Poems upon Several Occasions | ||
The Retreat.
I
Pardon me Friend, that I so soonForsake this great tumultuous Town.
And on the sudden hasten down;
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II
That I Preferment court no more,But all my Hopes and Cares give o'er
While I'm Young, and while I'm Poor.
III
My self no longer I'll depriveOf those kind Minutes Heav'n does give.
No Man makes haste enough to live.
IV
Let them stay longer who desireAbove their Father's Wealth t'aspire,
And raise their Names and Fortunes higher.
V
That are content to cringe and bow,To flatter, bribe, and wait; for so
Preferment must be bought, you know.
VI
Give me free Nature's solid GoodsOpen Fields, and secret Woods,
Healthful Hills, and crystal Floods.
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VII
A small, but sprucely furnish'd House,A Garden for Delight and Use,
A learned Friend, and gentle Muse.
VIII
Nights full of Sleep, Days void of Strife,And to compleat this heav'nly Life,
An humble, cheerful, country Wife.
IX
Thus, oh! thus let me obscurely lie!Thus let my wel-spent Hours slide by!
Thus let me live! thus let me die!
Poems upon Several Occasions | ||