| C.N. Douglas, comp. Forty Thousand Quotations: Prose and Poetical. 1917. | | | | Comet |
| | | | Comets importing change of times and states, |
| Brandish your crystal tresses in the sky |
| And with them scourge the bad revolting stars. |
Shakespeare. | 1 |
| | Lo! from the dread immensity of space |
| Returning, with accelerated course, |
| The rushing comet to the sun descends: |
| And as he sinks below the shading earth, |
| With awful train projected oer the heavens, |
| The guilty nations tremble. |
Thomson. | 2 |
| | Stranger of Heaven, I bid thee hail! |
| Shred from the pall of glory riven |
| That flashest in celestial gale |
| Broad pennon of the King of Heaven |
| Whateer portends thy front of fire |
| And streaming locks so lovely pale; |
| Or peace to man, or judgments dire |
| Stranger of Heaven, I bid thee hail. |
Hogg. | 3 |
| | Hast thou neer seen the comets flaming light? |
| Th illustrious stranger passing, terror sheds |
| On gazing nations, from his fiery train |
| Of length enormous, takes his ample round |
| Through depths of ether; coasts unnumberd worlds, |
| Of more than solar glory; doubles wide |
| Heavens mighty cape; and then re-visits earth, |
| From the long travel of a thousand years. |
Young. | 4 |
| | Lone traveller through the fields of air, |
| What may thy presence here portend? |
| Art come to greet the planets fair, |
| As friend greets friend? |
| Whateer thy purpose, thou dost teach |
| Some lessons to the humble soul; |
| Though far and dim thy pathway reach, |
| Yet still thy goal |
| Tends to the fountain of that light |
| From whence thy golden beams are won; |
| So should we turn, from earths dark night, |
| To God our sun. |
Mrs. Hale. | 5 | | |
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