 | Poems to Thespia |  |
158
XVII. To Lieutenant-Colonel SIMCOE.
Simcoe, howe'er in weak illiberal daysMerit may toil in vain, and valour bleed,
Denied by prejudiee their well-earn'd meed;
Yet, mindful of her office high of yore,
The Muse her virid garland shall prepare
And gird the intwisted foliage round their hair:
Tune with sincerest voice her notes of praise,
Bid glory open her refulgent store,
While truth and virtue sanctify her lays,
Read, and approved till time shall be no more.
Thy gallant acts, and each intrepid deed
Tis her's to adorn. Nor thou, each softer air
Refuse; the strains which she to love could yield,
While thou wert harrass'd in the strifeful field.
| Poems to Thespia | |