The works, in verse and prose, of William Shenstone, Esq In two volumes. With Decorations. The fourth edition |
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 | The works, in verse and prose, of William Shenstone, Esq |  |
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SONG XIII. The Scholar's Relapse.
By the side of a grove, at the foot of a hill,
Where whisper'd the beech, and where murmur'd the rill;
I vow'd to the muses my time and my care,
Since neither could win me the smiles of my fair.
Where whisper'd the beech, and where murmur'd the rill;
I vow'd to the muses my time and my care,
Since neither could win me the smiles of my fair.
Free I rang'd like the birds, like the birds free I sung,
And Delia's lov'd name scarce escap'd from my tongue:
But if once a smooth accent delighted my ear,
I should wish, unawares, that my Delia might hear.
And Delia's lov'd name scarce escap'd from my tongue:
But if once a smooth accent delighted my ear,
I should wish, unawares, that my Delia might hear.
With fairest ideas my bosom I stor'd,
Allusive to none but the nymph I ador'd!
And the more I with study my fancy refin'd,
The deeper impression she made on my mind.
Allusive to none but the nymph I ador'd!
And the more I with study my fancy refin'd,
The deeper impression she made on my mind.
So long as of nature the charms I pursue,
I still must my Delia's dear image renew:
The graces have yielded with Delia to rove,
And the muses are all in alliance with love.
I still must my Delia's dear image renew:
The graces have yielded with Delia to rove,
And the muses are all in alliance with love.
| The works, in verse and prose, of William Shenstone, Esq | |