The Poetical Works of the late Mrs Mary Robinson including many pieces never before published. In Three Volumes |
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 | The Poetical Works of the late Mrs Mary Robinson |  |
232
A REFLECTION.
The loathsome toad, whose mis'ry feeds
On noxious dews and baneful weeds,
Disgusts the startled sight;
Yet, when the sultry vapours low'r,
He drinks the poison from each flow'r,
Shook by the wings of night.
On noxious dews and baneful weeds,
Disgusts the startled sight;
Yet, when the sultry vapours low'r,
He drinks the poison from each flow'r,
Shook by the wings of night.
Behold the beauteous speckled snake,
Writhing amidst the leafy brake,
Gilt by the beams of day:
Mark, as the wand'ring victim's eyes
Fix on its dazzling orient dyes,
The traitor stings its prey!
Writhing amidst the leafy brake,
Gilt by the beams of day:
Mark, as the wand'ring victim's eyes
Fix on its dazzling orient dyes,
The traitor stings its prey!
Trace, then, the moral, simply true;
Here nature's varying picture view,
Where outward forms deceive;
Where worth in loathsome garb we find,
While glitt'ring vice, with pow'r combin'd,
In splendid baseness live!
Here nature's varying picture view,
Where outward forms deceive;
Where worth in loathsome garb we find,
While glitt'ring vice, with pow'r combin'd,
In splendid baseness live!
| The Poetical Works of the late Mrs Mary Robinson | |