Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

O more exceeding love, or law more just?
Jus: law indeed, but more exceeding love !
For we, by rightful doom temediless,
Were lost in death, till he, that dwelt above,
High-thron'd in secret bliss, for us frail dust
Emptied his glory, even to nakedness ;
And that great covenant which we still transgress
Entirely satisfied;

And the full wrath beside

Of vengeful justice bore for our excess;
And seals obedience first, with wounding smart,

This day; but, O! ere long,

Huge pangs and strong

Will pierce more near his heart.

1

ON THE DEATH OF A FAIR INFANT,

Dying of Cough.

O FAIREST tower, no sooner blown but blasted,
Soft silken primrose fading timelessly,
Summer's chief honour, if thou hadst out-lasted
Bleak winter's force that made thy blossom dry:
For he, being amorous on that lovely die

That did thy cheek envermeil, thought to kiss, Bat kill'd, alas! and then bewail'd his fatal bliss.

For since grim Aquilo, his charioteer,
By boisterous rape the Athenian damsel got,
He thought it touch'd his deity full near,
If likewise he some fair one wedded not,
Thereby to wipe away the infamous blot

Of long-uncoupled bed and childless eld, Which, 'mongst the wanton gods, a a foul reproach

was held.

So, mounting up in icy-pearled car,
The ugh middle empire of the freezing air-
He wander'd long, till thee he spied from far;

[ocr errors]

1

There ended was his quest, there ceas'd his care : Down he descended from his snow-soft chair,

But, all unwares, with his cold kind embrace Unhous'd thy virgin soul from her fair biding.

place.

Yet thou art not inglorious in thy fate;
For so Apollo, with unweeting hand,
Whilom did slay his dearly-loved mate,
Young Hyacinth, born on Eurotas' strand,
Young Hyacinth, the pride of Spartan land;
But then transform'd him to a purple flower:
Alack, that so to change thee Winter had no power

Yet can I not persuade me thou art dead,
Or that thy corse corrupts in earth's dark womt,
Or that thy beauties lie in wormy bed,
Hid from the world in a low-delv'd tomb;
Could Heaven for pity thee so strictly doom?
Oh no! for something in thy face did shine
Above mortality, that show'd thou wast divine.

Resolve me, then, oh soul most surely blest !
(If so it be that thou these plaints dost hear,)
Tell me, bright spirit, where'er thou hoverest,
Whether above that high first-moving sphere,
Or in the Elysian fields, (if such were there ;)
Oh say me true, if thou wert mortal wight,
And why from us so quickly thou didst take thy

flight?

Wert thou some star which from the ruin'd roof
Of shak'd Olympus by mischance didst fall;
Which careful Jove in nature's true behoof
Took up, and in fit place did reinstall?
Or did of late Earth's sons besiege the wall

Of sheeny heaven, and thou, some goddess filed Amongst us here below to hide thy nectar'd head?

Or wert thou that just maid, who once before
Forsook the hated earth, O tell me sooth,
And camest again to visit us once more?
Or wert thou that sweet-smiling youth ?
Or that crown'd matron sage, white-robed Truth?
Or any other of that heavenly brood, [good?
Let down in cloudy throne to do the world some

Or wert thou of the golden-winged host,
Who, having clad thyself in human weed,
To earth from thy prefixed seat didst post,
And after short abode fily back with speed,
As if to show what creatures heaven doth breed;
Thereby to set the hearts of men on fire,

To scorn the sordid world, and unto heaven aspire?

[ocr errors]

But oh! why didst thou not stay here below,
To bless us with thy heaven-lov'd innocence,
To slake his wrath whom sin hath made our foe,
To turn swift-rushing black perdition hence,
Or drive away the slaughtering pestilence,

To stand 'twixt us and our deserved smart?[art. But thou canst best perform that office where thou

Then thou, the mother of so sweet a child,
Her false-imagin'd loss cease to lament,
And wisely learn to curb thy sorrows wild;
Think what a present thou to God hast sent
And render him with patience what he lenta.
This if thou do, he will an offspring give,
That till the world's last end shall make thy name

to live.

[merged small][ocr errors]

FLY, envious Time, till thou run out thy races
Call on the lazy leaden-stepping Hours,
Whose speed is but the heavy plummet's
And glut thyself with what the word devours

pace

[ocr errors]

Which is no more than what is false and vain,

And merely mortal dross;

So little is our loss,

So little is thy gain!

For when as each thing bad thou hast entomb'd,
And last of all thy greedy self consum'd,

Then long eternity shall greet our bliss

With an individual kiss;

And joy shall overtake us as a flood,

When every thing that is sincerely good
And perfectly divine,

With truth, and peace, and love, shall ever shine
About the supreme throne
Of him, to whose happy-making sight alone,
When once our heavenly-guided soul shall climb,
Then, all this earthy grossness quit,

Attir'd with stars we shall for ever sit,

Triumphing over death, and chance, and thes O Time!

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

BLEST pair of Sirens, pledges of heaven's joy,
Sphere born, harmonious sisters, Voice and Versa
Wed your divine sounds, and mix'd power employ
Dead things with inbreath'd sense able to pierce;
And to our high-rais'd phantasy present
That undisturbed song of pure consent,
Aye sung before the sapphire-colour'd throne

To Him that sits thereon,
With saintly shout, and solemn jubilee;
Where the bright seraphim, in burning row
Their loud up-lifted angel-trumpets blow;
And the cherubic host, in thousand quires,
Touch their immortal harps of golden wires,
With those just spirits that wear victorious palm
Hyuns devout and holy psalme

Singing everlastinglysage to

:

:.

That we on earth, with undiscording voice,
May rightly answer that melodious noise;
As once we did, till disproportion'd sin
Jarr'd against nature's chime, and with harsh din
Broke the fair music that all creatures made
To their great Lord, whose love their motion sway'd
In perfect diapason, whilst they stood...
In first obedience, and their state of good.
O, may we soon again renew that song,
And keep in tune with heaven, till God ere long
To his celestial concert us unite,

"

[ocr errors]

To live with him, and sing in endless morn of

light!

ΑΝ ΕΡΙTAPH ON THE MARCHIONESS OF WINCHESTER.

THIS rich marble doth inter

The honour'd wife of Winchester,
A viscount's daughter, an earl's heir,
Besides what her virtues fair

[ocr errors]

Added to her noble birth,
More than she could own from earth.
Summers three times eight save one
She has told; alas! too soon

After so short time of breath, 1979.39

[ocr errors]

To house with darkness and with death. its
Yet had the number of her days
Been as complete as was her praise,
Nature and fate had had no strifeleras
In giving limit to her life.wor

Her high birth and her graces sweet,
Quickly found a lover meet; 194 10
The virgin quire for her requesti preset voi 1
The god that sits at marriage feasts worl
He at their invoking came,

But with a scarce well-lighted flame,

« AnteriorContinua »