Thy appetites in easy tides (As reason's luminary guides) Soft flow-no wind can work them to a storm, Yet if a transport thou canst feel, "Tis only for thy neighbour's weal; Great, generous acts thy ductile passions move, Mild is thy mind to cover shame, Bursting to praise, yet still sincere, and free [knee. Extensive, as from west to east, Thy love descends from man to beast, Nought is excluded, little or infirm, [worm. Thou canst with greatness stoop to save a Come, goddess, come with all thy charms (For oh! I love thee) to my arms All, all my actions guide, my fancy feed, Smart, ON ILL-NATURE. OFFSPRING of folly and of pride, Away, thou hideous hell-born sprite, Fly to some gloomy shade, nor blot the goodly light, Which Flora or Sylvanus never knew, For ever cursing, and for ever curs'd, The worst in genius, measure, and degree; For envy, hatred, malice, are but parts of thee. Or would'st thou change the scene, and quit the den Where spleen, by vapours dense begot and bred, There may'st thou all thy bitterness unload, There may'st thou croak in concert with the toad, With thee the hollow howling winds shall join, Nor shall the bittern her base throat deny, The querulous frogs shall mix their dregs with thine, Th' ear-piercing hern, the plover screaming high, Millions of humming gnats fit œstrum shall supply. Away-away--behold an hideous band, An herd of all thy minions are at hand; Foe to the virgin's and the poet's fame, A wither'd time-deflower'd old maid, That ne'er enjoy'd love's ever-sacred flame. Hypocrisy succeeds with saint-like look, And elevates her hands, and plods upon her book. Next comes illiberal scrambling Avarice, Then Vanity, and Affectation niceSee, she salutes her shadow with a bow, As in short Gallic trips she minces by, Starting antipathy is in her eye, And squeamishly she knits her scornful brow. To thee, Ill-Nature, all the numerous group With lowly reverence stoop They wait thy call, and mourn thy long delay, Smart TO HOSPITALITY. DOMESTIC power! erewhile rever'd Thou to Albion too wert known, The traveller, doubtful of his way, E'en now, on Caledonia's shore, When Eve's dun robe the sky arrays, There thine the pleasing interviews When tales, not often told, we hear; There the scholar's liberal mind O gentle power! where'er thy reign, Wealth to thee her offerings pay, Scott. TO MIRTH. PARENT of joy! heart-easing Mirth! So shall each hill in purer green array'd And, flower-adorn'd, in new-born beauty glow; The grove shall smooth the horrors of the shade, And streams in murmurs shall forget to flow. Shine, goddess, shine with unremitted ray, And gild (a second sun) with brighter beam our day. R |