Pillars of Hercules
James Montgomery
Hercules! thy pillars stand,
Sentinels of sea and land!
Cloud-capt Atlas towers at hand.
Where, when Gate's word was fate,
Fell the Carthaginian state.
And where exiled Marius sate,
Mark the dens of caitiff Moors;
Ha! the pirates seize their oars:
Haste we from the accursed shores!
These stanzas are the part of the long poem A Voyage Round the World, where the poet (or rather James Montgomery's poetic imagination) enters the Mediterranean.
The Pillars of Hercules are the ancient Greeks' mythological name for two prominent mounts flanking the entrance to the Mediterranean. The northern one is the reat Rock of Gibraltar. The southern pillar is not certain. Most likely is Monte Hacho.
