 | Poems upon several Occasions |  |
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SONG at a BALL.
That all Things were form'd by a DANCE.
I
Before the Unborn World saw Light,Wrapt in the Darksom Womb of Night,
The sluggish Mass, dissolv'd in Rest,
Lay without Form, and all undress'd:
But when Jove thunder'd, Let it Be,
Old Night, and frighted Chaos flee,
And at the Dawn of the first Day,
The young World smil'd, and all Things danc'd for Joy.
II
The Seeds now diff'rent Motions know;Some round, some strait, some swift, some slow;
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On their ambitious Wings aspire;
While pressing down, the other Two
By Impulse to the Center go:
Thus Things in various Figures fall,
And with a num'rous Dance compose this All.
III
The Creatures did at first advanceTo praise their Maker with a Dance.
By Musick tun'd, the Stars tript round
To their own Spheres Harmonious Sound:
The Rivers, as along they glide,
Danc'd to the Bubblings of their Tide:
So, charm'd by Orpheus's pow'rful Song,
The Woods, and Mountains leap'd, and danc'd along.
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IV
And when the March of Life began,Then, in the lesser World of Man,
The nimble Blood sprang in the Heart,
Wand'ring in Streams thro' ev'ry Part:
Each beating Art'ry, ev'ry Vein
The sprightly Round of Life contain;
On Motion all Things here depend,
And when the Dance of Nature's done, must end.
| Poems upon several Occasions | |