 | Parliamentary Letters, and Other Poems |  |
78
LOVE AND SCIENCE.
Once, when Rosa was cruel, I cried, in a pet,
My passion I'll conquer, her charms I'll forget,
The bloom of her features shall lure me in vain,
I'll change my sad fetters for freedom again;
Through the mazes of science henceforward I'll rove,
And with books, pens, and ink, bid defiance to love.
My passion I'll conquer, her charms I'll forget,
The bloom of her features shall lure me in vain,
I'll change my sad fetters for freedom again;
Through the mazes of science henceforward I'll rove,
And with books, pens, and ink, bid defiance to love.
After giving the damsel a hasty adieu,
To astronomy first I with eagerness flew;
And with look most profound I examined the skies;—
But the stars made me think of my Rosa's bright eyes;
And the hue of the heavens, the beams of the sun
Recall'd,—what I hoped they would teach me to shun.
To astronomy first I with eagerness flew;
And with look most profound I examined the skies;—
But the stars made me think of my Rosa's bright eyes;
And the hue of the heavens, the beams of the sun
Recall'd,—what I hoped they would teach me to shun.
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To geography quickly I turn'd to explore
On a map's painted surface the sea and the shore;
But my eye glanced them over, and rested alone
Upon one spot of earth, and alas! 'twas that one
Of which I had firmly resolved to beware;
For Rosa, and all her attractions, were there.
On a map's painted surface the sea and the shore;
But my eye glanced them over, and rested alone
Upon one spot of earth, and alas! 'twas that one
Of which I had firmly resolved to beware;
For Rosa, and all her attractions, were there.
Next in painting and music I hoped to insure
For my love and my sorrows a permanent cure;
But, in spite of all caution, my pencil would steal
A sly little outline of Rosa's profile;
And I always observed that my flute and my voice
Were only in tune to the songs of her choice.
For my love and my sorrows a permanent cure;
But, in spite of all caution, my pencil would steal
A sly little outline of Rosa's profile;
And I always observed that my flute and my voice
Were only in tune to the songs of her choice.
I then turn'd to botany, studying hard
To bury each trace of my former regard;
But my thoughts were abstracted, nor heeded the bloom
Of the tulip or rose, or the lily's perfume;
For memory still to my mind would present
A check which afforded a lovelier tint.
To bury each trace of my former regard;
But my thoughts were abstracted, nor heeded the bloom
Of the tulip or rose, or the lily's perfume;
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A check which afforded a lovelier tint.
To poetry next I devoted my time,
And pour'd forth my sighs and afflictions in rhyme;
And I found with delight that I loved to revile
Each action of Rosa, and laugh at her smile;
But, alas! it this sorrowful truth did impart,
She was most in my thoughts, perhaps most in my heart.
And pour'd forth my sighs and afflictions in rhyme;
And I found with delight that I loved to revile
Each action of Rosa, and laugh at her smile;
But, alas! it this sorrowful truth did impart,
She was most in my thoughts, perhaps most in my heart.
“Ah! me,” I exclaimed, “all my efforts are vain,
“Dear Rosa, receive your poor truant again;
“Without you the moments are tedious to him,
“His instrument useless, his telescope dim;
“And science herself can no longer engage,
“Unless you are near him to point out the page.”
“Dear Rosa, receive your poor truant again;
“Without you the moments are tedious to him,
“His instrument useless, his telescope dim;
“And science herself can no longer engage,
“Unless you are near him to point out the page.”
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