 | Poetical works (1908) |  |
Boetius. Libr. 5. Metr. 5.
I.
Into what different moulds doth Gods wise handCast his wet clay? and to their various forms
Their divers postures fitts? some sweep the sand
Drawn out at length; as tottering boats in storms
They mount, and fall, dragging their lazy trains
They plow long furrowes on the dusty plains.
II.
Some (light as ayer) mounted on liquid skySpread to the gentle winds their featherd sails;
Swimming with plumed oars through Heavens fly:
Some shod with hoofs, some frosted with sharp nails
Through woods and forrests, plains, and mountains trace,
And set their prints upon th' earths scarr'd face.
339
III.
Yet though their various shapes, and gate betray,How far their natures differ each from other,
All meet in this: All gaze upon the clay
From which they spring, and stare upon their Mother.
Prest down with earthy Yoke, their dullard sight
Pores on dark shades; they use, not view the light.
IV.
Man only rears aloft his honour'd head:His body stands, and walks upright: his eyes
Transport his soul, where it was highly bred,
To keep acquaintance with his neer Allies.
On earth his down-cast look he never places,
But when he stoops, and lofty head abases.
V.
If then thou art not beast, or earth; if man,Thy body guides the soul, thy eye the mind:
Thy flesh looks where it tends, not wher't began,
Oh shall the Heaven-born soul forget his kind?
Shall heavenly minds mind earth? while earthy eyes
Eye Heaven? soar up my soul: transcend the skies.
Else while thy body lives, thy spirit dies.
| Poetical works (1908) | |