The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince Edited by R. A. Douglas Lithgow |
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FAMILY FEUDS. |
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 | The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince |  |
273
FAMILY FEUDS.
In truth, it is a grievous sight
To see domestic signs of strife,
Which deaden every sense of right
That ought to sweeten life;
Which rend affection from the heart,
Justice and judgment from the brain,
And to our clouded days impart
An atmosphere of pain.
To see domestic signs of strife,
Which deaden every sense of right
That ought to sweeten life;
Which rend affection from the heart,
Justice and judgment from the brain,
And to our clouded days impart
An atmosphere of pain.
What glooms, and storms, and treacherous calms,
Environ us on every side,
But no consoling gleams and balms
To soothe our wounded pride:
Distracting doubt, and sad unrest,
From day to day our steps pursue,
And hatred gendered in the breast,
Which time can scarce subdue.
Environ us on every side,
But no consoling gleams and balms
To soothe our wounded pride:
Distracting doubt, and sad unrest,
From day to day our steps pursue,
And hatred gendered in the breast,
Which time can scarce subdue.
Sometimes, indeed, we long to leave
Th' encumbering incubus behind,
But fail, because we cannot weave
One harmonising mind;
Entangled in the mesh, we strive
Against each other as before;
Which only keeps our wrath alive,
And fetters us the more.
Th' encumbering incubus behind,
But fail, because we cannot weave
One harmonising mind;
Entangled in the mesh, we strive
Against each other as before;
Which only keeps our wrath alive,
And fetters us the more.
274
Could we but calmly pause and think,
And with the just and good agree,
Then, one by one, each galling link
Would break, and set us free:
But since our passions lead astray,
Too oft against our better will,
How dark becomes our tangled way,
Best by every ill!
And with the just and good agree,
Then, one by one, each galling link
Would break, and set us free:
But since our passions lead astray,
Too oft against our better will,
How dark becomes our tangled way,
Best by every ill!
Forbear, then, and be reconciled,
Ye who are mixed in feuds like these;
Be not bewildered and beguiled
By specious claims and pleas;
Take quiet counsel each with each,
Let prejudice and passion cease,
Bind up the wounds, make up the breach,
And let the end be peace.
Ye who are mixed in feuds like these;
Be not bewildered and beguiled
By specious claims and pleas;
Take quiet counsel each with each,
Let prejudice and passion cease,
Bind up the wounds, make up the breach,
And let the end be peace.
So shall ye banish needless strife,
So banish self-made sorrow, too,
And in your after days of life
A friendlier course pursue.
Life is too short to waste as dross,
In deeds as barren as the wind;
And waste of soul—a priceless loss!—
Should teach us to be kind.
So banish self-made sorrow, too,
And in your after days of life
A friendlier course pursue.
Life is too short to waste as dross,
In deeds as barren as the wind;
And waste of soul—a priceless loss!—
Should teach us to be kind.
| The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince | |