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XyJO^Jt ^^ilf A ( reai lias trut ple£ As J chic • fror sak< J. Ii P R E F ACE. A GREAT portion of tlio following work has beoa al. ready before the Public, and to judge of the treatment it has met with, has^^' ' ee'- much reiiish'd. To tell the truth, I don't muc* y«elf now, although I had pleasure in the hope -^ipanied the writing of iti As it is, I have presented it to the Citizens of Toronto, chiefly, as the last shifl that a poor devil has to keep hira from despair, and I only wiyh it was better for their sakcs. July, 1836, ^ A. J. WILLIAMSON. I wmuM^^mm CONTENTS. Page An " UnbelieverV Prayer 13 Another . 16 Perplexity ^ 19 Incipient Assurance 20 Man's Insufficiency 23 Address to Omni;^ otence 25 The Socond Advent (1) 33 The Second Advent (2) 35 A Christian Advice ...., 36 Tree Grace 39 Calvary 40 Tiie 15th May, 1834 42 Submission 43 Hyjnn 45 Another , 46 Sick at Heart 47 Favorite Linos 48 God is Here 49 Give me a Tongue 53 God shall be All in All , 55 One Fold, one Shepherd 57 til Vlll. Tribute to whom Tribute is Duo ^^ Intemperance Monody ^'^ Infidelity.. ^^* Wmter ^^ Spring ^J^ To Spnng • ^'^ John Simple ^^ Life ^' Another ^^ The Grave ^^ The Magician's Invocation ^^ To Mrs. W • ^3 To the same in absence • 95 Lines, &c ^* From the French '^'^ ToC. W. EiKi ' --l^O On the Birth of a Son ^^3 Enigma 10^ ToMissIL *?ec lOG Acrostic ^^^ 111 Acrostic ^^^ 1 io Acrostic ^^"^ Acrostic ^^*' Acrostic si 14 Song 11^ Song ll"^ Soncr lis Dinna Trust in Love H^-' IX. OWha can Tell 121 TheWarld'sa Specious Shaw 123 Weary Water • 126 Song 128 O Lassie, &c 1^1 OWhy, &c 132 OFair, &c 134 Honor and Glory 135 When I was in, &c 137 To Punch 139 To Cupid 142 Lines 143 Written in a Lady's Album 144 Moderation • ...144 Epigram ►• 14^ Anecdote 14" Adrian's Address 146 To Miss , 147 To the same 148 On Time, &c 149 Epigram 14" Epigram 15" Another '1^1 To a New Born Infant 151 Nitf ORIGINAL POEMS, Sacretr. PART I. AN " UNBELIEVER'S'' PRAYER. Low in the dust, Omnipotence ! I bow before thy throne ; In sorrow for each dire offence, My head or heart hath known. In secret I appeal to thee ; Vain-glorioiisly decried By many a seeming Pharisee ; — Humility my pride. O ! shut the world out from my sight ; Its wild distracting glare, But rn [)s mv soirit of the might. That should ascend with pray'r. B 14 And let imagination reach, The shadow of thy form ; That aw'd submission may beseech, Attention to a worm. With gloomy doubts and fears imbued, My soul to earth is chained ; I cannot reach thee as I would, By worlhlessness restrained. Yet, ! midst this intestine war, Thou know'st that I'm sincere j And, tearful, seek a pilot star, From Folly's rocks to steer. With lowly fervor at thy feet, As now I nightly pray ; For pardon from the Mercy. seat, On errors of the day : And morning never shines on me, But I invoke thy smile; And sacrifice a heart to thee, That would not walk with guile. Is not one ray of light divine, 'SfiST^' U£S 15 On my benighted path to shine, In pity,— O! Most High? God ! help me in mine hour of need, If, erring, I pursue The phantom of a baseless creed. And cannot trust a new ! Thou know^st my supplications, spring From no unworthy dread. Of a destroying Azrael's wing. Dark hov'ring o'er my head ; And that calamity hath wrung, But patience from my soul ; Though it hath well nigh been unstrung. Beneath thy chasfning dole. I said to my afflictions, come, — Since at thy best they came ; The whirlwind burst, but I was dumb. Or glorified thy name. Lord ! if this be self-righteousness, 'Tis thou the heart must scan ; Job, in the daj of his distress, Had no relief from man. I i 10 ■>.€\ Am I uDgrateful, Lord ! to thee. That, yearning for thy love, See not thy face as others see ? Oh ! light me from above ! Grant me in promises to trust ;— In hopes,—else hopeless— given, Then welcome torture in the dust, Father who art in Heav'n ! ANOTHER. Trusting a Being, whose pure eye, In pity deigns to scan ; From yonder brigh* and starry sky, The miseries of man ; One who, with soul-subduing grief, Full wearily hath striv'n ; Looks fro*i the cold earth for relief, Appealingly to Heav'n. Wh^n I do pray as taught to pray, The will alone sincere. 17 Hopes that the tame orison, may Perchance attract thine ear. But here, where mock'ry were allied To madness, oh ! declare ! My spirit seeks thee far and wide ; Where art thou, God ?-oh! where? Impute it not to me a sin, That worldly thoughts intrude, With me, thy sacred courts within,— The flesh is not subdu'd. Nor that I consecrate aright, Tho' awful fools condemn,— The diamond in the rough to-night, To-morrow smooth for them. That I am sinful I confess ; Yet— fellow- worms may smile, Derisive, so thou pitying bless— Net vilest of the vile. Tho' frailties mark the paths below, Where'er my footsteps tread ; Sure, 'tis not from the heart they flow^ But. ioiicuy> ifvii* *«« *»v^ • 'l^iW i: I 18 If impious in this darling thought, Oh ! suffer that I flee, The fearful spell some pow'r hath wrought, Inimical to thee ; — For, what am I to earn the wrath Of evil, but as one Who of thy shade a gleaming hath, That darkly lights his span ! I ask not worldly riches, Lord, Nor worldly honors crave ; Shine faintly on the mystic word. That triumphs o'er the grave. That this is selfishness I feel, Eut, Mighty God, they say Eternal vfo ! eternal weal ! — How shall an atom pray ? With deep humiUty I own, I merit not thy grace; CREATOR ! if for this alonq, Oh ! hide not aye thy face. — O ! — Silence, wild, affrighted^ hears EtArnifv hficrnn •__ o My God ! on thee I cast my fr 's; Ev'n let thy will be done i 19 PERPLEXITY. Why am I thus cast down, my soul ? Why aches my weary head? Am I too vile to be made whole, For all that I have read ? Sure there's a righteous God above, And can I be deceived ? Does he prefer my fear to love 1 Would He be thus believ'd ] How runs the invitation ? Ask : — To vou it shall be given : — So saith the Book of books ; a task, As it is said, of Heav'n ! Have I not fervently desired, — Nay, Mss'd the sacred rod ? Sacred in seeming ; and aspir'd, Humbly, to walk with God ? Have I not wisWd, at least, to act According to his will ; And found it doubtful ? Is the fuel, More than illusive, still ? 20 Is it that frail mortality May seek him to excess? Can there be such anomaly, As over righteousness ? INSCRUTABLE ! Look down on me. And listen to my prayer : Make me to look with love on thee, For this is all my care. I'm weary of this wretched plight, Unknowing where to fly ; And loathe the damn'd unequal fight, With Aiddew Deity ! I INCIPIENT ASSURANCE, I would laud thee, O, Lord ! In the garden or \/iid ; And would cherish thy word, As a mother her child ; Tint mv head will rebel, And my heart is unstrung ; 21 And a bridle too fell, Is thy hand on my tongue. I would sing to thy praise, An imperishing song ; But the spirit decays, That should urge it along ; For the world and the t^-^sh, Are at war in my brain : And the tempter his mesh, Interw^eaves with the strain. I would love thee and fear, As in gratitude bound ; And be ever sincere, As thv mercv is found : l!ut the shadows of doubt, Are too oft in the sky ; And I wander about, In fatuity. Oh ! why have I droop'd. At the pool, as of old ; When the Angel hath stoop'd, On his pinions of sold ' Mui 22 But that faith hath been crush'd^ At the moment of birth ; By a tumult that rush'd, Of exasperate earth ! I cannot address thee, With fer-^or and power ; As my soul would confess thee^ In shine or in show'? ; But the will may be taken, In lieu of the deed ; Till thy spirit awaken, A mightier creed. I long for the hour, — Like a pitiful dove From its mate in the bow'r, — "" That shall herald thv love : And would sacrifice all, A dull world can bestow ; To be clad in thy pall, Of immi ulate snow. Come ! come, my Redeemer I Thy glory's at stake ; 23 If I am a dreamer, Who — who is awake ? Tve sufTer'd, repented, Aspir'd to be thine ; And thou hast consented, Oh ! yes ! to be mine I MAN'S INSUFFICIENCY. Amidst the v/orld's abusive mocks, And soul-subduing guile ; The heart may bear a thousand shocks, And still affect to smile ; How vainly ! for it must be cast, Nay, beaten to the dust at last ! The pride of Birth, of Wealth, of Pow'r, In all their gorgeous hues, May triumph, as they do, their hour. And Heav'n and Earth abuse ; But He who loosens binds as fast ; And shall H^ not aveage the past ? wm .1 ' X i ■•I What wretched sopliistry uprears An altar to the wind ; Inconstant as the hopes and fears Of undirected mind : Nor feels within the agent blast A master spirit, firm and fasi? Range upward, Skeptical, bestride Imagination high; Suns upon burning suns whirl wide— The lost immensity ! \ wild'ring sacrifice— how vast ! FirM by the living FIRST and LAST ! In awe descend ;— and, wonder, o'er The rayless deeps extend, Infinity atomic, pore- To mighty meanness bend ; Then, shrinking, inly overcast : Go, hide thee, if thrm can'st, aghast ! A mote in yonder sun- beam— /aIZs— A lesson to the ear But, Wo ! thou wilt not hear ! 25 Nay, heavenly truths in thunder cast, Are mock'd by vice at vain repast! How wond'rous, that Omnipotence Should suffer things of clay — Vile, measureless incongruence — To say his bidding, nay ! How long ^-' ill the forbearance last, Thou ereat to come, who art and wast ? Hush! — He who cannot lie hath sworn. Yon fearful mote shall quell, In its dark fury, scoff and scorn, Tho' counter-link'd with Hell! Ye who depend on him stand fast : — The terror-stricken shrieks his last ! ADDRESS TO OMNIPOTENCE. " Let us come boldly to the Throne of Grace." Lord ! let thy spirit guide my pen. And patient let mf^ be. Till I unfold thy wa> s to men, As I urn taught oi Uw^ ; b2 H t ■ 26 For patience only can fulfil, However love may dare ; — Then, let the pow'r attend the will, Thou Answerer of Pray'r. Thou know'st that humbly I implor'd, A portion of thy grace ; Before I knew thee for my Lord, Or blest thy smiling face ; And know'st, that from my inmost soul, I from the world withdrew ; And bow'd submiss to thy controul, As in that grace I grew. What, then, was my ambition, God ! — O ! Father ! and O ! Son ! As I beseecJi'd thee for the rod, Against " Thy will be lone ?" Was it for riches, honors, or The pageantry of Fame ? Or was it to be fitted for The preaching of thy Name ? Did I not in my early day Of penitence, implore is! * I* 27 Thy mercy upon all astray, And, suff 'ring, seek for more ? Did I not beg for strength, to bear The sins of all my kind ? And in my agony, declare That I was far behind ? Behind in sufF'ring to my Lord, To whom I would succeed ; And who, according to thy word, Was " crucified indeed ?" Thy word, communicated then — As man to man would speak, — When first I spoke with thee, and when I felt thee on my cheek ? O ! God of mercies, in that hour. How all my sorrows smil'd ! How melted I beneath the povv'r, That kiss'd me as a child ! And fondly bade me dry the tears. That washM my sins away : — No : — not for thine eternal years^ Would 1 have bid them stay I f: 28 All this thou know'st ; but, for the sake Of others I appear, The seeming liberty to take, Of questioning thee here ; — For Man will have it that thy ways, To his conception bow ; Unmindful that thy spirit sways, The everlasting NOW! In Moses and the Prophets, he Distinguish'd not thy hand ; — Thy Son himself that made him free, A stranger in the land. If this can hardly be believ'd, Lo ! Truth is still the lie : — What in the green tree was achievM, Is working in the dry ! For that my youth was thrown away, On idle dreams and vain ; My manhood, too, must shun the day. Or wear the mark of Cain. As if Omnipotence, that call'd The Universe from nought. 29 Had shortened his right arm : — enthrall^ The miracles of Thought. O ! with a thought my life unclosM, And weary it became ; — A thought my wretchedness exposed, Another wrought my shame. A thought begot repentance dear, A thought salvation spoke ; And one proclaims a father near, To bind the reed he hrohe. Yes! I must by example^ shew These minions of the soil, That all the grace to thee I owe, Is not forbidden spoil ; — To hide, or haply to reveal The villain — wo is me ! And, stamp'd with thine infenial seal. Thou damn'd hypocrisy ! For that I cannot quote thy laws, In antiquated phrase ; Where mem'ry only wins applause, Or guilt securely plays. 11^ 1 I'l I 30 I cannot be inspired of thee, Altho' mv words declare, In all their wide variety, That I am glory's heir ! Thy Book is truth, and so is mine! Do'st thou not tell me so ? Do'stthou not breathe in ev'ry line, Dictating as I go ? And shall I hesitate to tell The wonderful decree, That fashion'd from a thing of Hell, A King and Priest to thee ! Was Paul elected to the work, By apostolic mime ? Or Him that still directs tht. stork. Upon her wonted time ? And wherefore should not mine address, Co-sacred from on high. Be measur'd with alike success In thee, Posterity? God of a thousand worlds ! the Sire ! And thou, Redeeming Son ! 31 As I proceed, do thou inspire ; I would not M^alk, but run. Did'st thou not bid me ask for all f And at my earnest pray'r, Bid me look upward to the wall, And read the writing there ? Did'st thou not bid me hush mv fears. And clasp me to thy breast ; In oceans of delicious tears, That would'nt be rcpress'd ? And strive to make me read aright, The nature of my kin To Thee, in frailty's sore despite, — Too dark as yet within ? How calm, at yon enchanting tryst, Beneath the full orb'd moon, I drank the tidings, '' thou'rt the Christ" And begg'd a final boon ; That Satan and his wretched crew, Once conquer'd by my arm; Might be created fair anew. And bolted out from harm. 32 Yes ! and ye promis'd it ; — no doubt To soothe d yearning mind. Or for a reason not made out: — But, Father ! thou art kind ! Sure ! 'tis enough to hide thy face^ Forever from the stray! They trembling own thee,— shed thy grace : Not punishment alway ? " There's no redemption after death !" Oh ! sinners, hear the cry ! Can ye not in a world of breath, Find one repentant sigh? The *' visionary " that ye scorn, And buffet in your vein, Knows ve had better ne'er been born. Than slight the mercy slain! When growing in thy favour. Lord, 1 better understood, The mystic, multifarious word ; And all pronounc'd it good. Thou call'dst me Peter, and so well Would'st build upon the rofCk, oubt ce. liy grace : ieath !" 33 That all the burning gates of Hell, Should not prevail to shock. Thy promise I exist upon ; Review me from en high : Wilt thou deceive a trusting son, And hold him up, a LIE ? If any fault in him thou see, Let it be straight ouUriv^n; On Earth he will not second be, Nor less than that in Heaven ! born, -.ord, well THE SECOND ADVENT.— 1. The Lord of glory sheds his rays abroad ; The mighty and magnificent to save ; Bathes in effulgence all that heav'nward plod, And wakes the ling'ring sleepers in the grave. Come, ye forgetful, ye ung t ^ful brood, Bask in the shadow of my radiant wing : Can ye forget the shelter that withstood '^^'e wrathful tempest of your sorrowing ? 31 How loDg,0 faitliless ! will ye scorn my cry ? How long provoke mypatience with your crimes? Think ye my justice, hood-wink'd, hath no eye, To penetrate the mystery of your climes ? False reasoners ; know. Omniscient, I discern The bolted treasons of your prison'd thought ; That,trumpet.tongued, shall one day surely learn, To speak in thunder of the ill it wrought. Wake, ye that sleep in sin's accursed snares ; Rouse the electric spark of light divine. That, pent up in your bosoms, unawares Shall burstjthe Hell else,thathath rag'd in mine. Flee, flee the terrors of the wrath to come ; Compassionate your souls that never die ; — If 1 be false, the risk is worth the sum Of a hot tear, and a repentant sigh. Now is the time, th' accepted time for all ; Reject the proffer'd mercy and ye sink : — From this proud eminence, O ! what p fall ! And will ye riot on the dreadful brink ? Omnipotent ! have mercy ! only thou Can'st snatch the fearful maniac from his way :)5 Ij eathe, breathe conviction on his boastful brow, And check the frenzied ardour of his gaze. Whisper in pity that he look on Him Who diedjthat he might Iive,a death of shame ; That saint nor angel ; higher seraphim ; Can save him, wretched, from eternal flame ! If warn'd by thee, Beneficent, he scorn Thy promises and threat'nings,wear the Crown; Better for him that he had ne'er been born : He cumbereth liiy garden — cut him down ! m mine. THE SECOND ADVENT.— 2. The Lord of Creation in judgment returns, To purify gold from the dross ; Submits to disgrace, and in agony burns, A second defeat of the cross. Accus'd of a league with the demons of Hell, In perfect submission he lies ; Assur'd that a light on the villainous spell Is about to descnd from the skies. 38 Ye few that have cherish'd him,walkiug in gloom, The hour of your triumph is come ; Your Captain exults over Death in the tomb ; — The arch-Desolator is dumb ! The gold of the wicked shall molt in their hands, The idols of brass and of clay, With all the refuse of their pride, as the sands. Shall be cast m the furnace to-dav. Be bold in his might, and rely on his word, The spirit of truth is abroad ; And the with'ring contempt of a crucified Lord, Shall appear in the glance of the God ! A CHRISTIAN ADVICE. " Do this "nd live." Would, dearest Father, I could shew— What words, alas ! shall never — How great a share of bliss they know, That, rising from a night of wo, Feel they are thine forever ? 37 How shake they off their doubts and fears, How breathe a purer air; How beautiful the world appears— The gloomy, erst — the vale of tears — The heritage of care ! Fain would I show the Infidel, The riches of the place ; Even tr the heav'niy bosom-swell, When it hath got a tale to tell Of whispered righteousness ? But, ah ! ho will not learn of me, The vict'ry to achieve ; — He will not put his trust in thee ; He will not try humility^ And what can I, but grieve ? What is humility / as not With vice or filth to walk — To chime with ev'ry tinkling sot^ That dares humanity to blot ; — And hum that he may talk f No, Arthur, — soon to be mine ownj-^*- Ponder my words aright ! b3 \ 38 4m 60 to your chamber ; be alone-^ You need not let the thing be known— And sigh for heav'niy light! Fling settl'd phrase and form of pray'r, For this once to the wind : Give God— oh ! recollect — the care^ Of time and place—and give him, there, Your Iieartf and soul, and mind. Remember, Arthur ! all your heart; Let nothing interfere, To rouse you to an active part : Let thought, word, deed : art or no art : Have freedom—GOD IS NEAR! And— mark me— when you look for Grace, Tho' you confusion find, You cannot wander from the place, Where God may shew a smiling face ; Have patience,— you are blin4 / Art sorry for a wretched act, Committed in the shade? Re Ob 39 )wn — Hepentant tears attest the fact r — Oh ! Arthur ! — henceforth be exact ;- Your peace with Heaven in made ! •ay^r, there, art: or Grace, Q » FREE GRACE. Heir to the Promises or Death ? ConceivM and born in sin ; My purest pray'r a guilty breath. And wither^ hope within. Say, shall 1 on the mountains cry. To hide me and my grief 1 Or shew the hills an aching eye. For pardon and relief? Corae, heavy laden, unto me, And I will give you rest ! Oh ! — Lord! I cannot go to thee, With this polluted breast. My stubborn and rebellious heart. Refuses to obey ; And wills to choose the better part To-morrow, not io-dati. 40 Still — tho' thy sins as scarlet be, They shall be white as snow ; Or, crimson'd with iniquity, They shall be wool to know. Believe that 1 can pardon them, And freest grace receive . Lord ! Lord! at once you may condemn- / cannot e'en believe / Bs comforted, my erring child ; Sincerity so sore, A Father never yet beguil'd : Go thou and sin no more. I look on mine anoiuted's face. Delighted turn to thee ; And find reflected all the grace, He won thee on the tree. CALVARY. Lo ! sinners repentant, your triumph is nigh ; The standard of calvary gleams in the sky ^ The grave \b defeated, and Death, with his stinir, jlfiS nrnno in iitrx At-.r^^ t -f?-.J- TT* 41 iemn — (.; Sting, The clouds that o'ershadow'd your visions of old, Are bright in the sunshine of silver and gold ; The bubbles of earth and of ocean are o'er, Andtheir raadd'ningaccost shall arrestye no more. The pipe and the dance have succeeded to strife, And harmony beams in the op'ning of life ; The veil of your sorrows is rent and away, And your eyes are a light in the glory of day. The mountains shall clapas they bend toyour lays; The valleys resound in a tumult of praise : The rocks shall rejoice in the fervor of song, And the wilderness echo in gladness along. Hosanna ! to Him that hath conquerM, afar, With mercy and might in his coronal star ; He comes in the powV of bis wrath to declare. That vict'ry is lost u the Prince of the air. Behold him ! ye chosen ; the Way and the Door! Your shepherd returns, and the fold is before : The treasures of earth are with Dives out-driy'n 42 THE 15th of may, 1834. Day rose in gloom and rob'd in snow, Strove upward for a kindly glow, And faintly smil'd at noon ; Then, struggling downward, caught the ray. And plung'd in crimson clouds, away From terror, and the moon. Sd fares it with the christian knight ; The shield of Faith unbent for fight, And worldly armor on. TillHeav'n directed, he withdraws From sin's accursM and damning laws : — To thee, my dearest Son. Then, fearless, to the strife he turns, The world and its delusion spurns. And, lo ! the lights of Fame ! Fame, that the lofty mountain snows Of Thibet, in their cloud repose, Might well reflect in vain. There is a sun,— bow bright ! how far I That angel thought can mend nor mar, . High o^er the arch of time ; 43 ow, That shines in unreflected light, Too dazzling for created sight,- Inoflable ! sublime ! : the ray, ht. aws : — •ns, I Clogg'd with the efforts she reveals, Imagination backward reels, Upon a kindred soil : — Hopeless, to penetrate the veil, Where cherub imperfections fail. Exhaust, in the turmoil. Great God ! direct us here below, The source and fount of all, to know The needful of thy plan. Still guide us in the sacred path, That leads us scatheless from thy wrath, And hallows us as ONE. ir far ! , mar,. SUBMISSION. 'Tis vain against the pricks to strive The verse will not run free, 44 i ^" That, humbly, Lord ! I would contrive. In reverence to thee. Well ; good it seemeth in thy sight ; And good it needs must be ; Or now, or never more to write, 'Tis thine to govern me. P Obedience to thy high command. In all we say or do, Thou hast exacted at our hand — An easy lesson, too. For in thy saving strength we feel, A muneraiy balm ; A soft'ning, sturdier than steel, — Inexorably calm. So sinks the ocean at thy best. Beneath a breathless sun, Transcendant type of holy rest, In trembling faith begun. O ! let me ever thus abide, The workings of thy will ; Where'er I go, whate'er betide, An/1 Cni\A i}nr^n. fvu.^^!^..^ -a!!! 15 HYMN. Sing to the praise of God ! The wonderful, the great ; Whose awful and prolific nod, A thousand worlds await ! The chariot of the sun. The glorious orb of day, As his commands, benignant, run, Wheelij on its burning way. At night, the placid moon, And starry radiance, milu. Shed on the earth his silent boon. To soothe the weary child. The darkness and the storm, The sunshine and the cal Alike are fashion'd into form, flis terror or his balm. m, Let Ocean. Fianrl n7»r1 \\r With loud hosannas rinj? : 46 pfl i ■ i i W|! w^ > ■ \ 1 ' ' 1 And heavenly harps the burthen bear, In thunder to their King To Father and the Son, And Spirit, one in three, And three in one be honor done. To all eternity. ANOTHER. How holy is the Lord ! To magnify his name. Let Seraph's brighter pen record. The characters in flame ! How merciful in might, A humbPd world shall know. When hidden wounds are brought to light. And Mara's waters flow. Vi I How terrible in ire ; The lightning's in his path. 47 Tell in a storm of whirring fire, The scorners of his wrath. Call ! call upon him now ! Ye doubters, rend the sky ! Bend ! hend! ere ye shall vainly bow, In hopeless agony ! Oh, God ! in pity, hear The wretched sinner's wail ; Or hide him in that day of fear, When Heav'n and Earth shall fail ! SICK AT HEART. Oh ! weary, weary is my soul, Of this uncertain world ; Sick of a race without a goal, Or one by Fancy whirl'd ;— But now conversant with (he skies,- The "Holy One* proclaim'dj-l And now. beset with fan*«o:..« Unfitting to be nam'd f 40 Are all the lovely visions, that My fervent spirit saw, On yon etherial Arrarat, In mockVy to withdraw ? And those that sooth'd my aching heart, Upon a lowly bed — Returning Reason at her part — Hallucination fled ! Oh ! bright and beautiful they were, And heav'nly true they seemM ; — Henceforth belief, however fair, Be never more esteem'd. A broken spirit yields its trust, — Despairs, that would adore : — Dust am I, and return to dust, And who shall tell us more ? I FAVORITE LINES. Written on the Lake Shore at Cobourg. My FATHER!— the endearing word, 49 How like a wounded weary bird, I wish my flight were o*er I My lowly flight in nether skies, Afar from Jight and thee ; Save only such as starry eyes, Dim shadow unto me. 'Tis hard to say yon orb is dim, For glorious is its shine ; But then the eye of Seraphim, Before thy face divine ! And ! that face, my Father, God, Eternal ; and the goal :— The clod, the clod, the weary clod ; Oppressive, binds my soui ? GOD IS HERE. Again, unhappy mortal, bound To shame the rising morn ; Inebriate nn nnlmll/^wM /««^..^j To work thy Maker scprn ? c *^p»s 50 *> »J ' > V'hat have I done, that thou shoulu dt be, The enemy thou art to me^? Do'st thou not know me, wretched one, The author of thine all? The lord of this indulgent sun, That shines upon ihy fall? Think'st thou, if I did wish thee guile. That he to bid thee hope, should smile ? Do'st thou beUeve, that all the pain Thou suffer' st, hath no cigp, Thy riadd'ning folly to restrain ; And force thee to be mine ? Lov'st thou the laughter or the glee, That drugs thy cup of irony ? If ever thou did'st, weary, rest ; If pain'd, did'st find relief; If sorrowing e'er, in hope wert blest ; Or joy 'd in absent grief: The care, the woe, a lesson shew'd. To prick thee to the peaceful road. There's not a thought within thy breast, An action in thy frame ; 'A r. it be, Of ^vliich I am not all possess 'd, De.:;pite thine evil claim. Read as I bid thee, take mine ey* ^ , And henceforth study and be wis^ . Come, would'st thou lock within the veil, Behold the veil withdrawn ; A God and Father holds the scale, Nor fear him thou, nor fawn. As thou wouldst have thy neighbor do, Thou in his stead, that course pursue. How can'st thou look, the reason scan. For life when thou wilt die ? Can'st truth expect from God or Man, In barter for a lie ? Who damns the proud in their own trust, Still swears he will protect the just. Who can be just? Thyself [—the whole Of the first Adam's race ! The second Adam purg'd the soul, The third hath fix'd its place. The sparrow's fate is link'd with thine^ And chain'd to the eternal shrine. i* 52 What tho' the task be somewhat imrd, Thy former self to chide ? What if a wanderer ill-starr'd, My wrath on thee abide ? What if thou diest ? — 'tis my decree ;~ " Come heavy laden unto me." Go to, avoid the serpent sting, That all too oft hath slain ; The sun with healing on his wing, Entreats thee to refrain. There's fearful mock'ry in the glass, And death, and horror — let it pass ! Return to thy neglected home, Thy widow'd help-mate cheer ; In ignorance no longer roam. But take thy ju('gment here. Be patient underneath the rod, And triumph — thou hast met tut Go© ! 53 GIVE ME A TONGUE. Mine own dear Lord, if I have found, That favor in thy sight ; That grace with which I would abound, That triumph in thy might : That hour for which Fve sigh'd and sung : Give me, Omnipotent, a Tongue ! How shall a head and heart like mine, So full of this sweet fire ; So eager in thy praise to join, Still languish with desire ? Still with a barren love be wrung ? Give me, Munificent, a Tongue ! Lo ! in my envious ears, the gift. Incessantly proclaimed; Thy merest children lisp, and lift Their gratitude unsham'd. While I, the mark'd of old and young, Want common utt'rance— give me Tongut ! Have I not seen thee in thy strength T p 54 ^M i r ^^^^» li Hath not my spirit, been the length, Of universal love — Half fault'rjng whence creation spring? Unutt'rablCj — give me a Tongue ' Give me lo tell repentant earth, That, wet with mercy's tears ; She wins, absolved, a second birth, The end of all her fears. That ey'ry harp in heav'n is strung, To grace her welcome— give me Tongue ! Give me to guide the tender feet, To no revengeftd shrine ; Commission'd from the Mercy-seat, Let all their guilt be mine. Oh ! by the cross on which ye hung, My slander'd God, give me a Tongue ! Give me to dry the widow's tears, The orphan heart to cheer ; To speak of God, as God appears ; To me, divinely dear. Give me to tell them how he clung, Heart-broken to them^Givfi mp Tr^««„« i 5!) ng ongue ! " Forgive them, Father !— ah ! they know- They know not what they do !" / claim to follow thee below, And say forgive them, too. Remember ! now thou art among Thy mercies infinite— Oh ! Tongue ! He MUST forgive—the first axd last, Is tortur'd by their wail ; Till th' last agony be past, Almighty strength must quail. Eternal God ! let me be stung To madness quite,— but give me Tonguo ! 5 I 0«» i '*GOD SHALL BE ALL IN ALL.'' Oh ! hast thou not an equal pen, Wide o'er this earthly ball ; To mould my thoughts of thee to men, Thou dearer far than all ? Hath love, Omnipotent, no pow'r. To dissipate the haze, 56 That clouds my epirit in the hour, That it would paint thy praise ? Can spirit not with spirit join, To force the sluggish brain ; Beneath an energy divine, To weave an angel strain ? Must flesh and blood forever boast, Of conquest o'er a soul ; And triumph that the Holy Ghost, Still bows to its control ? Oh ! all my hopes on this fair earth, By the Eternal giv'n ;' And dearer hopes had never birth, Beneath the arch of Heav'n : How would I sacrifice ye all, For pow'r to frame one lay ; Freed from the dull depressing thrall, Of this despotic clay ! I Wake, God of Truth, put on thy strength ; Prove the imbecile lie, That fetters thee to length and breadth ; And substance will deny. 57 Make me the agent of a song, That shall at once unfold, The glories that to Thee belong ;• MATERIAL it is told ! II, •ength ; .dth ; ONE FOLD, ONE SHEPHERD. One fold, one shepherd — Be it so ; — Still God above, be God below : And, as I seek, thy joys to prove. The realms of everlasting love ; Let me be at thy footstool known, No pleader for a dastard throne : — Too rich in any grace divine, That wisdom shall award as mine. i>f But if, in all thy wide domain, One little spot shall yet remain ; Untenanted by things of seuse, That never kiiew thy providence ; And if a better be not found, 0'«g ? Who hath not heard of Altamont astray, The victim of a brothel. syren's tongue? Intemp'rance found him a rap't nation's pride; — She lefi him outcast and a — Suicide ! Come thou Religion in thy robes of light, The conqu'ring banners of the Cross unfurl'd ; Expel the dark fiend from the aching sight, And give repose to a repentant world. In mercy come, ere drunkenness efface, The last faint image of a God-like race ! I 1 l{ li 1 MONODY •N THE DEATH OF GEORGE M*KENZIE, ESQtllRE Late of Kingston, U. C. Gone to the courts above ! Exchang'd the mock'ry of an earthly bar, On terms of love ! Well — God be prai«'d ! another burning star, Shines out above ! 65 f :ide: — Te had no triumph, Plagu<* : — He found no terror, in thy darkling nod. Oblique and vague, Loom out and threaten ; — all the sons of God, Spit on thee, PlaguQ. furlM ; Bright spirit ! one behind, Whose love was passing woman's, yearns to be, Like thee refin'd. Did ye not look on him, atid grieve, th iit ho Was left behind ? atiiRF Oh i this is fondness, quite : — Your lamentation ceasi? g to annoy, On that blest night ; Grew heav'nly pity mingled with your joy, And, God roquite ! star, Be thou my angel, George : — The messenger of love, and joy, and peaee. Till, in the gorge Of mortal desolation, I decrease, To increase, George ! 66 »*>. i1 1 ^1f f 1 My dearest friend, flircwell ! Ye but have gone to supper with the lamb, Earlier, to tell Tour boundless gratitude ; while, here / am- Oh ! faro thee we!' ! TO I;\FIDELITY. O! Infidelity! Throw thine unholy scoffs for once aside ; Av/aken thee : bid'st never have a hope, that, gratified, Pointed to where the soul was satisfied ? Did'st never know, The ample fulness of a bosom's choice, Absent from woe ? Nor hear, in opposition to thy voice Despairing, one that inly said rejoice ? Did'st never feel. The mild effulgence of a vernal night, 67 am- And balmv, steal O'er fliy rapt sensibilities ; nor plight, Thy fond remembrace to a scene so bright ? Did'st never iiear, The sigh of maiden modesty, proclaim A passion near ; That for its object only had thy name ? For its sweet adoration but thy fame ? Hast never kiiown The hand of friendship, in an hour of dreaf' Link'd in thine own ? Nor ever fed on a moist eye, that shed, Its holy influence o'er thine aching head ? Hast never frcwn'd On hideousness ? Frown on, frown on ; Till thou hast crown'd Young reason o'er again ; and the loves gone. In sadness from thy 'nighted heart,their throne, Thou hast been blest, And therefore maifst be blest again — been curst. 6!J And hast confess'tl, The fallacy of hope : — Thou hast been nurs'd, In sweet forgetfulness; or hist, or fust. And now at fault, The acme of true wisdom ; Ignorance — How lame and halt, In all but thine own nothingness ! — at once Condemns, rejects, and liings thee on thy CHANCE ! f r-i And what thy chance ? Tne pow'r acknowledg'd, at whose merest nod, Systems advance — retard ; And men presumptuous, devious plod, To its eternal rectitude — my GOD. Then, Infidelity, Throw all thine ill-directed scoffs aside ; Awaken thee : — Give God thy hopes and fears, whatever be- tide. And all else may be doubted and defied. 69 WINTER. A SERMON VERSIFIKD. I. Rude tyrant of tlie year, stern Winter cornea, And o'er the landscape sheds a gloom profound; Apt season for us ^11 to count the sums Of moments wasted ; grave, to look around, \nd learn from Nature whither we are bound. Dead and disfio-ur'd, the fast falling leaves, Submit their sapless wrecks to the hoarse sound Of his wild requiem ; that which man receives, In GUISE of grief, conducts him to the ground. With all the pomp of art; here natural wall is found , II The hills are grey, thai yesterday were green The oaks are wither d like ihe hopes of age ; Stripp'd of their g^udy foliage they are seen, Breasting the tempest, shudd'ring to engage, And now uprooled by its fearful rage. Strewn with tlie miiihtv desolation, earth (t roans her «ad lesson to tho tardy sage; — -^ ii 70 Her annual lesson from her earliest birth, And iron-penn'd on brazen hist'ry's page ; ^' Successful strife with Time, no mortal stren^^th can wage." III. With firm determined pace the hour comes on, When all the pageantry of lite shall pass ; Alike the victor and the vanquish'd gone ! Alike the lov'd and hated,-~flesh is grass. — The proudest names on monumental brasp, Shall yield their ostentation, as the rust Of each succeeding ago, devours what was But dust at first, and must again be dust. Of nature's works, there is no fav'rite class ; All hurrying svreep to Death—au undistinguish'd mass. IV. '*-i How little, then, our petty feuds and hates, Seem in the average of this vast decay ; How vain in us to anticipate the fates," And thrown our little all of life awav ! Ah ! let us well improve the nas^iiio- day. Live in unbounded charily witii al), — 71 e ; — trength For we have need of it as we'l as they ; — And we shall meet ihe universal call, With lighter hearts and better, to display, Where winter never clouds,bright spring's eternal rav. es on, 3.' '«, as ass ; >*uish'd "'3 ,,>, SPRING. I. Featly perform 'd the merry task of Spring, The green leaves quiver on awaken 'd trees ; Again their fragrance the gay flow'rets fling, In emulous profusion to the breeze : And listen to the humming of the bees, — The tiny robbers, the delicious cheats ; — Pilf ring the nectar from Titania's pease, And levying tribute from unnumber'd sweets, To provender their palaces of ease. Ere burly winter come, their energies to freezt. 72 \'m. The feather'd songsters have obey'd her voice : Th* electric voice of spring— and in full choirs Bid nature in her inmost oaves rejoice, At the unveiling of her vestal fire. [mire The hills and dales, the groves and streams ad- The renovated lustre of their dves : And all in lively gratitude aspire, To bloom, to flow, and fasten on the skies, Their varied looks of love ; that might inspire, Unhallowed unbelief, with similar desire. III. S#b The husbandman hath promise from the soil, Of golden interest in return for care ; And hope hath whisper'd with her wonted smile, Lean thou on me and we shall mock despair. Though prodigal of wealth she's bankrupt ne'er; Witness the buoyant step, the beaming eye, The voice of gladness, and the genial air Of youth and loveliness, where she is nigh. Hope smiles on solitude and it is fair ; &he breathes on agony aud the f)hysician'«j there. r voice : 11 choir> [mire ams ad- 3S, inspire. i soil 9 id smile, ;pair. pt ne'er; ye, ir rh. % there. 73 IV. The magic of her wand, — of Spring the wand, Hath melted all the links of Winter's chain ; The genius of the waters lifts his hand, And all is bustle o'er his wide domain. The Fike-King's at his Alchemy again, BvSteam transmuting stocks and stones to gold; The winds of prejudice have rag'd in vain, And having bluster'd till their tale is told, Now feebly let, or follow in his train ; — Hail ! to thee glorious SxEAMjvictor o'er earth and main ! V. Wake,saith the Spring,and enterprize upstarts, Shakes his wide pinions, and outstrips the wind; i Hrs banner'd trumpets rouse the slumbering And industry and perseverance, find [marts, Dame Fortune in the wake he leaves behind. Health ! I invoke thee ; breathe thou but on me A few short summers, and the sun n'er shin'd Upon a climate where I will not be, A courting that same lady till she's kind ; Or pent in Labrador, or the farthest Ind^ c3 lt*J ' 74 VI. Be, saith the Spring, and straight the loves of earth, Shoot from the ashes of the past-away ; Deck'd in the laughing comeliness of mirth, And all the radiance of an eastern day. They are, unmindful of the hest decay, That groan'd upon their birth. If one might crave. Without impiety, who would not pray For a long respite for them from the grave ? But ah ! the fairy visions will not stay ; They fade ev'n in my verse, they wither in my lay. VII. Yet, ye were welcome. Spring, and nowfulfill'd Your ever gentle task, why fare ye well ; To other realms ye pass, where, winter-chill'd, Young hopes must flourish as ye weave your spell. And joy, like ours, their morning dreams to tell: Would I went with thee, were it but to hear The soul-enchanting music of thy spell ; 73 oves of And yet, approving Helen should be near, Or my young heart, I fear me, would rebel, And neither love thy volGe, nor seek with th«o to dwell. irth, might ve ? ny lay. fuimi'd I; cbiird, a your to tell: 3ar * TO SPRING. I. Spring? Welcome ! Welcome ! fascinating maid ; Of Age the solace, and ot Youth the queen. In all thy laughing loveliness array'd. Thrice welcome ! Nature, weary of the spleen, To grace thine advent dons her freshest green. Ambrosial perfumes fill the wanton air ; And Flora, buoyant at thy joyous mien, Culls the pied garland for thy golden hair : While o'er thine iv'ry shoulder's polish'd sheeOt Snatching a coy embrace, arch frolic peeps ua- seen. II. And thou art come again ! and young Delight; And Learning Rapture, gambol in thy train ; iW; M 7tt And ruddy Health, in Hypo's wan despite, Leaps on the hills, and riots on the plain. The rivers, drunk with ecstacy again, Dance in thine influence, doff their glassy cloaks. And sweep their teeming burthens to the main. The lakes are laughing too, und all provokes ^ Rous'd Industry, to 'oreak his brittle chain. Full in foil'd Winter's face, now grappling him in vain. iir. I Who doth not love thee, Spring? The child of Song? His rapt eye holds thee, and thy varied charms Blend in his dreamy smile— a fairy throng As on a sunny spot, that fancy ^arms For the freed soul, from earth and its alarms. O ! thou art lovely, passing alf beside ; Ripe, blushing into life from Winter's arms, As light from di rkness ; or a blooming bride, From the embrace of Age. My bosom warmth To look upon thy face— a balm for mortal harms. 77 te, uii. cloaks, e main, jkes tain, him in hiJd of ;hanns larms. rms, ide, IV. And yet there are, who, dismal, gentle S ;ring, Thy virgin blandishments repel with scorn ; As if to smile were treason to Leav'ns King, And virtue lov'd the darkness, not the morn. O ! why should weeds hke these, be, rank, up- borne. Upon the flow'ry breast of life's parterre ? Why should an aspect cynical be worn ? Why should hypocrisy obliquely dare ? Ingrates avaunt ! Live friendless and forlorn ; Of mild humanity's indulgent beams self-shorn. V, Give me the man — the racy wish was thina, Inimitable Sterne — who'll gaily quaff, Of virtuous pleasure, till his eye-balls shine ; Be pleas'd he knows not why — nor cares ; %9 chaff Of a lean harvest ; no deceptions draff. A soul congenial in the walks of life ; Among the roughness, an unyielding staff. So blest, Spring will pervade the heart, tho' rif# Ij 78 Be storms'witho! t. — D— rd hate— if I could hate,. - ti:*" 'TiOrose riff-raff, — p, ' .;.n that will not laugh. I VI. Excuse me Spring, I read an anecdote, Which, with your ladyship's permission, I Will iterate ; let it not be forgot, A certain saint— whose sirname, by-the-bye, Begins like mine — was ever known to sigh. And, during a long life, not once to smile. Being question'd of the wherefor and the why; *' Vm on a razor's edge,'' he said, the while ; ''Heav'n upon thii%ide, Hell V the other eye, And balancing to fall r 'Tis horrible, by— by— VII. Spring ! thou art cheerful, wherefore should not maw. Child of the same Omnipotence, be gay ? Thou wert not form'd to frown at, though the ban Primeval, robb'd thee of some beauties stray, . And made thee changeable, like pleasure's ray. riff-raff, will not ssion, I the- bye, 3 sigh, le. he why; hile; ier eve, r — by — 79 Whate'e^ be.ide, Pit worship at thy shrine, And scati thy loveliness while it is day. Bright emanation of a light divine, All should be happy with thee, while they may; Virtue hath but one creed, — ' T' enjoy is to obey.' VIII. Farewell, I'm tir'd of writing of thee. Spring ; The joys of Paradise itself, did pall, Till cur jsity had ta'en its fling. To prick on contrast, — bad enough to all. A certain Gentleman, too, had a fall, Averse to tovjours perdrixy I opine ; — A ticklish subject this, — and so I crawl To the corner of my paper, and resign The prosecution of this lengthen'd scrawl : Farewell, dear Spring, farewell. Ah ! me this ruthless drawl. ould not the ban stray, i e's ray. 80 7 n tin JOHN SIMPLE. A TALE. "I kato humbug, and would eschew that cant and fa- naticism, which are at present tainting extensive por- tions of society, as sincerely as I venerate and wish to cultivate a spirit of sober, manly and rational piety." —Dic.ry of a London Physician. Young Simple was a Grocer's Clerk, His christian name was John ; And up was he to ev'ry quirk, That Grocers love to con. For wetting sponge, tobacco, snuff, And eke baptizing rum, Or sanding sugar just enough ; His equal is to come. His master, Rufus Deacon was, Familiarly cali'd old, — Whose daughter, Sue, a buxom lass, Was worth her weight in gold. Old Deacon likmg well his parts. And Deacon's daughter, Sue ; John played, and won the king of heail*, And queen of diamonds too. 81 and fa- ve por- wish to I piety." A litter of young Simples tall, Soon sprouted like their Pa' : — ' The boys I mean, the girls were all, The image of Mamma : — 3\d Rufus soberly interr'd, The will without a flaw, A golden plum on John conferr'd, To gild the griefs of a\ O ! Fortune ! tell me how it comes, That never comes to me ? A truant stray of all the plums, Are shaken from thy tree ? Perhaps my modesty's at fault,— But turn we to (ho tale, Which must not thus inglorious halt, At ev'ry fruitless wail. — ail*, Now Blister Pimple, who but he ? From Scripture got the lore ; That talents ten at usury, Fu!l soon become a score. Accordingly his funds were brought Conveniently to nurse ; ite/ ffii ^ 82 Tillce/itj?cr centum, fast as thought, Came chinking to his purso. Here was a chance for happiness, In richLo if it be; But Simple M^anted " saving giace," A saving man was he. His conscience prick'd him once or twice, His early pranks anent ; And so, to " Meeting," for advice, And Medicine, he went. A pi^rty, " Grace and Glorv" cramm'd. Poor Simple) took in charge : Who kindly told him he'd be damn'd. With all the world at largo. The only loop-hole for escape, From Satan and his Cisw ; So narrow was, thet ^car^-e an ape. Could fairly wriggk i\ rough; Yes, Heav-n a nee ile's eyelet was, A dromedarv he : Whose hump must quarrel with the pais. Till saueezed hv 'nve>r\M _. .*r7! ' «> B3 U >» ar twice, m'd, I'd, pais. Kut, the burthen of his sinful wealth, They cheerfully would share ; A precious soul's e-iar-nal health, Was worthy all their care. Then Oil of Grace or rusty lock?, On backward heav'niv doo "s ; Was manufactnr'd by their flocks, And sold in sainlly stores. Ineffable its virtues were, He could nh choose but buy ; And turning oft the key of pray'r ; A gate might open fly. But stilK fr^iitior: was the Lord's ; The tend«^r plant to speed, Mast, vainly strive, as Paul records, Unless xle blest the seed. Thm .^.inple, lectur'd for the nonce, Submitted to despond ; And many a day his addle-sconce. Fanatic lesson conn'd ; Til sin was fairly on her back, A«. J -.11 W.^ aI_!-_ r^^ i.U. ait UiSi xiiiiiiiiy V% lis. \ :^^ i 1 84 Exchang'd for a redeeming knack, At Epileptic Jits. Now mark the consequence; — his doors, Became a thoroughfare, For all the holy rogues and , That chose to snuffle there. In vain poor hapless Susan pled, For privacy at home ; The world is His, the husband said, And let Him take the dome. But this arrangement talley'd no, With Master George and Joe's Ideas of propriety, As ye may Well suppose. Remonstrance on remonstrance fair, On bootless errand sped ; Till, for their pains, the luckless pair Were disinherited. The girls assum'd tueir brothers' fray,— Matilda, Anne, and Sue, — Which soon became their own, for they Were alienated too. 85 doors, i. air •ay,~ thev . This iWVd the iiiOther's martyr cup, Fuil bitter,' to the brim ; — S})e quafF'd the with'ring portion up, And humbly look'd to Him ! They buri'd her, and joyfully, The '' Dying Christian" sung ! Oh ! the Devil take Hypocrisy, And blister'd be her tongue. Give Treason to convulse the earth, Bid Rape and Murder slav : Thou sniveling Hypocrite stand forth ; Thou'rt deeper damn'd than thev ! 'Tvvas " glory ! glory ! glory r now, In parlor and in hall ; And triumph sat on evVy brow, But his that fed them all. A remnant of humanity. Still lingered m his breast ; • That superstitious vanity. Had never sooth'd to rest. In vain they prate of heav'nly joys, iAiO iip iiJUigijaui; cliiiu J li • «6 Me thinks upon his noble boys, Thrown friendless on the world. And, haply, wand'ring cold and bare, His peerless daughters three ; — Oh ! bitter his reflections are, And bitter may they be ! Yet still, the phantom " grace to save,'* Came ne'er a whit the nigher ; Tho' thousands John the heathen gave, To keep them from the fire. And eke, to aggravate his lot, His leading Banker fail'd ; And then his temper, — whose would not, On ev'ry hand assaiPd ? John rav'd, and storm'd, and 5icore,that woop Had lost its self-control ; 'Neath half the poundings he had stood, To sanctify his soul. A righteous judgment, said a friend, Hath lighted on the Goat ; John thought as much, and so, to mend Th« uittUci,- 87 Now, ponder well, ye Grocers' cleiiu, The moral of my tale : — Where snuffling superstition lurks, There *s mischief iu the gale. e ?> ve, not, it WOOP }od, iiid LIFE. What saith Philosophj of Lift, In wisdom and experience rife ? *♦ *Tis, as the lights of Ages teach, A long Disease, and Death, the Loach.** Hath Infancy, that seems addressed To the last drop in Kebe*s breast, Imbib*d disease ? encountered cara ? Or sorrowed at a fount so fair ? The idiot eye that upwards turns,-— The eye a mother's smile that spurns, The lip compress'd,---the scream of iro^w impotent rage, and wild desire ;— Might to the questions minister ; ' rof, trutn a ttmri, amU BUcJMhingf art. 88 It vegetates, a weed of dolo : It breathes, a thing without a soul ; Blind to its wants, to others' blind; A stranger to its kindred, kind ; And favor'd most, consigned to tears, An aching week of lengthen'd years. And this is health ? — 'tis gall, 'tis gall ; Or poetry or prattle all ! '^i' Turn we the eye on envied Youtk, Unveil'd before the glass of Truth ; And what a hideous form is there. To worship with admiring stare ! Dissimulation, malice, feud : Impiety, ingratitude ; Lust, aV'rice, the desire of change, Iiividious hatred, and revenge ; Each vice imagin'd, and cont'ess'd Indigenous to human brtjast ; Alt-ernate rules in that dark form, Trick'd and bedizen'd for the worm. If these be health's indubious signs, 89 l^ass we a few precarious sceneSf And Age, the crisis, supervenes. O, eick, and sickly at the strife, The weary soul recedes from life ; Faint turning as for once to cast, Sane scrutiny upon the past. But all a wilderM maze appears, Of sterile hopes, and blasted years ; All bleak and bare, no verdure nigh ; No green spot for the glazing eye : — Then breaks the heart, and the last breathy Yields up the malady to Death ! Thus saith Philosophy of Life, In wisdom and experience rile ; But Faith a holier lesson reads. And heav'n-ward from the cradle speedi. May all with her unwearied trace, The thorny paths to righteousness ; Secure that seeming ills are sent, Redemptive — not in punishment. So may religion also teaeh, J' f * -rw 1 Tk^-.«l. aU^ 1 ^^^Ll i! 90 !• ANOTHER. Youth, like the sun in an eastern sky, Smiles on the Landscape that meets his eye ; And like a flow'r in its early time, Blooms in despite of a withering clime, ijorrow falls on his heart, like (^ -w On the sensitive plant that would shrink from view; So light that each trace of its transient stay, The morning zepher will brush away. Manhood prides in his boasted pow'r, Like the gorgeous sun, in his noon-tide hour ; And the stately oak is an emblem rare. Of the strength and the beauty concenter'd ^here- Revels elate in his lordly breast Joy ; and beams on his ample crest, — Like the hectic flush on the brow of fever, That glows ere health be gone for ever. All is change in this world below : Whether of joy or whether"of woe. As follow the shadows on history's page, So Manhood and Youth must give place to Age. Then is life like the glimmering ray. That $rleams last in tho wake rif l\o,t.nMir^^ jU,, . Ei 91 E;e the stuvin.rraugiit clouds from the dark north sweep, And obscure its faint .shine on a shudd'ring deep ; Till it fades on the eye, like a worsted sprite, And is lost in the gloom of impervious night. THE GRAVE. What is the Grave ?— The world replies,- A loath'd and lonely spot ; Where foul and fair commingled by, Dishonored and forgotten lie, In pestilential rot. The young, the old ; the rich, the poor; The dastard and the brave : The tyrant white, the aptive moor ; The vicious, and the virtuous doer ; Abominate the Grave. What is the Grave ? A voice from Heaven Arrests the ear of Faith,— A bed of peace for care o'er striven ; A haven to the tempest-driv'n ; IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) //A m.. ^ ^ fe {/ *^, ^is '^^^^ ^. . '^0 :/. 1.0 I.I 1.25 2.8 IIM 22 2.0 111= U III 1.6 6" Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 4r ^ ^ Cv * \ •» 92 * A gate that leads /rom Death. ' The virtuous on pollution's tide, In living streams shall lave ; When vice shall with ohlivion bide, And none but the arch-homicide, Shall occupy the Grave. THE MAGICIAN'S INVOCATION. Ye beautiful beings in earth and air, Come to the Being that made you fair ; Come in your loveliness, come in your pride, From your wand'ring homes to youi chieftian's side. What have you seen in your wand'rings, say, In the mild blue night or the gorgeous day 1 Where are the sprites that have wrought you harm Which of the minions must I disarm f Where are the pow'rs in immensity. That have frown'd on the loves so dear to m^ ? ' 93 Ye rave, 3^e rave, ye pitiful things. In your viewless hopes and imaginings ; Ye never can reach the innmaculate rest, That is found in the heart of Infinity's breast, For if one of you ever that spot could see, 'Twere night to the Universe, sweets, and me. Hie, hie ye away to your unseen groves, Unseen by the essence of grosser loves ; And diffuse in your passage this news from him, To whom you are dear as the seraphim ; That ere long ye shall all be aa fast and free? As your rainbow natures are fit to be ; And that all the evil that mars the day, For ever and ever shall pass away. TO MRS. W. I. To thee, who, of all, I love dearest on earth, With anguish and wretchedness torn, h I; h 94 li'. Pi 1 turn from the orgies of dissolute mirth, \nd thou wilt not treat me with scorn. Thy bosom, of virtue the beautiful site. Must grieve at the follies I share ; And sigh that I often impair its delight, But there cannot be treachery there. II. Betrayed by the friends in whose faith I repos'd, Neglected by those I esteem ; To the sneers of contemptible folly exposM, And the scoffs of the prudent that seem ; The miseries that poverty heaps on my head, And the with'ri^g suggestions of care, Are all in thy glance of affection unread, — Oh ! there cannot be treachery there. III. Condignly /suffer — the. sins of niy youth. With int'rest revert on my age : But what h^sithou done thou meek symbol of truth To be writ in this terrible page ? 95 Where'er through Eternity destined to roam / enter on bliss or despair ; For e^ctliere must be a felicitous home, — There cannot be treachery there. - reposM, 'd. I ead of I ruth TO THE SAME, IN ABSENCE. When I think on the terrible change of pur lot What we are, what we once us'd to be ; The pulse of my heart beats insnff'rably hot And yet, dearest, I grieve but for thee. I took thee from wealth and from friends that did weep, » As they prest thee in grief to their hearts ; And that bade me their treasure religiously keep From the frowns of the world and its smarts. Oh ! fondly I clasp'd the dear gift in my arms And to cherish it fervently vow'd ; And my life at this hour to protect thee from harms. Would be joyfully, gladly bestow'd. '• t. ¥ 9(i Can 1 think of the years of unsullied dehght, That our loves have so blisfuUy spent, Nor repine at their cruel and desperate flight, And the bitter reverse we lament ? Can I think on the fate of our dear little boys, To poverty doom'd and disgrace — Ah ! not to disgrace, when misfortune annoys ! — And let happiness beam in my face ? Can I think of the hopes we so tenderly nurs'd, All rebel, ungrateful, and fled ; Nor deem thee a martyr to marriage ? accursM For the sins which should light on my head ? Can I think of all this, among strangers the while, That suspiciously look on my garb, — Now faded and worn, like my heart ; — and yet smilf^ ? O ! too deeply hath enter'd the barb ! \ But to Him that can temper the wind to the lamb All my loves and my cares I bestow ; He only can read the lone thing that lam, And the weary extent of my woe ! Farewell ! I can never behold thee again, Till unfetter'd from Poverty's thrall ; How long or how short in her fangs I remain, Is hut known to the Knower of All 97 It, ?ht, >ys, oys!— urs'd, cursM 3ad ? i while, nd vet ) lamb LLNES, Written on the Death of my youngest Boy, who was aecidently drovtned in the river Moira. at Bellville, August 22nd, 1833; aged one year and eleven months. How mute expression slumbers In the stillness of that face : Where the hue of death encumbers, All but innocence and grace. The eye that us'd to beam in it, The lip and cheek, that told Of pleasure's purest dream in it, Are spiritless and cold. The waters ! O, the waters ! Have been cruel in their wrath ; 'Tis the coward wolf that slaughters^ The gay lambkin in its path But the wisdom of Omniscience Can alone define its laws ; We feel the hard conditions, But we cannot see the cause. On that pallid brow we doted, As we curiously descried, — p2 98 Or in fondness thought wc noted,— Future bravery and pride. And we dreamt of laureird honor. In the pathway of his fame ; All unmindful of the Donor, Till in Majesty He came. No more shall we discover, In those lineaments, a trace Of the father or the mother, Weeping sadly in their place ; Nor of brothers who are straying, The young russet fields across ; And to-morrow will be playing, All unconscious of their loss. The pageantry is over, The enchantment could not last ; Yet mem'ry long will hover, "^ O'er the beauty that hath pass'd. And the humbl'd heart will borrow. Resignation from above ; Till it fling away its sorrow, Ii tko vicinagt of l«v«. 99 FROM THE FRENCH. I said, as I shook off the slumbers of night, Mid the sim-beams my chamber adorning ; Each day follows fast on its ancestor's flight, Looking bright in the beams of the morning. And thus, I exclaim'd, like the morning I smil'd, When playful youth led to the bow'rs, Where pleasure the moments of sorrow beguil'd^ And crown'd my young head with her flow'rs. But soon will the face of this dawning serene, In the vapors of ev'ning be clouded ; Its redolent beauties but dimly be seen, And at length in the darkness be shrouded. So I, when the measure is fill'd of my woes, — For with grief I have met and have striv'n,— Shall descend to the tomb, where I long to repose, In the hope of awaken in heav'n. 1.^ :\ i ! 100 TO C. W , Esu. Itcrod from a Letter, written on I,ako Superior, to a Friend, in December, 1816. I. The days are gone when social mirth, To Bacchus and the song gave hiith ; When joyous we the hours beguiled, And sorrow at our meetings smil'd. Light then our hearts, and free as air ; Far banish'd evVy thought of care. II. Now sad reverse, each friendly breast, Of dreary absence mourns the test ; I, mid tiie maze of lurking harms. Far distant thou in Scotia's arms. — O ! love the genius of that shore, She's gen'rousas in days of yore. !IL No more the evening shades invite, The coming of a festive night ; JOl No longer smile the fleeting hours ; Time's alter'd looks, now sullen low'ri. With grief I turn to moments gone, When, smooth, his chariot wheels slid on. IV. Yet, tho' remembrance would prolong This burthen of a sorrowing song ; The heart should wear a hig. od, And view the past with grat! Nor less, that beaming hope f* A kindred lapse of brighter days. V. What are we, that in thankless strain , Of idle measure we complain ? Let hunger and relentless thirst, And danger, be encountered first. — Oh ? many a brave and noble brow, Are writhing in their graspings now. 102 VI. How many a hapless wre*,ch but sees, Despair in *» seasons such as these ;** By poverty and sickness, thrown Wide on a heartless world and lone ! We that have health, strength, food and fire# Should turn to them and check desire. VII. While others yield to discontent, And idly grieve for time mis-spent ; Or suffer envy to destroy, The bosom's peace they might enjoy ; Let us be cheer'd by ills eschewM, Aiid by the paat end present good. VIII. Or if we grieve, then ': A. us grieve, That others 7ieed what we receive; Our worldly comforts not a few, Nor least the friendly knot we do. ■m--^ 103 This abaense, then, should e'er we meet, Will make that meeting doubly sweot. ON THE BIRTH OF A SON. My little boy ; Delightful pledge of an i!icr?asii;g !ove, That cannot clov ; I welcome from th'^ h illovv'd fouit above, Thy spirit, B y. In His del mam 5, That careth wheji the hapless spirit fiills, I bless, and frame Avow, to teach thee, hunible, early calls, Upon that name. Enchanting task, By Him to guide thine infant lips in pray'r, Prattling, to ask Thy daily bread, and his unceasing care. That loves the task. am 1 J 64 a • The wond'rous grace, That gives thee life and immortality, Beam in thy face ; And, God, O, never let my child deny That sov 'reign grace ! Shield him, and guard, ' Mid the temptations of a sinful strife ; And then reward, — Not his desert,— but over fraihies rife, Thine own regard. II And us, the blest, In this and many a loving kindne^i shewn ; Forget not — best Of friends and fathers, leave us not alon«. And we are blest. In m 105 ENIGMA. Have mercy, Byron » Far in obscurity, bounding on Slight ; Past, present, and future contain it ; The second of stars, we behold it in light ; And the comets, eccentric, maintain it. The earth and the atmosphere hold it secure, Though the midst of the water's its dwelling ; And long as the wings of the tempest endure, 'Twill be found against silence rebelling. In the lightning it speaks w^ith an eloquent voice, Though it lisps in the terrible thunder ; Thy torrent, Niagara, hath bellow'd it twice, Like a turbulent vassal, to wonder. In reirions chaotic, 'twas fearless enou2;h, Though the first of tho shy in creation ; And the firmament, sever'^d, without it, were stuff To evolve you a strong resignation. *'P!a*liA Araf t%r\A fViA Iftat in n tiimnit nf Qfrife A stranger to peace though in qui^t ; 'IL 106 In the heart of existence unsettled in life, — 'Twere piti/ truth once to deny it. 'Tis in ev'ry thing, nothing, and rules over Time, Who when tir'd would be angry to scout it ; — But, patience, I tire of this piUa-pat ryhme ; It would be I myself, if without it ! TO MISS H- ji /, 4 i ON HER DANCING IN THE CHARACTER OF A SAILOR BOY. I own a feeling all too bright For language to define ; A sense of exquisite delight, Around this heart of mine. Pure as a spotless thought it is, And sweetly its control ; In gentle maiden loveliness, Shines mellow on my soul. Oh ! who that saw thee vesterniirht Make sacred every joy, 107 Time, it;- That floats about the fancy fprit* Of a celestial boy ; Shall ever after doubt that lovo Is surely dwelling here, In light that rapture might approve. E'en in her holiest sphere. i' A I cannot give the feeling birth, And born, it were in vain . The intellect of grosser earth Would kill it with disdain : — But I, for it hath made me blest, Will its fond debtor be, And keep it in my faithful breast, In memory of the«. -i:-^ lli JL... I TO Mi mii,^,^. ^ ORIGINAL POEMS, iSfumiainrous. PART III. ACROSTIC. TO THE AUTHOR, OX HEARING THAT HE WAS GOING TO PUBLISH A BOOK. Gustavus ! Saunders, are ye iu\ Exhaust o' a' discretion ? Or has that tap yer noddle noo, Run gyte wi' its gyration ? " Gaun just to screeUe for a trade ! Experience to direct ye !" Man, ye war better at a spale, An' this wi' a' respect t' ye. Come, ye're a Poet :— O, (he wheem ! Kiss hai4ri*s wi' Scott an" Byrori ' I no A' J: *li ,4 )». ( ' ( u\ Eh ! M}^ ! see how we apples sweem ! Na, Sirs ! we're no aspirin' ! Zoun's ! — pit na sic a desp'rate rung, In idle neives to bang ye ; Except ye want the cordie sprung, Expressly twist' to hang ye. Sma' thrift atten's the pliskey sure, Queer things to manufacture, Upsettin' usefii* in the stour : — It's out o' a' char-acf-er. Reflect, — it's no impertinence, Effront'ry or the like, noo ; Bespeaks a wee yer better sense, An' warns ye frae the dyke noo. Rede, tho' ill-far't, is by the wise, Rerapeckit for its creed, man ; In poozhun-toads a jewel lies, Secreted i' the head, man. Then, Saunders, let the Muses gae ; E'en shaw the jauds yer tail, man. Rare tho' they baud their barren brae ;• A' roses, but nae kail, man. Thus ye mav mak' a shift to live, Like ither fouk — ^^nae dafter — Ill An' pour yer water in a sieve, Wi» idler haste hereafter. ACROSTIC. TO THE REVEREND, The heart, dear Sir, and not the Muse tliis time, Howe'er imperfectly it weave the lay, ' Of thee decoys a portion into rhyme, Mayhap to muse on at a future day, A grave memento of the friend awayf Some simple recollections rise sublime, Call'd from the misty dells of memory's' dime. Ask yonder sun now sinking in the wesf-^ Muse,~he hath shone on Homer,^both are set. Posterity on—on, will view their rest, But whose sleep will be final ? The suV^ debt l.xacted tardily, can he forget ?— ' Lest the deep gloom, now settlins o'er mv brfia«t, Light heavily on thine, farewell thou ke&t. -m .M'. ,1 .'( ['if 1]2 -■' . -ii ACROSTIC. True to his trust, a faithful shepherd's care, High, 10 the Heav'n of Heav'ns, for mercy cries On a confiding flock, and melts in pray'r: Mut(?Iy responsive, holy echo sighs. And with a long, long aspiration, — dies. Save them, O, Lord ! in pity deign to spare ; Christ, in thy mercy, shield them from despair ! A small, still voice is breathing— "Peace to thee, My worthy servant ; and, for which ye came, Peace to thy charge repentant, ever be." Be with his spirit ; glorify thy thy name, Emmanuel ! put his enemies to shame ! — Lord ! yet have pity on the scorners, too ; Like thine, alas ! they know not what they do ! ACROSTIC. ON THE D«ATH OF WILLIAM HKNRY HUGHES, ES<1. Sometime Editor of the Canadian Courant Where is the hope of faithful hearts ? In friendship's sacred chain ? 113 Link afier quiv'ring link disparts, Lest the first curse be vain. I mourn for one would bend nor bow, ] And bore th' anathema till now. Mild, learn'd, ingenuous, ardent, free ; His soul was in his smiles ; Effusive as his charity, Nor fraught with hidden wiles. Remember him, ye who remain, Ye'Il ne'er look on his like again. His piety was not a show ; Upon Misfortune driven, Grief, though it laid the mortal low ; Hale, gave the immortal Heav'n. Except ye live and die like him, Seek not the abode of Seraphim. iL •TIP if 114 ACROSTIC. Lf TO T. S Esq.* it t n n The tribute failing of its bent, Reapect it still for the intent. To hihi who on the wounded man, Had mercy by the way ; — Of old the good Samaritan ; My neighbor of to-day : A grateful rhymer here bestows, Such tribute as a poor head known. Sweet were thy use, Adversity, Like sun.shine to the blind ; If friendship thus were aye to be, Compassionate and kind, Empiric Priests and Levites then, Rebuk'd, would aid their fellow men. 4 H 115 SONG. TwNi,-— *' Oh ! dear, what can the matter be^ Ye maidens that sigh and bemoan Your hapless condition, be free , Let nature witliin you alone, And listen to her and to me, CHORUS. Oh ! dear, what can the matter be ? Oh ! dear, what .hall I do ? We shall be married, I promise ye, Lovely ones listen, I woo. Your person should ever be neat, Your drap'ry as fair as may be ; And seldom look down at vour feet. If you aim at a husband like me. CHORUS. Yftlll* lAU'^plff nf fiilvpr nnA rrcAA Nay, diamonds and pearls I would see ; liii IB :i'! li. ! . llt> They only set oft* the pure mould, Of a dear little bosom to mo. %\ M CHORUS. Your speech as your thought should be The virginal sweets of the bee, [chaste ; Are not more delicious in taste, Than purity's lip is tc me. CUOKUS. •I, ' Hi On Fops ye must never look down, For trifling with such is the key, To shew you the heart of a clown. In the light that it flickers to me. Oh ! dear what will become of ye ? Oh ! dear "»vhfu AmV I ao ? Now we are wed as I promised ye, Lovely ones, bill as I coo. .'Wi Iftf' O ! for a soar with the Lark ; The now'rs in ilw garden arc free, d be iste; 117 To blos8om and bloom as they — hark ! There's somebody singing to me. Oh ! dear, what will become of me 1 Oh ! dear what shall I do ? Faithless, are these what you promised me ^ Fairest and dearest, Adieu ! SONG. « TuNE,~.*< TAc Ewe Bugkts:' Will ye go to the far fields of ether, Sae calmly serene an' sae biiie? Oh ! waefu' the warld's a deceiver, That bauds frae a hame sae true. Hear the voice o' Elysian temptation, Steal o'er ye like music at sea ; An' slight na' the dear invitation, For a' that a fause warld can gie. \' ye that are lane an' forsaken, Put afr the auld night as ye may ; % iin Gae sleep, an' forever, awaken, To bathe in the ocean of day. fcJONG. '^u^B,^ — ^'John?v/s Grey Breeks,'*'^ iiy tl .' i O, chastely gleams the light that plays, Aroun' the (lowers that time has ta'en. On grassy knowes an' flow,ry braes, An' her that wauks their smile again. Tho' she that lent them half their shine, Was fause — O, fause as fair to see ; When I had a young heart to tine. Her seeminir truth was truth to me. li| CHORUS. But tell na me that nature low'rs, Tho' passin' clouds obscure the scene ; 'Tis after sorrows quick'nin' show'rs, '^PL-A ? i arit rricm ry wuars her irCbiiCst grCGn. ])i:f l;i^ til, n. Tho' pure aftection'a early beari., Wi' errin' tenderness astray ; Fa* fondly on a faithless stream > The banks redeem the heav'nly ray. An' tho' their verdure's no sne sweet, The charm that gilded it away ; It glows in remuuscent light, Far sweeter than reality. CHORUS. Then tell na me that nature low'rs, Tho' passin' clouds obscure the scene ; 'Tis after sorrow's quick'ning show'rs, That mem'ry^Avears her freshest gieen. ine ; ;en. DINNA TRUST IN LOVE, LASSIE. Tune, — « Saw ye Johnny co7nmin\''^ O, dinna trust in luve, Lassie ; Hae nae dealings wi' him ; Foul an' fause he'll prove, Lassie ; Infant tho' ye see him. V 120 .iii •Its. I The siller tongue an' bashfu' air. May tell ye I belie him; But a'.thing is nae gude that's fair ; Flee the traitor, fiee him, Lassie, Flee the traitor, fiee him. Flow'rets fresh an* rosy, quo' she ; Fairy han's to pu' 'em ; r my bow'r sae cozy, quo' she ; Ilka day I'll strew 'em. There he can lie an' sweetly daut. The willin' heart I gie' him ; There's blessin's i' the verra thought ! What.for should I flee him? quo' she ; What-for should \ fiee him ? Rude'sthe night an' dreary lassie ; Winter win's are chiliin' ; Whar' gae ye sae weary, Ussie, In a ni^ht sae killin' ? "Oluve," sho said, an' spak' nae mair, *' Pair maidens gin yo see him ; Seek mercy in a teeger'a lair, But fiee the traitor, flee him, quo' she; Flee the traitor, flee him!*' * - 121 / O! VVHACAN TELL THE BAULK AN' SHAME. Tune— ^' Sandy o'er the lea,'' ! wha can toll the baulk an' shanie, A youthfu' heart may dree ; Wha fondly lea's a gladsome hame, O' foreign joys to prie. Yet aye we see the sunny dayg, O' youth negected shine ; An' mem'ry left to speak their prai$», An' at their loss repine. ! they're a' flow'n, How'n, An' they're aye flow'n frae me ; But I'll ne'er forget their loveliness, Until the day I die. Experience gain'd an'hameward turn'd, To scenes o' early love ; An' bent to cherish sweets ye spurn'd • An' never mair to rove : 'Tis hard to meet a «tranfr»i' r---. Domestic in the ha' ; fW' ^1 'J it 1 I, \n h^ I ^ 122 An' noo ye fia' that happincsf, Is never mair to tla>v'. O ! it's wrang, wrang, repinin'; For the sun that's set to me ; But I'll ne'er forget it's shinin', 'Till the happy day I die. ! wad some pow'r o' heav'nly truth, On Charity intent ; Wi' glowin' pencil p?.int for youth, The blessin's o' content. Then disappointment wad be less, The Harbinger o' wreck. An' hame wad be a paradise, An' fewer hearts wad break, But it's vain, vain abidin', The river's flight to see, It's aye, aye, glidin'. An' forever mair maun be. 12:3 rilE AVARLD'S A SPECIOUS SHEW THEY SAY. Air — " Dainty Dame,'' The warld's a specious shew, they say, Wi' nought substantial in't but wae ; And syne the farther down we gae^ The nearer Clootie's brunstane. On upward wing we canna stee^. What's passin' i' the starns, to hear, But may be they like us hae sweer Probosces on the grunstane. 'Tis wisdom then to prize the hour, That flings enjoyment m our pow'r, The neist may rain a murky showV, An', presto, a' our tun's ta'en. O ! wha that sees the blushing rose, Her fragrance to the morn unclose, Wad turn him whar the upas throws, It's deadly airs around him ? An' yet there be wha baud it true, 'J'he rose was made that man might ru«, An' yeilds ili witchin' »c«nt an' hu«, ll Bii. i J,- • 1 I h. 1 L 1 r ''' f 124 • That hidden thorns may wound him. 0, the wit o' man is no sae snell, When simple bodies like himsel, Wi' paradoxes, get the fell Permission, to confound him. An' see yon lassie gath'ring flow'rsj Like Flora in her fairy bow'rs, The graces, or the laughin' hours, Might envy weel sic blossom. She's a' deceit in word and deed. Quo' they o' foul suspicion's creed, An' damn'd is he whase achin' head, Seeks solace on her bosom ! 0, curses on the heartless boors, Wha slander heav'n's eternal pow'rs, An' threep that man maun live on sours. Whan siccan sweets enclose him. The juicy grape at eve supplies, A nectar in our nether skies, That brightens a' affections dyes, An' elevates decorum. Y«t weary fa' 't, as changes ring, !l 1. 125 Our wine tliey say 's a liery spring, Whare drouthy sauls that dip the wing, Get scaulded in terror em. But, scauld or nane, lat history tell, Has man reform'd sin' Noah fell ? Ay, what says Solomon himsel' ? E'en — push about the jorum ! While Flora scents the balmy air, An' beauty waves her gou'den hair, An' Bacchus has a drap to share, In spite of gouks that rave in't, Lat's drink " The warld wi' a' its whim !" Sae fill the bumper to the brim, May a' confusion light on him, That winna pledge the brave in't. There's naething like the present hour, That flings enjoyment in our pow'r, The neist may wauk an etna stour, An' pleasure find a grave in't. I I -i 1 . ,i»J J !, 126 WEARY WATER. Tune.--** Dainty Davie.'' An unco bee has stung the age, Yer temp'rate sumphs are a' the rage, Wha sen' their sauls a pilgrimage, To rive their craps wi' Water. At Ferintosh the Tinklers boke ; At Brandy, Rum, and Wine, they choke ; E'en Nappy gies the nerves a shock ; There's nought gaes down, but Water, CHORUS. 0, weary Water's a' the cry, Water, Water ; Water, Water ; Het or cauld, or wet or dry, There's nought goes down but Water. i..k ft Our auld forbears aneath the sod, To comfort wal'd anither road ; The fiow'ry gate, that Noah trod, An' Sol. the Imperator. No 0, would-be saints, a precious iry, 127 O' mum'ry an' hypocrisy, Wi' tykes o' Newfun'lan' maun vie, To reach the jad' by water. CHORITS. Thelang cadav'rous phiz compare, The fishy c'e, an' caun'le hair, The puckert snout, an' sneevlin' air, Wad scunner a Lavater ; \Vi' rosy cheek, an' bosom leal, Wi' e'e o' fire, an' front o' steel, Whar honf - bright has stamp'd her seal ; You've Steemilus an' Water, CHOEUS. Example rules, the proverb tells, O'er precept cauld, an' aye excels An' we might tire wi' parallels, A folio commentator. We count it fame to join a crew The bauldest hist'ry ever knew, Wha thought rae ?5in in getin' fou 0' ony thing but Water. ■ 1 ! a 128 The times arc changed, an' sac are we, GiQ we subscribe to sic a gee ; But intellect may march for me, The grumphish innovator. Lat custom immemorial shine, — A bumper toast in rosy wine, — "The usages o' auld lang syne," An' deil confoun' the water. 0, ill befa' the eidant cry, Water, Water ; Water, Water,-— Weet yer whistle when its dry, Wi' ither stuff than Water. mh i'-i» %i%. SONG. I. Auld Scotia hills they live in sang, An' Albin's chalky cliffs sae free ; 4«' Erin wi' her tantrums, lang Has drain't the walls o' Pocsic. ?5 129 We hae nae Byrons, Bu.ns' nor Moores, To chant her praise as it should be ; But tact or nane, the will is ours, Sae here's a stave Tor Canadie. IL She has nae ancient fame to boast, A wee bit bairn on nature's knee ; Tho' somefouk ken it to their cost, Whan rutll't she can scart a wee. And yet, its no a tnide she likes ; She'll aye lat be, for fair lat be ; Yer grunsom' an' yer feghtin' tykes, Lord keep awa frae Canadie. III. She canna vaunt o' diamond mines, Golconda, or Brazil like ve : She canna rear Italia's vines, But feint lor a' she cares a flea. Her tow'rin woods, an' hills o' airn'. Can charm frae roun' an' yont the sea, Her wale o' playthings for the bairn ; An' barley thrives in Caxadik. ; i lip 130 IV. Her skies a kinder temper wear Than ither climes', that vaunt sac liie ; As witness a' her corn an' bear, That feed their starvin' progeny. An' mair betoken, a' disease Aneath them springs frae idiety ; The Doctor only pines an' dies, For want o' wark in Canauie. (K V. Tho' young in years, she grows £ pace ; A centVy mair, an' syne ye'll see ; Amano- the nations sic a face, 'II no be dasht by contumely. Then Albin's, Erin's, Scotia's sons ; A bumper toast, an' fill it hie :— While Lowrie" to the Ocean runs, Prosperity to Canadie. 1."' 131 O, LASSIE COME THOU O'ER THE SEA, Tune.—" The white Cockade^ O, Lassie come thou o'orthe sea, Ne'er wince at the auld wiie's prophesy, She may weel spae dool vvi' a drappie in her e'e, But veMl ne'er see a dovvie day in Canadie. We hae green hiil sides, an' the sun chines clear, On the trout filPd burns at their feet, my dear ; An' abune an' aroun' we've a thousan' trees, Sae merry i' the music o' the was'lin' breeze. She havers sair o' the red man's wrath, O' the bears an' the wolves i' the wild wood- path; O' the snake-strewed glens, an' the deuce kens a', But she riiaunna fright my bonnie lassie black's her fa'. I've a white washt cot, an' a barn out by, Whar the wild fawn herds wi' the hame fed kye An' a garden to smile at yer ain sweet care, f Whar the modest little mignonette scents the air She says our winter's lang an' cauld. An' that frost keeps man an' beast in fauld li If 132 :)#li " ^•ii m '' , 1 But the jingle o' the sleigh-hells drowns her lees, We are a' fun an' frolic at the winter Bees. An' mony a leal heart changes ha', As it sweeps wi' its mate o'er the crunchin snaw. An' is wed an' is sped an' as blythe as ye pleas- While the oaks o' a cent'ry in bonfires bleeze. Then lassie come thou o'er the sea, To yer ain true hame i' the wast wi me ; Ne'er heed what the blear't auld witch may spac, She's aye spyin' clouds in a clear summer's day. Ye maun come, ye maun come, see the gray day flflVVS * W the half daft pennon in the east win' blaws ; She is won, tho' for Scotia the tear's in her e'e ; O, hey ! for the bonny woods o' Canadie '. I 1 I O, WHY FAIREST, WHY t Tune.—'* How stands the glass around ? n xvhv. fairest, whv Thus doffth€ garb of loveliness? \'A3 se, Why, fairest, why Bid so much beauty die ! Ah ! fling pride by ; Enchanting is a dovelike dress, In low born or high. Trust me and try ; The proudest Noon deUghteth less, Than Eve's mild sky. O, prone, sweet one, prone, Tho* youth be to insanity ; Prone, sweet one, prone, Fair reason to dethrone ; Virtue alone Can dignify humanity. When wild youth's flow'n ; Then let pride groan. In the cold halls of vanity ; Heartless and lone. But come, dearest, come ; That smile hath won the muse agaiu. Come, dearest, come, That tear hath made hgr dni^b. b2 131 The hearts are numb, That cherish not repentant pain,— Unsteel'd like some, Her''s must succomb ; Or lonely wake the cygnet strain, Of martyrdom. '■'.Ill f 5 O, FAIR WAS THE BOW'R. Tune.— "i% lodging is on tU cold ground:' 0, fair was the bow'r I form'd, love ; And deep in my heart for thee. Where care had never storm'd love ; If thou had'st been true to me. Yet, tho' thou wert false, love, My blessings be ever on thee ; For the beautiful vision that's past, love, Must ever be dear to m.e. 'Tis hard that the season of bliss, love, To me should bring sorrow and pain ; i:s5 And the sweets of thy faithless kiss, love ; To torture my peace should remain. Yet, tho' thou wort false, love, My blessing be ever on thee ; For the beautiful vis'ion that's past, love, Must ever be dear to mc?. V HONOR AND GLORY. Tune. — " Laddie lie near 7/ie." Sir Victor to battle hied, Knighthood adorning ; Plumes on his crest of pride. Flaunting and scorning. Scorning, scorning ; — flaunting and scorning ; Sadly his noble bride, Smil'd in the morning. Eve' on the battle field. Cravens a flying ; — Bleeding on broken shield. ■'•r'*!' li 136 Dying, dying ; — plumeless and dying ;-^ Never more glaive to wield, Victor is lying. W if Maud with dishevell'd hair, Frantic beside him ; Gasping, invokes despair, Madlv toi chide him. Chide him, chide him ; — wild to deride him ;■ "Honor ye found him fair, Thus have ye dy'd him." Morn again wakes the freed, Satiate with glory ; Chivalry pats his steed, Champing and gory. Gory, gory ; — champing and gory ; Victor and Maud unheed. Minstrel and story ! H 'I ^'r 137 WHEN I WAS liSf MY YOUTHFU' PRIME. Tune, — " John o* BadenyonJ'^ When I was in my youthfu' prime, I had nae Uttle pride ; I though na courtin' was a crime, An' sought me out a bride, 1 wal'd amang the higher dames. That made sae great a shaw ; Fan' Uttle guide but gouden names, An' sae I boo'd awa'. I neist essav'd the learn'd anes, An' ow but it was rare ; Their rattUn' tongues o' en's an' means, Made birsles o' my hair ; — Lat causes an' effects gae free, To warsle as they fa' ; The Lockes, in petticoats, for me. Gaed hirpUn' to the wa'. The warldly- wealthy syne I tried, Tho^ I had gear enou' ; B 1 :3B But ostentation here defied, An ho^^'^t pride to sue. Their diarunds, forc'd upo' the sight, Tho' brilliant an' fu' braw, War' no the lamps a hame to light, Sae I forsook them a'. The cottage ueist, wi' doubtfu' air, I tested for a wife ; An' lighted whiles on beauty there, Ingenuousness and life ; But affectation aft'ner gied, Puir modesty a thraw ; Conceit an' ignorance to speed, Had ither gouks to draw. Ti At last by chance, an' unbesought, A lassie took my e'e, That gied a beggar rev'rend thought, 'Twas a' she had to gie. I bargain'd f n- the pity sweet ; The gaberlunzie sta', TT_„ u^,.,.f T ftiol it npni* me beat. My blessings on its ca'. w ' 1 :^9 TO PUNCH. O ! Punch ! wha* art thou Punch ? a rum com- pound, Of foe-ingredients, curious to define : — A liquid ambiguity, renown'd, Strong, weak, acidulous, and saccharine :— A pure antithesis, untaught at schools, But soon familiar once " beyond the rules." O ! Punch ! what art thou Punch ?— another Muse ; Th' eleventh — a Po; I's Hiistross in the tenth — How brave! to stai:d i : V.d .\.:acrM)n's shoes, luspir'dby i/i^e l ^K' 0(.:ipctive strength ; What verso imu.-riai .;.ii^ht .iot iJici be susig, When scurvy wine gi.A-.srdcy ua the tongue ! O! Punch! whatart thou Punch? prompt anti- dote To pois'nous c?'-, the precious gift of Reason ; Who stigmatizes all thy vot'ries quote lu thy behalf, against her empire treason :— Her ladyship's a model of politeness In this assumed .agard— but this is ifiteness. 1 , I fill 140 O ! Punch ! w hat art thou Punch 1 a gay deceiver ; Scarce do thy roses bud ere they are sear ; Night smiles and thou'rt a fairy-vision- weaver ; The morning dawns, and lo ! thy sequent cheer, Doubtful identity, and the vile screws, Of rascal headache, nausea, and the blues. Nay, thou'rt accused of selling golden dreams. To wretched poverty for her last shilling; This were a grief indeed " o'erpassing seems,'* And cretes not to be appeas'd by killing : Ah ! bitter lot, to probe futurity With frequent hope, to be deceived and die ! Light clouds obscure the lustre of the sun ; These afterclaps impinge on thy renown ; Cannot one hour with wit and thee be won, At less expense than twenty with a clown — And self, that clown, in eminent degree, Indebted for his dignity, to thee ? — 'Tis very like ingratitude, my Punch, To tumble mortal " from his high estate," For sheer devotion : — Who'd ambrosia munch. Ill The penalty impos'd an addl'd pate?— Be less impfi»'ioiJS in uncouth exaction, Or thou'lt be dishM by the cold water faction. i» O! for the fervor of an eastern clime ; The burning sands of \fric', and the doom Of roasted Riley— lion of his time ;■—- O ! for the sultry breath of the simoom ; To fnid enjoyment where he, hapless, sought her In icv cold, incomparable Water. But Water ciaims not thine attention here, In desultory paragraph my muse ; Thy present theme exhausted, thou may'sc clear Thy throttle, and give echo to abuse Her licence, if she will, with thy wrapt lays, Till she grow hoarse in pristine water's praise. j'^r 'Tis Punch demands the remnant of thy song, Mellifluent, and sinking to its close ; — So Philomela sings the woods among, And swcelly wearied, nestless to repose ; And so the cygnet— but this wont apply ;^ The mu^e is sle^-^py, not about to die. IJ ; 142 ! 1 I . And so good night my Punch,— a long good night; Thy merit's but equivocal I find ; For tho' thy spells oft summon young delight, The cur remorse is never far behind.— 'Tis ever thus, in mock'ry sad are born, And vile propinquity, th© rose and thorn ! WiUi ■ ' '- ■ TO CUPID. Ho! Cupid thou urchin, thy mischief engage. Revenge me this once on the cause of my pain, And the down on thy lip shall be stubble with age, Ere I condescend to invoke thee again. By the side of yon brook that runs prattling along ; As all other brooks, in thy realm, have a trade ; A shaming the birds with her matinal song, Thou wilt find, to tl Auimipflf hour; That a po«i e er saw m "»- "*^ ^- tft a a » » ' U If 144 Or the spirit that gave him your sweats to laiee : All hail ! to noy beautifuUs back to me ' I If. WRITTEN IN A LADY'S ALBUM. Reject not thou the graver mootl, Tho' idle joys surround ; And press that misery's understood, In all that looks proibund. A Hood, a Butler, may succeed, To banish lighter care ; But, if the heart be sick indeed, Send Locke or Newton there. MODERATION. I covet not my neighbor's grounds, Hifl ilOUi€3| uOlaWf riaWMS, iiOr iioUi*u5 Ji 145 Nor would I rob him of iii^ vrife, — TipD euro** and canker of his life ; The man-servant, the maid, and he, May go to Jericho for me ; A modest line my wishej bounds, I wantbut— £20,00 . EPIGRAM. A Ik Joe Miller, Quo' Tom to Ned, or I'm a Jew, That look o' Sal's has pierc'd me thro'e It sarves you right, was the reply, You saw she had a gimlet eye. x» 146 ANECDOTE VERSIFIED. A wag at King Fum's Coronation, At Westminster, purchased a seat ; A friend at his lug took occasion, To pck wliat he paid for the treat. Six guineas, he answered, record it ; The veriest gander in town ; For the king, who can better afford it, G©rn§s in, as you see, for a Crown, : i \ 1 1''-: ' tj i ADRIAN'S ADDRESS. I Whar* Pope and Byron, baith hae fail't, What impudence ! Ay, faith, I'm nail't. My wee, salt, winsoni' darUn' r mmattt o tma wasiit uama 147 Thou'rt tir't o' a' this snarlia', An' fle'st, to seek anither hame. Tnrn't out o' thy snug haddeh' ; Strippet o' ilk dud o' claise ; Whare noo wilt thou rin a gadden ? Wha'll here noo thy pointet sayi ? TO MISS Dear girl, some quarrel with your hp, And hint that you have much to spare ; To still their clamor, let me sip, The rich and ripe luxuriance there. Permit me, dearest, thus to shape Thy loveliness, to others' taste ; — Nav, then, there's virtue ev'n in rape, Tin - ^l-> V%aniif ■xr vn net if% mriiaf*. w Hi 148 TO THE SAME ON HER BIRTH-DAT. I I Though I but offer thee a rose, Whose fragrant tints decay ; It gaily bloom'd where zephyr blowi, So late as yesterday. And while so cheer'd, a fairer flowV, Ne'er scented air in sylvan bow'r. 'Tis friendship's emblematic gem, Tho' few its worth may Prize ; Untimely pluck'd from fost'ring stem, The beauteous object dies. Then near thy heart let the poor flower, Find shelter in its withering hour. I I'. • H 149 ON TIME MIS-SPENT. 'Tis pain to reflect at, the close of the day, On the valuable Lioments, we thoughtlessly spurn ; Yet to-morrow shall pass us neglected away, And we'll sigh and lament that it cannot return: But a day hastens on shall arrest this career, Of folly perverse, from the future to borrow ; A last sun shall set, and shall close a last year, And a last check be drawn on the hopes of to-morrow. EPIGRAM. Gin Argus had sic fouth o' e'en. 150 Mair strange it seems that Luck}- Sma', . Shou'd leuk as inony Avays wi' iwa. r.' 1''' EPIGRAM. FROM THK FEEWCH. A light step in a giddy dance, With now and then an am'rous glance ; A soft squeeze of the hand or two, — Equivalent to how d' ye do, Or what a lovely girl thou art, — Hurl'd pell mell at a lady's heart ; Hi7;ii foTPP. it- in df»sDite of fat«. In thr«« ilay* to eapitulat*. 151 , ANOTHER. Maugre the sophistry of schc^pls, The world's so full of motley fools, That if you would n't see an ass, Keep home Q.nd—hreah your looking glass. TO A NEW BORN INFANT. FROM THE CHINESE. You come in tears, a piteous flow, Surrounding smiles to reap : So live that you may smiling go, While all around you weep. FINIS.