 | The Poetical Works of John Scott |  |
91
AMOEBAEAN ECLOGUES.
93
ECLOGUE I. RURAL SCENERY;
or, The Describers.
December's frost had bound the fields and streams,
And Noon's bright sun effus'd its chearful beams:
Where woodland, northward, screen'd a pleasant plain,
And on dry fern-banks brouz'd the fleecy train,
Two gentle youths, whom rural scenes could please,
Both skill'd to frame the tuneful rhyme with ease,
Charm'd with the prospect, slowly stray'd along,
Themselves amusing with alternate song.
And Noon's bright sun effus'd its chearful beams:
Where woodland, northward, screen'd a pleasant plain,
And on dry fern-banks brouz'd the fleecy train,
Two gentle youths, whom rural scenes could please,
Both skill'd to frame the tuneful rhyme with ease,
Charm'd with the prospect, slowly stray'd along,
Themselves amusing with alternate song.
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These pollard oaks their tawny leaves retain,
These hardy hornbeams yet unstripp'd remain;
The wintry groves all else admit the view
Thro' naked stems of many a varied hue.
SECOND.
Yon shrubby slopes a pleasing mixture show;
There the rough elm and smooth white privet grow,
Straight shoots of ash with bark of glossy grey,
Red cornel twigs, and maple's russet spray.
FIRST.
These stony steeps with spreading moss abound,
Grey on the trees, and green upon the ground;
With tangling brambles ivy interweaves,
And bright mezerion spreads its clust'ring leaves.
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Old oaken stubs tough saplings there adorn,
There hedge-row plashes yield the knotty thorn;
The swain for different uses these avail,
And form the traveller's staff, the thresher's flail.
FIRST.
Where yon brown hazels pendent catkins bear,
And prickly furze unfolds its blossoms fair,
The vagrant artist oft at ease reclines,
And broom's green shoots in besoms neat combines.
SECOND.
See, down the hill, along the ample glade,
The new-fallen wood in even ranges laid!
There his keen bill the busy workman plies,
And bids in heaps his well-bound faggots rise.
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Soon shall kind Spring her flowery gifts bestow,
On sunny banks when silver snowdrops blow,
And tufts of primrose all around are spread,
And purple violets all their fragrance shed.
SECOND.
The woods then white anemonies array,
And lofty sallows their sweet bloom display,
And spicy hyacinths azure bells unfold,
And crowfoot clothes the mead with shining gold.
FIRST.
Then soon gay Summer brings his gaudy train,
His crimson poppies deck the corn-clad plain;
There scabious blue , and purple knapweed rise,
And weld and yarrow show their various dyes.
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In shady lanes red foxglove bells appear,
And golden spikes the downy mulleins rear ;
Th' inclosure ditch luxuriant mallows hide,
And branchy succory crowds the pathway side.
FIRST.
Th' autumnal fields few pleasing plants supply,
Save where pale eyebright grows in pastures dry,
Or vervain blue, for magic rites renown'd,
And in the village precincts only found .
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Th' autumnal hedges withering leaves embrown,
Save where wild climbers spread their silvery down ,
And rugged blackthorns bend with purple sloes,
And the green skewerwood seeds of scarlet shows .
FIRST.
When healthful sallads crown the board in spring,
And nymphs green parsley from the gardens bring,
Mark well lest hemlock mix its poisonous leaves—
Their semblance oft th' incautious eye deceives.
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Warn, O ye Shepherds! warn the youth who play
On hamlet wastes, beside the public way;
There oft rank soils pernicious plants produce,
There nightshade's berry swells with deadly juice.
FIRST.
What varied scenes this pleasant country yields,
Form'd by th' arrangement fair of woods and fields!
On a green hillock, by the shady road,
My dwelling stands—a sweet recluse abode!
And o'er my darken'd casement intertwine
The fragrant briar, the woodbine, and the vine.
SECOND.
How different scenes our different tastes delight!
Some seek the hills, and some the vales invite.
Where o'er the brook's moist margin hazels meet,
Stands my lone home—a pleasant, cool retreat!
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And tuneful reed-birds midst the sedges sing.
FIRST.
Before my door the box-edg'd border lies,
Where flowers of mint and thyme and tansy rise;
Along my wall the yellow stonecrop grows,
And the red houseleek on my brown thatch blows.
SECOND.
Among green osiers winds my stream away,
Where the blue halcyon skims from spray to spray,
Where waves the bulrush as the waters glide,
And yellow flag-flow'rs deck the sunny side.
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Spread o'er the slope of yon steep western hill,
My fruitful orchard shelters all the vill;
There pear-trees tall their tops aspiring show,
And apple-boughs their branches mix below.
SECOND.
East from my cottage stretch delightful meads,
Where rows of willows rise, and banks of reeds;
There roll clear rivers; there, old elms between,
The mill's white roof and circling wheels are seen.
FIRST.
Palemon's garden hawthorn hedges bound,
With flow'rs of white, or fruit of crimson, crown'd;
There vernal lilacs show their purple bloom,
And sweet syringas all the air perfume;
The fruitful mulberry spreads its umbrage cool,
And the rough quince o'erhangs the little pool.
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Albino's fence green currants hide from view,
With bunches hung of red or amber hue;
Beside his arbour blows the jasmine fair,
And scarlet beans their gaudy blossoms bear;
The lofty hollyhock there its spike displays,
And the broad sunflow'r shows its golden rays.
FIRST.
Where moss-grown pales a sunny spot inclos'd,
And pinks and lilies all their hues expos'd,
Beneath a porch, with mantling vines enwreath'd,
The morning breeze the charming Sylvia breath'd:
Not pink nor lily with her face could vie,
And, O how soft the languish of her eye!
I saw and lov'd; but lov'd, alas, in vain!
She check'd my passion with severe disdain.
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When o'er the meads with vernal verdure gay
The village children wont at eve to stray,
I pluck'd fresh flowrets from the grassy ground,
And their green stalks with bending rushes bound;
My wreaths, my nosegays, then my Delia drest,
Crown'd her fair brow, or bloom'd upon her breast.
Young as I was, the pleasing thought was mine,
One day, fond boy, that beauty will be thine!
FIRST.
Beside his gate, beneath the lofty tree,
Old Thyrsis' well-known seat I vacant see;
There, while his prattling offspring round him play'd,
He oft to please them toys of osiers made:
That seat his weight shall never more sustain,
That offspring round him ne'er shall sport again.
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Yon lone church tow'r that overlooks the hills!—
The sight my soul full oft with sorrow fills:
There Damon lies;—in prime of youth he died!—
A ford unknown, by night he vent'rous tried:
In vain he struggled with the foaming wave;
No friendly arm, alas, was near to save!
FIRST.
Cease, friend! and, homeward as we bend our way,
Remark the beauties of the closing day;
See, tow'rds the west, the redd'ning Sun declines,
And o'er the fields his level lustre shines.
SECOND.
How that bright landscape lures the eye to gaze,
Where with his beams the distant windows blaze!
And the gilt vane, high on the steeple spire,
Glows in the air—a dazzling spot of fire!
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Behind yon hill he now forsakes our sight,
And yon tall beeches catch his latest light;
The hamlet smokes in amber wreaths arise;
White mist, like water, on the valley lies.
SECOND.
Where yon chalk cliffs th' horizon eastward bound,
And spreading elms the ancient hall surround,
The moon's bright orb arises from the main,
And Night in silence holds her solemn reign.
Mezerion, Laureola Sempervirens: vulg. Spurge-Laurel. This beautiful little evergreen is frequent among our woods and coppices. Its smooth shining leaves are placed on the top of the stems in circular tufts or clusters. Its flowers are small, of a lightgreen, and perfume the air at a distance in an agreeable manner. It blows very early in mild seasons and warm situations. The common deciduous Mezerion, frequently planted in gardens, though very different in appearance, is another species of this genus.
Weld: Luteola Vulgaris, or Dyers' Weed.—These plants, with many others not inferior in beauty, are frequent on the balks, or ridges, which separate different kinds of corn in our common fields.
The Digitalis, or Foxglove, is a very beautiful plant; there are several varieties of it which are honoured with a place in our gardens. The Mullein is not inferior in beauty, consequently merits equal notice.
It is a vulgar opinion, that Vervain never grows in any place more than a quarter of a mile distant from a house.—Vide Miller's Gardener's Dictionary, article Verbena.
Wild Climbers: Clematis, Viorna, or, Traveller's Joy. The white downy seeds of this plant make a very conspicuous figure on our hedges in autumn.
Skewerwood: Evonymus; or, Spindle-tree. The twigs of this shrub are of a fine green; the capsules, or seed-vessels, of a fine purple; and the seeds of a rich scarlet. In autumn, when the capsules open and shew the seeds, the plant has a most beautiful appearance.
Loosestrife: Lysimachia Lutea Vulgaris. Dr. Hill observes, that it is so beautiful a plant, in its erect stature, regular growth, and elegant flowers, that it is every way worthy to be taken into our gardens. It is frequent in moist places. The flowers are of a bright gold colour.
106
ECLOGUE II. RURAL BUSINESS;
or, The Agriculturists.
May's lib'ral hand her fragrant bloom disclos'd,
And herds and flocks on grassy banks repos'd;
Soft Evening gave to ease the tranquil hour,
And Philomel's wild warblings fill'd the bow'r.
Where near the village rose the elm-crown'd hill,
And white-leav'd aspins trembled o'er the rill,
Three rural Bards, the village youth among,
The pleasing lore of rural business sung.
FIRST.And herds and flocks on grassy banks repos'd;
Soft Evening gave to ease the tranquil hour,
And Philomel's wild warblings fill'd the bow'r.
Where near the village rose the elm-crown'd hill,
And white-leav'd aspins trembled o'er the rill,
Three rural Bards, the village youth among,
The pleasing lore of rural business sung.
The care of farms we sing—attend the strain—
What skill, what toil, shall best procure you gain;
How different culture different ground requires;
While Wealth rewards whom Industry inspires.
What skill, what toil, shall best procure you gain;
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While Wealth rewards whom Industry inspires.
SECOND.
When thy light land on scorching gravel lies,
And to the springing blade support denies;
Fix on the wintry tilth the frequent fold,
And mend with cooling marl or untried mould.
And to the springing blade support denies;
Fix on the wintry tilth the frequent fold,
And mend with cooling marl or untried mould.
THIRD.
If thy strong loam superfluous wet retain,
Lead thro' thy fields the subterraneous drain,
And o'er the surface mellowing stores expand
Of fiery lime, or incoherent sand.
Lead thro' thy fields the subterraneous drain,
And o'er the surface mellowing stores expand
Of fiery lime, or incoherent sand.
FIRST.
In vacant corners, on the hamlet waste,
The ample dunghill's steaming heap be plac'd;
There many a month fermenting to remain,
Ere thy slow team disperse it o'er the plain.
The ample dunghill's steaming heap be plac'd;
There many a month fermenting to remain,
Ere thy slow team disperse it o'er the plain.
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The prudent farmer all manure provides,
The mire of roads, the mould of hedge-row sides;
For him their mud the stagnant ponds supply;
For him their soil, the stable and the sty.
The mire of roads, the mould of hedge-row sides;
For him their mud the stagnant ponds supply;
For him their soil, the stable and the sty.
THIRD.
For this the swain, on Kennet's winding shore,
Digs sulphurous peat along the sable moor;
For this, where Ocean bounds the stormy strand,
They fetch dank sea-weed to the neighb'ring land.
Digs sulphurous peat along the sable moor;
For this, where Ocean bounds the stormy strand,
They fetch dank sea-weed to the neighb'ring land.
FIRST.
Who barren heaths to tillage means to turn,
Must, ere he plough, the greensward pare and burn;
Where rise the smoking hillocks o'er the field,
The saline ashes useful compost yield.
Must, ere he plough, the greensward pare and burn;
Where rise the smoking hillocks o'er the field,
The saline ashes useful compost yield.
SECOND.
Where sedge or rushes rise on spongy soils,
Or rampant moss th' impoverish'd herbage spoils,
Corrosive soot with liberal hand bestow;
Th' improving pasture soon its use will show.
Or rampant moss th' impoverish'd herbage spoils,
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Th' improving pasture soon its use will show.
THIRD.
Hertfordian swains on airy hills explore
The chalk's white vein, a fertilizing store;
This, from deep pits in copious baskets drawn,
Amends alike the arable and lawn.
The chalk's white vein, a fertilizing store;
This, from deep pits in copious baskets drawn,
Amends alike the arable and lawn.
FIRST.
Who spends too oft in indolence the day,
Soon sees his farm his base neglect betray;
His useless hedge-greens docks and nettles bear,
And the tough cammock clogs his shining share .
Soon sees his farm his base neglect betray;
His useless hedge-greens docks and nettles bear,
And the tough cammock clogs his shining share .
SECOND.
Thy weedy fallows let the plough pervade,
Till on the top th' inverted roots are laid;
There left to wither in the noon-tide ray,
Or by the spiky harrow clear'd away.
Till on the top th' inverted roots are laid;
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Or by the spiky harrow clear'd away.
THIRD.
When wheat's green stem the ridge begins to hide,
Let the sharp weedhook's frequent aid be tried,
Lest thy spoil'd crop at harvest thou bemoan,
With twitch and twining bindweed overgrown.
Let the sharp weedhook's frequent aid be tried,
Lest thy spoil'd crop at harvest thou bemoan,
With twitch and twining bindweed overgrown.
FIRST.
Much will rank melilot thy grain disgrace,
And darnel, fellest of the weedy race:
T' extirpate these might care or cost avail,
T' extirpate these nor care nor cost should fail.
And darnel, fellest of the weedy race:
T' extirpate these might care or cost avail,
T' extirpate these nor care nor cost should fail.
SECOND.
When the foul furrow fetid mayweed fills,
The weary reaper oft complains of ills;
As his keen sickle grides along the lands,
The acrid herbage oft corrodes his hands.
The weary reaper oft complains of ills;
As his keen sickle grides along the lands,
The acrid herbage oft corrodes his hands.
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Wield oft thy scythe along the grassy layes,
Ere the rude thistle its light down displays;
Else that light down upon the breeze will fly,
And a new store of noxious plants supply.
Ere the rude thistle its light down displays;
Else that light down upon the breeze will fly,
And a new store of noxious plants supply.
FIRST.
Would ye from tillage ample gains receive,
With change of crops th' exhausted soil relieve;
Next purple clover let brown wheat be seen,
And bearded barley after turnips green.
With change of crops th' exhausted soil relieve;
Next purple clover let brown wheat be seen,
And bearded barley after turnips green.
SECOND.
Bid here dark peas or tangled vetches spread,
There buckwheat's white flow'r faintly ting'd with red;
Bid here potatoes deep green stems be born,
And yellow cole th' inclosure there adorn.
There buckwheat's white flow'r faintly ting'd with red;
Bid here potatoes deep green stems be born,
And yellow cole th' inclosure there adorn.
THIRD.
Here let tall rye or fragrant beans ascend,
Or oats their ample panicles extend;
There rest thy glebe, left fallow not in vain,
To feel the summer's sun and winter's rain.
Or oats their ample panicles extend;
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To feel the summer's sun and winter's rain.
FIRST.
The skill'd in culture oft repay their toil
By choice of plants adapted to their soil;
The spiky saintfoin best on chalk succeeds,
The lucern hates cold clays and moory meads.
By choice of plants adapted to their soil;
The spiky saintfoin best on chalk succeeds,
The lucern hates cold clays and moory meads.
SECOND.
Best on loose sands, where brakes and briars once rose,
Its deep-fring'd leaves the yellow carrot shows;
Best on stiff loam rough teasels rear their heads,
And brown coriander's odorous umbel spreads.
Its deep-fring'd leaves the yellow carrot shows;
Best on stiff loam rough teasels rear their heads,
And brown coriander's odorous umbel spreads.
THIRD.
On barren mountains, bleak with chilly air,
Forbidding pasturage or the ploughman's care,
Laburnum's boughs a beauteous bloom disclose,
Or spiry pines a gloomy grove compose.
Forbidding pasturage or the ploughman's care,
Laburnum's boughs a beauteous bloom disclose,
Or spiry pines a gloomy grove compose.
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On rushy marshes, rank with watry weeds,
Clothe the clear'd soil with groves of waving reeds;
Of them the gard'ner annual fences forms,
To shield his tender plants from vernal storms.
Clothe the clear'd soil with groves of waving reeds;
Of them the gard'ner annual fences forms,
To shield his tender plants from vernal storms.
SECOND.
Cantabrian hills the purple saffron show;
Blue fields of flax in Lincoln's fenland blow;
On Kent's rich plains, green hop-grounds scent the gales;
And apple-groves deck Hereford's golden vales .
Blue fields of flax in Lincoln's fenland blow;
On Kent's rich plains, green hop-grounds scent the gales;
And apple-groves deck Hereford's golden vales .
THIRD.
Shelter'd by woods the weald of Sussex lies;
Her smooth green downs sublime from Ocean rise:
That, fittest soil supplies for growth of grain;
These, yield best pasture for the fleecy train.
Her smooth green downs sublime from Ocean rise:
That, fittest soil supplies for growth of grain;
These, yield best pasture for the fleecy train.
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Say, friends! whoe'er his residence might chuse,
Would these sweet scenes of sylvan shade refuse,
And seek the black waste of the barren wold,
That yields no shelter from the heat or cold?
Would these sweet scenes of sylvan shade refuse,
And seek the black waste of the barren wold,
That yields no shelter from the heat or cold?
SECOND.
Dull are slow Ousa's mist-exhaling plains,
Where long rank grass the morning dew retains:
Who pastures there in Autumn's humid reign,
His flock from sickness hopes to save in vain.
Where long rank grass the morning dew retains:
Who pastures there in Autumn's humid reign,
His flock from sickness hopes to save in vain.
THIRD.
The bleak, flat, sedgy shores of Essex shun,
Where fog perpetual veils the winter sun;
Though flattering Fortune there invite thy stay,
Thy health the purchase of her smiles must pay.
Where fog perpetual veils the winter sun;
Though flattering Fortune there invite thy stay,
Thy health the purchase of her smiles must pay.
FIRST.
When, harvest past, thy ricks of yellow corn
Rise round the yard, and scent the breeze of morn;
Rude Winter's rage with timely care to avert,
Let the skill'd thatcher ply his useful art.
Rise round the yard, and scent the breeze of morn;
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Let the skill'd thatcher ply his useful art.
SECOND.
When thy ripe walnuts deck the glossy spray,
Ere pilfering rooks purloin them fast away,
Wield thy tough pole, and lash the trees amain,
Till leaves and husks the lawn beneath distain.
Ere pilfering rooks purloin them fast away,
Wield thy tough pole, and lash the trees amain,
Till leaves and husks the lawn beneath distain.
THIRD.
When thy green orchards fraught with fruit appear,
Thy lofty ladder 'midst the boughs uprear;
Thy basket's hook upon the branch suspend,
And with the fragrant burden oft descend.
Thy lofty ladder 'midst the boughs uprear;
Thy basket's hook upon the branch suspend,
And with the fragrant burden oft descend.
FIRST.
Spread on the grass, or pil'd in heaps, behold
The pearmain's red, the pippin's speckled gold;
There shall the russet's auburn rind be seen,
The redstreak's stripes, and nonpareil's bright green.
The pearmain's red, the pippin's speckled gold;
There shall the russet's auburn rind be seen,
The redstreak's stripes, and nonpareil's bright green.
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These on dry straw, in airy chambers, lay,
Where windows clear admit the noon-tide ray;
They, safe from frosts, thy table shall supply,
Fresh to the taste, and pleasing to the eye.
Where windows clear admit the noon-tide ray;
They, safe from frosts, thy table shall supply,
Fresh to the taste, and pleasing to the eye.
THIRD.
When favouring seasons yield thee store to spare,
The circling mill and cumbrous press prepare;
From copious vats, the well-fermented juice
Will sparkling beverage for thy board produce.
The circling mill and cumbrous press prepare;
From copious vats, the well-fermented juice
Will sparkling beverage for thy board produce.
FIRST.
From red to black when bramble-berries change,
And boys for nuts the hazel copses range,
On new-reap'd fields the thick strong stubble mow,
And safe in stacks about thy homestead stow.
And boys for nuts the hazel copses range,
On new-reap'd fields the thick strong stubble mow,
And safe in stacks about thy homestead stow.
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With purple fruit when elder-branches bend,
And their bright hues the hips and cornels blend,
Ere yet chill hoar frost comes, or sleety rain,
Sow with choice wheat the neatly furrow'd plain.
And their bright hues the hips and cornels blend,
Ere yet chill hoar frost comes, or sleety rain,
Sow with choice wheat the neatly furrow'd plain.
THIRD.
When clamorous fieldfares seek the frozen mead,
And lurking snipes by gurgling runnels feed;
Then 'midst dry fodder let thy herds be found,
Where sheltering sheds the well-stor'd crib surround.
And lurking snipes by gurgling runnels feed;
Then 'midst dry fodder let thy herds be found,
Where sheltering sheds the well-stor'd crib surround.
FIRST.
Though Winter reigns, our labours never fail:
Then all day long we hear the sounding flail;
And oft the beetle's strenuous stroke descends,
That knotty block-wood into billets rends.
Then all day long we hear the sounding flail;
And oft the beetle's strenuous stroke descends,
That knotty block-wood into billets rends.
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Then in the barns in motion oft are seen
The rustling corn-fan, and the wiry screen:
In sacks the tasker measures up his grain,
And loads for market on the spacious wain.
The rustling corn-fan, and the wiry screen:
In sacks the tasker measures up his grain,
And loads for market on the spacious wain.
THIRD.
Th' inclosure fence then claims our timely care,
The ditch to deepen, and the bank repair;
The well-plash'd hedge with frequent stakes confine,
And o'er its top tough wyths of hazel twine.
The ditch to deepen, and the bank repair;
The well-plash'd hedge with frequent stakes confine,
And o'er its top tough wyths of hazel twine.
FIRST.
Where in the croft the russet hayrick stands,
The dextrous binder twists his sedgy bands,
Across the stack his sharp-edg'd engine guides,
And the hard mass in many a truss divides .
The dextrous binder twists his sedgy bands,
Across the stack his sharp-edg'd engine guides,
And the hard mass in many a truss divides .
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When frost thy turnips fixes in the ground,
And hungry flocks for food stand bleating round,
Let sturdy youths their pointed peckers ply,
Till the rais'd roots loose on the surface lie.
And hungry flocks for food stand bleating round,
Let sturdy youths their pointed peckers ply,
Till the rais'd roots loose on the surface lie.
THIRD.
When stormy days constrain to quit the field,
The house or barn may useful business yield;
There crooked snaths of flexile sallow make,
Or of tough ash the fork-stale and the rake.
The house or barn may useful business yield;
There crooked snaths of flexile sallow make,
Or of tough ash the fork-stale and the rake.
FIRST.
Full many a chance defeats the farmer's pains,
Full many a loss diminishes his gains;
Wet spoils the seed, or frosts its growth o'erpower,
Beasts break the stalk, and birds the grain devour.
Full many a loss diminishes his gains;
Wet spoils the seed, or frosts its growth o'erpower,
Beasts break the stalk, and birds the grain devour.
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While plenteous crops reward thy toil and care,
Thy liberal aid may Age and Sickness share!
Nor let the widow'd cottager deplore
Her fireless hearth, her cupboard's scanty store.
Thy liberal aid may Age and Sickness share!
Nor let the widow'd cottager deplore
Her fireless hearth, her cupboard's scanty store.
THIRD.
The haughty lord, whom lust of gain inspires,
From man and beast excessive toil requires:
The generous master views with pitying eyes
Their lot severe, and food and rest supplies.
From man and beast excessive toil requires:
The generous master views with pitying eyes
Their lot severe, and food and rest supplies.
FIRST.
Amid Achaia's streamy vales of old,
Of works and days th' Ascrean Pastor told:
Around him, curious, came the rustic throng,
And wondering listen'd to th' informing song.
Of works and days th' Ascrean Pastor told:
Around him, curious, came the rustic throng,
And wondering listen'd to th' informing song.
SECOND.
Where fam'd Anapus' limpid waters stray,
Sicilia's Poet tun'd his Doric lay;
While o'er his head the pine's dark foliage hung,
And at his feet the bubbling fountain sprung.
Sicilia's Poet tun'd his Doric lay;
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And at his feet the bubbling fountain sprung.
THIRD.
The Latian Maro sung, where Mincio's stream
Through groves of ilex cast a silvery gleam;
While down green vallies stray'd his fleecy flocks,
Or slept in shadow of the mossy rocks.
Through groves of ilex cast a silvery gleam;
While down green vallies stray'd his fleecy flocks,
Or slept in shadow of the mossy rocks.
FIRST.
Fair fame to him, the bard whose song displays
Of rural arts the knowledge and the praise!
Rich as the field with ripen'd harvest white—
A scene of profit mingled with delight!
Of rural arts the knowledge and the praise!
Rich as the field with ripen'd harvest white—
A scene of profit mingled with delight!
SECOND.
As dewy cherries to the taste in June,
As shady lanes to travellers at noon,
To me so welcome is the Shepherd's strain;
To kindred spirits never sung in vain!
As shady lanes to travellers at noon,
To me so welcome is the Shepherd's strain;
To kindred spirits never sung in vain!
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While lindens sweet and spiky chesnuts blow,
While beech bears mast, on oaks while acorns grow;
So long shall last the Shepherd's tuneful rhyme,
And please in every age and every clime!
While beech bears mast, on oaks while acorns grow;
So long shall last the Shepherd's tuneful rhyme,
And please in every age and every clime!
Cammock: Ononis, or Restharrow. The roots of this troublesome plant are so strong, that it is credibly asserted they will stop a plough drawn by several horses.
Teasel: Dipsacus Sativus. This plant is cultivated, in many places, for the use of the woollen manufacture. There are large fields of it in Essex; where the Coriander is also grown.
| The Poetical Works of John Scott | |