The Poetical Works of Thomas Pringle With A Sketch of his Life, by Leitch Ritchie |
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POETS ARE NATURE'S PRIESTS. |
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 | The Poetical Works of Thomas Pringle |  |
XI. POETS ARE NATURE'S PRIESTS.
Poets are Nature's Priests: their hallow'd eyesBehold her Mercy-Seat within the Veil;
From their melodious lips the nations hail
Her oracles, and learn her mysteries.
With pure and pious hearts, then let them prize
Their consecration: Shall they hold for sale
The gift of Heaven? and tempt mankind to rail
At glorious powers—profaned for lusts or lies!
Thus Phineas and Hophni dared profane
God's altar—till their father's house was cursed,
And they destroy'd; and even the Ark was ta'en
From the lewd nation that such vileness nursed.
Men highly privileged are prone to ill:
Yet Israel then had Samuel—we have Wordsworth still.
1820.
| The Poetical Works of Thomas Pringle | |