 | Medea |  |
PROLOGUE.
Though
wild our theme, the grave historian's page
Hath sanctify'd the tale through ev'ry age.
Who hath not heard of Argo sent from Greece,
Of Jason's labours for the golden fleece,
And fond Medea's ill-requited aid
To that false hero, who his vows betray'd?
In ev'ry clime, where learned Muses reign,
The stage hath known Medea's mournful strain,
Hath giv'n the flying car, and magic rod
To her, th'avow'd descendant of a god.
Hath sanctify'd the tale through ev'ry age.
Who hath not heard of Argo sent from Greece,
Of Jason's labours for the golden fleece,
And fond Medea's ill-requited aid
To that false hero, who his vows betray'd?
In ev'ry clime, where learned Muses reign,
The stage hath known Medea's mournful strain,
Hath giv'n the flying car, and magic rod
To her, th'avow'd descendant of a god.
The storms of trouble, which afflict the great,
Teach private life to prise its tranquil state.
That truth the moral of our fable shows
Too well in scenes of unexampled woes,
Which here will ravage an exalted breast
Of merit conscious, and with shame opprest;
Where love and fury, grief and madness join'd
O'erturn the structure of a godlike mind.
Pow'r, wisdom, science, and her birth divine
In vain to shield her from distress combine;
Nor wisdom, pow'r, nor science yield relief;
Her potent wand can vanquish all, but grief:
In vain her winged chariot sweeps the air
To shun that mightier sorceress, despair.
Teach private life to prise its tranquil state.
That truth the moral of our fable shows
Too well in scenes of unexampled woes,
Which here will ravage an exalted breast
Of merit conscious, and with shame opprest;
Where love and fury, grief and madness join'd
O'erturn the structure of a godlike mind.
Pow'r, wisdom, science, and her birth divine
In vain to shield her from distress combine;
Nor wisdom, pow'r, nor science yield relief;
Her potent wand can vanquish all, but grief:
In vain her winged chariot sweeps the air
To shun that mightier sorceress, despair.
The characters and passions hence exprest
Are all submitted to the feeling breast;
Let ancient story justify the rest.
Are all submitted to the feeling breast;
Let ancient story justify the rest.
| Medea | |