Thoughts Upon The Four Last Things Death; Judgment; Heaven; and Hell. A Poem In Four Parts. The Second Edition. To which are added, The I, CIV, and CXXXVII Psalms Paraphras'd [by Joseph Trapp] |
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 | Thoughts Upon The Four Last Things |  |
Hence straggling Waters unperceiv'd get loose,
And genial Moisture thro' the Globe diffuse;
Purling thro' porous Earth, where Way there lyes,
They run, and on high Hills in Fountains rise:
Or bubbling out in Springs, they gently slide
Down by the craggy Mountain's sloping side,
And o'er the verdant Turf along the Valleys glide.
Till tir'd with various Errors, back they come
To their appointed universal Home;
Which God has destin'd for the Mustring-place
And gen'ral Rendezvous of all the watry Race.
And genial Moisture thro' the Globe diffuse;
Purling thro' porous Earth, where Way there lyes,
They run, and on high Hills in Fountains rise:
Or bubbling out in Springs, they gently slide
Down by the craggy Mountain's sloping side,
And o'er the verdant Turf along the Valleys glide.
Till tir'd with various Errors, back they come
To their appointed universal Home;
Which God has destin'd for the Mustring-place
And gen'ral Rendezvous of all the watry Race.
125
For tho' th'Almighty checks the Ocean's Pride,
And in due Limits bounds the raging Tide;
That it may ne'er again roll unconfin'd
O'er all the Universe, and drown Mankind;
Yet Nought restrains its happier Influence,
Nor stops those Blessings which its Streams dispense.
These, or in Rivers from, and to the Main,
Thro' Oozy Channels draw their winding Train;
Or branching into Brooks, and murm'ring Rills,
Creep thro' the Vales, and shine between the Hills.
Whither the Savage Beasts which roam abroad,
Owning no Master, and no fix'd Abode;
And Those which under galling Harness bow,
Inur'd to Pains, and patient of the Plough;
Repair, when scorch'd with Summer's scalding Beams,
To slake their Thirst, and drink the cooling Streams.
Near which the Poplar, and green Willows grow,
Adorn the Banks, and shade the Brooks below.
Perch'd on their Boughs, the Birds their Voices raise,
And in soft Musick sing their Maker's Praise.
And in due Limits bounds the raging Tide;
That it may ne'er again roll unconfin'd
O'er all the Universe, and drown Mankind;
Yet Nought restrains its happier Influence,
Nor stops those Blessings which its Streams dispense.
These, or in Rivers from, and to the Main,
Thro' Oozy Channels draw their winding Train;
Or branching into Brooks, and murm'ring Rills,
Creep thro' the Vales, and shine between the Hills.
Whither the Savage Beasts which roam abroad,
Owning no Master, and no fix'd Abode;
And Those which under galling Harness bow,
Inur'd to Pains, and patient of the Plough;
Repair, when scorch'd with Summer's scalding Beams,
To slake their Thirst, and drink the cooling Streams.
Near which the Poplar, and green Willows grow,
Adorn the Banks, and shade the Brooks below.
Perch'd on their Boughs, the Birds their Voices raise,
And in soft Musick sing their Maker's Praise.
Who from his airy Chambers Rain distills
And with new Verdure cloaths th'unsightly Hills;
The thirsty Glebe, refresh'd with soft'ning Drops,
Rewards the painful Hind with plenteous Crops.
The teeming Earth luxuriant Herbage breeds,
And Flocks and Herds with grassy Fodder feeds.
At his Command, the Spring, for Human Use,
The Birth of Herbs and healing Plants renews.
Then rip'ning Fruits and waving Ears of Corn,
In Summer's Heat the fertile Fields adorn.
Succeeding Autumn from the clustring Vine
Gives sprightly Juice, and glads the World with Wine:
Which with its joyous Gust and Flavour chears
The drooping Spirit, and dispels its Cares.
Then the fat Olive, in a diff'rent Soil,
Yields the Year's Product, and resigns its Oil;
Which adds a Lustre, and a smoother Grace,
To wrinkled Skin, and sleeks the shining Face.
And with new Verdure cloaths th'unsightly Hills;
The thirsty Glebe, refresh'd with soft'ning Drops,
Rewards the painful Hind with plenteous Crops.
126
And Flocks and Herds with grassy Fodder feeds.
At his Command, the Spring, for Human Use,
The Birth of Herbs and healing Plants renews.
Then rip'ning Fruits and waving Ears of Corn,
In Summer's Heat the fertile Fields adorn.
Succeeding Autumn from the clustring Vine
Gives sprightly Juice, and glads the World with Wine:
Which with its joyous Gust and Flavour chears
The drooping Spirit, and dispels its Cares.
Then the fat Olive, in a diff'rent Soil,
Yields the Year's Product, and resigns its Oil;
Which adds a Lustre, and a smoother Grace,
To wrinkled Skin, and sleeks the shining Face.
| Thoughts Upon The Four Last Things | |