Works of the Hon. and Very Rev. William Herbert ... Excepting those on botany and natural history. With additions and corrections by the author |
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CROYLAND ABBEY. |
 | Works of the Hon. and Very Rev. William Herbert |  |
CROYLAND ABBEY.
1801.
O venerable pile! whose shatter'd form
From abject Croyland's melancholy site,
Looks proudly o'er this wide-extended plain,
Much of thine ancient grandeur and high name
Old annals tell; much of fierce elfin shapes,
And fiery forms, amid thy lonely fens
Strange sojourners, who never dared invade
Thy hallow'd precincts, but around them lurk'd
To harm the holy pilgrim wandering nigh.
So monks have fabled; now forlorn thou seest
No mitred feasts, no pride of papal rites;
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Where pomp and learning reign'd. Thy sounding tower
Calls but the simple cottager to pray,
Neglected now, yet not by me unbless'd;
For here, unknown, beneath a humble roof,
Oft have I changed the tumult of the town
For healthy exercise, of studious toil
Forgetful, and the busy cares that lie
Thick scatter'd on the restless path of life.
O holy solitude! thy charming cup
Too deeply quaff'd, unfits the social mind
For useful intercourse; but sometimes woo'd,
And there best woo'd, where nature's verdant garb
Encircles thee, thou dost correct our thoughts,
Soften the rude asperity of pride,
Wake each pure feeling, and exalt the heart
Nearer its God! On thee, benignant power,
Wherever fate shall guide, amid the storms,
Which, rending the firm base of Europe, shake
My trembling country, with devoted love
(Whether on rushy moor by joyous sport
Urged onwards, or upon some shady bank
Stretch'd in delicious rest, with ardent mind
Weaving bright fancies,) sometimes will I call,
Still cherish'd, still chaste partner of my thoughts!
| Works of the Hon. and Very Rev. William Herbert | |