word choice - Use of verb ます-stem when て-form seems possible

I saw this line is a song:

時計塔の頂上椅子に座り微笑んでるあなたは

I'm curious why it uses すわり rather than 座って?

Since it's a sequence of actions I would've thought 座って would be more applicable, but since 座り actually happens to have an entry in the dictionary, maybe this is just an exception? This is also from a song set in a medieval-esque era, so maybe it was used to sound more literary? Curious to see if there's a definitive answer.

Thanks.