Original poems on several subjects In two volumes. By William Stevenson |
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| IV. | BOOK IV. |
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 | Original poems on several subjects |  |
60
BOOK IV.
Now in the broad parterre, or terrace-walk,
Of various odour, drapery, and stalk,
By stated turns the flowery tribes arise,
Mantled in livery of a thousand dyes.
For not to one too partial Nature fix'd,
In colours with her choicest pencil mix'd,
As months advance, alternate they display
Their virgin beauties to the blushing ray;
While all the watchful Florist's ceaseless care
With indiscriminating favour share.
Of various odour, drapery, and stalk,
By stated turns the flowery tribes arise,
Mantled in livery of a thousand dyes.
For not to one too partial Nature fix'd,
In colours with her choicest pencil mix'd,
As months advance, alternate they display
Their virgin beauties to the blushing ray;
While all the watchful Florist's ceaseless care
With indiscriminating favour share.
Some round he shelters from intrusive cold,
And borders with warm earth of fertile mold.
Careful he marks, lest some mishap befalls,
Where the rude insect lights, or reptile crawls;
Where moles, to discompose his plots around,
Run darkling their slant paths along the ground;
Checks timely those that too luxuriant spread,
And clears of noxious weeds the fragrant bed.
Nor do what others lighter trifles deem,
Such to the Florist's ready caution seem.
Some he disposes in a fairer view,
To heighten or their attitude or hue.
On some, that love to drink in frequent show'rs,
In drops effusive he the moisture pours.
Some on supports he gently makes to rest,
Or by their stature or their bulk opprest.
From those removes each intervening screen,
That more affect in sunshine to be seen.
Then, with fond look and intermingled smile,
His heart with rapture thrilling all the while,
His finely-varied fam'ly he surveys,
Not without some self-arrogated praise.
Struck with the elegance of Art, that more
Pleases, as oft examin'd o'er and o'er.
Struck too with Nature's easy soft address,
Beauty's flush'd touch, and Wisdom's fine impress;
Whence infinite diversities we view
Of conformation, foliage, and of hue;
No narrow limits, or to skill divine,
The charms of form, or wonders of design.
And borders with warm earth of fertile mold.
Careful he marks, lest some mishap befalls,
Where the rude insect lights, or reptile crawls;
Where moles, to discompose his plots around,
Run darkling their slant paths along the ground;
Checks timely those that too luxuriant spread,
And clears of noxious weeds the fragrant bed.
Nor do what others lighter trifles deem,
Such to the Florist's ready caution seem.
Some he disposes in a fairer view,
To heighten or their attitude or hue.
61
In drops effusive he the moisture pours.
Some on supports he gently makes to rest,
Or by their stature or their bulk opprest.
From those removes each intervening screen,
That more affect in sunshine to be seen.
Then, with fond look and intermingled smile,
His heart with rapture thrilling all the while,
His finely-varied fam'ly he surveys,
Not without some self-arrogated praise.
Struck with the elegance of Art, that more
Pleases, as oft examin'd o'er and o'er.
Struck too with Nature's easy soft address,
Beauty's flush'd touch, and Wisdom's fine impress;
Whence infinite diversities we view
Of conformation, foliage, and of hue;
No narrow limits, or to skill divine,
The charms of form, or wonders of design.
One all in snowy white itself attires,
Another the deep indigo admires.
Some clothe in royal purple to be seen,
Some full imbibe the em'rald's vivid green.
Others apart their silken leaves unfold,
Finely bedropt with crimson, or with gold.
While numbers in the sapphire's lighter blue,
Ethereal tincture, sip the trickling dew.
Vainly would Art each soft gradation trace,
Much less improve, or add one single grace.
Another the deep indigo admires.
Some clothe in royal purple to be seen,
Some full imbibe the em'rald's vivid green.
Others apart their silken leaves unfold,
Finely bedropt with crimson, or with gold.
62
Ethereal tincture, sip the trickling dew.
Vainly would Art each soft gradation trace,
Much less improve, or add one single grace.
But not distinguish'd by their tints alone,
What sumptuous taste in their apparel shown!
Some dress themselves in suits of stiff brocade,
And some in figur'd lutstring are array'd.
Yonder a tribe of beauties, lately blown,
Flaunt in loose tissue mantles round them thrown.
And here arrang'd another class select
Court our approach, in clouded velvet deck'd.
While some, to decorate the splendid year,
In satin robes of costly gloss appear.
All, all is neatness, delicacy, taste,
Nothing deficient left, yet nothing waste!
Nature form'd each in her peculiar way,
With her own pencil painted them so gay;
In silks attir'd them wove in her own loom,
And on them copious breath'd her own perfume.
What sumptuous taste in their apparel shown!
Some dress themselves in suits of stiff brocade,
And some in figur'd lutstring are array'd.
Yonder a tribe of beauties, lately blown,
Flaunt in loose tissue mantles round them thrown.
And here arrang'd another class select
Court our approach, in clouded velvet deck'd.
While some, to decorate the splendid year,
In satin robes of costly gloss appear.
All, all is neatness, delicacy, taste,
Nothing deficient left, yet nothing waste!
Nature form'd each in her peculiar way,
With her own pencil painted them so gay;
In silks attir'd them wove in her own loom,
And on them copious breath'd her own perfume.
See! by the Season's mild return inspir'd,
To rapt'rous heights of contemplation fir'd,
With grand ideas, bold conceptions fraught,
To the third Heav'ns, like him of Tarsus, caught;
The Poet to some consecrated shade,
Form'd to awake the fancy and to aid,
Retires from all the little cares of Life,
Its sordid pleasures, and ignoble strife;
A world within himself, without its train
Of Hydra evils, guilt, remorse, and pain.
To rapt'rous heights of contemplation fir'd,
With grand ideas, bold conceptions fraught,
To the third Heav'ns, like him of Tarsus, caught;
63
Form'd to awake the fancy and to aid,
Retires from all the little cares of Life,
Its sordid pleasures, and ignoble strife;
A world within himself, without its train
Of Hydra evils, guilt, remorse, and pain.
The fresh-blown beauties of the bright-ey'd May,
That blush beneath the sun's enamour'd ray;
The murmuring brook, that down from rocky hills
In fluid silver copiously distills;
The orangery ting'd with ruddy gold,
In glass apartments shelter'd from the cold;
The flowery meadow stretch'd in fair extent,
The forest-nodding mountain's steep ascent;
The grove's adjusted rows, that waving rise
In leafy pomp majestic to the skies,
Concealing, from broad Noon's officious glow,
A thousand tender scenes that pass below;
The garden's gravel'd walks, and order'd beds,
Where flow'rs successive lift their painted heads;
Amongst unnumber'd objects, each surpass'd
In drapery and structure by the last,
Beneath his magic pencil charm anew,
With graces superadded to the view.
That blush beneath the sun's enamour'd ray;
The murmuring brook, that down from rocky hills
In fluid silver copiously distills;
The orangery ting'd with ruddy gold,
In glass apartments shelter'd from the cold;
The flowery meadow stretch'd in fair extent,
The forest-nodding mountain's steep ascent;
The grove's adjusted rows, that waving rise
In leafy pomp majestic to the skies,
Concealing, from broad Noon's officious glow,
A thousand tender scenes that pass below;
The garden's gravel'd walks, and order'd beds,
Where flow'rs successive lift their painted heads;
Amongst unnumber'd objects, each surpass'd
In drapery and structure by the last,
Beneath his magic pencil charm anew,
With graces superadded to the view.
64
Oft-times, by subjects more august inflam'd,
He sings of monarchs and of heroes fam'd;
Of patriots steady in their Country's cause,
The mighty bulwarks of its rights and laws;
Such heroes, kings, and patriots, as maintain
Albion unrival'd empress of the main;
Steals from the annals of each distant age,
(A theft how glorious!) to enrich his page,
The genius, learning, virtues, taste, and fire,
Which men by instinct catch, while they admire;
And, into various lights and graces thrown,
With just selection, makes them all his own.
As in a breathing wilderness of flow'rs,
Relax'd by heat, and moist with new-fall'n show'rs,
From bloom to bloom the bee industrious flies,
Sips its choice sweets, and loads its little thighs.
He sings of monarchs and of heroes fam'd;
Of patriots steady in their Country's cause,
The mighty bulwarks of its rights and laws;
Such heroes, kings, and patriots, as maintain
Albion unrival'd empress of the main;
Steals from the annals of each distant age,
(A theft how glorious!) to enrich his page,
The genius, learning, virtues, taste, and fire,
Which men by instinct catch, while they admire;
And, into various lights and graces thrown,
With just selection, makes them all his own.
As in a breathing wilderness of flow'rs,
Relax'd by heat, and moist with new-fall'n show'rs,
From bloom to bloom the bee industrious flies,
Sips its choice sweets, and loads its little thighs.
Love, kind affection, still innately fraught
With candour, truth, and elegance of thought,
With ev'ry soft refinement of desire,
Sets his according numbers next on fire.
Through all its doubts, perplexities, and cares,
Or when it hopes, or wishes, or despairs;
Its quick disgusts, its pride, and pert disdain,
To meekness and submission turn'd again;
He traces out the Passion's pleasing wo,
With ev'ry aid Invention can bestow:
And while he sings, in heart-affecting strains,
Haply the tyrant in his bosom reigns.
Haply, he feels (his lines the secret tell)
Each soft sensation he describes so well,
That sympathy ineffable, which binds
Concordant tempers, and congenial minds.
Else, whence the clouded brow, the tear-swoln eye,
The look disconsolate, and bursting sigh?
Why, else, to melancholy musings prone?
Whence so solicitous to be alone?
Elated now, now sunk beyond relief?
Cheeks flush'd with rapture, or suffus'd in grief?
With candour, truth, and elegance of thought,
With ev'ry soft refinement of desire,
Sets his according numbers next on fire.
Through all its doubts, perplexities, and cares,
Or when it hopes, or wishes, or despairs;
Its quick disgusts, its pride, and pert disdain,
To meekness and submission turn'd again;
65
With ev'ry aid Invention can bestow:
And while he sings, in heart-affecting strains,
Haply the tyrant in his bosom reigns.
Haply, he feels (his lines the secret tell)
Each soft sensation he describes so well,
That sympathy ineffable, which binds
Concordant tempers, and congenial minds.
Else, whence the clouded brow, the tear-swoln eye,
The look disconsolate, and bursting sigh?
Why, else, to melancholy musings prone?
Whence so solicitous to be alone?
Elated now, now sunk beyond relief?
Cheeks flush'd with rapture, or suffus'd in grief?
But chiefly, when his Maker's glorious praise
Fires his rapt muse, and claims superiour lays,
Sublime he soars, above the vulgar throng,
In all the conscious majesty of song.
Faith's beatific views, Ambition's aim,
Devotion's raptures, Love's seraphic flame,
The flights of Genius, depths of Thought profound,
The pomp of Style, and harmony of Sound;
Now all conspire (but all how far below
The mighty Theme!) to make his numbers glow.
Paternal Deity! Creator wise!
His footstool earth, eternal throne the skies!
Who walks serene upon the tempests' wing,
And lifts the islands as the smallest thing!
In scales the everlasting mountains weighs,
And holds in hollow of his hand the seas!
Light like a dazzling garment round him spread,
And awful darkness his pavilion dread!
His voice the triple thunder of the sky!
Lightning the vivid flashes of his eye!
Earthquakes, convulsing Nature's frame abroad,
The angry stamps of an offended God!
What language not immortal can define
Essential glory! majesty divine!
Fires his rapt muse, and claims superiour lays,
Sublime he soars, above the vulgar throng,
In all the conscious majesty of song.
Faith's beatific views, Ambition's aim,
Devotion's raptures, Love's seraphic flame,
The flights of Genius, depths of Thought profound,
The pomp of Style, and harmony of Sound;
Now all conspire (but all how far below
The mighty Theme!) to make his numbers glow.
66
His footstool earth, eternal throne the skies!
Who walks serene upon the tempests' wing,
And lifts the islands as the smallest thing!
In scales the everlasting mountains weighs,
And holds in hollow of his hand the seas!
Light like a dazzling garment round him spread,
And awful darkness his pavilion dread!
His voice the triple thunder of the sky!
Lightning the vivid flashes of his eye!
Earthquakes, convulsing Nature's frame abroad,
The angry stamps of an offended God!
What language not immortal can define
Essential glory! majesty divine!
These give unsully'd lustre to the year,
And make the Spring so exquisite appear,
Else one unbounded, one unlovely waste,
Each beauteous object fled, each charm defac'd.
These undiminish'd in the Godhead shone,
Ador'd by angels circling round the throne,
Ere Man arose from animated dust,
Benign his aspect, as his form august;
And shall, completed Heav'n's immense design,
The wonder of new worlds eternal shine.
And make the Spring so exquisite appear,
Else one unbounded, one unlovely waste,
Each beauteous object fled, each charm defac'd.
These undiminish'd in the Godhead shone,
Ador'd by angels circling round the throne,
Ere Man arose from animated dust,
Benign his aspect, as his form august;
And shall, completed Heav'n's immense design,
The wonder of new worlds eternal shine.
67
But, after Fancy's eagle-flights were o'er,
And heav'n-illumin'd Genius could no more;
Thus, conscious all his best essays how vain,
Might the rapt bard conclude his humble strain.
“O great Original of life, and good,
“And excellence! how little understood!
“From first to last unchangeably the same!
“I AM—thy dread unutterable name!
“Eternal King of kings! Almighty Pow'r!
“On whom depends Creation ev'ry hour,
“Depends for support, beauty, order, life,
“Else one vast scene of elemental strife!
“Oh! pardon (angels fail alike with me)
“This impotent attempt to sing of Thee!
“How shall a worm Omnipotence address;
“Range its confin'd ideas, or express?
“To Thee can languid mortal praise extend?
“Or infinite thought finite comprehend?
“Yet, though retir'd on high from human sight
“In mansions unapproachable of light;
“Though angels thy creative footsteps trace
“Through all the vast immensity of space;
“If Majesty Supreme can stoop so low,
“Or on a worthless worm a look bestow;
“Oh be Thou ever, merciful and kind,
“As Virtue finds Thee, present to my mind;
“From sudden weighty trials to secure,
“Which Nature is too feeble to endure;
“Or, if permitted, that, without a tear,
“Reason assisted may their pressure bear.
“To Thee, before the first approach of light,
“Dispels the congregated gloom of night,
“Or welcome slumbers close my willing eyes,
“May, like pure incense, my devotions rise.
“If Fortune her proud favours should bestow,
“And life's full cup with blessings overflow;
“In Thee alone may I expect to find
“An equable and unelated mind.
“But if Heav'n's boon is a depress'd estate,
“And poverty is my appointed fate;
“May the pert tongue of Discontent refrain,
“If it would boldly venture to complain.
“To Thee, when my unwary footstep strays
“In Guilt's broad path, or Errour's dubious maze,
“May I with sudden recollection look,
“Though to receive the timely sharp rebuke.
“Oh! led amid the gloom by Wisdom's ray,
“Soon, wand'ring, may I find the better way.
And heav'n-illumin'd Genius could no more;
Thus, conscious all his best essays how vain,
Might the rapt bard conclude his humble strain.
“O great Original of life, and good,
“And excellence! how little understood!
“From first to last unchangeably the same!
“I AM—thy dread unutterable name!
“Eternal King of kings! Almighty Pow'r!
“On whom depends Creation ev'ry hour,
“Depends for support, beauty, order, life,
“Else one vast scene of elemental strife!
“Oh! pardon (angels fail alike with me)
“This impotent attempt to sing of Thee!
“How shall a worm Omnipotence address;
“Range its confin'd ideas, or express?
“To Thee can languid mortal praise extend?
“Or infinite thought finite comprehend?
“Yet, though retir'd on high from human sight
“In mansions unapproachable of light;
“Though angels thy creative footsteps trace
“Through all the vast immensity of space;
“If Majesty Supreme can stoop so low,
“Or on a worthless worm a look bestow;
68
“As Virtue finds Thee, present to my mind;
“From sudden weighty trials to secure,
“Which Nature is too feeble to endure;
“Or, if permitted, that, without a tear,
“Reason assisted may their pressure bear.
“To Thee, before the first approach of light,
“Dispels the congregated gloom of night,
“Or welcome slumbers close my willing eyes,
“May, like pure incense, my devotions rise.
“If Fortune her proud favours should bestow,
“And life's full cup with blessings overflow;
“In Thee alone may I expect to find
“An equable and unelated mind.
“But if Heav'n's boon is a depress'd estate,
“And poverty is my appointed fate;
“May the pert tongue of Discontent refrain,
“If it would boldly venture to complain.
69
“In Guilt's broad path, or Errour's dubious maze,
“May I with sudden recollection look,
“Though to receive the timely sharp rebuke.
“Oh! led amid the gloom by Wisdom's ray,
“Soon, wand'ring, may I find the better way.
“In each condition, ev'ry change below,
“May I the end and motive learn to know;
“The measure just, and consequence of things,
“What flows from Prudence, what from Folly springs;
“Thy sapient distributions still in view,
“To give Thee all the glory that is due.
“If Prejudices rule with tyrant sway,
“Teach them the voice of Reason to obey.
“If Passion domineers with wild uproar,
“Speak, and again the Mind's lost peace restore,
“To Thee, when sickness or distress draw nigh.
“May I direct my help-imploring eye,
“When all the boasted remedies of Art,
“And friends themselves, in vain their aid impart:
“And O! at that, perhaps not distant, hour,
“When Health, impair'd in ev'ry active pow'r.
“In the last spark of animation flits,
“Glows out afresh, and languishes by fits;
“When by a thread all human safety hangs,
“And thought anticipates Life's parting pangs;
“Father of mercy! graciously impart
“Solace and comfort to my drooping heart!
“In Thee Supreme, sole Conquerour of death,
“O may I triumph with my latest breath!”
“May I the end and motive learn to know;
“The measure just, and consequence of things,
“What flows from Prudence, what from Folly springs;
“Thy sapient distributions still in view,
“To give Thee all the glory that is due.
“If Prejudices rule with tyrant sway,
“Teach them the voice of Reason to obey.
“If Passion domineers with wild uproar,
“Speak, and again the Mind's lost peace restore,
“To Thee, when sickness or distress draw nigh.
“May I direct my help-imploring eye,
“When all the boasted remedies of Art,
“And friends themselves, in vain their aid impart:
“And O! at that, perhaps not distant, hour,
“When Health, impair'd in ev'ry active pow'r.
“In the last spark of animation flits,
“Glows out afresh, and languishes by fits;
70
“And thought anticipates Life's parting pangs;
“Father of mercy! graciously impart
“Solace and comfort to my drooping heart!
“In Thee Supreme, sole Conquerour of death,
“O may I triumph with my latest breath!”
How fitted, Spring, thy objects to impart
Virtue's sublimest feelings to the heart!
To elevate our hopes and wishes hence,
And give a moral poignance to the sense!
Religion, while she treads thy paths of flow'rs,
Or in still glooms with Thee protracts the hours,
Or where thy streamlets in meanders flow,
Tastes those delights the world can ne'er bestow.
The breast enthusiastic rapture fires,
Something unknown prompts our enlarg'd desires;
Quick on the wing of lightning Fancy's caught,
Big images of things expand the thought;
Unheard of wealth Imagination counts,
Her pinnacle of fame Ambition mounts;
We speak and look, as more than mortal men;
Soar with an angel's eye, an angel's ken;
When, gentle Spring, the magic of thy scenes
Arrests the eye, and thrills along our veins.
Who can behold Earth's beauteous offsprings round,
See soft returning verdure clothe the ground,
Hear jocund music warble from each spray,
And mark the glories of the god of day,
Nor find his bosom fir'd, his thoughts alert,
Him niggard Nature form'd without a heart,
Such ne'er improves on Education's plan,
Though more than brutes, still something less than man.
But hush—no satire shall our page deform,
Spring's gentle reign but seldom knows a storm.
Who would from her fair landscapes lift his eye,
A dunghill, or its tenant worm, to spy?
Let the harsh pen be emptied of its gall,
Spring now but sweets and dews permits to fall.
Virtue's sublimest feelings to the heart!
To elevate our hopes and wishes hence,
And give a moral poignance to the sense!
Religion, while she treads thy paths of flow'rs,
Or in still glooms with Thee protracts the hours,
Or where thy streamlets in meanders flow,
Tastes those delights the world can ne'er bestow.
The breast enthusiastic rapture fires,
Something unknown prompts our enlarg'd desires;
Quick on the wing of lightning Fancy's caught,
Big images of things expand the thought;
Unheard of wealth Imagination counts,
Her pinnacle of fame Ambition mounts;
We speak and look, as more than mortal men;
Soar with an angel's eye, an angel's ken;
When, gentle Spring, the magic of thy scenes
Arrests the eye, and thrills along our veins.
71
See soft returning verdure clothe the ground,
Hear jocund music warble from each spray,
And mark the glories of the god of day,
Nor find his bosom fir'd, his thoughts alert,
Him niggard Nature form'd without a heart,
Such ne'er improves on Education's plan,
Though more than brutes, still something less than man.
But hush—no satire shall our page deform,
Spring's gentle reign but seldom knows a storm.
Who would from her fair landscapes lift his eye,
A dunghill, or its tenant worm, to spy?
Let the harsh pen be emptied of its gall,
Spring now but sweets and dews permits to fall.
O bear me, Fancy, on thy fleet-wing'd car,
To climes unknown, to regions distant far,
Where vertical the sun his pow'r displays,
Thron'd in refulgent majesty of blaze.
Where Beauty her more splendid form assumes,
And universal Spring eternal blooms.
Where, nourish'd by earth's rich-concocted sap,
While busy Science fills her outspread lap,
Annual, the plant, the balmy herb's renew'd,
With sov'reign virtues variously endu'd.
Where rivers, famous in immortal song,
On golden sands transparent glide along;
Whose lofty banks, by woods pomacious grac'd,
Blush with rich fruit, high-flavour'd to the taste.
Where unctuous shrubs, and honey-dropping trees,
And liquid gums, scent the favonian breeze,
Where orange-loaded forests deeply glow,
Spice-bearing groves, and citron orchards blow.
Where, through the sunk recesses of the mine,
Metals, for ages hid, resplendent shine,
The virgin silver, of no vulgar pore,
And gold's more highly-estimated ore.
Where purple rubies flame in common stone,
And diamonds, destin'd for some monarch's throne,
Pure harden'd ether, light's concenter'd rays,
Or singly sparkle, or in clusters blaze.
To climes unknown, to regions distant far,
Where vertical the sun his pow'r displays,
Thron'd in refulgent majesty of blaze.
Where Beauty her more splendid form assumes,
And universal Spring eternal blooms.
Where, nourish'd by earth's rich-concocted sap,
While busy Science fills her outspread lap,
Annual, the plant, the balmy herb's renew'd,
With sov'reign virtues variously endu'd.
72
On golden sands transparent glide along;
Whose lofty banks, by woods pomacious grac'd,
Blush with rich fruit, high-flavour'd to the taste.
Where unctuous shrubs, and honey-dropping trees,
And liquid gums, scent the favonian breeze,
Where orange-loaded forests deeply glow,
Spice-bearing groves, and citron orchards blow.
Where, through the sunk recesses of the mine,
Metals, for ages hid, resplendent shine,
The virgin silver, of no vulgar pore,
And gold's more highly-estimated ore.
Where purple rubies flame in common stone,
And diamonds, destin'd for some monarch's throne,
Pure harden'd ether, light's concenter'd rays,
Or singly sparkle, or in clusters blaze.
But what avail their temp'rature of skies,
And fertile lawns, where fruits spontaneous rise?
Their myrtle shades, and vales adorn'd with flow'rs,
Elysian walks, and amaranthine bow'rs?
There Accidents put on a thousand forms,
Diseases, famine, plague, vulcanos, storms.
There Sickness takes her periodic range,
While Generations ev'ry lustrum change;
Endless Diseases croud her ghastly train,
In languor sunk, or agoniz'd with pain;
Consumption, with emaciated look,
And pale-lipp'd Ague like an aspen shook.
There Tyranny, curs'd with imperial sway,
Beholds his millions abjectly obey;
The titled peer, with his domestic clown,
Alike beneath the terrour of his frown.
There Earthquakes, while dread Nature makes a pause,
Open enormous their expanded jaws,
The superb temple, and the regal tow'r,
Buried beneath, in one devoted hour.
There Pestilence blows round her tainted breath,
And riots in the horrid feast of death;
Cuts off alike the grandee with his slave,
And makes whole towns and provinces a grave.
There the vast Wild unhospitable glooms,
Where brutal life each dreaded form assumes;
Where savages in furious pastime play,
Or strew with carnage their insanguin'd way.
There, brooding long portentous o'er the deep,
Frequent abroad impetuous Whirlwinds sweep,
While lightnings in excessive flashes glare,
And smells sulphureous taint the fiery air,
Thunders round rattle formidably loud,
And torrents burst from each distended cloud.
There, laying waste the labours of an age,
The gorg'd Vulcano gathers all its rage;
Or vomits forth, in seas of melted ore,
Earth's glowing entrails, with explosive roar,
Masses of pitch, rocks subterranean broke
In molten fragments, wrapt in flame and smoke.
Why then abroad stretch Fancy's eagle-wing,
Flush'd by the vital spirit of the Spring,
When homeward, no such terrours to alarm,
Suns milder shine, and fairer prospects charm?
When blessings of a more substantial kind,
But by our wishes and our hopes confin'd,
Each comfort that to sweeten life can tend,
On ev'ry Season's grateful wing descend.
And fertile lawns, where fruits spontaneous rise?
Their myrtle shades, and vales adorn'd with flow'rs,
Elysian walks, and amaranthine bow'rs?
There Accidents put on a thousand forms,
Diseases, famine, plague, vulcanos, storms.
There Sickness takes her periodic range,
While Generations ev'ry lustrum change;
73
In languor sunk, or agoniz'd with pain;
Consumption, with emaciated look,
And pale-lipp'd Ague like an aspen shook.
There Tyranny, curs'd with imperial sway,
Beholds his millions abjectly obey;
The titled peer, with his domestic clown,
Alike beneath the terrour of his frown.
There Earthquakes, while dread Nature makes a pause,
Open enormous their expanded jaws,
The superb temple, and the regal tow'r,
Buried beneath, in one devoted hour.
There Pestilence blows round her tainted breath,
And riots in the horrid feast of death;
Cuts off alike the grandee with his slave,
And makes whole towns and provinces a grave.
There the vast Wild unhospitable glooms,
Where brutal life each dreaded form assumes;
Where savages in furious pastime play,
Or strew with carnage their insanguin'd way.
There, brooding long portentous o'er the deep,
Frequent abroad impetuous Whirlwinds sweep,
While lightnings in excessive flashes glare,
And smells sulphureous taint the fiery air,
74
And torrents burst from each distended cloud.
There, laying waste the labours of an age,
The gorg'd Vulcano gathers all its rage;
Or vomits forth, in seas of melted ore,
Earth's glowing entrails, with explosive roar,
Masses of pitch, rocks subterranean broke
In molten fragments, wrapt in flame and smoke.
Why then abroad stretch Fancy's eagle-wing,
Flush'd by the vital spirit of the Spring,
When homeward, no such terrours to alarm,
Suns milder shine, and fairer prospects charm?
When blessings of a more substantial kind,
But by our wishes and our hopes confin'd,
Each comfort that to sweeten life can tend,
On ev'ry Season's grateful wing descend.
Rather on Albion's celebrated coast,
The boast of nations, as fair Freedom's boast,
Which rocks in hostile range surround immense,
Nature's own ramparts rais'd for her defence;
Of healthful air, and cultivated soil,
Where no fell pontifs threat, nor tyrants spoil;
Which oceans from the Continent divide,
Let me in bless'd security reside;
To fur-clad Indians, Heav'n's sole boon to them,
Left the resplendent ore, and costly gem.
The boast of nations, as fair Freedom's boast,
Which rocks in hostile range surround immense,
Nature's own ramparts rais'd for her defence;
Of healthful air, and cultivated soil,
Where no fell pontifs threat, nor tyrants spoil;
Which oceans from the Continent divide,
Let me in bless'd security reside;
75
Left the resplendent ore, and costly gem.
Religion, here, with mercy-beaming eyes,
As when she came a seraph from the skies;
Virtue, that such desert reflects on man,
His arduous course of destin'd trial ran;
White-mantled Peace, that hates the bloody scene,
And Liberty, in sweet conjunction, reign.
Here darling Property's to all ensur'd,
By public faith inviolate secur'd,
While each, as fancy, taste, or ease incline,
Sits underneath his own embow'ring vine.
Here, equal with his lord's, the vassal's cause
Enjoys the naked sentence of the laws,
While royal favour flows alike to all,
At Virtue's suffrage, or at Merit's call.
Better the meanest cottager, if free,
Than the proud riban'd slave of high degree.
Here Plenty opens her delighted hand,
And scatters wide her favours round the land;
The farm-toil'd Peasant happy with his lot,
His garden-viands, and his low-roof'd cot;
As in their purple robes, and chairs of state,
The birth-ennobled, splendour-circled Great.
Boundless as Nature, yet confin'd by rule,
Here godlike Science founds her liberal school;
Ravish'd beholds her fame-enraptur'd sons,
Along whose veins the stream of genius runs,
On wing excursive their bold flights pursue,
And with a glance look all Creation through.
Here Art, in her own native climate, thrives,
Art, that but seldom Freedom's fall survives;
Sees here, her busy millions plac'd around,
With great success her vast inventions crown'd;
Life polish'd, manners soften'd and refin'd,
And by degrees enlarg'd the human mind.
Here Commerce lavishes her choicest stores,
The prime productions of remotest shores;
No gentle gale distends the sheet unfurl'd,
But wafts her all the treasures of a world.
And here the Muses, with their gentle train,
That in soft melting Elegy complain,
Or rise to Epic, by Fame's nearest road,
Take up with kings and heroes their abode.
As when she came a seraph from the skies;
Virtue, that such desert reflects on man,
His arduous course of destin'd trial ran;
White-mantled Peace, that hates the bloody scene,
And Liberty, in sweet conjunction, reign.
Here darling Property's to all ensur'd,
By public faith inviolate secur'd,
While each, as fancy, taste, or ease incline,
Sits underneath his own embow'ring vine.
Here, equal with his lord's, the vassal's cause
Enjoys the naked sentence of the laws,
While royal favour flows alike to all,
At Virtue's suffrage, or at Merit's call.
Better the meanest cottager, if free,
Than the proud riban'd slave of high degree.
Here Plenty opens her delighted hand,
And scatters wide her favours round the land;
The farm-toil'd Peasant happy with his lot,
His garden-viands, and his low-roof'd cot;
As in their purple robes, and chairs of state,
The birth-ennobled, splendour-circled Great.
76
Here godlike Science founds her liberal school;
Ravish'd beholds her fame-enraptur'd sons,
Along whose veins the stream of genius runs,
On wing excursive their bold flights pursue,
And with a glance look all Creation through.
Here Art, in her own native climate, thrives,
Art, that but seldom Freedom's fall survives;
Sees here, her busy millions plac'd around,
With great success her vast inventions crown'd;
Life polish'd, manners soften'd and refin'd,
And by degrees enlarg'd the human mind.
Here Commerce lavishes her choicest stores,
The prime productions of remotest shores;
No gentle gale distends the sheet unfurl'd,
But wafts her all the treasures of a world.
And here the Muses, with their gentle train,
That in soft melting Elegy complain,
Or rise to Epic, by Fame's nearest road,
Take up with kings and heroes their abode.
Hail, Seat of empire! mighty Albion, hail!
Still may thy cause, and Liberty's, prevail.
Still may thy fleets, the barriers of thine isle,
While breezes waft, and suns auspicious smile,
Beat back Ambition to her native home,
As yonder surge retires in empty foam.
And still may one of Brunswick's princely line
Be both the darling of mankind, and thine,
Till hoary Time himself, surviving all,
Subdu'd, on his own broken sithe shall fall.
—But scenes of sport now call the Muse away,
Too much indulging the digressive lay.
Still may thy cause, and Liberty's, prevail.
Still may thy fleets, the barriers of thine isle,
While breezes waft, and suns auspicious smile,
77
As yonder surge retires in empty foam.
And still may one of Brunswick's princely line
Be both the darling of mankind, and thine,
Till hoary Time himself, surviving all,
Subdu'd, on his own broken sithe shall fall.
—But scenes of sport now call the Muse away,
Too much indulging the digressive lay.
On yonder beaten tract, the village-swains,
In strength robust, with youth distent their veins,
While looks elate their various hopes proclaim,
Croud from all quarters, candidates for fame.
With Herculean sweepy whirl they throw,
The pond'rous hammer, or the iron crow;
With vigorous arm fling light the massy stone,
Diversions fit for British youths alone;
Pop the well-rounded quoit with dextrous pitch,
Run the swift race, or leap the custom'd ditch:
Each emulous, as if his all at stake,
To gain the contest, or the lead to take.
Ambition's not restricted to a crown,
Kings have it but in common with a clown.
In strength robust, with youth distent their veins,
While looks elate their various hopes proclaim,
Croud from all quarters, candidates for fame.
With Herculean sweepy whirl they throw,
The pond'rous hammer, or the iron crow;
With vigorous arm fling light the massy stone,
Diversions fit for British youths alone;
Pop the well-rounded quoit with dextrous pitch,
Run the swift race, or leap the custom'd ditch:
Each emulous, as if his all at stake,
To gain the contest, or the lead to take.
Ambition's not restricted to a crown,
Kings have it but in common with a clown.
Some, not detain'd enervate at the side,
Plunge in the closing pool's translucent tide.
Forward, incumbent on the clear expanse,
With arms extended fearless they advance;
While, at each sturdy stroke, in vapoury light,
The tumid wave breaks refluent on the sight:
Or down some avenue's protracted length,
With practis'd sweep, and full-exerted strength,
Each fellow'd with his brawny-limb'd compeer,
The glowing bullet roll in fleet career:
Others, as kings of old us'd to contend,
With happy aim the bow elastic bend,
While forth impell'd the rapid arrow springs,
And whizzes up on well-proportion'd wings.
Plunge in the closing pool's translucent tide.
78
With arms extended fearless they advance;
While, at each sturdy stroke, in vapoury light,
The tumid wave breaks refluent on the sight:
Or down some avenue's protracted length,
With practis'd sweep, and full-exerted strength,
Each fellow'd with his brawny-limb'd compeer,
The glowing bullet roll in fleet career:
Others, as kings of old us'd to contend,
With happy aim the bow elastic bend,
While forth impell'd the rapid arrow springs,
And whizzes up on well-proportion'd wings.
These are the Season's periodic sports,
Here Health, with all her florid train, resorts;
Here pale Consumption's wasted form's ne'er seen,
The Gout, Catarrh, the Gravel, or the Spleen.
Here all in native gaiety appear,
A temper sympathetic with the Year.
Such are the exercises that bestow
The strong-brac'd sinew, and the ruddy glow;
Lengthen, with blessings fraught, the narrow span
That circumscribes the stated life of man;
Blessings, when, haply, men their loss deplore,
But Heav'n, and Whytt, and Temp'rance can restore.
Blessings, alone by active Virtue won,
From hardy sire transmitted to his son.
Here Health, with all her florid train, resorts;
Here pale Consumption's wasted form's ne'er seen,
The Gout, Catarrh, the Gravel, or the Spleen.
Here all in native gaiety appear,
A temper sympathetic with the Year.
Such are the exercises that bestow
The strong-brac'd sinew, and the ruddy glow;
Lengthen, with blessings fraught, the narrow span
That circumscribes the stated life of man;
Blessings, when, haply, men their loss deplore,
But Heav'n, and Whytt, and Temp'rance can restore.
79
From hardy sire transmitted to his son.
Such scenes of tranquil life, and rural ease,
Such scenes, in their own nature form'd to please,
Immortal poets sung, renown'd of old,
In happy ages fondly styl'd of gold;
When men their blissful hours in vineyards spent,
With Nature's unextorted gifts content;
Ere Rapine and Oppression warn'd mankind,
In common league, for common good, combin'd,
To delegate to one imperial sway,
Whom all with willing suffrage should obey.
Such scenes, by ev'ry mild and gentle art,
To all the finer feelings mould the heart;
Add swiftness to Time's care-retarded wing,
And give a native elegance to Spring.
Teach that instructive lesson, seldom known,
Though in importance it outweighs a throne,
That Happiness basks not in Fortune's blaze,
Nor to the Great her ready visit pays;
But with the shepherd shares the lowly cot,
How simple, how obscure, regarded not.
Blush, ye that boast a garter or a star,
Behold a peasant, more ennobled far.
Well might a tear the Grecian hero shed,
To dim the starry circlet round his head,
For, short of happiness, he knew no rest,
Though he a world in proud survey possest.
Such scenes, in their own nature form'd to please,
Immortal poets sung, renown'd of old,
In happy ages fondly styl'd of gold;
When men their blissful hours in vineyards spent,
With Nature's unextorted gifts content;
Ere Rapine and Oppression warn'd mankind,
In common league, for common good, combin'd,
To delegate to one imperial sway,
Whom all with willing suffrage should obey.
Such scenes, by ev'ry mild and gentle art,
To all the finer feelings mould the heart;
Add swiftness to Time's care-retarded wing,
And give a native elegance to Spring.
Teach that instructive lesson, seldom known,
Though in importance it outweighs a throne,
That Happiness basks not in Fortune's blaze,
Nor to the Great her ready visit pays;
But with the shepherd shares the lowly cot,
How simple, how obscure, regarded not.
Blush, ye that boast a garter or a star,
Behold a peasant, more ennobled far.
80
To dim the starry circlet round his head,
For, short of happiness, he knew no rest,
Though he a world in proud survey possest.
Hail! Happiness, fair native of the skies!
What is it thy celestial name implies?
Is it for wise, for excellent to pass,
Or heaps of useless riches to amass?
Is it to live in ease, exempt from care?
A haughty monarch's partial smile to share?
Is it to flutter with a titled name,
Or swell elated by a breath of fame?
Is it to range through Nature's boundless space,
The endless laws of Gravity to trace?
Studious o'er books with midnight lamp to pore,
And Learning's age collected funds explore?
Is it to weep at Pity's soft command?
Or stretch forth Charity's assistant hand?
Is it a form, with ev'ry beauty grac'd?
A set of features, regularly plac'd?
Is it a temper's accidental cast?
A heart by Nature's finest touch imprest?
Is it the spirits mov'd in brisker flow,
And softly agitated to and fro?
Is it Life's salient springs adjusted right,
And wound up gently to a certain height?
No; to the foul opprobrium of mankind,
Thy sacred name remains yet undefin'd.
Nought that results from an external cause,
Which chance bestows, or accident withdraws;
Nought to a rank confin'd, in fame or gain,
Which few can merit, fewer far obtain;
But what, as dews from heav'n promiscuous fall,
Flows in a constant equal tide to all,
To all alike, that govern, or obey,
Of Thee a just idea can convey.
Let then fantastic Lovers dream no more,
And all their schemes Philosophers give o'er:
An humble spirit, a contented mind,
To ill, by choice, averse, to good inclin'd,
In ev'ry change of circumstance the same;
Comprise in apt epitome thy name.
What is it thy celestial name implies?
Is it for wise, for excellent to pass,
Or heaps of useless riches to amass?
Is it to live in ease, exempt from care?
A haughty monarch's partial smile to share?
Is it to flutter with a titled name,
Or swell elated by a breath of fame?
Is it to range through Nature's boundless space,
The endless laws of Gravity to trace?
Studious o'er books with midnight lamp to pore,
And Learning's age collected funds explore?
Is it to weep at Pity's soft command?
Or stretch forth Charity's assistant hand?
Is it a form, with ev'ry beauty grac'd?
A set of features, regularly plac'd?
Is it a temper's accidental cast?
A heart by Nature's finest touch imprest?
Is it the spirits mov'd in brisker flow,
And softly agitated to and fro?
81
And wound up gently to a certain height?
No; to the foul opprobrium of mankind,
Thy sacred name remains yet undefin'd.
Nought that results from an external cause,
Which chance bestows, or accident withdraws;
Nought to a rank confin'd, in fame or gain,
Which few can merit, fewer far obtain;
But what, as dews from heav'n promiscuous fall,
Flows in a constant equal tide to all,
To all alike, that govern, or obey,
Of Thee a just idea can convey.
Let then fantastic Lovers dream no more,
And all their schemes Philosophers give o'er:
An humble spirit, a contented mind,
To ill, by choice, averse, to good inclin'd,
In ev'ry change of circumstance the same;
Comprise in apt epitome thy name.
The End of the Fourth Book.
Let the reader be here informed, once for all, that nothing is meant by Fortune, in this or any other place, but such a crisis or revolution in human affairs, or in the circumstances of individuals, as seems immediately to result from the mere solly, caprice, and passions of mankind. In this sense the word Fortune, so often, and so indiscriminately used by authors, happily enough supplies the place of a tedious circumlocution.
| Original poems on several subjects | |