Page images
PDF
EPUB

THE

PROGRESS of POESY.

A PINDARIC OD E.

φωνάντα συνετοῖσιν· ἐς

Δὲ τὸ πᾶν ερμηνέων χατίζει.

PINDAR, Olymp. II.

ADVERTISEMENT.

When the Author first published this and the following Ode, he was advised, even by his Friends, to fubjoin fome few explanatory Notes; but he had too much refpect for the understanding of his Readers to take that liberty.

THE

PROGRESS OF POESY,

A PINDARIC O D E.

*A

I. 1.

WAKE, Æolian lyre, awake,

And give to rapture all thy trembling ftrings.

From Helicon's harmonious fprings

A thousand rills their mazy progrefs take:

The

* Awake, up my glory awake, lute and harp. David's Pfalms. Pindar ftyles his own poetry with its musical accompaniments,

Αἰολής μολπή, ̓Αιόλιδες χόρδας, Αἰολίδων πνοαὶ αὐλῶν, Eolian fong,

Æolian ftrings, the breath of the Eolian flute.

[blocks in formation]

The laughing flow'rs, that round them blow,

Drink life and fragrance as they flow.

Now the rich ftream of mufic winds along,

Deep, majestic, smooth, and strong,

Thro' verdant vales, and Ceres' golden reign:

Now rolling down the steep amain,

Headlong, impetuous, fee it pour :

The rocks, and nodding groves rebellow to the

roar.

Oh !

The fubject and fimile, as ufual with Pindar, are united. The various fources of poetry, which gives life and luftre to all it touches, are here defcribed; its quiet majestic progrefs enriching every fubject (otherwife dry and barren) with a pomp of diction and luxuriant harmony of numbers; and its more rapid and irresistible course, when fwoln and hurried away by the conflict of tumultuous paffions.

I. 2.

Oh! Sovereign of the willing foul,

Parent of sweet and folemn-breathing airs,
Enchanting hell! the fullen Cares,

And frantic Paffions hear thy foft controul.
On Thracia's hills the Lord of War,

Has curb'd the fury of his car,

And drop'd his thirfty lance at thy command.
+ Perching on the fceptred hand

Of Jove, thy magic lulls the feather'd king
With ruffled plumes, and flagging wing:
Quench'd in dark clouds of flumber lie

The terror of his beak, and light'nings of his eye.

Thee

* Power of harmony to calm the turbulent fallies of the foul. The thoughts are borrowed from the first Pythian Ode of Pindar.

+ This is a weak imitation of fome incomparable lines in the fame Ode.

« PreviousContinue »