Verses Occasioned by seeing the Palace and Park of Dalkeith, Anno MDCCXXXII. Humbly Inscrib'd to His Grace, The Duke of Buccleugh [by Samuel Boyse] |
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VERSES, Occasioned by seeing the Palace and Park OF DALKEITH, Anno MDCCXXXII.
I ask not Phœbus, nor the fabled Nine,
To rule the Verse, or favour my Design:
Of Nature's Beauties, ravish'd, while I sing,
Aid me, thou matchless Pow'r, from whom they spring!
By whose supreme Command, profuse, they rise,
And in a thousand Forms attract our Eyes.
To rule the Verse, or favour my Design:
Of Nature's Beauties, ravish'd, while I sing,
Aid me, thou matchless Pow'r, from whom they spring!
By whose supreme Command, profuse, they rise,
And in a thousand Forms attract our Eyes.
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Shall
Windsor's Groves, when all their Bloom is lost,
In sacred Verse unfading Verdure boast?
Shall Cooper's Hill, for ever dear to Fame,
Preserve its Honours lasting as its Name?
And shall Oblivion still a Scene conceal,
That yields to neither, were it known as well?
In sacred Verse unfading Verdure boast?
Shall Cooper's Hill, for ever dear to Fame,
Preserve its Honours lasting as its Name?
And shall Oblivion still a Scene conceal,
That yields to neither, were it known as well?
But how shall Words the varied Plan disclose,
Like native Life, what faint Resemblance glows!
Yet would the Muse, enamour'd of her Theme,
As pleas'd she roves on ESCA's mazy Stream,
The blooming Wonders that surround her, sing,
And touch once more the long unpractis'd String.
Like native Life, what faint Resemblance glows!
Yet would the Muse, enamour'd of her Theme,
As pleas'd she roves on ESCA's mazy Stream,
The blooming Wonders that surround her, sing,
And touch once more the long unpractis'd String.
Nor thou, Illustrious SCOT, whom Heav'n ordains
Lord of these Groves, and all the neighb'ring Swains,
Disdain the Verse, but mild the Muse receive,
And to her rural Notes Attention give,
That faithful would th'united Charms relate,
Which Art and Nature lend thy Princely Seat.
Lord of these Groves, and all the neighb'ring Swains,
Disdain the Verse, but mild the Muse receive,
And to her rural Notes Attention give,
That faithful would th'united Charms relate,
Which Art and Nature lend thy Princely Seat.
Clasp'd in the Arms of two surrounding Floods,
Compass'd with gentle Hills and rising Woods,
On a green Bank the beauteous Fabrick stands,
And the subjected Stream with Pride commands.
What tho' no lofty Domes project in Air,
Or lengthen'd Colonnades with Pomp appear;
Yet is the whole in simple State design'd,
Plain and majestick, like her mighty Mind;
From Gothick Ruin, and obscure Disgrace,
Who rais'd the slumbring Genius of the Place,
And fix'd the Mansion of her future Race.
Compass'd with gentle Hills and rising Woods,
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And the subjected Stream with Pride commands.
What tho' no lofty Domes project in Air,
Or lengthen'd Colonnades with Pomp appear;
Yet is the whole in simple State design'd,
Plain and majestick, like her mighty Mind;
From Gothick Ruin, and obscure Disgrace,
Who rais'd the slumbring Genius of the Place,
And fix'd the Mansion of her future Race.
Within collected, all the Beauties lye
That Art can form, or foreign Lands supply:
Here the fair Pillar rears its polish'd Height,
And with its Harmony detains the Sight;
There the great Works the Master Pencil drew
Start from the Walls, and swell to meet the View!
How just each Stroke! how soft each flowing Line!
In every Piece, what strong Perfections shine!
I ask whence Light and Shade such Pow'r derive,
And almost think the glowing Figures live!
Thro' ev'ry Part, delighted, as I stray,
New Beauties catch me, and retard my Way.
Now India's rich Grotesques, with vivid Dyes,
In gay Confusion play before my Eyes;
And the bright Labours of the artful Loom,
With painted Grace embellish every Room:
While shining Mirrors there protract the Scene,
Reflect the hanging Trees and winding Stream:
But all so rang'd, so elegantly plac'd,
As shows the Cost inferior to the Taste.
That Art can form, or foreign Lands supply:
Here the fair Pillar rears its polish'd Height,
And with its Harmony detains the Sight;
There the great Works the Master Pencil drew
Start from the Walls, and swell to meet the View!
How just each Stroke! how soft each flowing Line!
In every Piece, what strong Perfections shine!
I ask whence Light and Shade such Pow'r derive,
And almost think the glowing Figures live!
Thro' ev'ry Part, delighted, as I stray,
New Beauties catch me, and retard my Way.
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In gay Confusion play before my Eyes;
And the bright Labours of the artful Loom,
With painted Grace embellish every Room:
While shining Mirrors there protract the Scene,
Reflect the hanging Trees and winding Stream:
But all so rang'd, so elegantly plac'd,
As shows the Cost inferior to the Taste.
Proud of the Treasures it conceal'd within,
So have I, unadorn'd, a Casket seen,
Which open'd, did surprizing Wealth unfold,
India's rich Gems, and bright Peruvian Gold.
So have I, unadorn'd, a Casket seen,
Which open'd, did surprizing Wealth unfold,
India's rich Gems, and bright Peruvian Gold.
Preserv'd by Time, here Beauty seems to breathe,
And mocks the Spite of Age, and Darts of Death;
Renew'd by Lely's, or by Kneller's Hand,
Angelick Forms! the British Charmers stand!
And such the Force of Life resembling Art,
Still touch the Soul, and triumph o'er the Heart.
And mocks the Spite of Age, and Darts of Death;
Renew'd by Lely's, or by Kneller's Hand,
Angelick Forms! the British Charmers stand!
And such the Force of Life resembling Art,
Still touch the Soul, and triumph o'er the Heart.
There plac'd on high the Royal Youth appears,
Whose early Fate demands the Muses Tears;
Beneath the Chief the generous Courser rears,
And seems transported with the Weight he bears:
How sweet his Look, how gallant is his Air!
Warlike as Mars, and as Adonis Fair!
But doom'd, alas, by Destiny to prove,
Ambition's Victim, and the Slave of Love!
With all the Gifts adorn'd that man could boast,
His opening Virtues just display'd, and lost.
Lost in eternal Night his rising Fame,
And not a Muse to vindicate his Name;
Heroick Monmouth! could my feeble Lay,
Thy early Dawn of Excellence display;
With sacred Lawrels should thy Temple shine,
And grateful yield a slender Wreath to mine.
Whose early Fate demands the Muses Tears;
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And seems transported with the Weight he bears:
How sweet his Look, how gallant is his Air!
Warlike as Mars, and as Adonis Fair!
But doom'd, alas, by Destiny to prove,
Ambition's Victim, and the Slave of Love!
With all the Gifts adorn'd that man could boast,
His opening Virtues just display'd, and lost.
Lost in eternal Night his rising Fame,
And not a Muse to vindicate his Name;
Heroick Monmouth! could my feeble Lay,
Thy early Dawn of Excellence display;
With sacred Lawrels should thy Temple shine,
And grateful yield a slender Wreath to mine.
So does the Sun his Orient Beams display,
And gives the Promise of a smiling Day;
Whenere he reach his fair Meridian Height,
Opposing Clouds conceal him from our Sight;
Till lost in Darkness to his Fall he bends,
And veil'd in Night his mournful Progress ends.
And gives the Promise of a smiling Day;
Whenere he reach his fair Meridian Height,
Opposing Clouds conceal him from our Sight;
Till lost in Darkness to his Fall he bends,
And veil'd in Night his mournful Progress ends.
But see what Beauties bless th'adjacent Ground,
What wild romantick Prospects rise around!
In Silence here, unrival'd Nature reigns,
Blooms in the Wood, and smiles along the Plains;
With all her native Charms allures the Heart,
And far disdains the mimick Force of Art.
What wild romantick Prospects rise around!
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Blooms in the Wood, and smiles along the Plains;
With all her native Charms allures the Heart,
And far disdains the mimick Force of Art.
Here when Aurora with her Crimson Dyes
Proclaims the Day, and stains the blushing Skies;
While the bright Dew bespangles all the Plain,
And soft, the wakeful Lark, renews her Strain;
On some fair Bank, where circling Waters play,
The placid Scene attentive I survey,
While round my Head the balmy Zephyres breathe,
And the clear Stream in murmurs flows beneath:
From these my Passions gently learn to move,
And leave my Soul compos'd to Peace and Love.
Proclaims the Day, and stains the blushing Skies;
While the bright Dew bespangles all the Plain,
And soft, the wakeful Lark, renews her Strain;
On some fair Bank, where circling Waters play,
The placid Scene attentive I survey,
While round my Head the balmy Zephyres breathe,
And the clear Stream in murmurs flows beneath:
From these my Passions gently learn to move,
And leave my Soul compos'd to Peace and Love.
'Tis hot—and Phœbus shines intensely bright;
The dark Recesses of the Wood invite:
Where ancient Oaks their sacred Branches spread,
And court the Wonderer to the solemn Shade;
With conscious Awe I view the Gloom around,
And softly tread along the peaceful Ground.
There the steep Precipice with craggy Brow,
Hangs o'er the Deep, and forms an Arch below.
Scarce the lost Eye perceives the winding Flood,
From Woods that rises and is lost in Wood.
With Noise unheard it rolls its Christal Waves,
And faintly glitters thro' the quiv'ring Leaves:
While distant Hills a varied Prospect yield,
And golden Harvests grace the fruitful Field.
The dark Recesses of the Wood invite:
Where ancient Oaks their sacred Branches spread,
And court the Wonderer to the solemn Shade;
With conscious Awe I view the Gloom around,
And softly tread along the peaceful Ground.
There the steep Precipice with craggy Brow,
Hangs o'er the Deep, and forms an Arch below.
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From Woods that rises and is lost in Wood.
With Noise unheard it rolls its Christal Waves,
And faintly glitters thro' the quiv'ring Leaves:
While distant Hills a varied Prospect yield,
And golden Harvests grace the fruitful Field.
The Deer now seek the Shelter of the Grove,
Or thro' the Forest unmolested rove:
Some lye repos'd, while others careless stray,
And their young sportive Fawns around them play.
How happy they, who here enjoy, at Ease,
Nature's first Blessings, Liberty and Peace!
While wretched Man, the Slave of Hopes and Fears,
Thro' Life sustains a Train of endless Cares.
Or thro' the Forest unmolested rove:
Some lye repos'd, while others careless stray,
And their young sportive Fawns around them play.
How happy they, who here enjoy, at Ease,
Nature's first Blessings, Liberty and Peace!
While wretched Man, the Slave of Hopes and Fears,
Thro' Life sustains a Train of endless Cares.
Round the fair Park the Guardian Rivers glide,
Now seem to meet, and now their Arms divide:
Like some Coy Nymph the southern Naiade plays,
And thro' the Meads and Groves forgetful strays;
With wanton Grace she bathes her flowry Shores,
And each new Object seems to change her Course:
But like some vigorous Lover, fond and young,
The northen Water swifty rolls along;
Thro' Rocks and Woods precipitates his Pace,
And seizes unobserv'd the secret Place,
From whence he rushes to the Nymph's Embrace:
Swell'd with his Prize he proudly cuts the Plain,
And flows exulting to his Parent Main.
Now seem to meet, and now their Arms divide:
Like some Coy Nymph the southern Naiade plays,
And thro' the Meads and Groves forgetful strays;
With wanton Grace she bathes her flowry Shores,
And each new Object seems to change her Course:
But like some vigorous Lover, fond and young,
The northen Water swifty rolls along;
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And seizes unobserv'd the secret Place,
From whence he rushes to the Nymph's Embrace:
Swell'd with his Prize he proudly cuts the Plain,
And flows exulting to his Parent Main.
The lengthning Shadows, and the cooler Air,
The soft Approach of Evening now declare.
In a fair Vale, that courts the Setting Sun,
I end the Pleasures that the Day begun.
Before my Eye a rising Grove appears;
The purling Waters soothe my ravish'd Ears;
The warbling Birds their tuneful Songs repete,
And the sad Turtle murmurs for her Mate:
Touch'd with her plaintive Woe, to her alone
I listen, and conceive her Giefs my own.
From grateful Toil repos'd, I gently rest;
And all, unmix'd, the Sweets of Nature taste;
Sweets that for ever please, but never cloy,
And fill the virtuous Soul with constant Joy.
The soft Approach of Evening now declare.
In a fair Vale, that courts the Setting Sun,
I end the Pleasures that the Day begun.
Before my Eye a rising Grove appears;
The purling Waters soothe my ravish'd Ears;
The warbling Birds their tuneful Songs repete,
And the sad Turtle murmurs for her Mate:
Touch'd with her plaintive Woe, to her alone
I listen, and conceive her Giefs my own.
From grateful Toil repos'd, I gently rest;
And all, unmix'd, the Sweets of Nature taste;
Sweets that for ever please, but never cloy,
And fill the virtuous Soul with constant Joy.
Nature, thou Pow'r divinely fair and young,
Like the Great Being, from whose Word thou sprung!
Unwearied still, the Blessings I explore,
Which o'er the Earth thy Hands incessant pour:
And while I view thy Works with fond Delight,
Wealth and Ambition vanish from my Sight:
I lothe the giddy Pleasures of the Town;
I long to taste thy purer Joys alone;
I court the Gloom, and sigh to be unknown!
With envious Eyes, Behold the Shepherd's Lot,
In Shades who dwells contented, tho' forgot;
And wish the Bliss, from Noise and Business free,
To Live in Silence—and Converse with thee!
Like the Great Being, from whose Word thou sprung!
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Which o'er the Earth thy Hands incessant pour:
And while I view thy Works with fond Delight,
Wealth and Ambition vanish from my Sight:
I lothe the giddy Pleasures of the Town;
I long to taste thy purer Joys alone;
I court the Gloom, and sigh to be unknown!
With envious Eyes, Behold the Shepherd's Lot,
In Shades who dwells contented, tho' forgot;
And wish the Bliss, from Noise and Business free,
To Live in Silence—and Converse with thee!
Beneath the Shade of Windsor's lofty Grove,
On Silver Thames, as Eaton's Muses rove;
Nor do the Nine on ESCA's Bank Disdain
To choose a Shelter, and renew their Strain:
While these fair Scenes to learned Ease invite,
And heighten Contemplation to Delight!
Within this blest Retreat the British Youth
Are taught the Love of Virtue, and of Truth:
And from the Patterns of preceeding Days,
Learn by just Merit to arrive at Praise:
From ancient Heroes catch the noble Fire,
And grow, to practise what they first admire;
While healthful Exercise the Mind unbends,
And Health and Study serve each others Ends:
I view the happy School,—and thence presage
The glorious Harvest of a rising Age.
On Silver Thames, as Eaton's Muses rove;
Nor do the Nine on ESCA's Bank Disdain
To choose a Shelter, and renew their Strain:
While these fair Scenes to learned Ease invite,
And heighten Contemplation to Delight!
Within this blest Retreat the British Youth
Are taught the Love of Virtue, and of Truth:
And from the Patterns of preceeding Days,
Learn by just Merit to arrive at Praise:
From ancient Heroes catch the noble Fire,
And grow, to practise what they first admire;
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And Health and Study serve each others Ends:
I view the happy School,—and thence presage
The glorious Harvest of a rising Age.
And now descending from her short-liv'd Height,
Th'advent'rous Muse restrains her further Flight:
Reluctant, closes the unequal Strain,
And leaves with ling'ring Steps the lovely Plain;
Pleas'd, that the Beauties of a Place so fair,
Have first, tho' faintly, been describ'd by Her.
Her humbler Numbers if the Criticks blame,
Before they censure, let them view her Theme:
Where nothing nice or regular has Part,
But all is Nature, undisguis'd with Art.
Th'advent'rous Muse restrains her further Flight:
Reluctant, closes the unequal Strain,
And leaves with ling'ring Steps the lovely Plain;
Pleas'd, that the Beauties of a Place so fair,
Have first, tho' faintly, been describ'd by Her.
Her humbler Numbers if the Criticks blame,
Before they censure, let them view her Theme:
Where nothing nice or regular has Part,
But all is Nature, undisguis'd with Art.
FINIS.
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