 | Poems on Affairs of State |  |
To the Author of The Tunbridge Prodigy.
When Tuneful Ladies strike the trembling Lyre,
And give the Raptures of a double Fire;
With Joy we croud officious Mites of Praise,
And with the tender Myrtle join the Bays.
Bright Beauty's Charms are frequent in our view,
But brighter Fancy seems confin'd to you;
Many pretend to Rays where B---h shines,
Yet all acknowledg your superior Lines.
That known Artillery of Eyes we 'scape,
And fear not Fate in a familiar Shape;
But Notes unusual cheat us into Wounds,
And Darts surprize us in the Dress of Sounds;
So strangely can the Force of Words invade,
By which we're conquer'd, as the World was made.
And give the Raptures of a double Fire;
With Joy we croud officious Mites of Praise,
And with the tender Myrtle join the Bays.
455
But brighter Fancy seems confin'd to you;
Many pretend to Rays where B---h shines,
Yet all acknowledg your superior Lines.
That known Artillery of Eyes we 'scape,
And fear not Fate in a familiar Shape;
But Notes unusual cheat us into Wounds,
And Darts surprize us in the Dress of Sounds;
So strangely can the Force of Words invade,
By which we're conquer'd, as the World was made.
Let others on the Senses Surface play,
And purchase fleeting Honours of a Day;
Your Empire's lasting, for the Mind's your Throne,
And ev'ry Hour you gain upon Renown;
A greater Wonder, than you sing, you prove
A Dame of Wit exceeds a Man in Love.
So when of late th'Immortal Granville strove
To shew no Magick like Inchanting Love,
He broke the Power himself design'd to raise,
And prov'd a stronger Magick in his Lays.
And purchase fleeting Honours of a Day;
Your Empire's lasting, for the Mind's your Throne,
And ev'ry Hour you gain upon Renown;
A greater Wonder, than you sing, you prove
A Dame of Wit exceeds a Man in Love.
So when of late th'Immortal Granville strove
To shew no Magick like Inchanting Love,
He broke the Power himself design'd to raise,
And prov'd a stronger Magick in his Lays.
No future Coldness shall secure the Men,
If Nymphs observe your soft instructive Pen,
And, as you write or move, direct their Choice,
Your Mien is only second to your Voice.
Thus learning Excellence, and taught to reign,
Your Sex must be all Conquest, ours all Chain;
Each trifling fair one shall have Right to boast,
And ev'n a H---s shall be confest a Toast.
Then the next Prodigy, how chang'd 'twill be!
Not he that's captiv'd, but that dares be free.
If Nymphs observe your soft instructive Pen,
And, as you write or move, direct their Choice,
Your Mien is only second to your Voice.
Thus learning Excellence, and taught to reign,
Your Sex must be all Conquest, ours all Chain;
Each trifling fair one shall have Right to boast,
And ev'n a H---s shall be confest a Toast.
Then the next Prodigy, how chang'd 'twill be!
Not he that's captiv'd, but that dares be free.
The Phenix Youth that burns in am'rous Pains,
Forgets his Anguish, and attends your Strains;
Strange and surprising he with Pleasure shews,
Who would not languish to invite your Muse!
He thanks the Charmer that so rais'd his Flame,
And boasts his Fate because he serves your Fame.
Thus a poor drooping Ranger of the Air,
Depriv'd of Plumes by some unheeded Snare,
When Beauty stoops to gather up the Spoil,
And gains new Glory from that humble Toil;
No more he pines, but tunes his Throat for Joy,
Proud that his Feathers can the Fair employ.
Forgets his Anguish, and attends your Strains;
Strange and surprising he with Pleasure shews,
Who would not languish to invite your Muse!
He thanks the Charmer that so rais'd his Flame,
And boasts his Fate because he serves your Fame.
456
Depriv'd of Plumes by some unheeded Snare,
When Beauty stoops to gather up the Spoil,
And gains new Glory from that humble Toil;
No more he pines, but tunes his Throat for Joy,
Proud that his Feathers can the Fair employ.
| Poems on Affairs of State | |