The Poetical Works of John Langhorne ... To which are prefixed, Memoirs of the Author by his Son the Rev. J. T. Langhorne ... In Two Volumes |
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TO
THE REV. MR. LAMB. |
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 | The Poetical Works of John Langhorne |  |
140
TO THE REV. MR. LAMB.
Lamb, could the muse that boasts thy forming care,
Unfold the grateful feelings of my heart,
Her hand for thee should many a wreath prepare,
And cull the choicest flowers with studious art.
Unfold the grateful feelings of my heart,
Her hand for thee should many a wreath prepare,
And cull the choicest flowers with studious art.
For mark'd by thee was each imperfect ray
That haply wander'd o'er my infant mind;
The dawn of genius brighten'd into day,
As thy skill open'd, as thy lore refin'd.
That haply wander'd o'er my infant mind;
The dawn of genius brighten'd into day,
As thy skill open'd, as thy lore refin'd.
Each uncouth lay that faulter'd from my tongue,
At eve or morn from Eden's murmurs caught;
Whate'er I painted, and whate'er I sung,
Tho' rude the strain, tho' artless was the draught;
At eve or morn from Eden's murmurs caught;
Whate'er I painted, and whate'er I sung,
Tho' rude the strain, tho' artless was the draught;
You wisely prais'd, and fed the sacred fire,
That warms the breast with love and honest fame;
You swell'd to nobler heights the infant lyre,
Rais'd the low thought, and check'd th' exuberant flame.
That warms the breast with love and honest fame;
You swell'd to nobler heights the infant lyre,
Rais'd the low thought, and check'd th' exuberant flame.
O could the muse in future times obtain
One humble garland from th' Aonian tree!
With joy I'd bind thy favour'd brows again,
With joy I'd form a fairer wreath for thee.
One humble garland from th' Aonian tree!
With joy I'd bind thy favour'd brows again,
With joy I'd form a fairer wreath for thee.
| The Poetical Works of John Langhorne | |