AN Essay on Man. EPISTLE I. AWAKE! my St. John! leave all meaner things Let us (since life can little more supply A wild, where weeds and flow'rs promiscuous shoot, Try what the open, what the covert yield; 10 The latent tracts, the giddy heights explore Of all who blindly creep, or sightless soar; Eye nature's walks, shoot folly as it flies, 15 I. Say first, of God above, or man below, What can we reason, but from what we know? Of man what see we, but his station here, From which to reason, or to which refer? 20 Through worlds unnumber'd, though the God be known, "Tis ours to trace him only in our own. He, who through vast immensity can pierce, See worlds on worlds compose one universe, 25 What other planets circle other suns, What varied being peoples every star, May tell, why Heaven has made us as we are. But of this frame, the bearings and the ties, 30 Look'd through? Or, can a part contain the whole? Is the great chain, that draws all to agree, And drawn supports, upheld by God, or thee? II. Presumptuous man! the reason wouldst thou find, 35 Of systems possible, if 'tis confest 40 45 And all that rises, rise in due degree; Then, in the scale of reas'ning life, 'tis plain, There must be, somewhere, such a rank as man; And all the question (wrangle e'er so long) Is only this, if God has plac'd him wrong? 50 Respecting man, whatever wrong we call, In human works, though labour'd on with pain, So man, who here seems principal alone, 55 60 When the proud steed shall know why man restrains His fiery course, or drives him o'er the plains; When the dull ox, why now he breaks the clod, Is now a victim, and now Egypt's god; Then shall man's pride and dulness comprehend 65 Then say not, man's imperfect, Heav'n in fault; Say rather, man's as perfect as he ought; 70 His knowledge measur'd to his state and place, If to be perfect in a certain sphere, What matter soon or late, or here or there? 75 As who began a thousand years ago. III. Heaven from all creatures hides the book of fate, All but the page prescrib'd, their present state: From brutes what men, from men what spirits know; Or who could suffer being here below? 80 The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day, Had he thy reason would he skip and play? And licks the hand just rais'd to shed his blood. 85 That each may fill the circle mark'd by Heav'n; Who sees with equal eye, as God of all, Atoms or systems into ruin hurl'd And now a bubble burst, and now a world. 90 Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar: Wait the great teacher, death, and God adore! 95 Lo! the poor Indian, whose untutor'd mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind; 100 His soul proud science never taught to stray Yet simple nature to his hope has giv'n, Behind the cloud-topt hill, an humbler heav'n; Some safer world in depth of woods embrac'd, 105 Where slaves once more their native land behold, No fiends torment, no Christians thirst for gold! To be, contents his natural desire, 110 He asks no angel's wings, no seraph's fire; IV. Go, wiser thou! and in thy scale of sense In pride, in reas'ning pride, our error lies; Aspiring to be afgels, men rebel; 115 120 125 And who but wishes to invert the laws Of order, sins against th' Eternal Cause. 130 V. Ask for what end the heavenly bodies shine, Earth for whose use ? Pride answers, "Tis for mine: "For me kind Nature wakes her genial power, "Suckles each herb, and spreads out every flower; "Annual for me, the grape, the rose renew "The juice nectareous, and the balmy dew; "For me, the mine a thousand treasures brings; "For me, health gushes from a thousand springs; "Seas roll to waft me, suns to light me rise; "My footstool earth, my canopy the skies." 135 140 But errs not nature from this gracious end, From burning suns when livid deaths descend, When earthquakes swallow, or when tempests sweep |