 | The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince |  |
120
TEMPERANCE SONG.
Oh! tempt me no more to the wine-brimming bowl,
Nor say 'twill arouse me to gladness;
I have felt how it breaks the repose of the soul,
And fires every frailty to madness;
But fill me a cup where the bright waters flow,
From that health and freshness I'll borrow;
'Tis the purest of nectars that sparkle below,
Since it brings neither sickness nor sorrow.
Nor say 'twill arouse me to gladness;
I have felt how it breaks the repose of the soul,
And fires every frailty to madness;
But fill me a cup where the bright waters flow,
From that health and freshness I'll borrow;
'Tis the purest of nectars that sparkle below,
Since it brings neither sickness nor sorrow.
Oh! look not for me where the drunkard is found,
A stranger to virtue and quiet;
Where the voice of affection and conscience is drowned,
In fierce Bacchanalian riot;
On the hearth of my home, a more tranquil retreat,
My enjoyments are guiltless and cheering,
Where the smile of my wife becomes daily more sweet,
And the kiss of my child more endearing.
A stranger to virtue and quiet;
Where the voice of affection and conscience is drowned,
In fierce Bacchanalian riot;
On the hearth of my home, a more tranquil retreat,
My enjoyments are guiltless and cheering,
Where the smile of my wife becomes daily more sweet,
And the kiss of my child more endearing.
Oh! turn thee, deluded one, turn and forsake
Those haunts whose excitements enslave thee;
Be firm in thy manhood, let reason awake,
While Pity is yearning to save thee.
With me all unholy allurements are past—
May I swerve from my rectitude never!
No, rather than sink to perdition at last,
One and all, I abjure them for ever!
Those haunts whose excitements enslave thee;
Be firm in thy manhood, let reason awake,
While Pity is yearning to save thee.
With me all unholy allurements are past—
May I swerve from my rectitude never!
No, rather than sink to perdition at last,
One and all, I abjure them for ever!
| The Poetical Works of John Critchley Prince | |