GRAY twilight spreads her sable mantle far,
And dewy mists obscure the tints of day;
Yet, with mild lustre glows the evening star,
To cheer the lonely traveller on his way.
For Sol's departing rays no longer gleam
To gild the mountain pine, or lofty spire;
O'er western waves he spreads his golden beam;
And ocean gladdens, as the shades retire.
While Albion's sons in grateful slumbers rest,
And silent darkness reigns around our isle,
He rides resplendent to the glowing west,
On fair Columbia's fertile plains to smile;
Her busy cities wake to clamors gay;
Her waving woods resound, and hail the rising day.
