Poems on Various Subjects with some Essays in Prose, Letters to Correspondents, &c. and A Treatise on Health. By Samuel Bowden |
 |
 |
AN EPITHALAMIUM,
|
|
|
 | Poems on Various Subjects |  |
191
AN EPITHALAMIUM,
INSCRIB'D TO LIONEL SEAMAN, M. A. Archdeacon of Taunton;
On his late Marriage to Miss Wills, Daughter to the Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Felices, ter et ampius, quos
------ Irrupta tenet Copula.
Hor.
------ Irrupta tenet Copula.
Hor.
When 'erst your pile inspir'd the Muse's quill,
Who risqu'd her own—to praise the builder's skill:
Tho' all around was beautiful, and gay,
And order rose, where shapeless chaos lay;
Tho' all within was elegant, and neat,
Yet long unfurnish'd lay the lonely seat.
And like some beauteous form, without a soul,
Something was wanting to compleat the whole.
While in her sable robes, desponding gloom,
Sat brooding o'er each solitary room.
'Till the fair nymph for every charm admir'd,
Adorn'd the structure, and the seat inspir'd:
Sprung from a prelate whose distinguish'd sense,
Shines in the pulpit, and adorns the bench.
Who risqu'd her own—to praise the builder's skill:
Tho' all around was beautiful, and gay,
And order rose, where shapeless chaos lay;
192
Yet long unfurnish'd lay the lonely seat.
And like some beauteous form, without a soul,
Something was wanting to compleat the whole.
While in her sable robes, desponding gloom,
Sat brooding o'er each solitary room.
'Till the fair nymph for every charm admir'd,
Adorn'd the structure, and the seat inspir'd:
Sprung from a prelate whose distinguish'd sense,
Shines in the pulpit, and adorns the bench.
In vain before, enchanting music's strain,
Wou'd oft' the pensive moments entertain:
In vain fair prospects open'd all around,
And infant sweets perfum'd the fragrant ground.
What tho' the meadows smile, the garden blooms
And polish'd sculptures animate the rooms,
What tho' mute pictures round the walls were plac'd,
And learned shelves the gilded volumes grac'd;
The fairest picture in her looks we find,
And the best volumes copy'd in her mind.
Wou'd oft' the pensive moments entertain:
In vain fair prospects open'd all around,
And infant sweets perfum'd the fragrant ground.
What tho' the meadows smile, the garden blooms
And polish'd sculptures animate the rooms,
What tho' mute pictures round the walls were plac'd,
And learned shelves the gilded volumes grac'd;
The fairest picture in her looks we find,
And the best volumes copy'd in her mind.
Thus when Almighty Power created man,
Something was wanting to compleat the plan:
Unhappy man! of paradise possest,
In single solitude remain'd unblest;
Tho' happy groves, and Eden was his lot,
He pin'd, and panted, for he knew not what;
Some undiscover'd bliss, some unknown fair,
His cares to lessen, and his joys to share.
In vain around unspotted nature smil'd,
Yet, wanting her, all Eden was a wild:
'Till like some Delian goddess from the grove,
Shone forth in all her charms the queen of love.
'Twas then new beautys op'd in every flower,
With her more fragrant smelt each fragrant bower.
What charming once appear'd, now charm'd the more,
And Eden was no paradise before.
Something was wanting to compleat the plan:
Unhappy man! of paradise possest,
In single solitude remain'd unblest;
193
He pin'd, and panted, for he knew not what;
Some undiscover'd bliss, some unknown fair,
His cares to lessen, and his joys to share.
In vain around unspotted nature smil'd,
Yet, wanting her, all Eden was a wild:
'Till like some Delian goddess from the grove,
Shone forth in all her charms the queen of love.
'Twas then new beautys op'd in every flower,
With her more fragrant smelt each fragrant bower.
What charming once appear'd, now charm'd the more,
And Eden was no paradise before.
Hail! blest society—thy force divine,
Brightens the gloom, and makes the desart shine.
Both savages below, and saints above,
Confess thy genial power, Almighty Love.
Let cynic monks, or bearded hermits dwell,
In some lone cloyster, or sequestred cell,
Mankind for nobler purposes were made,
Not born to live in solitude, and shade.
Even howling beasts who in the forest stray,
Or on the pathless mountain roam for prey,
Fir'd with a social sympathy combine,
Herd into clans, and feel thy force divine.
'Tis this that rolls the starry orbs along,
And gives the birds their notes, the muse her song:
Before thy presence clouds and tempests fly,
And balmy zephyrs whisper thro' the sky;
The earth, prolific, teems with fruits, and flowers,
And in thy lap autumnal plenty pours:
Nature thro' all her works reveres thy sway,
And universal worlds thy power obey.
Brightens the gloom, and makes the desart shine.
Both savages below, and saints above,
Confess thy genial power, Almighty Love.
Let cynic monks, or bearded hermits dwell,
In some lone cloyster, or sequestred cell,
Mankind for nobler purposes were made,
Not born to live in solitude, and shade.
Even howling beasts who in the forest stray,
Or on the pathless mountain roam for prey,
Fir'd with a social sympathy combine,
Herd into clans, and feel thy force divine.
'Tis this that rolls the starry orbs along,
And gives the birds their notes, the muse her song:
194
And balmy zephyrs whisper thro' the sky;
The earth, prolific, teems with fruits, and flowers,
And in thy lap autumnal plenty pours:
Nature thro' all her works reveres thy sway,
And universal worlds thy power obey.
| Poems on Various Subjects | |