Poems on Several Occasions With some Select Essays in Prose. In Two Volumes. By John Hughes; Adorn'd with Sculptures |
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A Letter to a Friend in the Country.
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 | Poems on Several Occasions |  |
A Letter to a Friend in the Country.
Whilst thou art happy in a blest Retreat,
And free from Care dost rural Songs repeat,
Whilst fragrant Air fans thy Poetick Fire,
And pleasant Groves with sprightly Notes inspire,
(Groves, whose Recesses and refreshing Shade
Indulge th'Invention, and the Judgment aid)
I, 'midst the Smoke and Clamours of the Town,
That choke my Muse and weigh my Fancy down,
Pass my unactive Hours;—
In such an Air, how can soft Numbers flow,
Or in such Soil the sacred Laurel grow?
All we can boast of the Poetick Fire,
Are but some Sparks that soon as born expire.
And free from Care dost rural Songs repeat,
Whilst fragrant Air fans thy Poetick Fire,
And pleasant Groves with sprightly Notes inspire,
(Groves, whose Recesses and refreshing Shade
Indulge th'Invention, and the Judgment aid)
I, 'midst the Smoke and Clamours of the Town,
That choke my Muse and weigh my Fancy down,
Pass my unactive Hours;—
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Or in such Soil the sacred Laurel grow?
All we can boast of the Poetick Fire,
Are but some Sparks that soon as born expire.
Hail happy Woods! Harbours of Peace and Joy!
Where no black Cares the Mind's Repose destroy!
Where grateful Silence unmolested reigns,
Assists the Muse and quickens all her Strains.
Such were the Scenes of our first Parents Love,
In Eden's Groves with equal Flames they strove,
While warbling Birds, soft whisp'ring Breaths of Wind,
And murmuring Streams, to grace their Nuptials join'd.
All Nature smil'd; the Plains were fresh and green,
Unstain'd the Fountains, and the Heav'ns serene.
Where no black Cares the Mind's Repose destroy!
Where grateful Silence unmolested reigns,
Assists the Muse and quickens all her Strains.
Such were the Scenes of our first Parents Love,
In Eden's Groves with equal Flames they strove,
While warbling Birds, soft whisp'ring Breaths of Wind,
And murmuring Streams, to grace their Nuptials join'd.
All Nature smil'd; the Plains were fresh and green,
Unstain'd the Fountains, and the Heav'ns serene.
Ye blest Remains of that illustrious Age!
Delightful Springs and Woods!—
Might I with You my peaceful Days live o'er,
You, and my Friend, whose Absence I deplore,
Calm as a gentle Brook's unruffled Tide
Shou'd the delicious flowing Minutes glide;
Discharg'd of Care, on unfrequented Plains,
We'd sing of rural Joys in rural Strains.
No false corrupt Delights our Thoughts shou'd move,
But Joys of Friendship, Poetry and Love.
While others fondly feed Ambition's Fire,
And to the Top of human State aspire,
That from their Airy Eminence they may
With Pride and Scorn th'inferior World survey,
Here we shou'd dwell obscure, yet happier far than they.
Delightful Springs and Woods!—
Might I with You my peaceful Days live o'er,
You, and my Friend, whose Absence I deplore,
Calm as a gentle Brook's unruffled Tide
Shou'd the delicious flowing Minutes glide;
Discharg'd of Care, on unfrequented Plains,
We'd sing of rural Joys in rural Strains.
No false corrupt Delights our Thoughts shou'd move,
But Joys of Friendship, Poetry and Love.
While others fondly feed Ambition's Fire,
And to the Top of human State aspire,
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With Pride and Scorn th'inferior World survey,
Here we shou'd dwell obscure, yet happier far than they.
| Poems on Several Occasions | |