 | The Poetical Works of Mr. William Pattison |  |
131
To a Lady, fishing.
Nay, now I yield—for who could e'er withstand
A Foe victorious both by Sea, and Land.
But cannot Earth afford you Slaves enow,
That thus you triumph o'er the Water too?
Yet I confess these Realms to you belong,
Because at first from them fair Beauty sprung;
From them originally took its Rise,
Its boundless Power and Inconstancies.
And lo! the finny Nations of the Flood,
As if they knew you too, around you croud.
Ah! little harmless Wantons timely fly
The magic Influence of her fatal Eye;
In vain these Floods! where now secure ye shun
The scorching Fury of the Mid-day Sun:
In vain shall they oppose their cooling Streams,
To guard ye from Belinda's fiercer Beams.
A Foe victorious both by Sea, and Land.
But cannot Earth afford you Slaves enow,
That thus you triumph o'er the Water too?
Yet I confess these Realms to you belong,
Because at first from them fair Beauty sprung;
From them originally took its Rise,
Its boundless Power and Inconstancies.
And lo! the finny Nations of the Flood,
As if they knew you too, around you croud.
Ah! little harmless Wantons timely fly
The magic Influence of her fatal Eye;
132
The scorching Fury of the Mid-day Sun:
In vain shall they oppose their cooling Streams,
To guard ye from Belinda's fiercer Beams.
Here you, bright Nymph, your subject Realms survey,
And see both Elements alike obey:
At once victorious with your Hands and Eyes,
You make the Fishes, and the Men your Prize;
And while the pleasing Slavery we court,
I fear you captivate us both for Sport.
And see both Elements alike obey:
At once victorious with your Hands and Eyes,
You make the Fishes, and the Men your Prize;
And while the pleasing Slavery we court,
I fear you captivate us both for Sport.
But ah! fair Nymph, be cautious, and beware,
Nor to the faithless Margin press too near;
Lest ravish'd with your Charms, some wat'ry God,
Surpriz'd, behold you from his blue Abode;
And hoping long-lost Venus to regain,
Should bear you to the Bottom of the Main.
Nor to the faithless Margin press too near;
Lest ravish'd with your Charms, some wat'ry God,
Surpriz'd, behold you from his blue Abode;
And hoping long-lost Venus to regain,
Should bear you to the Bottom of the Main.
| The Poetical Works of Mr. William Pattison | |