Moonlight The Doge's daughter: Ariadne: Carmen Britannicum, or The song of Britain: Angelica, or The rape of Proteus: By Edward, Lord Thurlow |
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[Give me, O God, be this my constant prayer] |
 | Moonlight |  |
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[Give me, O God, be this my constant prayer]
Give me, O God, be this my constant prayer,If I be worthy any thing to ask,
Give me to breathe amid' the dewy meads,
And the umbrageous forests, where the herd
Of dappled courtiers, to each other false,
At least in woe, may start not at my steps,
Nay, nor the gentler kine ought heed my way.
I would be free, be free to solitude,
Free, as the merle, the mavis, or the bird,
That sings a requiem to the Summer's night,
Delightful to the lover's list'ning ear;
Aye, or the adder, that ne'er lifts his head,
From out the fenced circuit of the wood;
His pleasure that, and mine to be as free,
As thoughts of poets, or the fickle air,
Or Summer, in her wilderness of sweets,
Or Ocean, that ne'er touches on a shore.
Life is but freedom; and, who will, may dwell
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On hills, by rivers, and on ferny lawns,
With nature, bare or arbour'd; with the brood
Of herons, owlets, and the martin's foot.
THE END.
| Moonlight | |