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285
The Complaint.
Quid facies illi! jubeas miserum esse libenter.
Hor.
Hor.
Where'er my solitary Steps I bend,
In vain the Orphan seeks to find a Friend!
By Dangers compass'd round, I trembling go,
Mankind my Hunters, and the World my Foe!
All fly the Infection of a Heart distrest,
As the blown Deer's deserted by the rest;
By Fortune weary'd, and by Grief dismay'd,
To thee almighty King! I fly for Aid!
All gracious Power! attend my suppliant Prayer!
Or ease my Woes, or teach me how to bear;
Support my Sufferings, vindicate my Wrongs!
And save me from the aspic Gall of Tongues!
To thee my panting Heart for Shelter flies,
And waits that Mercy which Mankind denies!
Oh let thy Light my fainting Soul inform,
Thy Goodness guide me thro' the threat'ning Storm!
Oh let thy heavenly Beam my Darkness chear!
Thy-Guardian-Hand my dubious Passage steer!
Then let the Tempest rage?—and round my Head
Affliction all its angry Billows spread!
Thy Presence, Lord, shall calm my anxious Breast,
And lead me safe to everlasting Rest!
In vain the Orphan seeks to find a Friend!
By Dangers compass'd round, I trembling go,
Mankind my Hunters, and the World my Foe!
All fly the Infection of a Heart distrest,
As the blown Deer's deserted by the rest;
By Fortune weary'd, and by Grief dismay'd,
To thee almighty King! I fly for Aid!
All gracious Power! attend my suppliant Prayer!
Or ease my Woes, or teach me how to bear;
Support my Sufferings, vindicate my Wrongs!
And save me from the aspic Gall of Tongues!
To thee my panting Heart for Shelter flies,
And waits that Mercy which Mankind denies!
Oh let thy Light my fainting Soul inform,
Thy Goodness guide me thro' the threat'ning Storm!
Oh let thy heavenly Beam my Darkness chear!
Thy-Guardian-Hand my dubious Passage steer!
Then let the Tempest rage?—and round my Head
Affliction all its angry Billows spread!
286
And lead me safe to everlasting Rest!
So fares it with the Vessel Tempest-tost
Her Masts all shatter'd, and her Anchor lost,
Abandon'd on some wild uncertain Coast!
While the loud Surges mark the fatal Shore,
And o'er their Heads the awful Thunders roar;
Sudden the Lightning gilds the gloomy Sky,
And shews some friendly Creek or Harbour nigh,
Bold with the kind embracing Coast they steer,
And find their Safety where they plac'd their Fear.
Her Masts all shatter'd, and her Anchor lost,
Abandon'd on some wild uncertain Coast!
While the loud Surges mark the fatal Shore,
And o'er their Heads the awful Thunders roar;
Sudden the Lightning gilds the gloomy Sky,
And shews some friendly Creek or Harbour nigh,
Bold with the kind embracing Coast they steer,
And find their Safety where they plac'd their Fear.
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