In vain warm suns their influence shed, He rears unchanged his barren head, What though, in scaly armour dressed, The shafts of woe, in such a breast 'Tis woven in the world's great plan, 'Tis nature bids, and, whilst the laws Our self-approving bosom draws A pleasure from its pain. Thus grief itself has comforts dear The sordid never know; And ecstasy attends the tear, When virtue bids it flow. For when it streams from that pure source, No bribes the heart can win To check, or alter from its course, The luxury within. Peace to the phlegm of sullen elves, Let no low thought suggest the prayer! Sweet Sensibility! Where'er the heavenly nymph is seen, With lustre-beaming eye, A train, attendant on their queen, (Her rosy chorus) fly. The jocund Loves in Hymen's band, And generous Friendship hand in hand With Pity's watery sight. The gentler Virtues too are joined, The soft relations which, combined, The Arts come smiling in the close, The marble breathes, the canvas glows, Still may my melting bosom cleave So Pity shall take Virtue's part, And fashioning my softened heart, This artless vow may Heaven receive, So may the rosy-fingered hours And suns to come, as round they wheel, Your golden moments bless, With all a tender heart can feel, Or lively fancy guess. THE CERTAINTY OF DEATH MORTALS! around your destined heads In vain we trifle with our fate; At best we but prolong the date And lengthen out our pain, Fondly we think all danger fled, Thus the wrecked mariner may strive But there, to famine doomed a prey, Since then in vain we strive to guard Lord, let me live not unprepared TRANSLATION OF PSALM CXXXVII To Babylon's proud waters brought, With tears on Sion's Hill we thought, Then did the base insulting foe Some joyous notes demand, Such as in Sion used to flow From Judah's happy band: O Solyma! if e'er thy praise Remember, Lord! that hostile sound, Thou too, great Babylon, shalt fall LINES WRITTEN UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DELIRIUM HATRED and vengeance, my eternal portion, Soul in a moment. Damned below Judas; more abhorred than he was, Man disavows, and Deity disowns me, Therefore Hell keeps her ever-hungry mouths all Hard lot! encompassed with a thousand dangers; Weary, faint, trembling with a thousand terrors, I'm called, if vanquished, to receive a sentence Worse than Abiram's. Him the vindictive rod of angry Justice Sent quick and howling to the centre headlong; Buried above ground. A SONG OF MERCY AND Judgment LORD, I love the habitation Where the Saviour's honour dwells. Grace Divine, how sweet the sound! Me thro' waves of deep affliction Hard to bear and passing thought. Sweet the sound of grace Divine, Sweet the grace which makes me Thine. From the cheerful beams of morning Grace Divine, how sweet the sound! Sweet the grace that I have found. Food I loathed, nor ever tasted Sweet the sound of grace Divine, Sweet the grace which makes me Thine. Bound and watched, lest, life abhorring, Grace Divine, how sweet the sound! Fear of Thee with gloomy sadness Sweet the sound of grace Divine, Sweet the grace which makes me Thine. |