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Poems (1791)

Smart, Christopher (1722-1771)

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[section]
collapse sectionI. 
VOL I.
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[A Trip to Cambridge, or the Grateful Fair.]
  
The Princess Perriwinkle sola, attended by fourteen Maids of great honour.
  
[In ancient days, as jovial Horace sings]
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ODES.
 I. 
IDLENESS.
 II. 
To ETHELINDA,
 III. 
On an EAGLE confined in a College Court.
 IV. 
On the sudden Death of a CLERGYMAN.
 V. 
On GOOD-NATURE.
 VI. 
On ILL-NATURE.
 VII. 
To the reverend and learned Dr. WEBSTER,
 VIII. 
EPITHALAMIUM.
 IX. 
ODE IX. The Author apologizes to a Lady, for his being a little Man.
 X. 
ODE X. An Ode on the 26th of January, being the Birth-Day of a Young Lady.
 XI. 
ODE XI. On taking a Bachelor's Degree.
 XII. 
A MORNING PIECE,
 XIII. 
A NOON-PIECE;
 XIV. 
A NIGHT-PIECE;
 XV. 
On Miss ---.
 XVI. 
On the Fifth of December, being the Birth-Day of a beautiful young Lady.
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ODE FOR MUSICK ON Saint CECILIA's DAY
 I. 
I.
 II. 
II.
 III. 
III.
 IV. 
IV.
 V. 
V.
 VI. 
VI.
 VII. 
VII.
 VIII. 
VIII.
  
HYMN TO THE SUPREME BEING,
  
ON THE ETERNITY OF THE SUPREME BEING,
  
ON THE IMMENSITY OF THE SUPREME BEING,
  
ON THE OMNISCIENCE OF THE SUPREME BEING,
  
ON THE POWER OF THE SUPREME BEING,
  
ON THE GOODNESS OF THE SUPREME BEING.
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THE HOP-GARDEN.
 1. 
BOOK THE FIRST.
 2. 
BOOK THE SECOND.
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THE HILLIAD:
 1. 
BOOK THE FIRST.
  
THE JUDGMENT OF MIDAS,
  
REASON AND IMAGINATION.
  
ODE TO LORD BARNARD,
  
ODE TO LADY HARRIOT.
  
Ode to the Earl of Northumberland,
  
THE SWEETS OF EVENING.
  
ODE to a Virginia Nightingale, which was cured of a Fit in the Bosom of a young Lady, who afterwards nursed the Author in a dangerous Illness.
  
Martial. Book 1, Ep. 26.
  
On a Lady throwing Snow-Balls at her Lover.
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VOL. II.
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FABLES.
 I. 
The WHOLESALE CRITIC and the HOP-MERCHANT.
 II. 
The ENGLISH BULL DOG, DUTCH MASTIFF, and QUAIL.
 III. 
FASHION AND NIGHT.
 IV. 
WHERE'S THE POKER?
 V. 
The TEA-POT and SCRUBBING-BRUSH.
 VI. 
The DUELLIST.
 VII. 
The COUNTRY SQUIRE and the MANDRAKE.
 VIII. 
The BROCADED GOWN and LINEN RAG.
 IX. 
MADAM and the MAGPIE.
 X. 
The BLOCKHEAD and BEEHIVE.
 XI. 
The CITIZEN and the RED LION of BRENTFORD.
 XII. 
The HERALD and HUSBAND-MAN.
 XIII. 
A STORY of a COCK and a BULL.
 XIV. 
The SNAKE, the GOOSE, and NIGHTINGALE.
 XV. 
Mrs. ABIGAIL and the DUMB WAITER.
 XVI. 
The BAG-WIG and the TOBACCO-PIPE.
 XVII. 
CARE and GENEROSITY.
 XVIII. 
The PIG.
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BALLADS.
 I. 
SWEET WILLIAM.
 II. 
The LASS with the GOLDEN LOCKS.
 III. 
On my WIFE's BIRTH-DAY.
 IV. 
The DECISION.
 V. 
Tho TALKATIVE FAIR.
 VI. 
The SILENT FAIR.
 VII. 
The FORCE of INNOCENCE.
 VIII. 
The DISTRESSED DAMSEL.
 IX. 
The FAIR RECLUSE.
 X. 
To Miss --- one of the Chichester Graces.
 XI. 
LOVELY HARRIOT,
 XII. 
To JENNY GRAY.
 XIII. 
To Miss KITTY BENNET and her Cat Crop.
 XIV. 
The PRETTY BAR-KEEPER of the MITRE.
 XV. 
The WIDOW's RESOLUTION.
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EPISTLES.
  
EPISTLE to Mrs. TYLER.
  
To the Rev. Mr. Powell, on the Non-performance of a Promise he made the Author of a Hare.
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EPIGRAMS.
 I. 
The SICK MONKEY.
 II. 
APOLLO and DAPHNE.
 III. 
The MISER and the MOUSE.
 IV. 
Epigram IV. On a Woman who was singing Ballads for Money to bury her Husband.
  
To the Right Hon. Earl of Darlington, on his being appointed Paymaster of his Majesty's Forces.
  
On the Death of Master Newbery, after a lingering Illness.
  
Epitaph on the Rev. Mr. Reynolds, at St. Peter's in the Isle of Thanet.
  
To my worthy Friend Mr. T. B one of the People called Quakers.
  
On seeing the Picture of Miss R--- G---N. Drawn by Mr. Varelst, of Threadneedle-street.
  
An Invitation to Mrs. Tyler, a Clergyman's Lady, to dine upon a Couple of Ducks on the Anniversary of the Authors Wedding-Day.
  
To MISS S--- P---E.
  
After Dining with Mr. MURRAY.
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INSCRIPTIONS ON AN ÆOLIAN HARP.
  
On one End.
  
The Long-Nosed Fair.
  
The PRETTY CHAMBERMAID:
  
The famous general EPITAPH
  
THE HORATIAN CANONS OF FRIENDSHIP.
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An occasional Prologue and Epilogue to Othello, as it was acted at the Theatre-Royal in Drury-Lane, on Thursday the 7th of March, 1751, by Persons of Distinction for their Diversion.
  
[While mercenary actors tread the stage]
  
EPILOGUE.
  
EPILOGUE TO THE APPRENTICE.
  
EPILOGUE Spoken by Mr. Shuter, at Covent Garden, after the Play of the CONSCIOUS LOVERS, acted for the Benefit of the Middlesex Hospital for Lying-in Women, 1755, in the Character of a Man-Midwife.

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16

EPITHALAMIUM.

ODE VIII.

I.

Descend, descend, ye sweet Aonian maids,
Leave the Parnassian shades,
The joyful Hymeneal sing,
And to a lovelier Fair
Than fiction can devise, or eloquence declare,
Your vocal tributes bring.
And you, ye winged choristers, that fly
In all the pensile gardens of the sky,
Chant thro' th'enamel'd grove,
Stretch from the trembling leaves your little throats,
With all the wild variety of artless notes,
But let each note be love.
Fragrant Flora, queen of May,
All bedight with garlands gay,
Where in the smooth-shaven green
The spangled cowslips variegate the scene,
And the rivulet between,
Whispers, murmurs, sings,
As it stoops, or falls, or springs;
There spread a sofa of thy softest flowers,
There let the bridegroom stay,
There let him hate the light, and curse the day,
And blame the tardy hours.
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II.

But see the bride—she comes with silent pace,
Full of majesty and love;
Not with a nobler grace
Look'd the imperial wife of Jove,
When erst ineffably she shone
In Venus' irresistible, enchanting zone.
Phœbus, great god of verse, the nymph observe,
Observe her well;
Then touch each sweetly-trem'lous nerve
Of thy resounding shell:
Her like huntress-Dian paint,
Modest, but without restraint;
From Pallas take her decent pace,
With Venus sweeten all her face,
From the Zephyrs steal her sighs,
From thyself her sun-bright eyes;
Then baffled, thou shalt see,
That as did Daphne thee,
Her charms description's force shall fly,
And by no soft persuasive sounds be brib'd
To come within Invention's narrow eye;
But all indignant shun its grasp, and scorn to be describ'd.

III.

Now see the bridegroom rise,
Oh! how impatient are his joys!
Bring zephyrs to depaint his voice,
Bring lightning for his eyes.
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He leaps, he springs, he flies into her arms,
With joy intense,
Feeds ev'ry sense,
And sultanates o'er all her charms.
Oh! had I Virgil's comprehensive strain,
Or sung like Pope, without a word in vain,
Then should I hope my numbers might contain,
Engaging nymph, thy boundless happiness,
How arduous to express!
Such may it last to all eternity:
And may thy lord with thee,
Like two coeval pines in Ida's grove,
That interweave their verdant arms in love,
Each mutual office chearfully perform,
And share alike the sunshine, and the storm;
And ever, as you flourish hand in hand,
Both shade the shepherd and adorn the land,
Together with each growing year arise,
Indissolubly link'd, and climb at last the skies.
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