Madmoments: or First Verseattempts By a Bornnatural. Addressed to the Lightheaded of Society at Large, by Henry Ellison |
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 | Madmoments: or First Verseattempts |  |
THE VILLAGEGREEN.
1.
Oh I do love to see the VillagegreenOn a calm Summersevening, when the glare
Of Noon has melted off, and in the air
The dewy Star shines forth with modest sheen,
To call the peasant home: for rest, I ween,
From wholesome toil is sweet, and those who are
Compelled to labour for their bread, may share
An hour of harmless merriment, which e'en
The sated eye of wealth, with all its scorn,
Might see with Envy: for there is a spell
In pure enjoyment that can ne'er adorn
The hollow Joys of Pomp, which seem to tell
Of inward barrenness, a Heart all worn,
That ne'er has known the bliss of doing well!
2.
Alas! such happy scenes are but too rareIn our once-merry England: now no more
Around the Maypole, as in Days of yore,
The Maidens weave their dance, but hollow Care
Sits on the poor man's cheek, and on the Air,
Instead of merriment, from Town to Tower,
A voice of sorrow speaks, and brows do lower
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A selfish generation, bowed to Earth
Beneath the burthen of our misery,
Toilers in Mammon's mine, whose very mirth
Is feverish, false, unholy: 'till Faith's high
And undiurnal thoughts again have birth,
And Charity arise, there is no remedy!
| Madmoments: or First Verseattempts | |