among the most terrific objects to the eyes of the simple Arab, on whose deep blue sky it glows in tremendous perfection. Is this word plural by emphasis?—meaning, the chief of streamers ; THE STREAMER, par excel lence.
The comparison of a lady to the full moon is frequently adopted in Arabia : She appeared like the full moon in a night of joy, Delicate in limbs, and elegant of stature.
We cannot refrain from observing how happily this comet illustrates the simile, in Jude 13: "Wondering stars, to whom is reserved the black ness of darkness for ever." As the apostle uses
the word planetai, it has been usual to suppose he alludes to neighboring orbs, the planets, whose motions appear very irregular ; sometimes direct, sometimes stationary, sometimes retrograde; but, if we refer his expression to comets, then. we see at once how they may be said to remain in per petual darkness, after their brilliancy is extinct, which idea is not applicable to the planets. We may add that the Chaldeans held comets to be a species of planets (Senec. Quest. Nat.) : that the Pythagoreans included comets among planets which appears after very long intervals, (Arist. Meteor, lib. i.). and that the Egyptians calculated their periods and predicted their return.
(11) Affection, heart. The bride had told us be fore, in No. r, that while she slept. her affection, heart. imagination, was awake : the heart, among the Hebrews. was the seat of the affections: hut here the bridegroom says, while he was really awake, and therefore fully master of his senses and of his actions, his affection overcame his intentions, and brought him hack, unawares to himself, unconsciously, or nolens volcns, as we say will he nil he, toward the object of his regard. This, then, is a stronger idea than the former, and is heightened by his notice of the swiftness with which he was brought back, equal to that of the rapid chariots of his people, flying to en gage the enemy; literally, chariots of my people pouring out; (12) now, this pouring out hardly means a review, but if it does it must point, espe cially, to the most rapid movement of that ex that is, the charge; if it mean poured out in battle it amounts to the same; a charge on the enemy, executed with great velocity; but some say, "chariots of the princes of my people."( See ANI MINADAB.) Who are "the people" of monarchs? The phrase is used by Pharaoh, in Gen. xli :40, and by Solomon here.
(13) Face about. Literally, turn round; but as this is no military phrase, as already observed, the expression adopted seems to be more coin cident with the general tenor of this eclogue.
(14) Reconnoitering. This phrase, which, lit erally, is that we may fasten our eyes on thee, we have ventured to render reconnoiter thee, for it appears that they would "fasten their eyes" on her as they did on entrenchments around camps, which can be nothing but what modern military language would term reconnoitering.
(15) What, or how, would you fasten your eyes on Selonzehf As we do on the ditches, fosses, or entrenchments of the camps. In this sense the root is used, in 2 Sam. xx :is ; r Kings xxi:23; Is. XXV i :1 ; Lam. ii ir. On the whole, then, it appears that these are military terms; and it must be owned that they prodigiously augment the variety of the poem and give a highly spirited air to this eclogue in particular ; they account, too, for the lively interference of the bridegroom's companions, and, by the rapid repartee they occa sion, they close it very differently from all the others, and with the greatest animation and vivacity.