WEAK and irresolute is man; The purpose of to-day, Woven with pains into his plan, To-morrow rends away.
The bow well bent, and smart the spring, Vice seems already slain; But passion rudely snaps the string, And it revives again.
Some foe to his upright intent Finds out his weaker parts; Virtue engages his assent, But pleasure wins his heart.
'Tis here the folly of the wise, Through all his art, we view; nd while while his tongue the charge denies, His conscience owns it true.
Bound on a voyage of awful length, And dangers little known, A stranger to superior strength, Man vainly trusts his own.
But oars alone can ne'er prevail To reach the distant coast; The breath of heav'n must swell the sail, Or all the toil is lost.
COME, peace of mind, delightful guest! Return, and make thy downy nest
Once more in this sad heart: Nor riches I, nor pow'r pursue, Nor hold forbidden joys in view: We therefore need not part. Where wilt thou dwell, if not with me, From av'rice and ambition free,
And pleasure's fatal wiles? For whom, alas! dost thou prepare The sweets that I was wont to share, The banquet of thy smiles ?
The great, the gay, shall they partake The heav'n that thou alone canst make; And wilt thou quit the stream, That murmurs through the dewy mead, The grove and the sequester'd shade, To be a guest with them?
For thee I panted, thee 1 priz'd, For thee I gladly sacrifod
Whate'er I lov'd before; And shall I see thee start away, And helpless, hopeless, hear thee say Farewell! we meet no more?
DAUGHTER of heav'n, relentless power; Thou tamer of the human breast, Whose iron scourge, and tort'ring hour, The bad affright, afflict the best! Bound in thy adamantine chain, The proud are taught to taste of pain, And purple tyrants vainly groan
With pangs unfelt before, unpitied and alone.
When first thy sire to send on earth Virtue, his darling child, design'd, To thee he gave the heav'nly birth, And bade thee form her infant mind. Stern rugged nurse! thy rigid fore With patience many a year she bore. What sorrow was, thou bad'st her know
And from her own she learnt to melt at others' wo.
Sear'd at thy frowns terrific, fly Self-pleasing folly's idle brood, Wild laughter, noise, and tho And leave us leisure to be good. Light they disperse; and with them go The summer friend, the flatt'ring foe.
By vain prosperity deceiv'd,
To her they vow their truth, and are again believ'd
Wisdom in sable garb array'd,
Immers'd in rapt'rous thought profound, And melancholy, silent maid,
With leadem eye, that loves the ground, Still on thy solemn steps attend; Warm charity, the gen'ral friend, With justice, to herself severe,
And pity, dropping soft the sadly-pleasing tear.
O, gently on thy suppliant's head, Dread power, lay thy chastening hand ! Not in thy gorgon terrors clad, Nor circled with the vengeful band, (As by the impious thou art seen,) With thund'ring voice, and threat'ning mien, With sereaming horror's funeral cry,
Despair, and fell disease, and ghastly poverty.
Thy form benign, propitious wear, Thy milder influence impart; Thy philosophic train be there, To soften, not to wound my heart. The gen'rous spark extinet revive; Teach me to love and to forgive; Exact my own defects to scan;
What others are to feel; and know myself a man, GRAK
The Creation required to praise its Author. BEGIN my soul th' exalted lay! Let each enraptur'd thought obey,
And praise the Almighty's name : Lo! heaven and earth, and seas and skies, In one melodious concert rise,
To swell th' inspiring theme.
Ye fields of light, oelestial plains, Where gay transporting beauty reigns, Ye scenes divinely fair! Your Maker's wondrous pow'r proclaim, Tell how he form'd your shining frame, And breath'd the fluid air.
Ye angels, catch the thrilling sound! While all th' adoring thrones around His boundless mercy sing: Let ev'ry list'ning saint above Wake all the tuneful soul of love,
And touch the sweetest string.
Join, ye loud spheres, the vocal choir Thou dazzling ord of liquid fire, The mighty chorus aid: Soon as gray ev'ning gilds the plain, Thou moon protract the melting strain, And praise him in the shade.
Thou heaven of heav'ns, his vast abode, Ye clouds, proclaim your forming God,
Who call'd you worlds from night: "Ye shades, dispel!"--th' Eternal said; At once the involving darkness fled, And nature sprung to light.
Whate'er a blooming world contains, That wings the air, that skims the plains, United praise bestow : Ye dragons, sound his awful name To heav'n aloud; and roar acclaim, Ye swelling deeps below.
Let ev'ry element rejoice: Ye thunders burst with awful voice TO HIM who bids you roll : His praise in softer notes declare, Each whisp'ring breeze of yielding air, And breathe it to the soul.
То ним, уе graceful cedars, bow; Ye tow'ring mountains, bending low, Your great Creator own; Tell, when affrighted Nature shook, How Sinai kindled at his lock, And trembled at his frown.
Ye flocks, that haunt the humble vale, Ye insects, flutt'ring on the gale,
In mutual concourse rise; Crop the gay rose's vermeil bloom, And waft its spoils, a sweet perfume, In incense to the skies.
Wake, all ye mounting tribes, and sing; Ye plumy warblers of the spring, Harmonious anthems raise
TO HIM who shap'd your finer mould, Who tipp'd your glitt'ring wings with gold, And tun'd your voice to praise.
Let man, by nobler passions sway'd, The feeling heart, the judging head, In heav'nly praise employ; Spread his tremendous name around, Till heav'n's broad arch rings back the sound, The gen'ral burst of joy.
Ye, whom the charms of grandeur please, Nurs'd on the downy lap of ease,
Fall prostrate at his throne:
Ye princes, rulers, all adore ; Praise him, ye kings, who makes your pow'r, An image of his own.
Ye fair, by nature form'd to move, O praise th' eternal SOURCE OF LOVE,
With youth's enlivening fire: Let age take up the tuneful lay, Sigh his bless'd name; then soar away, And ask an angel's lyre..
SECTION XV.
The Universal Prayer.
FATHER OF ALL! in ev'ry age, In ev'ry clime ador'd, By saint, by savage, and by sage, Jehovah, Jove, or Lord!
Thou GREAT FIRST CAUSE. least understood,
Who all my sense confin'd
To know but this, that thou art good, And that myself am blind;
« PreviousContinue » |