With all his canvas set, and inexpert, And therefore heedless, can withstand thy power? Praise from the rivelled lips of toothless, bald Decrepitude, and in the looks of lean And craving poverty, and in the bow Respectful of the smutched artificer, Is oft too welcome, and may much disturb The bias of the purpose. How much more Poured forth by beauty splendid and polite, In language soft as adoration breathes? Ah, spare your idol! think him human still; Charms he may have, but he has frailties too; Dote not too much, nor spoil what ye admire. That cheer but not inebriate, wait on Has lost its terrors ere it reaches me; Grieves, but alarms me not. I mourn the pride each, So let us welcome peaceful evening in. Not such his evening, who with shining face Sweats in the crowded theatre, and, squeezed And bored with elbow-points through both his sides, Outscolds the ranting actor on the stage: Nor his, who patient stands till his feet throb, And his head thumps, to feed upon the breath Of patriots, bursting with heroic rage, Or placemen, all tranquillity and smiles. This folio of four pages, happy work! Which not even critics criticize; that holds Inquisitive attention, while I read, Fast bound in chains of silence, which the fair. Though eloquent themselves, yet fear to break; What is it but a map of busy life, 'Tis pleasant, through the loopholes of retreat, To peep at such a world; to see the stir Of the great Babel, and not feel the crowd; To hear the roar she sends through all her gates At a safe distance, where the dying sound Falls a soft murmur on the uninjured ear. Thus sitting, and surveying thus at ease The globe and its concerns, I seem advanced To some secure and more than mortal height, That liberates and exempts me from them all. It turns submitted to my view, turns round With all its generations; I behold And avarice, that make man a wolf to man; Hear the faint echo of those brazen throats, By which he speaks the language of his heart, And sigh, but never tremble at the sound. He travels and expatiates, as the bee From flower to flower, so he from land to land; The manners, customs, policy, of all Pay contribution to the store he gleans; He sucks intelligence in every clime, And spreads the honey of his deep research At his return,—a rich repast for me. He travels, and I too. I tread his deck, Ascend his topmast, through his peering eyes Discover countries, with a kindred And dreaded as thou art! Thou hold'st the sun The tumult, and am still. The sound A prisoner in the yet undawning of war east, Shortening his journey between morn and noon, And hurrying him, impatient of his stay, Down to the rosy west; but kindly still Made vocal for the amusement of the rest; The sprightly lyre, whose treasure of The sweet sounds touch from many a trembling chord shakes out; Compensating his loss with added | And the clear voice symphonious, yet distinct, in the charming strife triumphant still, Beguile the night, and set a keener edge On female industry: the threaded steel Flies swiftly, and unfelt the task proceeds. [From The Task.] MERCY TO ANIMALS. I WOULD not enter on my list of friends, (Though graced with polished manners and fine sense, Yet wanting sensibility,) the man Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm. An inadvertent step may crush the snail That crawls at evening in the public path; But he that has humanity, forewarned, Will tread aside, and let the reptile live. The creeping vermin, loathsome to the sight, And charged perhaps with venom, that intrudes, A visitor unwelcome, into scenes Sacred to neatness and repose, the alcove, The chamber, or refectory, may die: bounds, And guiltless of offence, they range the air Or take their pastime in the spacious field. There they are privileged; and he that hunts [From Retirement.] THE SOUL`S PROGRESS CHECKED BY TOO ABSORBING LOVE. As woodbine weds the plant within her reach, Rough elm, or smooth-grained ash, or glossy beech, In spiral rings ascends the trunk, and lays Her golden tassels on the leafy sprays, But does a mischief while she lends a grace, Straitening its growth by such a strict embrace, So love that clings around the noblest minds, Forbids the advancement of the soul he binds. ALEXANDer selkirK. I AM monarch of all I survey, My right there is none to dispute, From the centre all round to the sea, I am lord of the fowl and the brute. O solitude! where are the charms That sages have seen in thy face? Better dwell in the midst of alarms, Than reign in this horrible place. I am out of humanity's reach, I must finish my journey alone, Never hear the sweet music of speech; I start at the sound of my own. The beasts that roam over the plain, My form with indifference see, They are so unacquainted with man, Their tameness is shocking to me. Society, friendship, and love, Divinely bestowed upon man. Oh, had I the wings of a dove, How soon would I taste you again! My sorrows I then might assuage In the ways of religion and truth. Might learn from the wisdom of age, And be cheered by the sallies of youth. Religion! what treasure untold Resides in that heavenly word! More precious than silver and gold, Or all that this earth can afford. But the sound of the church-going bell, These valleys and rocks never heard, Ne'er sighed at the sound of a knell, Or smiled when a Sabbath appeared. Ye winds that have made me your sport, Convey to this desolate shore, Some cordial endearing report Of a land I shall visit no more. My friends, do they now and then send A wish or a thought after me? O tell me I yet have a friend, Though a friend I am never to see. Thy needles, once a shining store, For though thou gladly wouldst fulfil Thy sight now seconds not thy will, My Mary! But well thou play'dst the housewife's part, And all thy threads with magic art, Thy indistinct expressions seem My Mary! |