William Julius Mickle Quote

The Moon, full orb'd, forsakes her watery cave,
And lifts her lovely head above the wave.
The snowy splendors of her modest ray
Stream o'er the glist'ning waves, and quivering play:
Around her, glittering on the heav'ns arch'd brow,
Unnumber'd stars, enclos'd in azure, glow,
Thick as the dew-drops of the rosy dawn,
Or May-flowers crouding o'er the daisy-lawn:
The canvas whitens in the silvery beam,
And with a paler red the pendants gleam:
The masts' tall shadows tremble o'er the deep;
The peaceful winds an holy silence keep;
The watchman's carol echo'd from the prows,
Alone, at times, awakes the still repose.

The Lusiad (1776), Book I, pp. 23–24.