 | Bersaba |  |
Of Deities, that Stock bright Heav'n above,
Or reign below, there's none so great as Love.
Love through the gilded Firmament does fly,
Commands the Gods, and Lords it in the Sky.
Love does on Earth his beaut'ous Empires keep,
And makes his Voyage through the boundless Deep.
With sweet Contagion he corrupts the Mind,
Harmfully fair, and dangerously kind.
As through the Nations of the World he flew,
And smiling Ills in ev'ry Kingdom blew:
At last to Judah's Sacred Tow'rs he came,
Judah! Immortal as its glorious Name.
There great Jessides he with Envy view'd,
Whom nor his Darts had pierc'd, nor Charms subdu'd.
And well he knew, that from his Loyns should flow
A sure Destruction to the Pow'rs below,
In whom Hell suffer'd harder than before,
And doubled Pains th' Infernal Tyrants bore,
Greater than those, when impiously bold
They fell from the resisted Sky of old.
Remembring this, Am I, (said he,) whom none
Tho' thousands) could subdue, subdu'd by One?
The growing World I, like a Conqu'rour, sway'd,
Me Adam, Father of Mankind, obey'd.
These Darts (my only praise) did once ingage,
Fierce Men, with these I tam'd a barb'rous Age.
[illeg.] drew the Deluge from the wond'ring Sea,
The Watry Battle was ingag'd by Me.
The well-built, lofty Babylonian Tower,
And Murder'd Ninus testify my Pow'r.
By Me, in flames Incestuous Sodom fry'd,
When Burnings hotter than her own she try'd.
By Me, to Troy the Grecian Navy sail'd,
And Perjur'd Priam's Sacred Palace scal'd.
Hector untimely to the Shades did go,
[illeg.]glorious Armies follow'd him below.
With Heathen Beauty I fond Sampson flew,
(For Me, what will not beaut'ous Woman do?)
Isr'el's vast Champion a full Harvest reap'd,
And Piles on Piles, Trophies on Trophies heap'd.
For many Miles torn Heroes choak'd the Way,
Like Hills on Hills dismembred Gathites lay.
Him I subdu'd; nor stop'd I there, till He
Bent at my Virtue, and was blind like Me.
Nor shall you scape, Jessides; tho' you shine
In Judah's Palace, all the World is mine.
Arrows and Darts instead of Stones I'll throw,
Command thy Sling, and I'll command my Bow.
Or reign below, there's none so great as Love.
Love through the gilded Firmament does fly,
Commands the Gods, and Lords it in the Sky.
Love does on Earth his beaut'ous Empires keep,
And makes his Voyage through the boundless Deep.
With sweet Contagion he corrupts the Mind,
Harmfully fair, and dangerously kind.
As through the Nations of the World he flew,
And smiling Ills in ev'ry Kingdom blew:
At last to Judah's Sacred Tow'rs he came,
Judah! Immortal as its glorious Name.
There great Jessides he with Envy view'd,
Whom nor his Darts had pierc'd, nor Charms subdu'd.
And well he knew, that from his Loyns should flow
A sure Destruction to the Pow'rs below,
In whom Hell suffer'd harder than before,
And doubled Pains th' Infernal Tyrants bore,
Greater than those, when impiously bold
They fell from the resisted Sky of old.
2
Tho' thousands) could subdue, subdu'd by One?
The growing World I, like a Conqu'rour, sway'd,
Me Adam, Father of Mankind, obey'd.
These Darts (my only praise) did once ingage,
Fierce Men, with these I tam'd a barb'rous Age.
[illeg.] drew the Deluge from the wond'ring Sea,
The Watry Battle was ingag'd by Me.
The well-built, lofty Babylonian Tower,
And Murder'd Ninus testify my Pow'r.
By Me, in flames Incestuous Sodom fry'd,
When Burnings hotter than her own she try'd.
By Me, to Troy the Grecian Navy sail'd,
And Perjur'd Priam's Sacred Palace scal'd.
Hector untimely to the Shades did go,
[illeg.]glorious Armies follow'd him below.
With Heathen Beauty I fond Sampson flew,
(For Me, what will not beaut'ous Woman do?)
Isr'el's vast Champion a full Harvest reap'd,
And Piles on Piles, Trophies on Trophies heap'd.
For many Miles torn Heroes choak'd the Way,
Like Hills on Hills dismembred Gathites lay.
Him I subdu'd; nor stop'd I there, till He
Bent at my Virtue, and was blind like Me.
Nor shall you scape, Jessides; tho' you shine
In Judah's Palace, all the World is mine.
Arrows and Darts instead of Stones I'll throw,
Command thy Sling, and I'll command my Bow.
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