The poetical works of William Nicholson With a memoir by Malcolm M'L. Harper ... Fourth edition |
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TO HAPPINESS. |
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 | The poetical works of William Nicholson |  |
135
TO HAPPINESS.
Say, where is thy dwelling, thou daughter of peace?
More sweet than the sun-gilded flower;
What thousands await for a glimpse of thy face,
Disappointment and keen-pining Envy to chase,
From the peasant's lone hut to the tower.
More sweet than the sun-gilded flower;
What thousands await for a glimpse of thy face,
Disappointment and keen-pining Envy to chase,
From the peasant's lone hut to the tower.
False Hope, with her anchor, would point out the path,
As her various votaries choose,
By the new-fallowed field, or the blue-bellèd heath,
The statesman's parade, or the warrior's wreath,
Love, science, a friend, or the muse.
As her various votaries choose,
By the new-fallowed field, or the blue-bellèd heath,
The statesman's parade, or the warrior's wreath,
Love, science, a friend, or the muse.
But vain are their pursuits, if passion's unreined,
Or sickly unsoundness be nigh;
Though Virtue's fair telescope lights the dark mind,
Thou fly'st their fond grasp, like the fast-fleeting wind,
Or the bright-beaming arch of the sky.
Or sickly unsoundness be nigh;
Though Virtue's fair telescope lights the dark mind,
Thou fly'st their fond grasp, like the fast-fleeting wind,
Or the bright-beaming arch of the sky.
Yet oft dost thou visit the young and the gay;
Too sweet are the moments to last;
And mirth, wine, and music, can chase Care away
For a night; but, alas! she returns with the day;—
We painful reflect on the past.
Too sweet are the moments to last;
And mirth, wine, and music, can chase Care away
For a night; but, alas! she returns with the day;—
We painful reflect on the past.
How vain, then, for mortals to pant for the prize?
'Tis the charter to angels that's given:
This life's a short journey—be patient, be wise—
Unhinge ye from earth; let your prospects arise;
She dwells not on this side of Heaven.
'Tis the charter to angels that's given:
This life's a short journey—be patient, be wise—
Unhinge ye from earth; let your prospects arise;
She dwells not on this side of Heaven.
| The poetical works of William Nicholson | |