The poems and literary prose of Alexander Wilson ... for the first time fully collected and compared with the original and early editions ... edited ... by the Rev. Alexander B. Grosart ... with portrait, illustrations, &c |
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TO THE HON. WILLIAM M'DOWAL, OF GARTHLAND, ON HIS RETURN FROM PARLIAMENT, JULY, 1791. |
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 | The poems and literary prose of Alexander Wilson |  |
TO THE HON. WILLIAM M'DOWAL, OF GARTHLAND, ON HIS RETURN FROM PARLIAMENT, JULY, 1791.
Welcome once more, from scenes of pomp and noise,
To rural peace and undisturbèd joys;
Welcome! the blessings of the poor to share,
That smiles and tears of gratitude declare.
Smiles, from the soul that undissembled dart,
And tears, warm-streaming from th'o'erflowing heart.
To rural peace and undisturbèd joys;
Welcome! the blessings of the poor to share,
That smiles and tears of gratitude declare.
Smiles, from the soul that undissembled dart,
And tears, warm-streaming from th'o'erflowing heart.
Blest be the arm! when Famine from his den,
Led on by fools and deep-designing men,
Advanc'd, grim-threat'ning, to deform those plains,
Where wealth and peace and boundless commerce reigns;
Blest be the arm that scourg'd him from our shore,
And bade our hopes to blossom as before.
Led on by fools and deep-designing men,
Advanc'd, grim-threat'ning, to deform those plains,
Where wealth and peace and boundless commerce reigns;
Blest be the arm that scourg'd him from our shore,
And bade our hopes to blossom as before.
The warrior sheath'd in steel and drench'd in blood,
May scatter death where towns and hamlets stood;
May see around the flaming horrors rise,
And hear, well-pleased, expiring wretches' cries;
These to his savage bosom may convey
A short-liv'd joy that darkens with the day;
But he, whose gracious and assisting hand
Spreads wealth and pleasure o'er a smiling land;
Bids cities rise, internal troubles cease,
And pours the balm of liberty and peace;
To him the peasant, whistling o'er the soil;
The yellow fields, the reapers' rustling toil;
The noisy bustling town, the crowded port,
Where mingling nations with their stores resort;
These to his heart a tide of rapture roll,
That warms, sublimes, and dignifies the soul.
May scatter death where towns and hamlets stood;
May see around the flaming horrors rise,
And hear, well-pleased, expiring wretches' cries;
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A short-liv'd joy that darkens with the day;
But he, whose gracious and assisting hand
Spreads wealth and pleasure o'er a smiling land;
Bids cities rise, internal troubles cease,
And pours the balm of liberty and peace;
To him the peasant, whistling o'er the soil;
The yellow fields, the reapers' rustling toil;
The noisy bustling town, the crowded port,
Where mingling nations with their stores resort;
These to his heart a tide of rapture roll,
That warms, sublimes, and dignifies the soul.
To you, M'Dowal, whose unbounded heart
Exults, to all those blessings to impart;
To you each bosom heaves with grateful sighs,
For you the warmest of our wishes rise;
That Heaven, indulgent, may for ever shed
Health, peace, and pleasure round your honor'd head,
Long, long, to rise amid your humble swains,
The hope, the guard, and glory of our plains.
Exults, to all those blessings to impart;
To you each bosom heaves with grateful sighs,
For you the warmest of our wishes rise;
That Heaven, indulgent, may for ever shed
Health, peace, and pleasure round your honor'd head,
Long, long, to rise amid your humble swains,
The hope, the guard, and glory of our plains.
| The poems and literary prose of Alexander Wilson | |