Ex Libris C. K. OGDEN ->---- ^ evtc THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES POETIC EFFUSIONS; PASTORAL, MORAL> AMATORY, AND DESCRIPTIVE. BY WILLIAM PERFECT, M. D. ,.1N TENUI MUSA. LONDON: PRINTED BY A. PARIS ; FOR A. MILNE, CLARE-COURT, CLARE-MARKET } AND B. CROSBY, STATIONERS-COURT, LUDGA1 E-STREET. 1796. PR PREFACE BY THE EDITOR. PASTORAL Poetry requires a competent knowledge of natural hiftory, a thorough acquaint- ance with the effeft which the tranfition of the fea- fons have on a country life, and above all, a fimpli- city of expreflion, which is acknowledged to be the unfludied didlion, the fpontaneous offspring of na- ture. Theocritus and Virgil, among the ancients, were allowed to be the mod happy and chara&eriftic in their defcriptive imagery, and the leaft laboured in their verification, and if the Author of the prefent Volume has in his leifure hours caught a fpark of imitation of thofe admired Bards, his purpofe will moft probably be accomplifhed. If in the perufal of the following Poems a confo- ■ancy to Nature is confpicuous it may not perhaps IQ2S&fif! editor's preface. fail to recommend them to a place in the libraries of the lovers of retirement and the local beauties of fylvan fcencry. The defcriptive parts contained in thefe effufions are v* armed by the animating glow of inherent fen- fibility, and will be found to be not wholly incom- patible with the peculiar and appropriate beauties which occur to a conftant refident in the country, according to the different changes of the year, when, like the writer of thefe pages, he fhall " copy Nature from her living book." At the fame time it is pre- fumed that the moral, amatory, and fentimental parts will be found to convey chafte, tender, and focial ideas. To conclude, our Author appears to have painted each fcene, not as it is often aggravated by unwar- rantable liberties of fiftion, but as in reality it is confonant to the plain, unvamifhed language of truth and friendlhip, as conftantly pictured to us by Na- ture. PASTORAL SKETCHES. THE MONTHS. JANUARY. " An icy gale thifting o'er the plain, " Breathes a blue film, and in its mid career u Arrefts the bickering dream." 1 homfon. HOW pointed with ice is the air ! The woodlands befpangled with froft, A portrait pellucid prepare, Whofe beauties in terror are loft, lmprifon'd and bound is the rill Irriguous that ftole thro' the mead, No more in foft murmurs diftil Its waters to cherilh the reerl. The lake that was curl'd by the breeze Is chang'd to a fmooth, glall'y, plain - y Huge icicles hang from the trees la pendants of sryfialli^d rain. B THE MONTHS. Cafcades that pour'd down hy the mill, And whiten' d with foam into rage, Their currents arrefted and ft ill, No more in loud clamours engage. Behold ! o'er the mift-frozen copfe What filver-like plumage is fpread, More elegant far than the hops That Autumn flung over his head ; Each twig and each blade is adorn'd With pearl-drops fo pure and fo bright; The skill of the artift is fcorn'd, And recedes at fo peerlefs a fight. The morning, diftrefsful of mien, From flumbers v of fluggifli delay, Difcovers a wide- wafting fcene, At once both terrific and gay ; Aerial treafures of fnow The hills and the valleys invcft ; With what a bright burden below The bofom of nature's opprcfs'd ! Impell'd by the feafon fevere, The Red-breaft companion implores - r In Confidence void of all fear, Hops over the fill of our doors ^ THE-MONTHS. Aria (hall we deny the poor gueft? A tribute he'll pay with a fong^ No ! let him be fed and carefs'd, His vifit in fafety prolong. Lefs focial the Lark we defcry, Enthelter'd in Hubble' fo warm, While in crouds the fmall warblers fly, Unwilling, unable to charm. To farm-yards with fparrows repair, For want is an abfolute Iaiv 9 Petition their poor little fare, Collected from chaff and from ftraw. Tntenfely fe fharp is the cold, Inactive and lifelefs around, Each fcene and each landfcape behold, In Winter's rude adamant bound j 'Though Janus elongates the day, December that nurtur'd the ftorra His rigors fufpends to convey, In (addend variety's form. Yet rude devaluation is fpread, And chill'd all the animal train; The path-way dejected I tread, 'Till hope gives a truce to my pain; B a TH- MONTHS. The fhrub, tho' expos' d to the air, Tyrannical frolt (hall repel ; Her buds I've dilated with care, And found the young bloom in its cell. Dear embryo ! your lea\ es fhall expand, Revive in the fwcet vernal morn, Awake at the touch of her hand, And nature's lov'd leafon adorn ; The hazels foft catkins unfold, The fnow-drop comes forward the firft^ Shoot woodbines unfearful of cold, Mezereons feem ready to burft. Though, rugged old Janus, 'tis thine, Thus cheerlefs to open the year, Thy honours are great and divine, Illuffrioufly brilliant appear ; Panegyric in gladnefs is fcen Thy bounty to own and confefs, Since Janus gave birth to a queen * Whofe virtues a nation can blefs. Then, fpite of the ftorms in thy train, The Spring whofe gay beauties are loft. The winds and the hard-jjelting rain, The hail-ftones and cold piercing froft ; * Whofe natal day is celebrated in this month THE MONTHS. Come, fhepherds, bring laurels and bay, Let Jamis with garlands be crown dj Be cheerful as rofe-loving May, For Charlotte in virtue renown d. But, Neatherds, go look to the kine> Their cribs with freih fodder fupply-j The task of companion be thine, For herbage the paftures deny ; And, fhepherds, attend to the fold, The ewes in the valley defpair ; O fave their fweet lambs from the cold ! They bleat for protection and care. While the voice of the north is fevere, And heard o'er the wafte with difmay. Hark ! what is the found that I hear, More fad than the fighs of the day > 'Tis Delia. Why forrows my fair ? What opens the fource of her grief, Difhevels her fine flowing hair Can Corydon render relief ? She weeps o'er poor Emmeline's tomb, Who fell as a wreath of the fnow, In the pride and the prime of her bloom, As bright as the heavenly bow 4 THE MONTHS. Her voice wasthe mufick of Springs Her heart was ineffable love, Her face all that beauty could brings In mildnefs the rivall'd the dove. Thou bright as the Moon on the main, My Delia, no longer deplore, Nor harrow thy bofom with pain, Since Emmdine can be no more ; Permit that I (hare in thy woe, The privilege can you refufe ? Together, fweet mourner, we'll go, And Death of his triumph accufe. The hand of remembrance fhall raife, A column her virtues to fave ; And elegy weep in her praife, While Flora empurples the grave j No longer be delug'd in tears, O grant me your grief to beguile j Then free from defpondency's fears, We'll meet the new year with a finile. 7BK MONTHS^ FEBRUARY; " Already now the (how-drop does appearj " The firft pale bloflbm of th' unripen'd year ; "As Flora's breath by fbme transforming pow'r, " ii»d chang'd an icicle into a Bower. Mrs. Barbaute. DOES froft dill imprifon the ground, -\nd nature lie buried in fnow ? From fouthward warm breezes are found In mutt'ring hoarfe accents to flow ; Then torrents of water diflil At once all the ice fweep away, . To riven enlarge every rill, \nd fill the fad vales with difmay. Shall nature in agony figh, And pleafure, aflonn'd at the wa(te r Dejected with fear turn her eye, From fcenes fo horriferous hafte ; Yet hold, gentle goddefs, and turn,. The rooks are beginning to pair;. That Spring (hall emerge from her urn,. The buds of the currant declare- THE MONTHS. To profpefb lefe cheerlefs O fpeed,- The Mufe in her paftoral flight j Come, Flora, enamel the mead, Replenifli the earth with delight ; Deny not yonr mantle of green, The landfcape is naked and cold j Your promife to cherifli the fcene The elder's expanfions unfold. The fnow-drop peeps out of the dell, Bold herald with Winter in rear; Her looks the foft embafly tell, She comes the dark feafon to cheer. The Daphne-mezereon I fee, The wood-laurel too is in bloom; Protruding, the vernal-fown pea . Is ready to burft from its tomb. Fair minftrel, as early as fweet, Dear wood-lark how welcome's thy note ! That Janus has made his retreat We learn from thy mufical throat j As herfelf now expanded the day, Soft Pity * appears in the vale j The fportfmen her mandates obey, No longer the woodlands aflaiL "On tit ill and 13th of thu month phea.ant and partridge fhooting endj. THE MONTHS. l^or longer with fpaniel and gun. In dole which the bufhes defies, Accuflng the flow-rifing fun, To cover young Doriland flies ; "Ihe pheafant beneath the rude thorn I Ier plumage unfearful may fpread, Or ventura to pilfer the corn , The hufbandman recently lhed. No perils the covey annoy, Securely the partridge may pair. And tafte of connubial joy, As Phoebus impregnates the air ; But mercy is partial ; for io ! In the moor and the flag-crefted fen, The fnipe feels the death-levell'd blow, And woodcocks ftill bleed in the glen. Should clouds in fucceflion diftrefs, The landfcapes ftill deluge in ihow 'rs, The Inow on the cottages pref-', Configning to dulnefs the hours ; Yet forrow difturbs not the foul. Content for her relidence forms j Although to the fartherrnoft pole Extends the rude wafte of the ftonns. C THE MONTHS. Content, come with vifage ferene*. Thy image unfold to my view Attendant be Competence feen, I court not the wealth of Peru f The bofom of calmnefs is thine, Emit but thy filver-foft ray j We hear from thy wbifpers divine More mufic than iffues from May. Pafiora with mirth fill my reed- Can founds more harmonioufly flow, Panegyrics more juftly proceed, Than thofe which to Delia I owe ? For now the blefs'd morning appears, My Mufe with enchantment to wing ; Another we add io her years — The birth-day of Delia, I ling. Though naked and brown are the lawos, And Winter ftill harrows the day; Aurora tranfcendently dawns, And Delia enlivens my lay ; For her, with each grace in her train, Shall Spring in gay beauty appear ; The Summer's varieties reign, And turbulent Winter unfphcre. THE MONTHS. Prophetic, mefhinks that my fong Awakens the earth-cheering breeze ; The thrufhes their fonnets prolong, And turtles foft coo in the trees. The chaffinch their fymphony hails, The hedge-fparrow mufic creates ; — 'Tis Cupid, my fair one, prevails, Infpif its the plume-painted'ftates. A chaplet I'll weave for the morn, The myrUe (hall fly from her bedsj Young Flora the offering adorn, And flourifh wherever fhe treads; Let Delia approve of my lays, Accept of the garland I twine; The Mufe to bright honor (he'll raife, Whofe Bard is her own Valentine. 12 THE MONTHS. MARC H. " As yet the trembling year is nnconfm'd, " And Winter oft at eve relumes the breeze, " Chills the pale morn, and bids his driving fleets " Deform the day delightlefs. Thomfon. IN mantle of Proteus clad, With afpect ferocious and -wild, Now pleafant, now fullen and fad, Now frowarcl, now placid and mild ; In his hand from the Zodiac fled, The Aries progreflive is fecn j The almond her bloflbms has ftied Around his unciviliz'd mien. 'Tis March '.—How tremendous thej blow, Unprifon'd, what tempefts arife ; From the caverns of Boreas below, The hills feel the blaft of the skies $ The hills echo loud, and the deep Afcends in huge furges of foam ; The fhips o'er the precipice fweep, Through perils implacable roatn. THE MONTflS. IS Ye "•winds, your rude tumults alluage, O ceafe your rough thunder to pour; Forbear your tyrannical rage, Nor let the young feafon deplore 1 Let morning your friendthip rename, Revive Nature's low -bending head; Send Zephyr on foft filken plume The breath of Favonius to fpreacL 'Tis done ! on the banks of the rill The primrofe in ftraw-colour'd veft, Annex' d to the gay daffodil, Beams, Flora, thy topaz confeft ; The daify befprinkles the plain, What luftre the crocus renews ! In yellow and purple her train The eye with foft pleafure reviews. The alders their bunches unfold, And fee on the hedge-rows fufpend The fallow's foft fringes of gold, With leaves of the fuckle to blend ; When breathes the bland South on the bank, The pilewort fhines fweetly fo young ; But the vi'let alone we muft thank, From whom peerlefs odours are flung. *♦ THEWlONTHS. The Bee burfts her hive in the morn, On JSther piratical fails ; Sure fign that our fields fhe'll adorn. That Flora's alive in the dales ; Sure fign tliat no ftorm will arife, The face of the day to obfcure ; But mild and unclouded the skies, The prefent serene will infure. Behold ! the young lamb in the fold, A fpedracle pleafing and fweet ; O fave it, new-dropt, from the cold, For feeble and -weak are its feet ; The office is foft, and for care His innocence meekly entreats; To the cottage conduct him ye Fair, And feed him whenever he bleats. From boughs, though fo naked and bare, The throftle melodious fings ; The rooks render vocal the air, In the tole with induftrious wings ; The colony form'd to defend Their new habitations, we fee Some labour and loaded afcend, Whiifi others to plunder agree. THE MOVTHST. 1 5 1'he Mufe might a fimile draw,. And liken this fcene to a ftate, Where Anarchy tramples on Law, Nor fears the bold thought to relate^ But does in idea compare The rooks to a newly-form'd clan, . Who fyftems of government rear Without either order or plan. What gifts for my Fair (hall I bring ? The myrtle and March-vv'let gay, Such innocent children of Spring, My pureft affections convey ; , i She comes as the Moon from a cloud* My fnow-bofom'd Delia appears ; With foul of mild virtue endow'd, And cheek unpolluted with tears. She fmiles, and the buds of the grove Inftantaneous to foliage- expand. The emblem of piclurefque love, A lambkin (he leads in her hand ; It was the rirft born of the fold, Which, but for her care, had been loft ;. Her tendernefs fav'd from the cold, The fatal effects of the froft l6* THEJUOKTHS. She fmiles ; and, elate with the found Of bells from the hamlet below, All's joy and feftivity round, The caufe ev'ry thepherd muft know ; Proclaim that Solander the gay, To Melicent, fortunate hind, Forever renown'd be the day, The bridegroom of tranfport was join'd. Did Hymen e'er fmile with more grace ? The Mufe is invited a gueft^ What pleafure enlivens each face ! How jocund ! how gay ! and how bleft I Ye fhepherds convene on the lea, Let mirth the moft fprightly be ours ! Gome Delia announce the decree, And call up th^mufical pow'rs^ The crocus of flam ^-colour'd hue, The hyacinth varied in veft ; The fweet polyanthufes too, And anemonies wantonly drefs'd j. The mezereon worthy of praife, Though fraught with no lavilh perfume;- And willow, whofe lilver-like rays Arc Ihed from its white velvet bloomy. THE MONTHS. I? Thefe poefies collected we'll weave A garland for Melicent's brow ; Aflur'd that (he'll gladly receive The gifts which her thepherds beftow j The pair will our prefents approve, And gratefully honour our lay, 'Tis Nature's own nuptial of love, Forever renown'd be the day. Solander, thus favour'd and bleft, Long cherifh the maid of thy heart ! Dear choice of his undifguis'd bread. The paffion that's mutual impart j No care fhall your union annoy, And Hymen perpetually fing, " That March was the parent of joy, " As well as the Father of Spring" D l8 THE MONTHS. APRIL. •■ Fringing the forefts devious edge, " Half-rob'd appears the hawthorn hedge ; ■ Or to the diflant eye difplays • Weakly green its budding fprays. Warton. THE bleft revolution appears, Defcends on the wings of the breeze ; Yon cloud that diftills into tears Expands the green robes of the trees ; What bloffoms embellifh the plain, With cowflips diffufe their perfume ; The Graces, a beautiful train, Advance with the feafon of bloom. The Spring in her image complete In fmiling viciffitude ftands, In gloom, or in lhowers, or heat, Pervading the fertiliz'd lands ; The fong that's fo rural and plain, The odours that wake with the dawn, The rofes that rife from the rain, Bid fwallows glance over the lawn. THE MON'THSi *J> Thy harbinger, Summer, I fee, The ftranger's return let me hail - t For infedts he fports o'er the lea, Or haftily skims on the gale. Ye breezes, be kind to the gueft, He fears the tharp tooth of the cold ; Blow genial and warm from the weft, His paftime in funfhine enfold. The voices of courtthip and Iove^ In concert are heard o'er the plain ; Melodious they pour from the grove, And harmony opens her reign , Moft pleating by day and by night, Sweet Philomel, queen of the (hade ; I liften to thee with delight, Dear bird to thy foft ferenade. Thy fong when the ev'ning obtains, In the fycamore bow'r I hear ; Shall Delia, the pride of our*plain«, Attend to thy ftrains and revere ; Her voice might embellifli thy lay, But, penfively pleas'd as a friend, She lifts to thy plaints from the fpray, 'Till her tears with thy fymphony blend. D 2 THE MONTHS And now (hall this feafon of flow'rs. The cuckoo, new vifitant, hail ; Return to our green-twifled bow'rs. And tell his monotonous tale. While truants to pillage the neft Burd into recedes remote, Awhile in aflonifhment red, Then mock her unmufical note. From the firs that o'erfliadow the grove, The dock-dove in paffionate lay, Pours melting effufions of love, When opens or clofes the day. The blackbird is up with the morn. To ferenade pierces the bum j Whild mufic, more thrill from the thorn Proclaims the delight of the thrufh. Does the Ead brighten wide with the dawn, The lark from her pillow of green Afcends from the clofe or the lawn, Ambitioully lofty is feen ; In vain do we follow her flight, She mocks the purfuit of our eyesj And fings from fo didant a height, .She feems but a fpeck in the Ikies. THE MONTHS. How mutual's the toil of the day ! The rook and his loud-cawing mate, The architect's labour difplay, In (kill mod amazingly great; Enfork'd in the elm's lofty fpray, The branches ent willing among, In cradles comparted of clay, Securely they pillow their young. The chaffinch, mechanic, whofe art, The ox-eye alone can excel, Where boughs in a thicket diipart, Conftrudts her ingenious cell j Without, how enamell'd it feems! How elegant ! artful ! and round ! B^ftiidded with mofs, how it beams ! Within what invention is found ! The wren, of rotimdity fond, Her ranclagh pins to the wall ; The pollard reclin'd o'er the pond, Or in thatch that projects from the (rail. Ye feather'd muficians of Spring, Your nefts may no dangers annoy I O may the fatigue of your wing Your broodlings mature into joy ! D3 22 THE MONTHS. What bleffings the nifties await ! The feafon they hail with a fmile ; How happy 's the hulbandman's fate 1 Content is the offspring of toil ; Return'd from the labour of day, The faithful delight of his heart Attends on his long-cuftom'd way, Senfations unfeign'd to impart. I e much-envied fcenes of repofe, Dear fylvan fequeftered retreats, Where innocence fhields from the woes Attendant on luxury's feats ! There, Nature, thy throne we behold, The cottage low funk in the dale, Where fafe with the king of the fold Thy virtues, Simplicity, dwell. We'll morning's firft vifit attend, And watch for Aurora's new beam, Then, Celadon, (hall we, my friend, Purloin from the ftores of the ftream ; Afar from the clack of the mill Down ftray to the head of the brook ; Or fhall we curve round with its rill, And pradtife the wiles of the hook < THE MONTHS. 3J The trout in his mofs-fafhion'd be:I, Reclin'd on his gay-fpeckled fide ; I low bright are his patches of red ; Live rubies that bleed in the tide f Shall he fport in the warm funny ray. Still tenant his oozy recefs, The current difparting in play ; Or thall we his pleafures diftrefs ? Ah no j thy more delicate breaft Forbids fuch enjoyment to gain ; Forbids any pleafure to reft, Which flows from inflicting of pain ; Let others illufion defign, We'll fcorn the unwary to cheat ; Surrender the rod and the line, And fpurn from amufement deceit. Your Mufe (hall the feafon proclaim, A chaplet congenial twine ; Whilft mine, to enfure herfelf fame, Your effays (hall cheerfully join : To Pan let us offer our fong, Perchance he may favour the lay ; We cannot too warmly prolong, Since April's the Mother of Mat. D + *♦ THE MOVTftS, MAY. " For-thee, fweet month, the groves green liv'ries wear, ■ If not the firft the faireft in the year; " For thee the Graces lead the dancing hours, " And Nature's rtady pencil paints the flow'rs. Dryden's Tal. and Arc. PROFUSE of her beauties, the May Luxurious comes dancing along ; In purple (he dreffes the day, And calls up the pidturefque fong ; Bids rife the live bloflbms of fnow, Her bounties unbounded we fee, From the lap of foft verdure below Beftrewing each bufh and each tree. Her bofom ambrofial behold, Where Zephyrs perpetually fport - y In her trefTes of lilver and gold The Graces eftablifli their court ; Difl'ufing her incenfe, the Earth The feftival crowns with her pow'rs; Flings odors moft lavifhly forth, Tlie foul of innumercis flow'rs ! THE MONTHS. 25 Approaches the mother ef love, The month of unpar'lell'd delight, Her hand is the throne of a dove, Her garlands embroider' d with white, With colours that glow on the view, The pallet of Flora is crown' d, Whofe garment of fky-brighten'd blue Reflects the magnificent ground. How fweetly (he prefies the plain I With afpecl mod lovely are feen The daughters of Spring in her train, In all the rich robes of the Scene j Fertility, bountiful maid, Awoke by her generous ray, Burfts forth in each bud and each blade, To cheer and enliven her May. O let not her empire fo bright The mildew pernicious invade, Her bloom and young foliage, from blight, A wafte of di (temper be made ; Soft powers of fpring then intreat Apollo your fears to behold 5 Eftablifh ycur May in her feat, Proted* her from wind and from cold. 26 THE MONTHS. The novel of Nature we read, How pleafmg her profpe&s expand I O'er woodlands, inclofures and mead, New beauties emerge from the land ; The carols of Spring from the grove Re-echo harmonious notes ; 'Tis the innocent mufic of love, Or^ the bofom of .Ether that floats. Come Pales, if paftoral lay Your fancy to tranfport has led, Encomiums let's fing on the May, Affift me the portrait to fpread. Come Pan with thy feven-form'd reed, Sylvanus thy neighbour invite ; The Mufe in her progrefs to fpeed, Through paths of inceflant delight. See Pales appears on the plain, In mantles of dew-frefhen'd green, Delighted unites in my ttrain, With mildnefs and peace in her mien ; Ye (hepherds, your fleece-coated charge Her mandate it is to releafe, Ye bleaters go ramble at large, Unfolded go wander in peace. THE MONTHS. ZJ The maple and plane-tree in bloom Embellilh each fylvan retreat, And Flora purloins from her loom, To canopy over each feat. Profufe through the park in the vale, The hawthorn, firft minion of May, Her bofom unfolds to the gale, In bloflbms exub' rant and gay. The pink many-varied of veft The yellow and white afphodel. And tulip in pageantry dreft, Are emulous each to exc«l. The rofe, royal emprefs of fweets, In path of the falhion'd parterre, 'I he fuckles and jeuamine greets Sweet maids that her prefence revere. Deep hid in the lap of the" The bells, o'er the mift-crefted ground, ' Delightfully ulher a peal ; That Hymen has fan6tion'd the found, My heart is the Mine that muft feel. "THE MONTHS. 53 This day, to her Celadon's bread, The peerlefs Penelope gives ; September, be ever confefs'd What honour thy empire receives. Blefs'd pair ! for whom Hymen has wove A wreath of unchangeable peace, And fupphcates bleflings from Jove, The nuptial delights to increafe. Ye Graces your beauties that lend, Ye Virtues, that filed hallow' d fire, Felicities beam on my friend, The warmeft nrft lay of my lyre ! Fill, Heaven, their meafure of joys, Be health and contentment its bafej Renown'd for kit truth be their boys, -Their girls for her foftnefs and graced 5+ • THt MONTH*. OCTOBER. " Tho r e virgin leaves, of pureft vivid green, " Which charm'd e'er yet they »rembl'd on the trees, " Now cheer the fober landl'cape in decay !" Thomfoo. OF vilage, deep-wrinkled with care, His temples oak-garlands furround j With haws, and with acoms, his hair, And itarwort and faffron is bound. The danfsen, her purple beftows, A fafh o'er his fhoulder to throw ; In negligence eafy it flows, Commingled with fpots of the floe His right-hand a fcorpion retains, High-lifted it writhes in the air ; His left a rulh baflcet fuftains, Replete with the chefnut and pear. His franchife it is to convoke Thick fogs of blue mill on the hilL Afcending like columns of fmoke, Exhal'd from the vale-loving lull. THE MONTHS. i5 He comes ;— ftiall my Mufe wake the reed ? Ah where are the notes of the bough ? When whilom the beech in the mead, Attefted the villager's vow. Where Philomel's paltoral lay Proclaim'd her melodious pain, The kids with the lambkins in play, Skfpp'd frolickfome over the plain. Sh« flies from the dun-cover'd grove. Nor tings of paft pleafures ferene ; When zephyrs invited to love, And Delia was extacy's queen. When near the fmooth lapfe of the brook, I fought through the whifp'ring vale ; The rofes which, painting her crook, Compar'd to her bluthes, were pale. No more to the brook muft I ftray. From the whispering vallies exil'd, No longer fond zephyrs (hall p!ay. Round Delia that linger'd and fmil'd. f arewe'l to the gay-flaunting hop, The garden fo fair to the fight j flut woodbine ftill blooming I'll crop, And convey to my fair with delight. 56 THE MONTHS. I'll feek for Autumnal perfume, The ftickle rejects not her fweets; Convolvuli offer their bloom, To decorate Delia's retreats. The pheafant I'd bear to my maid, But fhrink from the prefent with fear; Left, into foft forrow betray'd, Her eyes be fuffus'd with a tear. To earth's foft'ring bofom the fwain, Tenacious of Nature's command, Configns, with attention, the grain, So grateful to indufiry's hand. The martin our eaves has forfook, The woodcock revifits the glen, The mallard repairs to the brook, The Wild-goofe abandons the fen. Shall rapine with murder be join'd ? O fpare from perdition the hive ! Some procefs by far lefs unkind To plunder its treafures contrive ! —Now hear the loud pack o'er the field, In trail of the fugitive hare; No longer, in fafety conceal'd, She trufts to the brake or the tare. "THE MONTHS. tf But who is this envoy of woes, That wakes with Aurora's firft ray, His tuneful complaints to difclofe, From vine or from jelTamine fpray ? He fings defolation to come, Stern Winter predicts from aloof ; My fhed, focial bird, be thy home, Securely; perch under my roof. Doft grieve that the Summer is part, The trees their green ornaments thed ; That omens of Winter fo faft, Impending prefs over thy head ? Prolong, gentle red-breafts thy {train, Contagious (hall ufher thy moan ; My fympathies (hare in thy pain, Thy forrows, poor bird, be my own ! Pomona, in ltraw-colour'd veft, With berry-ftrung black folitaire ; The goflamer's gauze on her breaft, And marigold beams in her hair. October had met in the clofe, Paid court to her prefence and fhape, •Vertumnus in jealoufy rofe, SufpedHngtthe god of the grape. 5»" THE MONTHS. But he was derang'd in the vale, While fatyrs his orgies fullain ; My paths from his feafts I'll curtail, And thun his incontinent train. Yet, Bacchus, to honour thy fway, The fig and the vine let me bring ; Though the Mule for the prefent delay The games of the vintage to fing. Now mid-day is filent around, " The gloom of ag'd cyprefs I'll feek ; Yon turf, with the ofier frelh bound. My heartfelt dejection lhall fpeak : Leander, my much-valu'd friend, The Mufe, in remembrance, eflays From friendfhip in fadnefs to fend What elegy weaves into lays. The Virtues retorted to fee Thy folitude's facred retread Made innocence grandeur to thee, Whofe foul was ferenity's feat. No wealth nor parade could annoy. The mines of contentment thy own 3 While competence kindled that joy Which feldom awaits on a throne THE MONTHS. . 59 Obfcurity mark'd his eftate, Yet unimpair'd health was his lot ; He fcorn'd the leaft wifh to be great, Whofe pomp was the peace of a cot How warm and fincere was his (train, With fimple morality fraught ! Devoutly religious, though plain, He fpoke to the God of his thought. Ambition eftrang'd from his breaft, Unknown to all damour and ftrife j Rank poifons, corrofive of reft, Thcfe furies that harrow up life. Yet penfive and thoughtful he grew, The mate of his youth was no more ; The friend of his age, ever true, His feelings intenfely deplore ! I faw him one day rtear the oak That meafures a (hade of extent ; In filence his mifery fpoke, Defpondence to l'olitude lent. His brow was as dark as the fhadc October had caft o'er the dell ; •Nor long did he grieve in the glade, But languilhing droop'd till he fell. 6o THE MONTHS. NOVEMBER. " In penfive guife ■ Oft let me wander o'er the ruflet mead ; " And through the fadden'd grove where fcarce is heard " One dying ftiain to cheer the woodman's toil." Thorn fon. AH, whifher, bright God of the Spring ! Art thou and thy bleffings withdrawn ? The warblers that prune the gay wing No longer enliven the dawn. Ye breezes of foftnefe* ah, where Are you and your odours exil'd ? No longer you fport through the air, Invitingly pleafant and mild. Of verdure the lofs do we moan, Lament that the fun's foothing rays To climates more fouthern are gone. And darken'd our fpiritlefs days ? Such feelings are common to all. Lo, Nature muft fympathize too; But, though fhe defcends to her fall, At intervals fmiles on the view •. • " The p*H Uefcending year yet pleading ftill." THE-MXJNTH* 61 Does the woodcock, itinerant, come, For nurture folicit our plains ? Ah why thus abandon his home. To crimfon the fport of our fwains, Who rife with the dawn for their game, And pierce through the fpring and the copfe, With eagernef s level their aim, When the emigrant flutters and drops ? Ye ftreams that run purling along,. Your banks your own Flora has fled, And Philomel iffues no fong, From verdure that bower'd her head. The bleating of lambs from the fold No longer in fymphony blends j No tale of foft paihon is told, Where arching the fycamore bends. Ah where is the couch of green .moi* Which erft for my Delia I found, As cheerful we wander'd acrofs The cowflip and daily -drefs'd ground. No more to the bine-twifted bow'r, With Delia, delighted I run, h coolncfs to pafs the ftill hour, Eluding the heat of the fun. 62 THE MONTH*. See Nature fo penfive is grown, Her tears ftcep in dew all the plain ; Congenial to her's is my own, But avails not our mutuil painj November, the tomb of the year, Ufurps with tyrannical hand ; His horrors fucceffive appear, Succeflive ftalk over the land. His glooms all around her arife, Does Sol with lefs luftre appear j Beam pale from his throne in the fkies. Or thine unempowered to chear ? Your funeral notes in the wind, I hear, ye difconfolate fliades; Your foliage fo fickly refign'd. Shrouds over the face of the glade- To pine and weep over your bier Melpomene fhall not refufe ; The fall of the leaf and the year Such heart-feeling forrow renews. While tunelefs and fad as the breeze Are ftrains that arife from the fpray j Of the naked cold quiv'ring trees, Sepulchral fad figns of decay. THE MONTHS, 63 .Might fancy, excurfive of wing, When all is fo baleful and bleak, In fimile venture to fing, Yon copfe on the brow let her feek. The yew in its centre compare To fome prelate whofe reverend head- Reclines fympathctic with care To clofe the laft rites of the dead. Who knows but that Prieft of the made By Nature herfelt is ordain'd , In veftments too facred to fade, And through every feafon fuftain'd. In Spring to invite the warm breeze That wakens the bud as it blows - r In Summer to guard the green tree?, In Winter to hum all their woes. Does aught foothe the blaft on the heath, The griefs that arife from the grove, The rigours above and beneath? 'Tis undi(guis'd friendfhip and love. Thofe myrtles of peace and repofe, Cherubic contentment be their guide ; They foften the feafon of woes, And make all its terrors fubfide. 6+ THE MONTHS. Then where does my Celadon rove, The friend of my analyfed bread ? And where is that emprefs of love, My Delia, with innocence bleft? Can Winter to Celadon bring The arrows which f i iendfhip annoy i Or Lethe e'er venture to fpring O'er fuch a. pure fountain of joy ? Shall Delia, whofe heart is the feat Where love the moft faithful is ftor'd, Unfeelingly fly my retreat, By Winter's rude vifit explor'd ? No, Celadon, no ; to complain Of goodnefs attach' d to thy heart, Would crofs our connexion with pain, Ungrateful in me to relate. Integrity, artlefs of form, In veft of fincerity's thine 5 Unruffled, unhurt by the ftorm, Though kmpefts of life (hall combine. Let Winter approach to deftroy The comforts thy prefence can bring ; Whin Celadon comes 'we'll enjoy, And £oftcn his. gloom into Spring. TWET MONTK-r. 65 Nor let me of Delia complain, Though the trees their gay verdure refign ; The North bids his tyrannies reign, And Phoebus, for clouds, cannot thine. She comes : in her prefence is love, Her eyes are the heralds of joy, November no longer fhall prove The feafon of grief and annoy. c 66 T«B MONTHS. DECEMBER. " See Winter comes to rule the varied year, »' Sullen ar.d Tad, with all his rifing train, " Vapours, and clouds, and ftorms." VEGETATION, difrob'd of her charms, In verdure no longer is drefs'd ; The fun has deferted her arms And mantles no more on her breafl : "Whilft evergreens frowning intrude. In foliage deep darken'd I fpy ; And mofles with fruitage endu'd Give plcafure to Botany's eye. The bat, mid (his feafon of gloom, In death-like torpidity loft, Immur'd in her membranous tomb, Defies the hard hand of the froft. From yonder old ivy-bound pile, The red-breath laft friend to the plaui# The defolate day to beguile, Pours his lone but enliv'niug flratn. THE MONTHS. 67 Uncouth and unbleit were my mind, As fullen dark (hades of the eve ^ Could I now fome circumftance find, When dirgeful the cricket (hall grieve. Then let Contemplation explore Our toils and our vanities too, Falfe pleafures that ebb from the (hore, As we the gay phantoms purfue. Soft nurfe of reflexion! thy pow'r Can difllpate folitude's lhade, And brighten December's dark hour, By Nature's obituary made. Thy whifpers, fobriety's queen, Are hymns to the ear of my mind, Delightfully fair is thy mien, By wifdora and reafon refin'd. Advanc'd defolations appear, December, how direful thy frown-J The knell of the fad-flowing year Deprefles both village and town. Meditation ! O come from thy cell. Though Nature fccms prone to decay ; Thy prefence her fears (hall difpel, And lengthen the fhort-living day. G 1 68 THE MONTHS.. Emotions which flow from thy fong, Moft peaceful and pain-foothing gueir, The bleflings of hope (hall prolong, The mind of deprefiion divert. What though the pale feafon denies Thofe beauties that brighten the Spring, On pinions borne down from the fkies, Tis thine, pure contentment to bring. When odours replenish the gale, The ftreamlets run purling along, The zephyrs diff'ufive prevail, And Philomel warbles her fong. The mufic of Nature difplay'd In notes unambitiouily wild, The fawns flcip and bound in the glade, And all is delightfully mild. When round us awaken the flowers, Fair children of pureft perfume, Defcend in refrefhment the (how'rs, To nurture the innocent bloom, yfitherial mildnefs around Revives with congenial ray, Enamels the fpring-garnifh'd ground, And pleafurc leads forward the day. THE MONTHS. '"When landikips with tranfports defcried. Bright Summer prefents to the view, In robes too expreffive of pricb, Though the mirror of Nature be true. When Autnmn hard labour repay, And Plenty diftufes her crops ; Wide fcatters her (ilver foft rays, Through gardens thick-clufter'd with hops. When Summer, or Autumn, or Spring, Their treafures alternate difpenfe, Vicifiitudes pleafing you bring, The grateful remembrance of fenfe. But Winter, though wrapt in a cloud. Bright gratitude's tribute excites. All Nature proclaims it aloud, December is fraught with delights. To earth mail fome feraph of love In tides of full harmony pour, His mandates commiflion'd above The race of mankind to reftore. On pinions of rapture he brings The Mercies of unbounded Space t As ftream from empyreal fprings His niiffions of peace and of grace. G 3 •fO THE MONTHS. Devotion, elate at the found, Her incenfe prepares for the morn j When tidings of gladnefs around Proclaim a Messiah was born ! Superlative news to the breaft, Replete with this knowledge divine ; Where the virtues of innocence reft, Religion's beft triumphs are thine. Let warm acclamations afcend, Feftivity reafon revere, And charity, virtue's fail friend, The head of pale for row uprear. Let wealth all her fcorn lay afide, To poverty's call lend an ear ; And pradtice the foul-lifting pride, In robbing diftrefs of a tear 1. TO FRIENDSHIP. 7* TO FRIENDSHIP. THE ev'ning how calm it appears, How tranquil ! how pleafant '. and cool 1 } From labour returning they fleers, Refrelh at the green-crefted pool. Come, Celadon, pomp lay afide, To grandeur no longer attend ; Thou foe to unciviliz'd pride, To me thou unvarying friend. The thepherds fing carols of love, The ploughmen are blithe on their way ; The turtle's foft coo in the grove. The green is all jocund and gay ; With mufic re-echoes the glade, The va'ley with harmony rings ; The tabor and pipe in the fhade Make the ruftics as happy as kings. In friendfliip together we'll walk, And mark the decline of the day, With chearfuhiefs wander and talk, Till Phoebus withdraw his laft ray. G 4 7* SONNET. Then to my lov'd cottage repair, And fhare the convivial glafs ; What pleafure to hear you declare The charms of your favourite lafs. SONNET "ON PRESENTING DELIA WITH A ROSE IN SEPTEMBER. TWAS the laft that my garden had left, That, Autumn, I fnatch'd from thy brow.; A rofe of its fragrance bereft, For it ferv'd to enliven my vow. Though robb'd of its vernal perfume, An emblem of Nature's defpair, Of nature confign'd to the tomb, She nourifh'd the prcfent with care. She call'd it a type of her mind, Of beauty a portrait, the faid, Which when to its Autumn inclin'd, As that, muft foon wither and fade ! Then kifs'd the fweet exile, an orphan confef ;'d : And gave it new life by a place in her breaft. :t>elia's holiday. 73 DELIA'S HOLIDAY. Sf READ your pinions, infant May, This is Delia's holiday ; Woodlarks itretch your liquid throats. Throttles pour accordant notes ; Flora paint the lap of Morn, Whiten o'er the blooming thorn; Spread your pinions, infant May, This is Delia's holiday. Strike the tabor, found the pipe, Sorrow's eye let pleafuie wipe; Graces linking, hand in hand, Smile upon the ruftic band ; Landfcapes ring with feftive joy, Venus wings her darling boy. Spread your pinions, infant May, This is Delia's holiday. Deck'd with ribbons of the loom, Frefti in all her virgin bloom, Tripping chearful o'er the lea, Mirth herfelf with jollity. ^ THE RrBBOy. Matchlefs in her air and mien, Forward ufhers Strephon's queen. Spread your pinions, infant May,. This is Delia's holiday. Elefs him, Delia, whom your charms, Lur'd refifUefs to your arms, Breathe confentive kifles kind, Zephyrs of the lover's mind. Weave a wreath, compos'd of bays, Delia gives imm rtal praife. Spread your pinions, infant May, This is Delia's holiday. THE RIBBON. NOT the halcyon that flcims the lagoon Where Mentor, in refidence bleft, November makes pleafant as June, In worth that irradiates the bread ; The pencif of Flora, in May, Tint lives in the vivid parterre, The paint in the wing of the jav, Nor freaks of the king-catherine pear ; THK RIBBOK. IS Is'o tint in the arch of the bow, That the world by its vilit informs Nor an annual ambitious to glow, When Summer the horizon warms ; With the ribbon I fing could compare, Sylvarella can witnefs the truth ; A fillet it form'd for her hair,. Twas the gift of her favourite youth. The boaft of the plain was the maid, Philander and Jeffe's delight ; Ag'd pair of the beech-bower'd ihade, Where health and contentment unite, Philander's the charge of the plough, His confort's the poultry to rear, Sylvarella in fearch of the cow The pail, night and morning, to bear; Did Brindle, impatient to (tray, Through covert or coppice to roam, Rofander, attended by Tray, Return d the dull fugitive home. A lambkin once ventur'd to leap ('Twas SylvarelTs fondling, I ween) From one to the oppofxte fteep, A rufh-conceaTd riv'let between. 7 THE RIBBON. Alarm'd by the maid's fhriily fcream, Rofander quick vaults from the fhoie, Dafli'd into the green-mantled ftream, From danger the innocent bore. And late, where the new-tedded hay, The train of the prong and the rake. Mid the heat of the fultry day, Invok'd to the bed of the brake j As frolicked her lamb o'er the blade. From Sylvarell's notice afar, From under the dock's ample fhade. Near the bafe of a half-rotten bar. A viper crept filent and flow, And twitted the bleater around, Rofander unfurl'd the rude foe, And mangled its length on the ground. Such fervice fhall any difpute ? Yes, Falconet filly anc i vain> Who tunes borrow'd ftrains on the flute, Attack'd the bright ftar of the plain. The ev'ning had curtain'd the fky, And fragrant and foft was the hour; The ftreams whifperd filently by, When SylvareU flew to the bow'r. THE RIBBOK. %% As true as the turtle, her fwain, Had noted the fun in the weft ; Deferted the toil of the plain, To feek the delight cf his breaft. As dew to the bloffom is fweet, As bloflbms are balm to the bee, So Sylvarell's wonted retreat, Rofander, was grateful to thee. But Falconet happen'd to rove Where Sylvarell chided delay, And, lavifli in accepts of love* Pronounc'd her more fweet than the May : More fweet than the breath of the rofe, More bright than the ftar of the eve ; The lily, he fwore, thed her fnows On her bofom averfe to relieve. A kifs was the boon he requir'd, Twas juft that a ftruggle enfued j Her ribbon he fnatch'd and retir'd, 'Yclep'd her an obftinate prude. — The ribbon I rich gift of the wake!- — Ah ! where were the fylphs that furround ? Their feats in her trelfes to take, Thofe trefles the ribbon had bound, 7* THE RIB BOW. Rofander now brighten'd her view, Soon leflen'd her recent drftrefs, Nor ftopt through the fhades to pnrfue His prefent purloin' d from her trefs. Was the Rape of the Ribbon, ye Bards, Than that of the Lock, more minute? Tho' Clio the Thefis difcards, With Pope I relinquifh difpute. Beware, daring felon ; for fleet Rofander comes wing'd with difdain j For pardon refentment intreat, He fees you, and croffes the plain. Chaftifement receiv'd from his hand, The ribbon foon Falconet yields ; Round the hat of Rofander a band. Each dir of his conqueft reveals. As morning, when firft the renews The beams of etherial fire, Sylvarella the ribbon reviews, Reviews it with added defire ; Rile peals of loud fylvan acclaim, Let Dafforell mufic prolong, 'Tis his to accumulate fame, Enchanting with reed and widi long. 79 Strew pocfies, ye maids, freth as May, Remember 'tis Hymen's command, His honours enliven the day, And join them in heart and in hand. The ribbon now fixt to her breaft, The happy occafion declares, Whilft Venus her planet has dreft, Through Hymen to cancel their cares. SONG. "WHAT forrow invades my fond breaft, How tranfient was Colin's delight, I chearfully courted my reft, When Phillis was kind in my fight. I told her foft themes of my love, And brought her a lamb from my fold, My reed tun'd her praife through the grove, And I valued her fmiles more than gold A chaplet from Flora I ftole, Compos'd of the b'.bfTbms that grow, Where the ftreamlets meandering roll Through a valley of rofes below. 8o song. I brought her a goldfinch's nefh. It hurt me to rob the poor bird ; To her cheek the foft younglings the prefj.'ri And my innocent prefent preferr'd. With pinks and with lilies her crook, 'Twas my care, ev'ry morning to drefs j Did fhe give in return a kind look, My ftars I was ready to blefs. But why did I dance on the lea ? Why partial to Phillis appear ? She fmil'd not on love or on me— Was ever a maid fo fevere ? 'Twas Corydon, fwain of the hill, That Phillis to Colin preferr'd ; My eyes fliall x dHIblve like a rill, Whenever I mention the word. Deceit was a fnake in her fmile, Go, Phillis, my heart (hall not break, In turn I will learn to beguile, And to-morrow begin at the wake. SIMILK. . 8l SIMILE. WHEN fombrous ev'nings (hade extends, The toiling hind to comforts cot His anxious footfteps cheerful bends, The bufinefs of the day forgot. To meet his much-!ov'd prefence fee His lifping pratler on the way, A parent's own felicity The infant's welcome charms convey. And when appointment's lovely hour Bids deareft Delia fondly rove, To verdure's intertwifted bow'r, Where waits the panting god of love ! • Sylvander meets the faithful maid, With paffion undifguis'd. to (hare His virtuous flame in truth array'd, And wifhes time his courfe to fpare. And fo when friendfhip fever'd long, The focial bofom heaves to join, No confolation's in the fong Though iffued by the tiuieful Nine: H tl TO DELIA. 'Till proud to blefs a brother's eyes, The long-loft friend himfelf appears Then warm fenfations fweetly rile, And dry the cryftal fource of tears. TO DELIA. AS to the curious eye the teeming bud Dilates the bloflbm of fome infant flow'r, And quick contradteth to its former ftud, As cold aflails or pours the rapid fhow'r. So when my Delia, of enchanting grace, Irradiates all around with fparkling eye, Love in her form and beauty in her face, The Mufe, dejecled, {hall no longer figh. But fhould her brow forget its wonted ray, Her angel face its animating fmile, The Mufe inanimate declines her lay, To tune the lyre becomes an irkfome toil. THE STTOWY DAY. THE SNOWY DAY. " Earth's univerfal face deep hid and chill " Is one wide dazzling wafte that buries all 44 The works of man." Thomfom. THOU Fancy's legitimate fon, Defcription's moft favourite child, Immortal's the WTeath thou haft won From fubje&s terrific or mild ; When Spring, in her rofe-fprinkled veft, Or Summer, with chaplets of green, Brown Autumn, luxuriantly dreft, Or YVintir environs the fcene. O Thomfon, like thee could the foar, The Mufe to depaint might afpire; Melodious the feafon deplore, Or wake to her forrows the lyre. Denied thy pretenfion to fame, Be venial her flight as refign'd, Unhallow'd, if rifes the flame, Uncherifh'd by Bards more refin'd. H 2 *4 THE SNOWY DAY. Does Janus create the new year, While terrors await on its birth ; In varied folemnities rear, Aquarius to govern the earth. In cinclure of fable the ftorm, The breaft with opacity fhrouds, Its quietude can it deform, When virtue difpels all its clouds i The mind, felf-colletted, fhall iland Secure of contentment in bloom, Integrity ftretch forth her hand, Unfhaken by tempeft or gloom. Lyfander, then droop not, my friend, Nor figh o'er the wafte of the day ; I>et Winter her tyrannies fend, Thy heart (hall ltill mantle in May. The fnow (than thy morals lefs bright) A landfcape unufual affords, Involves the high mountains in night, Infenfibly fcatters its hoards. Digrellive, the fubjecl I'll pafs, Comparifon fimple to make, The wealth that pale mifers amafs Augments like the fnow on the brake ; THE SNOWY DAY. Or as through the crevice its fleece Grows filently up to a heap, The wretch eyes his fplendid increafe, Which robs him of comfort and fleep. The fimile farther extends : His glafs of mortality run, His piles fome young prodigal fpends, Which fink as the fnow in the fun. While fighs the fharp wind in the rock, What found do I hear from the fane ? Methinks 'tis the frozen-tongu'd clock, Slow mutters the time to the plain. Ah no, to my terror-ftruck ear, Thy knell 'tis Amanda that peals* What eye is exempt from a tear, What heart, but of adamant,- feels ! As beauteous as Spring, when fhe rear'd Her locks, vilet- woven, with bloom ^ Amanda to friendlhip appear' d, As beauteous, funk down to the tomb ! Her hand, poor necefEty's guard, Supported the children of woe, Could virtue her fentence retard, The tears of the mufe would not flow, H 3 S6 THE SNOWY DA7. "How loud are the eddies that roar Through Medway, as circling they fly ; Snow-fed from the ponderous fhore, As loud is the villager's figh. O death ! not a current more pure Didft thou e'er impede in its courfe ; Could beauty thy terrors allure, Thy dart mud have loft all its force. The genius of fnow, from the north. In mantle of brilliancy dreft, I tremble to fee him come forth. And lord o'er the country diftrefs'd. The nymphs of the valleys and groves, Affrighted, abfcondfrora his pow'r; O name not thofe graces and loves, So chill'd by the rain-frozen ihov/r. But let us regret not the aid That Providence grants to the earth. Vegetation, thus time'.y array'd, Is nourifh'd and nurs'd into birth. Beneficent meteor ! how kind ! The plants thus to wrap in thy fleece ! In regions more northern we find The flowers fucceed thy decreafe*. • In Sweden, the earth, in April, is not diverted of fnow more than a fertnigi t, Uefoie % face wf the country it covered with flowers. THE SNOWY DAT- *7 The hedges are cover' d with fnovr, The roads o'er their fummits afcend. Into figures anomalous grow, O'er corn-fields and fallows extend. Unable to combat the glare, The poultry remain in their cove; In her feat f ullen fits the fad hare, Till hunger compels her to rove. See mountains on mountains arife, A fplendid though terrible weight; Sure Zembla has fliifted her Ikies, Or Rhodope fent us her freight. From Zembla's unciviliz'd coaft, Admit that the genius of woe Forth iffues a numberlels hoft, An army mail-coated in fnow ; Shall Winter, on whofe icy car Congenial rigours await, The morning and evening ftar Illumine to beam on her ftate ? Shall froft forge his ftrong filent chain. In bondage rude Nature to hold j A tyrant rule over the plain, And exclude from their paflure the fold ? J«4 THE SNOWY DAY. Then come, my Lyfander, if rhime, Uncouth and grotefque as the day, Can furnifli amufement to time, Let Fancy replenifh the lay. To her foft invitaion let's yield, And blame not the innocent cheat; Ee all her wild portraits revcal'd, With novelties countlefs replete. With her in hercurvettings rove, Creations illufive to view, She comes full of fport from her grove, Enchantments around us to fcrew. Permit us, gay pow'r, to attend, Jnfpe&ing each whimfical fcene ; Which thou, fond magician, fhalft lend, Romantic, antique, or ferene. The (hallow of yonder vaft drift, Lyfander, come let us explore y Her tube fancy gives us to lift, Extend all thy critical lore. And here fee the chiilll of art A pafl'age has cleft in the fnow •; While gems their rcfplendencc impart, A journey fubnivlal we go. **,*£& !on2 cx£eadcd pa " ise which had been dnz -*«* THE SNOWY DAT. fly See high on yon (hed, pafling ftrange ! There perches* or feems perch d, a fowl j Young ficlion might call it thy change, Nyclemene tum'd to an owl. Here pillars of porph'ry are feen, There buildings and bridges fo grand j Columns (hatter'd whofe portals between- In ruins fpread over the land. There figures, half-buried, appear, Hieroglyphical monfters arife; A lion or crocodile here, A camel there proftrated lies. Still wave, plaftic Fancy, thy wand, Of tombs and of rocks let me ling j Of Jupiter turn'd to a fwan, For fiction's creative of wing. On precipice huge feems to rear An abbey, a church, or a tow'r ; Coloflus, of vifage fevere, Or temple as light as a flow'r. * Soft-bofom'd in white-tufted tree«, Huge manfions of marble we fee, But the moment it ceafes to freeze, No longer the phantoms are free. 9 ° THE SNOWY JDAr. Here Units an Herculean man, An eagle and Ganymede there, A Neptune, Apollo, or Pan, Or Syfiphus high in the air. Through a half-fradurd arch we behold Vaft rivers of fnow in the vale; Fawns and fatyrs alternately bold, Now a fort, or a fhip under fail. Enough of fimilitude's fcene, To frolickfome fancy adieu ! Let Pity her fenate convene, The anguifh of nature to view. She points to the fnow-buried cot, Humanity catches her flame, Enlivens the comfort lefs fpot, And calls up to Charity Fame. In mantle as white as the fnow. Religion is feen in her train; In quell of difpirited woe, Chriflianity meafures the plain. Hail firft-born of Heav'n ! whofe charm Defpondency caufes to fmile ; Whofe bleffings the feafon can warm. And cherifti the offspring of toil. THE SNOWY DAY. 9> O Charity ! born of the ikies, The hymn of contentment receive ; From gratitude hear it aril!-, To thee, ever prone to relieve. Affliction, that late in the vale The tear of anxiety thed ; Whofe infants, with hunger grown pale. Thy own hofpitaiity fed. Bleft ifle, whofe beft bounty appears To flow from the fource of the heart ; To wipe Sorrow's cheek, ftain'd with tears. And fnap poor Misfortune's barb'd dart How fweet the fenfations of thofe, (Like cherubs of heav'nly light,) Who foften the feafon of woes, Epitomize Poverty's night. Benevolence ! blefling divine, Soft beam of effulgence above ; The tale of fweet fympathy's thine, The talk of affection and love, To raife up the fad penfive eye, To pour healing balm upon woe, Bid indigence banifh her figh, And wonted felicity know. 9* THE SNOWY DAY. Ye herds thai frequent the rude flail, Ye folds that in flocks croud the pen, O ftart not at Nature's white pall, Nor ftmdder, ye fowls of the fen ; The fun, from the fouth, fhall unbind The menacing fetters of froft, Its fnow all diflblve in the wind, His empire be conquered and loft. New beauties re-open the year, Thefe terrible objecls recede j You% Spring in gay mantle appear, Her graces de'ermine the lead ; The mazes that curt from the glade, Which erft bluftering Boreas blew, Shall lengthen out enviable (hade, A charm to each pi&urefque view. In vefture of velvet, the grove Zephyrus (hall whifpering fan; The chorifters warble forth love, Pure blifs ! the. perfection of man. The God of each feafon to praife, Let Pceans inceflantly flow, *Tis his winter's triumph to raze, Whofe goodnefs reduces the {how- TO HEALTH. 93 TO HEALTH. " Hail blooming goddefs ! thou propitious pow'r, " Whofe bleflings mortals more than life adore." O COME on Zephyr's purple wing, Hygeia all thy treafures bring, Affift my humble fong ; To thee, benign, cherubic power, Belongs the truly chearful hour, To thee more joys belong Than flow from care-corroding (late. Whole empires of the regal great, The bullion and the bulfe ; O lead me fweetly-fmiling maid, Through all thy own fequefter'd (hade, And beat in every pulfe. O make my cottage all your own, My cottage, then an envied throne, Shall bloflom with content ; No morbid folly there fhall dwell, No midnight orgies dare repel What you've fo kindly lent 9+ TO HEALTH. Nature would ficken but for thee, Whofe fmile to villag'd poverty Manificence beftows ; Daughter of Peon, angel fair, Than Sol more bright, o'er languid care, Expand thy thornlefs rofe. And when the throbbing pain appears Expreflive in her falling tears, Supprefs my Emma's fighs; Indulgent goddefs ! ceafe to frown, And look compaflionateh/ down, Re-thron'd in Emma's eyes. From eyes that (hone divinely bright,. More foft than young Aurora's light, Difpel diltemper's (hade ; Her rofes fee in ficknefs pale, The lilies too in whitenefs fail, Support the finking Maid. Thy lenient balm propitious fhed, Thy bloffoms round her temples fpread r And mitigate her pain ; O fmooth the pillow of difeafe, Eefcend bright meflenger of cafe ! Refurae thy fmiling reign. A VERNAL SKETCHV $$ Divined nymph, to thee I'll pay My vefper and my matin lay, — Aufpicioufly defcend ; And when the fweet returning fpring Shall thee in all thy glory bring, Will hail thee Beauty's friend. A VERNAL SKETCH. WHEN foliage umbrellas the bow'r, And Phoebus enlivens the hour, When Nature, in gladfome array, In mildnefs is feen on the plain, The graces completing her reign, Then comes the mellifluous May. Ye tuneful Nine Pierian maids ! O waft me to your fav'rite fhades, Recedes of the Spring ; In blifs to pafs the fragrant hours, See Flora wake her fweeteft flow'rs, While Zephyr's fragrant wing 9& A VERNAL SKETCH. Shall fan my fhade-furrounded feat, My enviably cool retreat, Hufh'd by fereneft peace ; Where anxious care and noify ftrife, And ev'ry ill that harrows life, Shall fade away and ceafe. I'll Men, Nature, to thy voice, And hear the feathered choir rejoice, And vocalize the grove ; Contentment ! fhall her rofes lhed, The fweet Acacia crown my head, Come hither then, my love ! O come, my Delia, come and fhare The rofy bow'rs and vernal air. Does Venus leave the ikies ? Does beauty's queen thy beauties view ? She bids each lovely fcene adieu ! And leaves to you the prize. TO DELIA. 57 A SONNET TO DELIA. HOW blooming and bright to the eye The gift that I render my fair ' The vi'let as blue as the flcy, The lily than Delia lefs fair f Your bread (hall the poefy perfume, The rofe, royal emprefs of Spring ; Behold her foft rival in bloom, Difdain not her tribute to bring. Such beauties as garoith my lay, How foon is their glory all o'er ; And your's, tho' far brighter than May, Too foon we muft ceafe to adore. The precept, my angel ! is brilliantly .plain. While youth is -in bloom fuffer Cupid to reigru. $7 TO A RED SREAST. TO A RED BREAST. WRITTEN IN THE LATE HARD WEATHERS POOR bird ! by what hard fortune crofs'd, Daft come a fuppliant here ; A victim to the piercing froft, In jeopardy and fear ? Why heaves your little painted breaft With many a burdcn'd figh ? fet your flutt'ring heart at reft, jBt fur t you Jh all not die. And yet 'twas bold to feek relief, Protection of a foe; But reft fecure in this belief, He melts at others woe. Is it the feafon's tyrant hand Withholds thy daily food ? Then let your anguifh'd heart expand; Per here's provifion good. TO A RED BREAST. q$ In vain fliould you my cell explore, Thus prefs'd with pinching need ; ^ our notes, perhaps, might join no more The mufic of the mead. With you I feel the (harpen'd air, Thank heaven, for want can feel ; Then, gentle warbler, don't defpair, But take a hearty meal. Secure from Winter's raging blaft, Dilpel your recent dread ; While Winter holds his hoary fatf, My couch (hall be thy bed. In gratitude, your welcome lay The fullen hours mall chear, Triumphant o'er the frozen day And unrelenting year. Stay till the Spring, of prefence fair, Shall court your fieps along, My kindnefs then aloud declare In unremitting fong. I-a «C» THE WINTER'S EVENING. As gratitude is always fweet. Then mount the vernal fpray; And Nature's concert make complete, Amidft the general lay. And, leffbn'd by a generous foe, When you tefume the air, That mercy then to others thow, That you have learn'd to fhare. THE WINTERS EVENING. THE lapfe cf the ftream by my cot, Inceflant that babbled along ; Its murmurs are wholly forgot. Nor heard in reply to my fong. No longer my garden it laves, In fdence its current is chain'dj The limpid difplay of its waves In cryfialliz'd bondage detain'd- Tlie hillock frcm whence I furvey'd The Iheep flraying wide o'er the mead; The lambkins in gambols that play'd, The ftecis as they ftraggled to feed ; THE WINTER'S EVENING. The hillock is crefted with fnow, More white than the fleece of my fold ; The ploughmen as -wureftfs they go, Behold how they fluver with cold ! <2o, boy, fill the crib in the dale, The fnow from the turnip remove ; 'Tis ev'ning, and home to the pail, The ftrawberry cow muft be drove ; The door of the birchin-roof'd flied Forget not to carefully guard, Left prowling fly Reynard fliould tread The path of the ftraw-cover'd yard. 'Tis ev'ning.— The tortoifefliell cat Her back turns oblique to the grate ; Old Thifbe forms prefage at that, Predicls fuperftition and fate. The kitten, in freaks ever gay. Climbs over the maftifF afleep, Unmindful of which, honeft Tray Difputes not his numbers to keep. Shall Winter's fell fadnefs annoy. Spread horror and gloom o'er the bread ? Deprive it of comfort and joy, The Mufe be derang'd and unblsfs'd } I 3 '02 THE WINTER'S EVENING. Prevent it Melpomene, maid To whole facred impulfe belong Luxurious forrows array'd In meafure of plaint-pouring fbng. Then come, tragic fair ! and efl'ay, Deje&e;!, to kindle my ftrain, And ftied a pale glance on my lay, Of ev'ning be feen in the train ; If itorms and of tempefts I fing, Of hurricanes rude from the north j Afiift in perfpedhve to bring Hymeneal feverities forth. In vain, penfive maid, can we hide Thefe fcenes of diftrefs and furpnfe 4 Permit then my pencil to guide As o'er the rude landfcape it flies ; Blow winds, and ye rains rapid pour In deluge all over the plain ; Ye furges contend with the fhore. Bid Neptune mod dreadfully reign. When frofts the clear rivers impede, And fnow- covers nature with white, The duck by the fportfnun (hall bleed, lj munitr «i» miafurt delight ; THE WINTER'S EVENING. XOJ And death vegetation deftroy, The warblers of .Ether be dumb, Bright Phoebus emit not a joy, Clouds, vapours, and night-terrors come. To the cottage, low-roof'd, I'll repaiF, Tranquillity's pleafures to greet, Unharrafs'd by fcorpion-tongu'd Care, They circle my Celadon's feat ; The ev'ning of Winter to cheer, He Heals from the frowns of the hour - r Do friends uninvited appear ? Then Winter no longer can lour. His hut of rufticity founds With all that h guilelefs and gay, His table with liquor abounds, Hilarity kindles up May ; Sociality brightens each fmile, In converle both harmlefs and pure, Forgot is the feafon of toil, And peace guards from tumult the door. To amufe or improve is the taflc, The goblet flies merrily round, The evening is cheer'd with the flaik, By ballad traditional crown'd ; *C4 ON A BOVO.UET OF COWSLIPS. Content fmooths the brow of each gueft, For (he to the cottage can bring Thofe enviable poppies of reft, From peace that continually fpring. ON A BOUQUET OF COWSLIPS: NOW from your cups who ftps the honied dew ? No more, gay children of the glowing fpring, 'Tis yours to paint the fafcinating view, No more your pofies from young Flora fpring. The vernal fairies in their magic rounds No more (hall court your amorous perfume ; Perhaps as you, e'er morning mufick founds, Your penfive poet may explore his tomb. . Sweet emblems of life's tranGtory fcene, To you fad elegy devotes her lay j Ts r o longer beams your topaz-tindlur'd mien, The breathing portraits of the >ivid May. Torn from your emrald beds— to pleafure's eye You fhrink, you languifh, and muft ever fade ; So he v. ho marks your fate (hall droop and die, .Quit Nature's landfcapc and become a fliade. THE -COMPLAINT. 105 THE COMPLAINT. AH ! what avails, the groves green iiv'ries wear, That May in purple robe bedecks the year ? The graces lead the dancing hours along, That all is mildnefs, joy, and bloom, and fong ; The hanging wood, the lofty {preading trees, The (hepherd on the bank reclin'd at eafe; The verdant lawn, the clumps of ever-green, The water gliding to enrich the fcene ; Curling delightful thro' the dill recefs, Where penfive pleafures to retirement prefs ; The charming interchange of hill and dale, Th' enchanting trills of Philomela's tale; The dingle vocaliz'd by echo's found, The brook loud wailing over rocky ground ; The tuneful mattin of the loud-fong'd lark ; The local beauties of the charming park ; Each fine and bold effect ! — The concave blue ! The varied fcen'ry of the lengthen' d view; All Nature's elegance with art combin'd, The polifh'd tafte of imag'ry refin'd. Ah ! what avails the -whole .'—'tis fplendid woe ■Bepri v'd of health — The fitfi befi blif, Mm. 106 ™E FARM ftOUSE. THE FARM HOUSE. LOW funk in the vale by a copfe Which fringes each fide of the hill, Between a few acres of hops, Prefac'd by a ftream to the mill ; Ere&ed in peaceable days, Ere pride to the cottage had crept, Diffipation extended her blaze, And Sylvan fimplicity wept; A ftruclure, though rural yet neat, Green-crefted with mofs on its thatch, Rufticity's beft belov'd feat,* Where Honefiy lifts up the latch; Thy msfuage, Patemon, I f, ng . What though the meridian ray ! Profufion of light cannot bring, Or emit in full Inure the day ! The fafh to. the cafement fhall yield, Cefpife not its panncl fo fmall, No flattery here is conceal'd, No colonades lead to the hall ; THE FARM HOUSE. *°7 The yard fpreads a carpet of ftraw, Ye courtiers, too rich for your tread; For Nature, defpifing your law, Sits judge on the fhrine of the ihed. The dove-cotes (whofe tenants of air Contend for reciprocal love ;) Are grander than temples of care, Your Chinefe pagodas above ; What though in this peaceful racefs No avenues fafhion'd by art The ftranger's attentions imprefs, The wiles. of appearance impart ; Yet here (hall the Oak not diidain Her guardian protection to lend ; The walnut Neftorian of reign, Her arms of, antiquity bend ; The elm, of circumference vaft, Afford to the fwine a recefs ; Whofe 4 .bf, thus fecur'd from the blail, Is fwept by the ftreamlefs ingrefs. No -porter to fpum from his gate Palsmon's finances afford; Does need make her moan at his grate ? The wretched to comfort's reftor'd t io8 % THE FARM HOUSE. Monopoly palfied of hand, That vulture forbade to obtain, He cheapens the fruit of the land To peafants who raife it with pain. Example moil precious and pure, Palamon deferves the renown Which honefty bids to endure Beyond the extent of a crown; A crown, but a bauble at beft, TtrturbatUn of gilded diitrefs j The wearer too often unbleft, Though million! his greatnefs carcfs. Unfriended by harmony's itrains, Tho' partial to paftoral fame, The Mufes, averfe to our plains, Have feldom recorded my name • Yet fmit with what Nature affords, Unfearful I venture my lay, X>efcription, aflifting my words, Having promis'd a fprig from the bay. Behold on the hook o'er the fill The flarling, i n ozier-bound chains, Endeavours rude accents to fndl, Or whiffle the waggoners itrains ; THE FARM HOUSE. I0f Beneath, at the mimic to bay. The puppy affects a loud cry, Yelps ceafelefs in half-eameft play, And watches the cage with his eye. Coop'd up in the lodge, fee the hen> Strut prifon'd — maternal her ftrife j Poor Part let, the bar of thy pen Arrefts a fond mother and wife ; W'hofe offspring, tho' eager to roam. Yet duteous revert to her call, The vagrants turn inftantly home* In clutters brood under the ilalk The goofe, fupercilious of flride, Gabbles loud the mix'd poultry among j The duck, in garrulity's pride, To fwim calls her down-coated young ; The magpie, fd fam'd for a fcold, Afliftance affords to my rhime, Afpiring the architect bold Rebuilds in the grey branch of time. But mark the meridian meal, The pudding of fruit (hall I ihare, Of bacon and delicate veal, With efculent$ wholefome and rare. THE FARM HOUSE- The farmer, of liberal mien, Invite; with rude welcome to tafte The wholefome repaft fweet and clean,; By kind Hofpitality grae'd. Blufh Luxury, blufh and behold Palsmon's the pidture of health, With coffers unfurnifh'd with gold, And withes uncenter'd in wealth • Tis exercife, rofe of the plain, And induftry's temperate toil, Adds fauce to the dim of the fwain, And kindles tranquillity's fmile. Pad dinner, and now by the hearth Thy produce, brown Ceres, to brings The jug circles round, and with mirth Thy roof (hall, Rufticity, ring; The tube is alight in a trice, Pahemon enhances his crops, Anticipates chcarful the price The market (hall yield to his hops- Nirte -winters the fcafons have told, Since Anna was born to my friend ; She comes, juft return'd from the fold, Twin lambkins her prefence attend ; THE FARM HOUSE. The nurflings, foft emblems, fo fweet, She couples in oue filken band , Companions of innccence meet, Dependent for food on her hand. No pencil too fine to pourtray A picture fo gentle and fair j In Anna the bluthes of May A Granger's appearance declare j "With rapture Pabemon reviews This pledge of connubial blifs ; AVhofe prefence freth forrow renews, Attach'd to an innocent kifs. Ah friend, how expreGSve that tear ! So prone on reflexion to ftart ; It fpeaks as it gulhes, I hear The fecret diftrefs of thy heart j I know thy Euftatia was fair, Was virtuous, and thou waft fo kind, m That Hymen fo happy a pair In folitude'feldom could find. O Solitude ! oft in thy fhade, Remote from misfortune and noife, The twain, fweet Content, with thy aid, Have fhar'd undegenerate joysj ,,a THE SENTIMENT. Did Spring mantle over the mead } He rofe -with the lark in the morn; Tranfported to view in the feed The promife of young-bladed corn. Did Summer his clofures embrown ? How jocund and blithe was his heart ! Did Autumn his indufiry crown, Reward to his labour impart ? Each feafon had charms to delight, Euftatia was life to his breaft ; She fweeten'd his morning and night, And lull'd all his cares into relt. THE SENTIMENT. DO flies on the goflamer's thread Dance wanton the ftubble among ? Or larks to the lap of the mead Defcend to encircle their young ? So De'ia, the mufe of my breaft, Thy delicate graces enjoin, Thy bofom pavillions her neft, Of joy thy acceptance her lin* THE SEN'TIMENX. Toes Delia, more foft than the down That velvets the willow in Spring, My fimilc fee with a frown, Or fmile as I venture to fmg ? The gales from the mounta : ns green top?, When open the gates of the morn, The Summer rcpleniQi'd with crops, The pearl pending bright from the thorn, Nor Health, with her blue brighten'd eye, Marc jocund appears in the vale, More placid the tints of the (ky, When breathes with ambrofia the gale ; ' Not virtue more fwcetly benign, When healing the wounds of defpair, ■ As when with her dimples divine, She robs my fond bofom of care. To gentlenefs fweetly allied, How blefs'd in her f miles are the hills ! How tranquil glides forward the tide ! How placid's the fall of the rills 1 The Terpentine path edg'd witli fiow'rs. The nymphs and the fhepherds explore j Gay Frolick beguiling the hours, I forrow and Winter's no more. 1X4 THE SENTIMENT, The guilelefs are feftive alone. The fair, by pure innocence fway'd. Shall beam from feftivity's throne; All hail ! thou beneficent maid, That joy- that hymns peace to the mind, In whifpers moft heav'nly great, Thofe waiblings that iflue refin'd, "When loves on the graces await, Are thine, gentle Delia, and thine The rubies that warm'd Helen's cheek "VVhofe bofom not half (o divine, Com pari fon faulters to fpeak ; The ring-dove that perch'd on the oak No longer with verdure array'd, Permit that my Mufe may invoke In emblem as pure as the maid. A -willow that bent o'er the brook, Was wont a green feat to afford ; What magic on Nature to look, Or Nature to Summer reftor'd \ When Delia aitach'd to my fide, Loves paradife beam'd from her mind ; •* Creation's vermillion, I cried, ** December without thee I find. THE SENTIMENT. " Thou chafte as Lucretia in thought, ** Without thee would madrigals yield 44 That mufic with harmony fraught, * That undulates over the field ? *■ Accept my oblation," I cried ; ** My paflion regard and approve ;'* My eyes in that moment efpied The hedtic of innocent love. The tender emotion I trac'd, Twas long fince her blufhes I caus'd ; The Planets revolving have chac'd Three Moons fince her Corydon paus'dj Then climb'd to the fteep of the hill, Collecting a pofy of fweets ; The iris and flender-leav'd dill Purloin' d from their graffy retreats. Muft abfence then harrow my breaft ? Ah, why fiiould its forrows prevail I The cherub of fweetnefs confefs'd 'Tis Winter detains in the dale; O then ftiall I vifit her cot ? Not the luftre alone of her eye. But virtues that fall to her lot, Which envy's averfe to defcry j K 2 TJfF. SBtfTISTEffT. 'Tis thofe welcome guefts that my Mufe Woald worfhip in adequate rhlme, With energy ftrive to diffufe, In numbers not lefs tlian lublime ; O come thou fweet goddefs, Content ! come to. tranquillity's bow'r ! In all thy convivial extent, 1 woo thee to fmile on the hour. i'or, cherim'd by thee, on the plain, The hawthorn more beautiful blows; The pleafures of memory reign, As fancy from fcntimcnt flows. So bright, fair Content, is thy mien, Fair daughter of Virtue moft pure ; The blcffings around thee convene, And flourifhing fwccily endure. With folly the. mind undebas'd, Feels all that thy pleafures can pour ; Thy walk to the clofure I trac'd, And look'd with delight on thy flore; Ambition of pride the machine, Difeafe of the yicioufiy great ; ..Content in thy prefcnce unfecn, ftOWfl in t-he cottager's feat THE BtUSH^ From courts to retirement exil'd, "With Peace, Truth, and Nature along ; Dominion and pomp how beguil'd, Contentment they hear not thy fong ; Thy themes of unlimited joy We hear from the lips of the vale j Let luxury rife to deftroy, An 1 fplendour paint pageantry's fail The temped of vice I defy ; The thunder of rapine may roll, Relentlefs its whirlwinds may fly, And confcience retort on the foul ; Content her protection fhall yield, Stretch over the cottage her wing, Ambitious my Delia to ftneld, Nor fcorn whom her praifes fhall fmg. THE BLUSH. FOR happinefs fhall I explore Yon Itruclure of riches, the feat ? Or crofs the fmooth green to the door Of Celadon's fhady retreat ? K 3 it8 *We ■BXttsK. There Health, with her rofes in bloom, Vermillions the hufbandman's cheek; Tho' ornament deck not the room, In chearfulnefs rifes to fpeak. There center the fweets and the joys, No forrow, no anguith, or ftrife The humble retirement annoys, Of Nature the throne and the life ; There labour, in undifturb'd reft. Serenity woos to her arms, Sheds her bloflbms of balm on the breaft, Expands her elyfium of charms. Of induftrious virtue the roof, Leander in rapture had ey'd; The palace he guefs'd was a proof Of care gilded over with pride j In Celadon's rural recefs He pidtur'd new charms to his heart, Where ir.nocence triumph'd to blefs In Patty, unconfeious of art *Twas ev'ning, molt fweet and ferene. The dance was alive in the glade, But Patty was not on the grten, She figh'd in the fycamore lhade; THE BLUSH. Xjeander, the ftar of his mind Beheld as the garland (he wove; His pipe and his tabor refign'd, Repair' d to the feat of his love. With fervor of paifion her hand Saluting, demanded the caufe Why thus from the gay-village band The fair one fo penfive withdraws ; Her looks beam'd intelligence fair, They fpoke in an eloquent ftyle, Expreffively ferv'd to declare Leander might foften his toil ; Might lavilh foft praife on her form; He did, and of Hymen exclaim'd; To gentle perfuafion when warm, Ye Fair, could the charmer be blam'd r I faw the fweet maid of his joy ; Leander, I cried, ever hufli ** Each care that her peace may annoy ;" He bow'd and the fmil'd with a blush. K LINES TRIBUTARY TO Tin LINES TRIBUTARY TO THE BEAUTIES OF PRESTON COURT • DENIED the fervor of the Mufes fmile, The flow'rs of rhet'ric and the grace of ftyh Yet 'twere ungrateful to this lovely fcene Of Sylvan, beauty's fafcinating mien, Not to prefume when foft emotions rife, And fpread the m'&ure to the Poet's < Delightful fpot, whole hofpi table door Invites the ftranger to thy gen'rous fta Whofe lhady haunts to folemn thoughts in . And warm the mind with every chafte delight ; Whofe verdant banks the honied woodbine crown;, Each partial herb. and balmy flower furroui Embower'd alcoves repelling folar heat, Conduct my fteps to Meditation's featj Here facrcd ltudy miglit with rapture dwell, And ev'ry low-born care of life repel; Where liltens reafon as her joys encreafe. To the foft accents and the (igh of peace; And where the Mufes captivating train, In ulence pour the unambitious ftnun. • Hen WTntfan m Eafl Kent, the refulcnce of Mr. J.,h:i Berife*. BEAUTIES OF PRESTON COURT, O fcene, devoted ftudy to invite, Enchanting poefy or the Paphian rite ; Where the green lime uniting with the rofe, The foft marquee of Nature's hand difclofe j • A fhrubby curtain round its fides difplay'd In all the luxury of fweei and thade, Mantled in foliage Ice the blifcful bow'rs, Delightful haunts of fweet Retirement's hours. Ye willows weeping o'er the cryftal ilream, Ye rooks, the clamorous audience of my theme, Ye penfive pleafures, while the ponds below ( In fine expanfe a perfect mirror {how) Induce the Angler, with the taper reed, To tempt the capture of the finny breed. O could I pour the pifcatory ftrain, In much admir'd 'Brown's immortal vein ; ' Then would I fing the patient angler's care, And all the arts he ufes to enfnare ; Mow Iboth'd each care that would difturb his bread, Lull'd all his woe to fweet repofe and reft; When hufh'd the wind, the horizon ferene, And not a wrinkle on the lake is feen, As fond of folitude he takes his ftand, The extended angle trembling in his hand ; * Mofes L'rown, author of the Pifcatory Eclognej 122 LINES TRIBUTARY TO THE, &c. The fcaly wand'rers fporting round the bait, And ftrive for freedom, but alas, too late! So frcm the paths of prudence thofe who ftfay, Lur'd by falfe Pleafure's captivating ray, "When all is anguifh and internal pain, Deplore their mental quiet to regain. But ceafe to moralize, my Mufe, and. view Scenes ever charming, pi&urefque, and new ; External profpe&s pafbrally bland, "Where local beauties all around expand ; In rev'rence to this venerable fpot, Be not, my Mufe, the neighboring church forgot, Whofe ruftic fane emerging from the boughs, Invites the interchange of fpoufal vows. By faithful hinds and artlefs damfels made In wedlocks bands, by conftancy repaid. Wheree'er the Mufe her humble ftandard rear* There's not a fpot but cultivation cheers ; And now when Autumn with his yellow (lores From Plenty's cornucopia: amply pours ; In rich profufion fragrant orchards beam, And plump Pomona paints my lowly theme; Shall I forbear my facrifice to bring, Perch'd, lovely Gratitude, on thy fair wing f And though in lofty (trains debarr'd to fing. Haply forae belter bard the lyre may firing ,• SONNETS. I*J By him fome future day that praife he mown, A Raphael's pencil need not blu(h to own ; Till when adieu ! each lovely fcene and bow'r, Where I delighted pafs'd the lonely hour j Adieu, my friend ! with courteous manners bleft, May no obtruding care thy peace moleft, May health aufpicious on thy dome defcend. And all the comforts in her train attend j True confcious honour be thy fole repaft, ■** Enjoy the prefent hour nor fear the laft." SONNETS. HOPE. A myrtle that fell from her breaft I haftily pluck'd from the ground ; Itfor had I one moment of reft Till its beautiful owner I found. Adieu to the regions of gloom, I cried, to all forrow adieu ! My Phiilida, let me prefume This fprig to reftore to your view. 1Z * DFJECTJdK. Replac'd in her bofom, the fpoil Recover'd its primitive mien ; Like me, it reviv'd in her fmile And foon became gay and ferene. Then I cherifh'd fond Hope, the firft fpring of the foul. And no longer Defpair did my bofom controul. DEJECTION. COMPELL'D by a paflion fo pure, I rofe with the loud-finding- l ar k ; , In hopes of my charmer fecure, Crofs'd over the lawn of the park. The fmile of Aurora I hail'd, But wanted my Phi.lidas fmile ; Ah me! difappointment prevail'd, In vain were my care and my toil. Farewell to the daify-dreC'd mead ! Dejedtion, I vilit thy cell ; For one that'i more wealthy decreed, Is Phillicla deflin'd they tell. Ceafe, warblers, your fonnets, henceforward be mute, My mufe is in foirow, and filent my flute. JEALOUSY. JEALOUSY. I gather'd the Vi'Iet fo blue, Its colour fpoke peace to my breaft ; An emblem of love the moil true, A type of my paflion confefs'd. The primrofe invited my view, I lik'd not its colour fo palej Expreflive of jealoufy too, I left it to fade in the vale. Such caution 'twere neerllefs to take, For Phillida faithlefs was feen With Colin laft night at the wake, And danc'd with the fwain on the green. Now jealoufy* s poifon's diffus'd thro' my breaft, Adieu, ye foft bloffoms of comfort and reft. CONSOLATION. THE flower of love have ye feen, Ye fhepherds that honour the May^ Tranfcendently fweet in its mien "When warm'd by the morning's firft ray. J2 * CONSUMMATION. So Phillida's fmiles to my breaft Contentment and pleafure impart j The Sun was funk down in the weft When I met with the pride of my heart. As ling'ring we travers'd the vale,, Confentive her fhepherd the heard^ More fweet than the rofe-breathing gale, Was her voice when fhe utter'c(the word. A charming delirium ftole over my breaft, And Phillida's hand ftrew'd the poppies of reft. CONSUMMATION. TWO rofes, twin-ftfters that grew, Of turtles a pair from the neft, Begirt with a ribbon of blue, The type of our union exprefs'd. Dear emblems of conjugal blifs, That courted my Phillida's fmile. And met her confent with a kifs, Compleating a truce to my toil. THE TEAR. 1*7 Next morning our gay village band To church my dear Phillida bore, With pleafure I gave her my hand, My heart was her own long before. And now gentle Hymen your bleffings beftow, The turtles fhall bill and the rofes fliall blow. THE TEAR. GAY Health, to your haunts of repofe. Where innocence, harmlefs of blame, Her jewels of peace in the clofe, Has fcatter'd to brighten the fame j. Of Paridel, confcious of truth, Whofe bofom's as free from a ftain As envy's unknown to his youth, Or diflimulation the plain. Gay Health, to your haunts I repair'd, The Summer had brighten'd each field, The hills and the vallies declar'd The pleafures that Nature reveal'dj Twas Friendlhip to Paridel's feat My mufe in fond rapture convey'd ; The fame which impell'd him to meet And fhorten my fteps as I ftray'd. -128 THE TEAK. At life's eailieft fpring \ve began ■ In trifles our friendfhip to {hew, And as we matur'd into man, Subltantial and firmer it grew ; Wlien abfent he lrv'd in my breaft, Unfever'd his joys were my own, Till love, profetl rebel to reit, Cur intercourse view'd with a frown. His fecrets attach'd to my heart. Their rivets anedtion had tied ; Twas not in the fianderei's art Our mutual goodwill to divide ; But Cupid had Paridel bound, In vain with hi-; fhafts to contend ! Reciprocal deepen'd the wound, That neither could fuccour his friend. With day-fpring whenever he rofe, Thy vales, Cultivation, he fought; The Sun when unclouded he glows Was not more refin d than his thought •, His fentiment learning might teach, Beam'd wifdom in l'aridel's mien ; Eut beauty^the wifeft can reach, Illumine or darken the fcene. Tilt TEAR. Where plalhes yon murmuring fall. As mufing meandering he Hole, Tn filence attending the call, Of whifpers that waken the foul; Here wont for reflexion to fly, He woo'd the retirement of eafej The Mufe, with a fugitive eye, Attended her matter to pleafe. The pencil inflruited to blend The Sylvan with fubje&s fublime, Or pinion the lay to a friend, To love alone offer'd the rhime ; He fung of foft mildnefs and grace, Of elegance fweetly refin'd, The look that irradiates the face, From virtue that glows in the mind 'Twas Laura he'd feen in his walk, She ftray'd by the lapfe of the ftream; No wonder in affable talk, Her beautiful form was his theme ; Of matchlefs allurements the maid. With bluthes his praifes receiv'd ; No prudifh fufpicion difplay'd, What fentiment utter'd believ'd. L I *"i° THE TEAR. The mines of Potofi were poor Compar'd to the wealth of his breafr,'- Felicity long to infure, And lap his fond heart into reft ; The village arofe with the morn, And Hymen united the pair ; Through all the brown valleys of corn Forgot was each trouble and care. In beauty's bright garden no flow'r More brilliant than Laura was feen, Had Venus difplay'dall her pow'r Her charms would have rivall'd the Queen J •Of manners untinftur'd by pride, With foftnefs that won on the heart. The fweetnefs of ParideU's bride Could all the engaging impart. Pond fhepherd, love's pinions of joy Your withes have fann'd into biith. Be yours her bright fmiles to employ. To cherith and merit her worth; The lilies that whiten her neck, To you in their fragrance are giv'n ; The rofes that vermil her cheek Were gifts pre-ordain'd you by Heav'ik TRE TEa*R. Her mind, feat of elegant thought, Supported by modefty's fenfe, With all the ferenity fraught Which fee ings unclouded difpenfe ; 'Twas honour and virtue combin'd This union of bofoms to plan, For bleflings exalted defign'd Of heav'n fymbolic to man. You knew me, dear friend of my youth, When paftime expanded her fail, When friendihip was meafur'd by truth, I And health honied every gale ; Shall mem'ry revert to the fcene When revell'd our hearts o'er the plain, . Revert to the fports of the green And call up puerility's reign? When trifles as light as the air Were objedts of deepefl concern, *Twas min«njy friend's leiTon to fhare, A monarch unpuniuYd to leatftT; And (hall we on * Russell beftow, As well as his fceptre of birch, What we from pure gratitude owe For precept at fchool and at church. * MaAer u f the Free Grammar Sfccooi M W»id8«oo La THE TEAR. Well pleas'd I remember the day When free from confinement and fmarj, Our hearts were as jocund as May From learning and birch to depart ; Recall the warm tranfports we found, December, ami. lit all thy gloom, 'When Chrifimas, with holidays crown'd, Return'd us in jollity home. Rut oh thole fenfutiens of joy, Exempt from dilhnbance and guile, No longer onr bofoms employ, No longer date with their fmile j Sha'l manhood than childhood lefs pleafe ? Blefs'd ftate, little (haded wi{h care, Maturity harbour lefs eafe, Of worldly contrivance the fnare? Tlie padJon^ dangerous crew, F.mbark ott this ocean of ftrife, With fenfe and wifh competence few Can combat the troubles of life ; Oh Paridelll bleft beyond pain, I low jocund your Corydon fpoke, jovial he brought up the train ,To daucc in the fhadc of the oak J THE TEAK. To captivate, Delia was there, Her fmiles the young archer difplay'd; Her dimples and innocent air Exalted to notice the maid ; In vain I carefs'd to be heard To picture the paffion I felt, In ttanza to^jblour the word, Twas pride that forbade her to melt: • Ah no; let me wrong not the fair, Refentment be banith'd my breaff, For foon (he gave caufe to declare How much the herfelf was diflrefs'd ; . That Edwin her vow had approv'd, Nice honour indue' d her to fpeak How much he deferv'd to be lov'd ! Yet a tear I perceiv'd on her cheek. 'Twas the dew-drop of fympatliy's grief, ' The fenfe from fine feelings that Hole, . Thro' clouds it afforded relief, And ferv'd my fad heart to condole _; How gen'rous and candid the maid; Whofe bofom's compaffionatijlrcam, . Has furnifh'd her delicate aid, The ttur for a pafioral them?. *3# TO EMMA. TO EMMA. DOES ihe filk-worm or jewellers aid To my Emma's exterior extend, Their beauties (hall perifh and fade, Atham'd with my Emma's to blend ; Indebted to Nature alone, Unaffectedly neat is the girl, •Her graces and fmiles are her own, And the wants neither fatin nor pearl. SONG. E'ER beauty with fafhion combin'd, A cap that was fnug to the face (My tafte and my fancy confin'd) Gave Emma fuperlative grace; 2^o art to her head-drefs was lent, No heat to folicit the curl, "Without any fuccour it bent .Spontaneoufly rofe in a furl. If a flip of plain gauze on her breaft Might (land for an emblem of pride, The fame on her head was confels'd In a bow that was carelelfly tied ; SONNET TO HEALTH. ^LeTs amiable does {he appear, No jewels appear on her head, Or is (he to Damon lefs dear That her bofom no diamonds befpread » The ftudy of virtue's her aim, Whofe heart, in good nature attir'dV Secures her more permanent fame And makes her fincerely admir'd j Fantaftical beauties defpair, Your charms to my Emma's are faint. For innocence brightens her air Beyond all your pearls or your paint SONNET TO HEALTH. DEAR cherub of plcafure appear ! O come from your fir-crefted hill,! Your fmiles can exigence endear, My cottage with harmony fill. When heat bids me fly to the (hade, O vifit my welcome recefs, Without thee, moft loul-cheering maid, Retirement's unable to blefs. L 4 J36 SONNET. When Winter determines the year, The groves their green mantle have loft, The fcafon's all darknefs and fear, And Nature's imprifon'd in froft ; Then offspring of Peon thy comforts impart, Suppref;; Nature's figh and replenifh my heart-, SONNET. TO "whom fliall Conftantia apply ? To whom be her forrows confefs'd ? Who fees with foft fympathy's eye The forrows that harrow her bread f Though Winter had fabled the day. She faw- the ftrip'd crocus in bloom. The fuow-drop in veftal array, And the aconite burft from her tomb Tliefe figns were a proraife that Spring, Soft feafon of blifs, would return, }3ut what, cried Co:iilantia, can bring My Dorilard back from his urn } Then filent me fat and reclined was her head, While affection the dew-drops of memory Ihed. THE SMITE* THE SMILE. " Smilei ire the pr>i!ege of human love. NOW chanticleer's clarion of morn Announce! the gay twilight at hand, Arouz'd by the hound and the horn, Young Ancafter hied to the band ; Whom rapture wing'd over the dale, ; Relbunded with echo the rcclcs, The pack mouthd it loud on the trail In purfuit of the fugitive fox. Now finifti'd the chace and the eve, Immaculate daughter of day, So tranquil and calm that a leaf Scarce mov'd on the afpinny fpray ; The lark from her fky-brightened bower Defcended in verdure to reft, Apollo compleating his tour, Repos'd oo Amphitrite's breaft* • A '3« THE SMILE. Brown Ceres to fheep-bells gave ear, Or liften'd to Colinet's flute ; An oak which for many a year In peace had extended its root; A canopy folemn of fhade O'er Florida, maid of the vale, Its ample protection difplay'd, While her fonnet enchanted the gale. What wonder that fudden furpiize Arretted the fportfman's career, The minirrel of magic he eyes, Is Florida fdent with fear. " Sweet maid, who prefers to the court " The feats of fequefter'd repofe," He faid, " the young breezes in fport * For thee their ambrofia difclofe. *' No emigrant am I in love, " O dart not difdain from your eyes ! " More bright than ftellations above, " Their fervour of kindncfs I prize ; «« Sweet Maid ! my poileffions are thine, " No treach'ry lurks in my fpecch, *• Be all thy lov'd paradife mine, " To blefs thee each mcraent I'll teach." BELTrNCE BAY. 139 Did Florida turn from the fwain, In hafte bid her fuitor adieu ? We lhepherds who live on the plain Pronounce her both faithful and true ; For Corydon down from the fteep That bends o'er the current below, Releas'd from his charge of the theep Repair'd her endearments to know. Could modefl fidelity cheer ? Then, Corydon, great was thy blifs; Of Ancafter's fuit couldft thou hear Without an additional kifs ? Her heart as the fpoke it foft glow'd, Its tendernefs cherifh'd no guile, On flatt'ry if frowns the beftow'd, Thy truth the rever'd with a smile. BELTINGE BAY •. FROM cabin-like cot on the beach This Metre imperfecl is penn'd, And here let Humility teach How much {he's Humanity's friend ; * A small fifhing bay in the parilh of Heatae, about nine mite diflant from Canterbury. J 4°' BEITINGE BAY. Defcription ! thy pencil I crave. Delineate thou my retreat, On the edge of the rude roaring ware In a hut that is homely and neat ; Whofeiide to the ocean inclined, Aloof on the pebble-flrew'd land ; The door wel^^ecur'd from the wind, Shuts under the cliff' on the ftrand ; Straw-crown'd though no grandeur its boaft, Contra&ed in figure and fize, A fiflierman's throne en the coaft Contemn not ye candid and wife. Sincerity (virtue mod rare !) Difplays her refpe&able mien, , And gives to the man cf the wear A pearl in high life feldom feen ; • "VVhilff Clcanlinefs, Hebe of life, Prefides o'er the enviable fhed, Attends to the care of the wife, And drefies the table and bed. And health as propitious as light Munificence freely bellows, With countenance blooming and bright I Aj Sharon's imperial rofej BELT1NGF. BAY. *4' "When (he, genial cherub, is near, A c ttage may vie with a crown ; But when her foft fmiles difappear How painful's the pillow of down- Come Fancy ! my gueft and my friend, Difpenfe thy i'.lufions fo kind, The Mufe at thy altar (hall bend^ And fortune ne'er trouble her mind ; At peace in this care-foothing ftate, Permit me a pilgrim to rove, I ne'er can repine at my fate With nature fo humble in love. Retirement, how bleft is thy eafe ! How tranquil and pure is thy throne I -Does ftudy and privacy pleafe ? O make their enjoyments my own ' Whether fpread on the fir-crefted hill, In valleys well fhaded below, By the fide of the foft-winding rill, Or in cliffs jetting over the brow. How fwe« is his filent recefs ! Confin'd to the leaf-checquer'd glacfc, Whofe fbnion's exempt from excefs, The rout and the late mafcnierade ! X + 2 BELTINCE BAY. Bleft ftate, well fecurd from the mart* The guileful allurements of court, Loud fadhon, ambition, and cares, And fortune's fantaiiical fport. Be filence and reafon my lot Where rural felicities reign, Forgetful of Jkand forgot By the fordid, the proud, and the vain; But let not attachment forget (Whate'er be my ftation below,) How dear and how facred's the debt In abfence to friendflu'p we owe. To oblivion who'd be a prey ? Though bleft with retirement and eafe, His comforts muft fall to decay Whofe friendfhip is fuffer'd to freeze; And though all be paradife round In charming variety's drefs, If not by fociety crown'd. The whole would but prove a fintjfi. w But fee on the broad-bofom'd main, As far as the eye can extend, The fhips canvafs-wing'd how they ftram, Alternately fink and afcend; EELTINGE BAY. I43. Small iflands alive they appear As the billows they buffet and cleave, Or diftant, or midway, or near, Not a trace of their way do they leave*. Unlimited ocean thy coafts I view with contemplative eye, The fports huge Leviathan boafts Beneath the pale lamps of the fky 5 Defcending the cliff I explore Its precipice wide and immenfe Stretch'd over the foam-whiten'd fhore In a horrible kind of fufpenfe. But now the twin towers above On Reculver's brow I furvey, Memorials of virtue and love, But haft'ning, 1 fear, to decay j If, Neptune, thy bofom e'er found Companion for human diftrefs, Encroach not on this hallow'd ground, 'BJky water's intrufion reprefs. Drops hiftory a tear to relate What forrows the lifters befell i 4, How divided in life the hard fate Df Frances and good Iiabel* a -* + BELTINGE BAY, Who raVd the *f am >j fp!ret as a mark In mercilefs tempeils to fave Prom danger the fea-dafhing bark. Its crew from a watery grave. Pious fouls ! may example like yours To virtue forever be dear, And while fuch memorial endures To Gratitude let us adhere ; And bleft in her rolls be your names, As goodnefs your lot was below, Return'd to inherit thofe claims Which fpirits congenial know. But Phcebus defcends to the main And checks my poetic career, I tum to my cottage again, And thanks to my ftars it is near ; # Tor lours the welkin around, The winds pile up wave upon wave, And terribly rough is the found Of Boreas juft broke from his cave. TO A TEMPERATE, &C 14$ TO A TEMPERATE MORNING IN JANUARY. HAIL mild-ey'd morn ! for thou art foft and fair As breaks upon the bofom of the May, When the blue vi'let pours Her boibm on the breeze. Come, and the Hght-wing'd Spring (hall drop a fmile. Sweet, premature ! nurs'd ou old Winter's breaft. Shall lift her dove-like eye And wanton in thy beam. Lamp of the winfry world, thou heav'n-lit fun I O hafte and woo the young relu£fant maid, And bid her moift'ning lip Drop with the ripen'd balm. Come, chafte-ey'd Cod, while yet the ice-hung clouds Around thy throne in winfry glory ride ! The virgin loves thy fighs While yet the blaze is dimm'd. For foon, when glowing with the ardent fires Of ltrong-fourd paflion, lo I the feraph mild Shrinks from the folar noon, Gathers her fweets and flies. M '4 6 EXTEMPORAL LINES. Propitious morn ! my melancholv mufe Drops her cold tears upon the bloomlefc earth ; Reflecting man like thee May totter to his tomb. Yet e'en when Summer's flufhing cheek was full, I've feen the pale rofe wither on her thorn And fink like injur'd worth From Allien fcornful pride. EXTEMPORAL LINES DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SEASON IN NOVEMBER. THE fhatter'd maple fheds her yell'ow leaves, A matted carpet to the ploughman gives; The ivy creeping on the alder's back, The falling apple and the conic flack; The magpie prating on the naked fpray, Hef plumage hov'ring in the folar ray ; The fpire white gleaming thro' the 'minifh'd ihade. The hind reclining on his tardy fpade • The leaflefs walnut dripping o'er the road, The waggon groaning with the nond'rous loa;I ; SOXNET. The mafl*y wall of many a weed poflefs'd, The wealthy clown in fidhous velvet drefs'd j The clofe penn'd folds, the melancholy Heed, The herds flow-winding o'er the ev'ning mead; The ruin frowning o'er the cedars' tops, The ftubble, remnant of departed crops ; The blackbird fcooping of the fable floe, The chefnut bending with the lonely crow ; The ftagnate pool, thick cover'd o'er with fedge. The red-wing burfting from the berried hedge ; The vine's bare tendril curling round the lath. The turnip mangled in the fqualid path ; The footway fcor'd with Colin's plated flioe, Or patten-markt with circles not a few ; The pigeon feafting on the new-fown dell, The red breaft twitt'ring on the cottage cell; Are indications pidturefque and clear That surly Winter's come to rule the year. SONNET. SHEDS her dew the grateful eve, Cynthia filvers o'er the mead, Zephyrs funny landfkips leave, Curl the rill and (hake the reed. M a M s SONNET. To the willow-checquer'd bow'r Let us, Delia, now repair, Share the lovely evening hour Fragrant ev'ning breezes (hare. Silence reigns, the confcious (hade Shall our mutual blifs approve ; Come my dear delightful maid, Tafte the balmy hour of love ! Hence Ambition, Grandeur, Pain, Love alone mail here remain. SONNET. THE moon had afcended the hill, I flew to the cottage of reed, On the verge of a chryflalliz'd rill, In the nook of a beautiful mead j Were neatnefs and cleanlinefs there, Peace, comfort, and undifturb'd reft, And let me exulting declare That Delia was alfo a guetl SYMPATHY, TO DELIA. 14$ Oil her hand perch' d a fweet little dove, Which pity had fav'd from the cold, He coo'd in fenfations of love, EfFufions which gratitude told. The Bard not lefs mindful of kindnefs beftow'd In fond imitation his gratitude thow'd» SY»IPATHY, TO DELIA. ENSHRIN'D in your bofom of mow, There's a fweet little cherub, my dear, Tis Sympathy call'd, and we know It brightens Humanity's tear. A gift the moft lovely and fair That Heaven on mortals beftows, It pilots the pilgrim of care, Repulfive of forrow and woes. Poor pale-ey'd Diftrefs I defcried, And Merit on Mifery's bed, By Opulence furly deny'd A fcrap of fuperfluous bread. M 3 *5° TO DELIA. Then I faw her dove-fembled defcend To fuccour poor pale-ey'd diftrefs; Bent\ olence, fweetly extend And Merit, tho' wretched, carefs. So dew -dropping dawnings of mom Pervade Nature's mantle fo dark, Rekindle o'er land (kips forlorn, Of life and of light the warm fpark. TO DELIA. HEART-enliv'ning influence fhed Lovely mirth and blue-ey'd joy, Time throws olF his wings of lead, Spleen and care no more annoy. Delia's eyes with melting beam Wake the Mufe's filver lyre, By the willow-creiled ftrcam. Near the tall afcending fpire. Wake the fiddle's fprightly found, Delia joins the magic maze, See her quiv'ring feet rebound, How fuperior to my praife i THK ENVOY. Swift the jocund moments fly, Sombrous night no longer reigns, Soft-ey'd bid's and melody Chear the happy fylvan plains. Fair as Hebe, frefli as Spring, We the dance will not curtail Till Aurora's faffron wing Gilds the lily of the vale. Then the cottage roof beneath, Happy Damon, Delia there, Braids for her the brightelt wreath Shed from Flora's vivid hair. THE ENVOY. A SONNET. AN envoy I fent to my fair, To tell her the ftate of my heart ; Twas more than my tongue could declare, And mo:e than in words to impart. It was not a pin for her hair, Nor was it the ribbon fo gay"; Such trifles may gain on the fair, And ferve to amufe and betray, M f '5* SONNET It was not the fmile of a beau, Nor the tear of ingenious deceit • The praifes which knaves can beftow, The billet with nonfenfe replete • But, taught on Sincerity's wings how to fly Than all more expreffive-a foul-breathing %h. SONNET. WHFRE'S the vi'let and dwarf-daffodil i I faw them juft now in their beds; Arrefted's the flream of their rill, And thecowflips recline their gay heads. The yew trees, male, bloffom fo fair, The almond to late in full blow, And primrofe that fcented the air Are hid in a mantle of fn«, w . Obfcur'd are the charms of my maid, A viclim to ficknefs and pain ; No more with (he graces arrayM, She proves the delight of the plain. As Sol, equinoclial, reftores the fad fcene, So Ihall Hebe and Health re-attend on their queen. SONNETS. SONNETS. I. TO SOLITUDE. RECEIVE me, ye {hades, to your arms, Your queen, 'tis my bofom can blefs, Expanding her fky-brighten'd charms, In your deepeft fequefter'd recefs. ■ On the tide of yon fmooth floping hill, Dear charmer, I'll hail thy retreat, Where plays, in foft murmurs, the rill. By the hermit's contiguous feat. Divefted of trouble and flrife, Let Science and Peace with me dwell ; Thy whifpers, Content, foothe my life, And Solitude fanclion my cell. Though plain my repaft be, yet there mould I find Hygeia moft bland and Minerva moft kind. r 5+ SONNETS. II. DEAR Solitude, fober of mien, To others the lays I confign, Cefcriptive of love's melting fcene, Or pour'd in libations of wine. O waft me to life's lowly vale ! I'll Men well-pleas'd to thy fongj Thy voice (hall my fpirits regale, My mufings to rapture prolong. The water-falls, flocks, and the herds, Enthufiaft ! liften to thee ; More melodious the voice of the birds, And Spring in thy coverts we fee. Let others in fplendour and opulence dwell, Sweet handmaid of Silence take me to thy cell III. HER imperial bouquet Nature yields. Unboundedly kind from her hand, The pomp of the groves and the fields Shed chearfulnefs over the land. SONNET. «J.j To Solitude's ca'l I attend When moonlight fleeps over the hill j See Cynthia in filver defcend, Reflecting pale light from the rill j Where woodbines in many a wreath The flow rs below overlook, Where lilies fpontaneoufly breathe, And Nature lends reafon her book. There free from delufion, from vanity freed, The page of pure Nature her vot'ry fhall read. IV. In thee, facred pleafures Yeude, Dear Solitude, ever in thee Are found in the waters that glide, And fpeak in the whifpering tree. In the rave of green mofs by the dell, Where Nature is funk in repofe, Oh let me felicitous dwell Forgetful of life's thorny woes. -5* THE PARR. Then, Piety, heav'n born maid | Afford thy folaces moft fweet, Light Solitude's torch in the (hade, And beam thro" the facred retreat; Whofe ftiUnefs 'tis thine in compofure to (hare While calm Meditation is refident there. THE PARK. I'LL climb up the fteep of the hill, Or traverfe the path of the field, Incline to the curve of the rill By verdure's thick mantle conceal'd ; Shall gales of ambrofla invite ? And Nature unnotic'd remain > No, Solitude, maid of delight ! I follow thy fteps to the plam. From thence to the park let me rove,- There, Goddefs, to commune with thee. In filence thy beauties approve Beneath the umbrageous tree; There free from all faction and firife. The clamour of party and pow'r, Conceal'd from the tempefts of Iifr, Lie bufb'd in Tranquility's bow'r. THE PARK. But can I unfeeling furvey Thofe landfcapes Arcadian in view? Where bright as the dawn of the day Thepvoice of foft pleafure I knew : Where truth, in the lhape of my fair, Enchanted ray time with her fmile. Her abfence my tears mail declare, Exprefs my affection and toil. The ravifhing touch of her lute Bade Echo arife from her cell, Sylvanus flood penfive and mute, The fatyrs danc'd over the dell ; Brown Ceres repair'd to the plain, Her temples with wheat-ears bedeck' d. And Venus, each grace in her train Came forward with confcious refpe£h When Phebe, the pale lamp of night, Pur'.oin'd from Endymion's bed, As oft with tranfporting delight Empaflion'd to Delia I fled ; And when from her clover repofe The lark brav'd the orient ikies, As oft, thou dear caufe of my woes ! I b..fk'd in the beams of thine eyes. x 5* THE PARK. But now I no longer can mark Of folitude all the ftill haunts, Admire the fweet fawns in the park, Unheard what the nightingale chaunts; My ftanzas of plaint I reveal To zephyrs that flutter along, Or pour all the forrows I feel Unmeafur'd in paltoral fong. But, pleafures more lading to greef, O find me fome verdure-roof 'd ihade, t ome lonely fequefter'd retreat Thy hand, Contemplation, has made; Where glides without murmurs the dream, Adown by fome mofs-cover'd pile, And pines thick refitting his beam, Forbid the fun's fplendours to fmile. Or where with loud cadence the wave, Near columns diflever'd by time, By fadnefs inftrucled to rave, Supplies lamentation for rhime; Ah I no; may my flocks feed no more Where Medwav, with ferpentine fweep, Teftivity deals to the fhore, While Naiads their feftivals keep. THE PARK. My ewes their frefli pafture fefufe, In Autumn forget for to breed, Aurora refreth not with dews, The rain ne'er replenish the mead ; My hops be all blacken'd with blaft, The dolphin cloud over my beans ; If all the neglects that are pad My heart from its tendernefs weans. Ah, no ; 'tis not mine to forget, When Philomel's elegies flow, How, Sprang as difcharging her debt, She meafur'd my fighs by her woe ; I Hood like the ftatue of Grief, The fhade of the hawthorn within ; Could water-falls bring me relief ? No, I bade them relinquith their din ; Bade the warblers their madrigals ceafe, Sufpend the foft mufic of Spring ; And, as they could render no peace, Forbear any longer to ting j Twas then as in retrofpedl thought Defpair had envenom'd her dart, Yet fancy's clear image had brought In viflon her charms to my heart. f6o THE PARK. Twas then in the (hade of the beech, In all the fweet May of her prime, As far as the eye 1 * diftant reach, Came Delia, the queen of my rhime; To meet with her fwain did the hafte, ' Approach on the wings of the dove ; Be that moment by Time ne'er defac'd,' For the Park was the comp a a of lo've. FINIS. This book it DUE on the last date stamped below. UMJRL JAN INTERLIBRARY LOANS DEC 2 1968 THREE WEEKS FROM NON-RENEWABLE 11 1967 DATE OF RECEIPf SEP 1 3 7985 *Ec4i veD m JfjY 10M-1 1-50(2555) 470 9 1986 REMINGTON RAND - 20 3 1158 01106 0802 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY A A 000 078 977 6