 | Collected poems of Samuel Davies : 1723-1761 |  |
141
[THIS UNCULTIVATED LAND]
Say, shall a Brother, Sir, nay more, a Friend
To you these rude Effects of Friendship send?
A Muse untutor'd vent the ardent Fires,
Tho' unpoetic, which fond Love inspires?
Or shall I check her with impos'd Constraint?
And cease to give the Tender Passion vent?
To you these rude Effects of Friendship send?
A Muse untutor'd vent the ardent Fires,
Tho' unpoetic, which fond Love inspires?
Or shall I check her with impos'd Constraint?
And cease to give the Tender Passion vent?
On you perhaps, whose Eyes & Ears & Heart
Are charm'd with Works of Nature & of Art,
With which the Wise Creator's Mighty Hand,
Or Human Skill has grac'd the British Land,
Unseas'nably these Verses may intrude,
And Love itself appears impertinent & rude;
Therefore I promise, to appease your Mind,
I'll take it well to be repaid in Kind.
Are charm'd with Works of Nature & of Art,
With which the Wise Creator's Mighty Hand,
Or Human Skill has grac'd the British Land,
Unseas'nably these Verses may intrude,
And Love itself appears impertinent & rude;
Therefore I promise, to appease your Mind,
I'll take it well to be repaid in Kind.
How gladly, did my Circumstance allow,
Wou'd I pass o'er the boisterous Ocean too!
And dare the Dangers of each distant Shore,
The Works of Nature & of Arts t'explore!
glad wou'd I visit every knowing Sage
In Countries ripen'd into Sense by Age.
Knowledge transported from the farthest Clime
Wou'd compensate the Trouble and the Time.
Knowledge! That shining Pearl! The Value more
Than all the Gold on the rich Indian Shore.
Wou'd I pass o'er the boisterous Ocean too!
And dare the Dangers of each distant Shore,
The Works of Nature & of Arts t'explore!
glad wou'd I visit every knowing Sage
In Countries ripen'd into Sense by Age.
Knowledge transported from the farthest Clime
Wou'd compensate the Trouble and the Time.
Knowledge! That shining Pearl! The Value more
Than all the Gold on the rich Indian Shore.
142
But ah! in this uncultivated Land,
Where Ignorance usurps supreme Command,
Where raw, unripen'd Wit, & infant Sense
Produces nothing but Impertinence,
And the fair Muses in a Place so rude,
But seldom light, & never take Abode,
Here, unimprov'd, I must my Moments spend,
And the bright Pearl forever unobtain'd.
Where Ignorance usurps supreme Command,
Where raw, unripen'd Wit, & infant Sense
Produces nothing but Impertinence,
And the fair Muses in a Place so rude,
But seldom light, & never take Abode,
Here, unimprov'd, I must my Moments spend,
And the bright Pearl forever unobtain'd.
But you, Dear Sir, whom a more pleasing Fate
Directs unerring to the Muses' Seat,
(For Love persuades me, you are safe arriv'd,
And the Persuasion's pleasing, when believ'd)
Lay up the greatest Cargo in your Mind,
Safe from the Ocean's Rage, & stormy Wind;
Th'immortal Mind demands, your highest Care;
Liberal repose, your greatest Riches there;
There treasure Knowledge; that, with generous Hand,
When safe return'd to this unpolish'd Land,
The sacred Treasure, you may wide disperse,
And your instructive Passages rehearse.
Directs unerring to the Muses' Seat,
(For Love persuades me, you are safe arriv'd,
And the Persuasion's pleasing, when believ'd)
Lay up the greatest Cargo in your Mind,
Safe from the Ocean's Rage, & stormy Wind;
Th'immortal Mind demands, your highest Care;
Liberal repose, your greatest Riches there;
There treasure Knowledge; that, with generous Hand,
When safe return'd to this unpolish'd Land,
The sacred Treasure, you may wide disperse,
And your instructive Passages rehearse.
I entertain myself with Hopes of this,
And such a Partnership will always please;
For Knowledge bought by Wholesale or Retail
T'enrich the Purchaser will never fail.
And such a Partnership will always please;
For Knowledge bought by Wholesale or Retail
T'enrich the Purchaser will never fail.
But I forbear—The mean, self-conscious Muse,
When Eyes on English Ground her Lays peruse,
Retires & blushes. Higher she cou'd rise,
And these low, creeping strains with Scorn despise,
Had some Britannic Hand her Pinions prunn'd,
And her young Voice to loftier Numbers tun'd.
When Eyes on English Ground her Lays peruse,
Retires & blushes. Higher she cou'd rise,
And these low, creeping strains with Scorn despise,
Had some Britannic Hand her Pinions prunn'd,
And her young Voice to loftier Numbers tun'd.
| Collected poems of Samuel Davies : 1723-1761 | |