 | Poetical amusements at a villa near Bath |  |
114
On the Pleasures of Society at Batheaston Villa.
Mrs. M---ll---r.
On the fair summit of a verdant lawn,
Which Phœbus silvers with his earliest dawn,
There stands a Bower, inclos'd in lofty shade,
Save where it overlooks the fertile glade:—
What, though the front no stately columns boast,
Of costly marble, brought from Afric's coast;
Nor swelling portico, with Grecian pride,
And sculptur'd pomp, advance its polish'd side;
Yet blushing roses, wove with eglantine,
In sportive garlands round the portal twine:
There, sacred laurels spread their branches round,
There, aged rocks with hoary moss are crown'd;
There the clear fountains in the sun-beams play,
Invite repose, and mitigate the day:
There, Flora paints the ground with fragrant flowers,
And the kind Spring bestows refreshing showers,
Teaching luxuriant branches how to shoot,
Their produce vying with th'Hesperian fruit:
There, fertile fields the wealthy loads sustain,
Ceres' rich blessings rip'ning o'er the plain:—
Oft to these shades a sprightly train repair,
With song and dance the festive hours to wear;
And oft, resigning such tumultuous joys,
Poetic themes the fleeting morn employs.
Thalia, invok'd, shall hear the Poet's pray'r,
And modest merit from oblivion spare.
When Taste and Wit compose the polish'd line,
And Fancy's flights within just bounds confine,
With attic elegance, and native ease,
The flowing verse can never fail to please.
Which Phœbus silvers with his earliest dawn,
115
Save where it overlooks the fertile glade:—
What, though the front no stately columns boast,
Of costly marble, brought from Afric's coast;
Nor swelling portico, with Grecian pride,
And sculptur'd pomp, advance its polish'd side;
Yet blushing roses, wove with eglantine,
In sportive garlands round the portal twine:
There, sacred laurels spread their branches round,
There, aged rocks with hoary moss are crown'd;
There the clear fountains in the sun-beams play,
Invite repose, and mitigate the day:
There, Flora paints the ground with fragrant flowers,
And the kind Spring bestows refreshing showers,
Teaching luxuriant branches how to shoot,
Their produce vying with th'Hesperian fruit:
116
Ceres' rich blessings rip'ning o'er the plain:—
Oft to these shades a sprightly train repair,
With song and dance the festive hours to wear;
And oft, resigning such tumultuous joys,
Poetic themes the fleeting morn employs.
Thalia, invok'd, shall hear the Poet's pray'r,
And modest merit from oblivion spare.
When Taste and Wit compose the polish'd line,
And Fancy's flights within just bounds confine,
With attic elegance, and native ease,
The flowing verse can never fail to please.
Rivals in verse, and emulous for fame,
With candour judge—be cautious how you blame.
The liberal heart ne'er seeks to criticise,
But joys to see the sparks of genius rise;
The warm effusions of a generous breast:
(Such fire celestial ne'er should be supprest!)
From various genius, various numbers flow,
When social mirth in all their bosoms glow;
For them the Muse shall strip th'Idalian groves
Of myrtle wreaths, to grace the Bard she loves.
Like a May morn, unclouded, and serene,
In whose mild beams the promis'd day is seen,
This fair Assembly shall more bright appear,
Their wit more brilliant with the growing year:
In Friendship's sacred bands may they still live,
And Tully's Vase again their lays receive.
With candour judge—be cautious how you blame.
The liberal heart ne'er seeks to criticise,
But joys to see the sparks of genius rise;
117
(Such fire celestial ne'er should be supprest!)
From various genius, various numbers flow,
When social mirth in all their bosoms glow;
For them the Muse shall strip th'Idalian groves
Of myrtle wreaths, to grace the Bard she loves.
Like a May morn, unclouded, and serene,
In whose mild beams the promis'd day is seen,
This fair Assembly shall more bright appear,
Their wit more brilliant with the growing year:
In Friendship's sacred bands may they still live,
And Tully's Vase again their lays receive.
| Poetical amusements at a villa near Bath | |