LYRIC POEMS. To faithful ears, and be they bury'd here In friendship and oblivion; lest they spoil Thy new-born pleasures with distasteful gall. Nor let thine eye too greedily drink in The frightful prospect, when untimely death Shall make wild inroads on a parent's heart. And his dear offspring to the cruel grave Are dragg'd in sad succession ; while his soul Is torn away piece -meal : Thus dies the wretch A various death, and frequent, ere he quit The theatre, and make his exit final. But if his dearest half, his faithful mate Survive, and in the sweetest saddestairs Of love and grief, approach with trembling hand To cldse his swimming eyes, what double pangs, What racks, what twinges rend his'heart strings off Frdm the fair bosom of that fellow -dove He leaves behind to mourn? What jealous cares Hang on his parting soul, to think his love Expos'd to wild oppression, and the herd Of savage men? So parts the dying turtle With sobbing accents, with such sad regret Leaves his kind feather'd mate: The widow bird Wanders in lonesome shades, forgets her food, Forgets her life ; or falls a speedier prey To talon'd falcons, and the crooked beak Of hawks athirst for blood THE SECOND PART: Or, The bright Vision. THUS far the muse, in unaccustom'd mood, And strainsunpleasing to a lover's ear, Indulg'd a gloom of thought ; and thus she sang Partial; for melancholy's hateful form Stood by in sable robe ; The pensive muse Survey'd the darksome scenes of life, and sought Some bright relieving glimpse, somecordial ray In the fair world of love: But wbile she gaz'd Delightful on the state of twin -born souls United, bless'd, the cruel shade apply'd A dark long tube, and a false tinctur'd glass Deceitful ; blending love and life at once In darkness, chaos, and the common mass Of misery ; Now Urania feels the cheat, And breaks the hated optic in disdain. Swift vanishes the sullen form, and lo The scene shines bright with bliss : Behold the place Where mischiefs never fly, cares never some With wrinkled brow, nor anguish, nor disease, Nor malice forky- tongu'd. On this dear spot, Mitin, my love would fix and plant thy statiot To act thy part of life, serene and blest With the fuir consort fitted to thy heart. Sure 'tin a vision of that happy grove Where the first authors of ourmournful race Liv'd in sweet partnership ! one hour they liv'd, But chang'd the tasted bliss(imprudent pair!) 2t5
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=