The Grecian Story Being an Historical Poem, in Five Books. To which is Annex'd The Grove: Consisting of Divers Shorter Poems upon several Subjects. By J. H. [i.e. John Harington] |
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 | The Grecian Story |  |
After good Walk, set down, Timondes there
Form'd shorter Map discoursive way (as 'twere)
What Parts he saw o'th' World; tho now confin'd
To this small Nook, still free, unbounded Mind;
Such their Request, did Travels there display,
In which beheld the lesser Asia;
Tirus and Sidon South; so, further on
To Antioch, th' Assyrian Babilon:
Next, Persia's Soil, that great Mogul's, where brood
Of Elephants; Fields wash'd by Ganges Flood:
Rang'd China's self, then th' Indian Isles returning;
View'd th' Ethiopian Parts, still Summer's burning,
Black, Sooty Croud: that warm Arabian Shore,
Where Aden's Tawney Crew, choice Spices store:
Next, through Red-Sea, joyn'd Ægypt Realm to those;
Much Western Ground, by Midland-waves, for Cloze.
Large Bag of Gold, by Friend which chanc'd to die,
Fellow-Travellor, given him as great supply.
Prime Towns he nam'd, what Customs, Fashions there;
Conjoyn'd withall his own bad Dangers were.
Far more the Duke had read; both with content
And wonder heard, those elder years t'invent
Such Form, good Words; like faithful Book remain
For Memory, that stronger temper'd Brain:
Tho thus withdrawn, Inter'd (as 'twere) alive,
Kept active Soul that Hour, contemplative.
Form'd shorter Map discoursive way (as 'twere)
What Parts he saw o'th' World; tho now confin'd
To this small Nook, still free, unbounded Mind;
Such their Request, did Travels there display,
In which beheld the lesser Asia;
Tirus and Sidon South; so, further on
To Antioch, th' Assyrian Babilon:
Next, Persia's Soil, that great Mogul's, where brood
Of Elephants; Fields wash'd by Ganges Flood:
Rang'd China's self, then th' Indian Isles returning;
View'd th' Ethiopian Parts, still Summer's burning,
Black, Sooty Croud: that warm Arabian Shore,
Where Aden's Tawney Crew, choice Spices store:
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Much Western Ground, by Midland-waves, for Cloze.
Large Bag of Gold, by Friend which chanc'd to die,
Fellow-Travellor, given him as great supply.
Prime Towns he nam'd, what Customs, Fashions there;
Conjoyn'd withall his own bad Dangers were.
Far more the Duke had read; both with content
And wonder heard, those elder years t'invent
Such Form, good Words; like faithful Book remain
For Memory, that stronger temper'd Brain:
Tho thus withdrawn, Inter'd (as 'twere) alive,
Kept active Soul that Hour, contemplative.
| The Grecian Story | |