 | Poetical works (1908) |  |
Boetius. Libr. 2. Metr. 4.
If safe thou wouldst, and quiet dwell,Refuse a Palace, chuse a cell.
Wouldst thou burn out thy fenced light
In peace, when winds, storms, tempests fight?
Wouldst thou despise the curl'd-head waves,
And laugh, when gaping Neptune raves?
Let not thy house on mountains soar,
Trust not the swilling, spewing shore.
There envious winds, and spiteful blasts
Reign, rage, and tear: there nothing lasts.
Here sinking earth, and bibbing sands
Betray the weight: here nothing stands.
Climb not aloft to seek fresh ayer,
Or pleasant seat: build sure, not fair.
The lowly Rock make thy foundation;
A strong, a lasting situtation.
When thundring storms with ruins fill
The pleasant shore, and mounting hill,
Lodgd in thy trenches, safely lying,
Fierce winds, and foming seas defying,
Safe maist thou mock the angry skie,
And quiet live, and quiet dy.
| Poetical works (1908) | |