The Poetical Works of Henry Brooke ... In Four Volumes Octavo. Revised and corrected by the Original Manuscript With a Portrait of the Author, and His Life By Miss Brooke. The Third Edition |
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THE TEMPLE of HYMEN. |
 | The Poetical Works of Henry Brooke |  |
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THE TEMPLE of HYMEN.
As on my couch supine I lay,
Like others, dreaming life away;
Methought, expanded to my sight,
A temple rear'd its stately height.
All ready built, without omitting
One ornament, for temples fitting.
Like others, dreaming life away;
Methought, expanded to my sight,
A temple rear'd its stately height.
All ready built, without omitting
One ornament, for temples fitting.
Large look'd the pile, sublime and fair;
But “Who the Godhead worship'd there?”
This to inquire, appearing meet,
Imagination lent me feet,
And thither, without further cavil,
I fairly undertook to travel.
But “Who the Godhead worship'd there?”
This to inquire, appearing meet,
Imagination lent me feet,
And thither, without further cavil,
I fairly undertook to travel.
At once, in bright procession spied,
The Female World was at my side,
Mingled, like many colour'd patterns,
Nymphs, mes dames, trollops, belles, and slatterns,
From point, and saucy ermine, down
To the plain coif, and russet gown;
All, by inquiry as I found,
On one important errand bound.
The Female World was at my side,
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Nymphs, mes dames, trollops, belles, and slatterns,
From point, and saucy ermine, down
To the plain coif, and russet gown;
All, by inquiry as I found,
On one important errand bound.
Their van, to either tropick spread,
Forerunning Expectation led;
Pleasure the Female-standard bore,
And Youth danced lightly on before;
While Prudence, Judgment, Sense, and Taste,
The few Directing Virtues, placed
To form and guide a woman's mind,
Discarded, sigh'd and slunk behind.
Forerunning Expectation led;
Pleasure the Female-standard bore,
And Youth danced lightly on before;
While Prudence, Judgment, Sense, and Taste,
The few Directing Virtues, placed
To form and guide a woman's mind,
Discarded, sigh'd and slunk behind.
At length, in jubilee, arriving,
Where dwelt the jolly God of Wiveing,
All prest promiscuously to enter,
Nor once reflected on the venture.
But here, the Muse, affecting state,
Beckon'd her clamorous sex to wait,
Lest such a rendezvous should hinder
To say what past, the while, within door.
Where dwelt the jolly God of Wiveing,
All prest promiscuously to enter,
Nor once reflected on the venture.
But here, the Muse, affecting state,
Beckon'd her clamorous sex to wait,
Lest such a rendezvous should hinder
To say what past, the while, within door.
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Against the portal, full in sight,
His sable vesture starr'd like night,
High throned upon an ebon seat,
Beneath a canopy of state,
That o'er his dusky temples nodded,
Was fix'd the Matrimonial Godhead.
His sable vesture starr'd like night,
High throned upon an ebon seat,
Beneath a canopy of state,
That o'er his dusky temples nodded,
Was fix'd the Matrimonial Godhead.
Low at his feet, in pomp display'd,
The world's collected wealth was laid;
Where bags of mammon, piled around,
And chests on chests, o'erwhelm'd the ground,
With bills, bonds, parchments, the appointers
Of doweries, settlements, and jointures;
From whence, in just proportion weigh'd,
And down, by special tail, convey'd,
The future progenies inherit
Taste, beauty, virtue, sense, and merit.
The world's collected wealth was laid;
Where bags of mammon, piled around,
And chests on chests, o'erwhelm'd the ground,
With bills, bonds, parchments, the appointers
Of doweries, settlements, and jointures;
From whence, in just proportion weigh'd,
And down, by special tail, convey'd,
The future progenies inherit
Taste, beauty, virtue, sense, and merit.
Whatever titles here may suit us
For this same God, Hymen, or Plutus,
Who, from his trade of a gold finder,
Might now become a marriage-binder,
And, haply, use that precious meta
To solder sexes, like a kettle;
No earthly God, in my opinion,
Claim'd such an absolute dominion.
For this same God, Hymen, or Plutus,
Who, from his trade of a gold finder,
Might now become a marriage-binder,
And, haply, use that precious meta
To solder sexes, like a kettle;
No earthly God, in my opinion,
Claim'd such an absolute dominion.
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To prove his right to adoration
Through every age, and every nation,
Around the spacious dome, display'd
By many a fabled light and shade,
Was emblematically told
The great Omnipotence of Gold.
Through every age, and every nation,
Around the spacious dome, display'd
By many a fabled light and shade,
Was emblematically told
The great Omnipotence of Gold.
And first, in yonder panel seen,
A lad, call'd Paris, strolled the green,
Poor, hungry, witless, and dejected,
By country, and by kin, neglected;
Till Fortune, as she cross'd the plain,
Conceived a crotchet in her brain,
And, laughing at the bashful blockhead,
Took a huge pippin from her pocket,
Of the true glittering tempting kind,
And gold throughout from core to rind;
This, in a whim, the Dame bestow'd,
Then, smiling, turn'd, and went her road.
A lad, call'd Paris, strolled the green,
Poor, hungry, witless, and dejected,
By country, and by kin, neglected;
Till Fortune, as she cross'd the plain,
Conceived a crotchet in her brain,
And, laughing at the bashful blockhead,
Took a huge pippin from her pocket,
Of the true glittering tempting kind,
And gold throughout from core to rind;
This, in a whim, the Dame bestow'd,
Then, smiling, turn'd, and went her road.
The neighbours, now, when Fame had shewn 'em
The youth had got the Summum Bonum,
From many a hut and hamlet croud,
And, duly, at his levy bow'd.
His reputation spreads apace—
O, such a shape, and such a face!
His mouth he opens, and they swear
The Delphic oracle is there.
The youth had got the Summum Bonum,
From many a hut and hamlet croud,
And, duly, at his levy bow'd.
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O, such a shape, and such a face!
His mouth he opens, and they swear
The Delphic oracle is there.
Now, see the king of Troy aspire
To be the wealthy shepherd's sire.
For him, the brightest nymphs contended;
To him, three Goddesses descended,
And shew'd, in fair and open day,
Where honour, wit, and beauty lay,
O'er which, our poem, to conceal
From vulgar opticks, drops a veil.
To be the wealthy shepherd's sire.
For him, the brightest nymphs contended;
To him, three Goddesses descended,
And shew'd, in fair and open day,
Where honour, wit, and beauty lay,
O'er which, our poem, to conceal
From vulgar opticks, drops a veil.
In the next panel, you discover
Olympic Jove, that thundering lover,
Who, charm'd with old Acrisius' daughter,
In many a shape had vainly sought her,
And run the round of all his tricks,
Yet still was doubtful where to fix;
Till, by some wiser head inclined,
To cast his blustering bolt behind,
His duller lightning to withhold,
And wear the brighter form of Gold,
He took the hint, he storm'd the tower,
And dropt in yon omnific shower.
Olympic Jove, that thundering lover,
Who, charm'd with old Acrisius' daughter,
In many a shape had vainly sought her,
And run the round of all his tricks,
Yet still was doubtful where to fix;
Till, by some wiser head inclined,
To cast his blustering bolt behind,
His duller lightning to withhold,
And wear the brighter form of Gold,
He took the hint, he storm'd the tower,
And dropt in yon omnific shower.
8
In the next board, the tale so common is,
'Twixt Atalanta and Hippomenes,
I shall but slightly stop a minute,
To drop one observation in it;
Remarking, that howe'er prefer'd to
Their sex, for many a course in virtue,
The bright allurement, well applied,
May tempt good nymphs to turn aside.
'Twixt Atalanta and Hippomenes,
I shall but slightly stop a minute,
To drop one observation in it;
Remarking, that howe'er prefer'd to
Their sex, for many a course in virtue,
The bright allurement, well applied,
May tempt good nymphs to turn aside.
Next, Lybia's golden orchard grew
Blooming temptation to the view,
In which a dragon, call'd The Law,
Kept conscientious fools in awe:
Yet, Power superior to the crime,
And tall Ambition skill'd to climb,
With traitors of a new invention,
Who sell their country for a pension,
Through many a thicket won their way,
And spoil'd the grove, and shared the prey.
Blooming temptation to the view,
In which a dragon, call'd The Law,
Kept conscientious fools in awe:
Yet, Power superior to the crime,
And tall Ambition skill'd to climb,
With traitors of a new invention,
Who sell their country for a pension,
Through many a thicket won their way,
And spoil'd the grove, and shared the prey.
On the same golden system laid,
The world was in the fifth display'd:
The earth a golden axis turn'd;
The heavens, with golden planets, burn'd;
And thence, as astrologians know,
Derived their influence below:
A girdle, call'd the Zodiac, graced
The glittering round of Nature's waste,
Whose mystic charm from Gold arises,
For this the Cæstus of the skies is:
And as in Homer's works, we read
(And Homer is the poet's creed)
Of a well twisted golden tether,
That tied the heavens and earth together,
Such was the cord, or such the cable,
That tied the spheres within this table;
By which, the artist, underhand,
Would give the wise to understand,
That Interest, in every creature,
Throughout religion, law, and nature,
From east to west, and pole to pole,
Moves, binds, suspends, and turns the whole.
The world was in the fifth display'd:
The earth a golden axis turn'd;
The heavens, with golden planets, burn'd;
And thence, as astrologians know,
Derived their influence below:
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The glittering round of Nature's waste,
Whose mystic charm from Gold arises,
For this the Cæstus of the skies is:
And as in Homer's works, we read
(And Homer is the poet's creed)
Of a well twisted golden tether,
That tied the heavens and earth together,
Such was the cord, or such the cable,
That tied the spheres within this table;
By which, the artist, underhand,
Would give the wise to understand,
That Interest, in every creature,
Throughout religion, law, and nature,
From east to west, and pole to pole,
Moves, binds, suspends, and turns the whole.
While thus, in passing slightly o'er, I
Surveyed the scenes of ancient story;
Or eyed, with more minute attention,
What Prudence, here, forbids to mention;
The Muse my shoulder tapp'd, to mind me
Of things that pass'd, the while, behind me.
Surveyed the scenes of ancient story;
Or eyed, with more minute attention,
What Prudence, here, forbids to mention;
The Muse my shoulder tapp'd, to mind me
Of things that pass'd, the while, behind me.
I turn'd, and view'd, with deep surprize,
The phantom that assail'd my eyes:
His hinder-head disrobed of hair,
His sapless back, and shoulders bare,
Confest the wrinkles of a sage
Who past ten Nestors in his age;
But cloathed before, with decent grace,
And infant sweetness in his face,
Not Smintheus with such vigour strung,
Nor blooming Hebe look'd so young.
The phantom that assail'd my eyes:
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His sapless back, and shoulders bare,
Confest the wrinkles of a sage
Who past ten Nestors in his age;
But cloathed before, with decent grace,
And infant sweetness in his face,
Not Smintheus with such vigour strung,
Nor blooming Hebe look'd so young.
On his left hand a palette lay,
With many a teint of colours gay;
While, guided with an easy slight,
The flying pencil graced his right.
With many a teint of colours gay;
While, guided with an easy slight,
The flying pencil graced his right.
Unnumber'd canvasses appear'd,
Before the moving artist rear'd,
On whose inspirited expanse he
Exprest the creatures of his fancy;
So touch'd, with such a swift command,
With such a magic power of hand,
That Nature, did, herself, appear
Less real than her semblance here,
And, not a mortal, so betray'd,
Could know the substance from the shade!
Before the moving artist rear'd,
On whose inspirited expanse he
Exprest the creatures of his fancy;
So touch'd, with such a swift command,
With such a magic power of hand,
That Nature, did, herself, appear
Less real than her semblance here,
And, not a mortal, so betray'd,
Could know the substance from the shade!
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Whate'er the world conceives, in life,
Worth toil, anxiety, and strife;
Whate'er by Ignorance is bought,
By Madness wish'd, or Folly sought,
The mitres, coronets, and garters,
To which Ambition leads his martyrs;
With every joy, and toy, that can
Amuse the various child of man,
Was painted here in many a scene,
A trifling, transient, charming train!
Worth toil, anxiety, and strife;
Whate'er by Ignorance is bought,
By Madness wish'd, or Folly sought,
The mitres, coronets, and garters,
To which Ambition leads his martyrs;
With every joy, and toy, that can
Amuse the various child of man,
Was painted here in many a scene,
A trifling, transient, charming train!
Awhile I stood, in thought suspended,
To guess what these affairs intended;
When, lo, the Muse, in whispers, told,
“'Tis Father Time whom you behold;
“In part discovered to the Wise,
“In part conceal'd from human eyes.
“A slave to yon Gold-giving Power,
“For him he spends each restless hour;
“The product of his toil intends
“As gifts to those his God befriends,
“And paints what other mortals view
“As substances, though shades to you.”
To guess what these affairs intended;
When, lo, the Muse, in whispers, told,
“'Tis Father Time whom you behold;
“In part discovered to the Wise,
“In part conceal'd from human eyes.
“A slave to yon Gold-giving Power,
“For him he spends each restless hour;
“The product of his toil intends
“As gifts to those his God befriends,
“And paints what other mortals view
“As substances, though shades to you.”
She ceas'd, and turning to the sentry,
Desired he'd give the Ladies entry;
And straight the portal opened wide,
And in they deluged like a tide.
So, to some grove, by stress of weather,
Fast flock the fowl of every feather;
A mighty, pretty, prating rabble,
Like Iris rigg'd, and tongued like Babel;
Then crowding toward the nuptial throne,
By bags of strong attraction known,
Low bending to their God they bow'd,
And vented thus their prayer aloud:
Desired he'd give the Ladies entry;
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And in they deluged like a tide.
So, to some grove, by stress of weather,
Fast flock the fowl of every feather;
A mighty, pretty, prating rabble,
Like Iris rigg'd, and tongued like Babel;
Then crowding toward the nuptial throne,
By bags of strong attraction known,
Low bending to their God they bow'd,
And vented thus their prayer aloud:
“Great Power! in whom our sex confides,
“Who rulest the turns of female tides,
“Who kenst, while varying Fancy ranges
“Through all its doubles, twirles, and changes,
“To what a Woman's heart is prone,
“A secret to ourselves unknown—
“O, give us, give us, Mighty Power!
“The wedded joy of every hour:
“Assign thy favourites, in marriage,
“To coaches of distinguish'd carriage;
“To all the frippery of dressing,
“A nameless, boundless, endless blessing;
“To drums, ridottos, sights and sounds;
“To visits in eternal rounds;
“To card and counter, rake and rattle;
“To the whole lust of tongue and tattle;
“And all the dear delightful trances
“Of countless frolicks, fits, and fancies.
“You have heard, that men, unpolish'd boors!
“Lay naughty passions at our doors;
“'Tis your's to contradict the lyar,
“Who are, yourself, our chief desire.
“O then, as widow, or as wife,
“To you we yield each choice in life;
“Or would you every prayer fulfil,
“Wed us! O! wed us, to our will!”
“Who rulest the turns of female tides,
“Who kenst, while varying Fancy ranges
“Through all its doubles, twirles, and changes,
“To what a Woman's heart is prone,
“A secret to ourselves unknown—
“O, give us, give us, Mighty Power!
“The wedded joy of every hour:
“Assign thy favourites, in marriage,
“To coaches of distinguish'd carriage;
“To all the frippery of dressing,
“A nameless, boundless, endless blessing;
“To drums, ridottos, sights and sounds;
“To visits in eternal rounds;
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“To the whole lust of tongue and tattle;
“And all the dear delightful trances
“Of countless frolicks, fits, and fancies.
“You have heard, that men, unpolish'd boors!
“Lay naughty passions at our doors;
“'Tis your's to contradict the lyar,
“Who are, yourself, our chief desire.
“O then, as widow, or as wife,
“To you we yield each choice in life;
“Or would you every prayer fulfil,
“Wed us! O! wed us, to our will!”
They ceas'd, and, without more addition,
The God confirm'd their full petition:
To Time he beckon'd, and desired
He'd give the good each nymph required;
And, from his visionary treasure,
Wed every woman to her pleasure.
The God confirm'd their full petition:
To Time he beckon'd, and desired
He'd give the good each nymph required;
And, from his visionary treasure,
Wed every woman to her pleasure.
The first, who came, resolv'd to fix
Upon a gilded coach and fix;
The suit was granted her on sight,
The nymph with ardour seiz'd her right.
A wonder! by possession banish'd,
The coach and dappled coursers vanish'd;
And a foul waggon held the Fair
Full laden with a weight of care:
She sigh'd; her sisters caught the sound,
And one insulting laugh went round.
Upon a gilded coach and fix;
The suit was granted her on sight,
The nymph with ardour seiz'd her right.
A wonder! by possession banish'd,
The coach and dappled coursers vanish'd;
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Full laden with a weight of care:
She sigh'd; her sisters caught the sound,
And one insulting laugh went round.
The second was a dame of Britain,
Who by a coronet was smitten;
With boldness she advanced her claim,
Exulting in so just a flame.
But ah, where bliss alone was patent,
What unsuspected mischief latent!
The worst in all Pandora's box,
Her coronet contain'd a ------.
Who by a coronet was smitten;
With boldness she advanced her claim,
Exulting in so just a flame.
But ah, where bliss alone was patent,
What unsuspected mischief latent!
The worst in all Pandora's box,
Her coronet contain'd a ------.
With this example in her eye,
The third, a widow'd dame, drew nigh,
And fix'd her sight and soul together
Upon a raking hat and feather;
Nor sigh'd in vain, but seiz'd her due,
And clasp'd old age in twenty-two.
The third, a widow'd dame, drew nigh,
And fix'd her sight and soul together
Upon a raking hat and feather;
Nor sigh'd in vain, but seiz'd her due,
And clasp'd old age in twenty-two.
Thus, through the difference and degrees
Of sword-knots, mitres, and toupees,
Prim bands, pert bobs, and well hung blades,
Long robes, smart jackets, fierce cockades,
And all the fooleries in fashion,
Whate'er became the darling passion,
The good for which they did importune,
Was straight revers'd into misfortune;
And every woman, like the first,
Was, at her own entreaty, curst.
Of sword-knots, mitres, and toupees,
Prim bands, pert bobs, and well hung blades,
Long robes, smart jackets, fierce cockades,
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Whate'er became the darling passion,
The good for which they did importune,
Was straight revers'd into misfortune;
And every woman, like the first,
Was, at her own entreaty, curst.
At length, was introduced a Fair,
With such a face, and such an air.
As never was, on earth, I ween,
Save by poetic organs, seen.
With such a face, and such an air.
As never was, on earth, I ween,
Save by poetic organs, seen.
With decent grace, and gentle cheer,
The bright Adventurer drew near;
Her mild approach the Godhead spied,
And, “Fairest,” with a smile, he cried,
“If aught you seek in Hymen's power,
“You find him in a happy hour.”
The bright Adventurer drew near;
Her mild approach the Godhead spied,
And, “Fairest,” with a smile, he cried,
“If aught you seek in Hymen's power,
“You find him in a happy hour.”
At this, the Virgin, half amazed,
As round the spacious dome she gazed,
With caution every symbol eyed,
And, blushing, gracefully replied.
As round the spacious dome she gazed,
With caution every symbol eyed,
And, blushing, gracefully replied.
“If you are he, whose power controuls
“And knits the sympathy of souls,
“Then, whence this pomp of worthless geer,
“And why this heap of counters here?
“Is this vain shew of glittering ore,
“The bliss, that Hymen has in store?
“Love sees the folly, with the gloss,
“And laughs to scorn thy useless dross.
“And knits the sympathy of souls,
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“And why this heap of counters here?
“Is this vain shew of glittering ore,
“The bliss, that Hymen has in store?
“Love sees the folly, with the gloss,
“And laughs to scorn thy useless dross.
“Where are the symbols of thy reign?
“And where thy robe of Tyrian grain,
“Whose teint, in virgin-colours dyed,
“Derives its blushing from the bride?
“Where is thy torch, serenely bright,
“To lovers yielding warmth and light,
“That from the heart derives its fire,
“And only can, with life, expire?
“And where thy robe of Tyrian grain,
“Whose teint, in virgin-colours dyed,
“Derives its blushing from the bride?
“Where is thy torch, serenely bright,
“To lovers yielding warmth and light,
“That from the heart derives its fire,
“And only can, with life, expire?
“Will this unactive mass impart
“The social feelings of the heart?
“Or can material fetters bind
“The free affections of the mind?
“Through every age, the Great, and Wise,
“Behold thee with superior eyes;
“Love spurns thy treasures with disdain,
“And Virtue flies thy hostile reign.
“The social feelings of the heart?
“Or can material fetters bind
“The free affections of the mind?
“Through every age, the Great, and Wise,
“Behold thee with superior eyes;
“Love spurns thy treasures with disdain,
“And Virtue flies thy hostile reign.
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“By Love, congenial souls embrace,
“Celestial source of human race!
“From whence, the cordial sense within,
“The bosom'd amities of kin,
“The call of nature to her kind,
“And all the tunings of the mind,
“That, winding Heaven's harmonious plan,
“Compose the brotherhood of man.”
“Celestial source of human race!
“From whence, the cordial sense within,
“The bosom'd amities of kin,
“The call of nature to her kind,
“And all the tunings of the mind,
“That, winding Heaven's harmonious plan,
“Compose the brotherhood of man.”
She said, and gracefully withdrew;
Her steps the Muse and I pursue.
Along an unfrequented way
The Virgin led, nor led astray;
Till, like the first, in form and size,
A second Fabric struck our eyes:
We enter'd, guided by the Fair,
And saw a second Hymen there.
Her steps the Muse and I pursue.
Along an unfrequented way
The Virgin led, nor led astray;
Till, like the first, in form and size,
A second Fabric struck our eyes:
We enter'd, guided by the Fair,
And saw a second Hymen there.
A silken robe, of saffron hue,
About his decent shoulders flew;
While a fair taper's virgin light
Gave Ovid to his soul and sight.
About his decent shoulders flew;
While a fair taper's virgin light
Gave Ovid to his soul and sight.
An hundred Cupids wanton'd round,
Whose useless quivers strow'd the ground;
While, careless of their wonted trade,
They with the Smiling Graces play'd.
Whose useless quivers strow'd the ground;
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They with the Smiling Graces play'd.
Along the wall's extended side,
With teints of varying nature dyed,
In needled tapestry, was told
The tale of many a love of old.
With teints of varying nature dyed,
In needled tapestry, was told
The tale of many a love of old.
In groves, that breathed a citron air,
Together walk'd the wedded pair;
Or toy'd upon the vernal ground,
Their beauteous offspring sporting round;
Or, lock'd in sweet embracement, lay,
And slept, and loved, the night away.
Together walk'd the wedded pair;
Or toy'd upon the vernal ground,
Their beauteous offspring sporting round;
Or, lock'd in sweet embracement, lay,
And slept, and loved, the night away.
There sat Penelope in tears,
Besieged, like Troy, for ten long years:
Her suitors, in a neighbouring room,
Wait the long promise of the loom,
Which she defers, from day to day,
Till death, determin'd to delay.
With thoughts of fond remembrance wrung,
Deep sorrowing, o'er her work she hung;
Where, in the fields, at Ilium fought,
The labours of her lord she wrought,
The toil, the dust, the flying foe,
The rallied host, the instant blow;
Then, sighing, trembled at the view,
Scared at the dangers which she drew.
Besieged, like Troy, for ten long years:
Her suitors, in a neighbouring room,
Wait the long promise of the loom,
Which she defers, from day to day,
Till death, determin'd to delay.
With thoughts of fond remembrance wrung,
Deep sorrowing, o'er her work she hung;
Where, in the fields, at Ilium fought,
The labours of her lord she wrought,
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The rallied host, the instant blow;
Then, sighing, trembled at the view,
Scared at the dangers which she drew.
There too, suspended o'er the wave,
Alcione was seen to rave,
When, as the foundering wreck she spied,
She on her sinking Ceÿx cried:
Her Ceÿx, though by seas opprest,
Still bears her image in his breast;
And, with his fondest latest breath,
Murmurs, “Alcione!” in death.
Alcione was seen to rave,
When, as the foundering wreck she spied,
She on her sinking Ceÿx cried:
Her Ceÿx, though by seas opprest,
Still bears her image in his breast;
And, with his fondest latest breath,
Murmurs, “Alcione!” in death.
Panthea there, upon a bier,
Laid the sole lord of her desire:
His limbs were scatter'd through the plains;
She join'd, and kiss'd, the dear remains.
Too ponderous was her weight of woe,
For sighs to rise, or tears to flow;
On the loved corse she fix'd her view,
Nor other use of seeing knew;
While high and stedfast as she gazed,
Her snowy arm a poniard raised,
Nor yet the desperate weapon staid,
But, for a longer look, delayed,
Till, plunged within her beauteous breast,
She on his bosom sunk to rest.
Laid the sole lord of her desire:
His limbs were scatter'd through the plains;
She join'd, and kiss'd, the dear remains.
Too ponderous was her weight of woe,
For sighs to rise, or tears to flow;
On the loved corse she fix'd her view,
Nor other use of seeing knew;
While high and stedfast as she gazed,
Her snowy arm a poniard raised,
Nor yet the desperate weapon staid,
But, for a longer look, delayed,
20
She on his bosom sunk to rest.
But, O, beyond whate'er was told
In modern tales, or truths of old,
One Pair, in form and spirit twined,
Out loved the loves of human kind;
She Hero, he Leander, named,
For mutual faith, as beauty, famed!
Their story, from its source, begun,
And, to the fatal period, run.
In modern tales, or truths of old,
One Pair, in form and spirit twined,
Out loved the loves of human kind;
She Hero, he Leander, named,
For mutual faith, as beauty, famed!
Their story, from its source, begun,
And, to the fatal period, run.
While, bow'd at Cytherea's shrine,
The Youth adores her power divine,
He sees her blooming priestess there,
Beyond the sea-born goddess, fair:
She, as some God, the stripling eyes,
Just lighted from his native skies—
The God, whose chariot guides the hour;
Or haply, Love's immortal power.
The Youth adores her power divine,
He sees her blooming priestess there,
Beyond the sea-born goddess, fair:
She, as some God, the stripling eyes,
Just lighted from his native skies—
The God, whose chariot guides the hour;
Or haply, Love's immortal power.
At once, their conscious glances spoke,
Like fate, the strong and mutual stroke;
Attracted by a secret force,
Like currents meeting in their course,
That, thence, one stream for ever rolls,
Together rush'd their mingling souls,
Too close for fortune to divide,
For each was lost in either tide.
Like fate, the strong and mutual stroke;
Attracted by a secret force,
Like currents meeting in their course,
21
Together rush'd their mingling souls,
Too close for fortune to divide,
For each was lost in either tide.
In vain, by ruthless parents torn,
Their bodies are asunder born,
And towering bulwarks intervene,
And envious ocean rolls between;
Love wings their letters o'er the sea,
And kisses melt the seals away.
Their bodies are asunder born,
And towering bulwarks intervene,
And envious ocean rolls between;
Love wings their letters o'er the sea,
And kisses melt the seals away.
And now the sable night impends,
Leander to the shore descends,
Exults at the appointed hour,
And marks the signal on the tower—
A torch, to guide the Lover's way,
Endear'd beyond the brightest day!
Leander to the shore descends,
Exults at the appointed hour,
And marks the signal on the tower—
A torch, to guide the Lover's way,
Endear'd beyond the brightest day!
At once, he plunges in the tide;
His arms the Hellespont divide;
The danger and the toil he braves,
And dashes the contending waves.
His arms the Hellespont divide;
The danger and the toil he braves,
And dashes the contending waves.
While near, and nearer to his sight,
The taper darts a ruddier light,
Recruited at the view, he glows;
Aside the whelming billow throws:
The winds and seas oppose in vain;
He spurns, he mounts, he skims the main.
The taper darts a ruddier light,
22
Aside the whelming billow throws:
The winds and seas oppose in vain;
He spurns, he mounts, he skims the main.
Now, from the tower, where Hero stood,
And threw a radiance o'er the flood,
Leander, in the deep, she spied,
And would have sprung to join his side;
Howe'er, her wishes make essay,
And clasp and warm him on his way.
And threw a radiance o'er the flood,
Leander, in the deep, she spied,
And would have sprung to join his side;
Howe'er, her wishes make essay,
And clasp and warm him on his way.
The main is cross'd, the shore is gain'd,
The long wish'd hour, at last, attain'd.
But, lovers, if there e'er arose
A pair, so form'd and fond as those,
So loved, so beauteous, and so blest,
Alone can speak or think the rest;
Nor will the weeping muse unfold
The close, too tragic to be told!
The long wish'd hour, at last, attain'd.
But, lovers, if there e'er arose
A pair, so form'd and fond as those,
So loved, so beauteous, and so blest,
Alone can speak or think the rest;
Nor will the weeping muse unfold
The close, too tragic to be told!
Long were the loving list to name,
With Portia's faith, that swallow'd flame:
But much the longer list were those
Whose joys were unallay'd by woes;
Whose bliss no cruel parents crost,
Whose love not ages could exhaust,
Where not a cloud did intervene,
Or once o'er-cast their bright serene,
But, through the summer's day of life,
The husband tender as the wife,
Like Henry and his Nut-brown Maid,
Their faith nor shaken nor decay'd,
Together ran the blissful race,
Together lived, and slept in peace.
With Portia's faith, that swallow'd flame:
But much the longer list were those
Whose joys were unallay'd by woes;
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Whose love not ages could exhaust,
Where not a cloud did intervene,
Or once o'er-cast their bright serene,
But, through the summer's day of life,
The husband tender as the wife,
Like Henry and his Nut-brown Maid,
Their faith nor shaken nor decay'd,
Together ran the blissful race,
Together lived, and slept in peace.
Long time, the much inquiring Maid,
From story, on to story stray'd;
Joy'd in the joys that lovers know,
Or wept her tribute to their woe;
Till Hymen, with a placid air,
Approaching, thus addrest the Fair.
From story, on to story stray'd;
Joy'd in the joys that lovers know,
Or wept her tribute to their woe;
Till Hymen, with a placid air,
Approaching, thus addrest the Fair.
“Hail to the Nymph, whose sacred train
“Of virtues shall restore my reign!
“Whate'er the wishes of thy soul,
“But speak them, and possess the whole.”
“Of virtues shall restore my reign!
“Whate'er the wishes of thy soul,
“But speak them, and possess the whole.”
“Thanks, gentle Power,” the Maid replied;
“Your bounty shall be amply tried.
“I seek not titles, rank, or state,
“Superfluous to the truly great;
“Nor yet, to sordid wealth inclined,
“The poorest passion of the mind;
“But, simply fix'd to nature's plan,
“I seek the Associate in the Man.
“Your bounty shall be amply tried.
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“Superfluous to the truly great;
“Nor yet, to sordid wealth inclined,
“The poorest passion of the mind;
“But, simply fix'd to nature's plan,
“I seek the Associate in the Man.
“Yet, O beware! for much depends
“On what that syllable intends.
“On what that syllable intends.
“Give him a form that may delight
“My inward sense, my mental sight;
“In every outward act, design'd
“To speak an elegance of mind.
“My inward sense, my mental sight;
“In every outward act, design'd
“To speak an elegance of mind.
“In him, by science, travel, taste,
“Be nature polish'd, not defaced;
“And set, as is the brilliant stone,
“To be, with double lustre, shewn.
“Be nature polish'd, not defaced;
“And set, as is the brilliant stone,
“To be, with double lustre, shewn.
“Sweet be the music of his tongue,
“And, as the lyre of David, strung,
“To steal, from each delighted day,
“Affliction, care, and time, away.
“And, as the lyre of David, strung,
“To steal, from each delighted day,
“Affliction, care, and time, away.
“Within his comprehensive soul
“Let Heaven's Harmonious System roll;
“There let the Great, the Good, the Wise,
“Of famed antiquity arise,
“From every age and every clime,
“Eluding death, and circling time!
“There let the Sacred Virtues meet,
“And range their known and native seat!
“There let the Charities unite,
“And Human Feelings weep Delight!”
“Let Heaven's Harmonious System roll;
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“Of famed antiquity arise,
“From every age and every clime,
“Eluding death, and circling time!
“There let the Sacred Virtues meet,
“And range their known and native seat!
“There let the Charities unite,
“And Human Feelings weep Delight!”
“Kind Power! if Such a Youth you know,
“He's all the Heaven I ask, below.”
“He's all the Heaven I ask, below.”
So wish'd the much aspiring Maid;
Pale turn'd the Power, and, sighing, said:
Pale turn'd the Power, and, sighing, said:
“Alas! like him you fondly claim,
“Through every boasted form and name,
“That graces Nature's varying round,
“A Second is not to be found!
“Your suit, Fair Creature, must miscarry,
“Till CHARLEMONT resolves to marry.”
“Through every boasted form and name,
“That graces Nature's varying round,
“A Second is not to be found!
“Your suit, Fair Creature, must miscarry,
“Till CHARLEMONT resolves to marry.”
| The Poetical Works of Henry Brooke | |