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 Akenside 
 Odes on several subjects
 
 ESTC 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 O D E S 
 
 O N 
 
 Several Subjects. 
 
 niNAAPOC. 
 
 XPTCON ETXONTAI, DEAION A'ETEPOI 
 
 AOEP ANTON. ETO A'ACTOIC AAHN, KAI 
 
 XGONI rriA KAATiF'AI- 
 
 M', AINEHN AINHTA, MOM- 
 
 *AN A'EniCnEIPflN AAITPOIC. 
 
 |[ Price One Shilling and Six-pence. ]
 
 ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 TH E^ following 0>D E s were written at very diflant 
 intervals, and^wirii a view to very different manners 
 of expreffion and verfification* The author pretends chiefly 
 to the merit of endeavouring to be corredj, and of carefully 
 attending to the beft models. From what the ancients have 
 left of this kind, perhaps the Ode may be allow'd the moft. 
 amiable fpecies of poetry j, but certainly there is none which 
 in modern languages has been generally attempted with fo 
 littlr fuccefs. For the perfedion- f lyrie poetry depends^, 
 beyond that of any other, on the beauty of words and the 
 gracefulnefs of numbers ; in both which refpeds the an- 
 cients had mfinite advantages above us, A confideration 
 which will alleviate the author's disappointment, if he too 
 lliould be found to have mifcarried.
 
 ODES 
 
 O N 
 
 Several Subjects. 
 
 Vtde vofe 4^ 
 
 L O N D Nj 
 
 Printed for R. Dodsley at Tully's Head in Pall-Mallt 
 And Sold by M. Cooper in Pater-nofter-Row. 
 
 UMte> 
 
 M.DCC.XLV.
 
 
 71 
 
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 #% -P''^^ v.f' 
 
 r*^ 
 
 ;|^ yx s^ %^ 
 
 
 .U.M
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
 S3// 
 
 O DEL 
 
 Allufion to H o R A c 
 
 .. ^gOy apis Matinee 
 
 More^ modoque^^Q. Lib. iv. Od. ii. 
 
 AMID the garden's fragrance laid, 
 Where yonder limes behold their fhade 
 Along the glafly ftream, 
 With Horace and his tuneful eafe 
 I'll reft from crouds, and care's difeafe. 
 And fumnier's piercing beam. 
 
 Behold 
 
 865735
 
 6 O D E I. 
 
 Behold the bufyj -wandMngBEE \ 
 
 From bloom to bloom, from tree to tree 
 
 She fweeps mellifluous dews ; 
 For her the iilken gems arife, 
 For her difplay their fluning dycsj 
 
 Their balmy breath difFufe. 
 
 -**-* ^.^ V-r^J.: -^ iC'--**<'.---^.i^.'A?l.vC-1tnP''r^*,iicE.*r^^ 
 
 Sweet Murmurcr-I may no rude RortW 
 . This pleafurable fcene deform ' 
 
 To check thy gladfome toils ; 
 Still may the buds unfullied ipririg, 
 Still fliow'rs and funfhine court thy wing 
 To thefe ambrofial Ipoils. 
 
 Nor fhall my Mufe hereafter fail 
 Her fellow-lab'rer thus to hail. 
 
 And lucky be the ftrains ! 
 for long ago did nature frame 
 Your feafons and your arts the lame^ 
 
 Your pleafures and your pains* 
 
 Like
 
 o i> E r. i 
 
 Like thee, in lowly, lylvan fcenes, 
 And river-banks and fruitfol' greens 
 
 Delights my vagrant fong ; 
 Nor jftrives by foaring high in air, 
 Tho' Iwans and eagles triumph there. 
 
 To draw the giddy throng- 
 
 Nor where the ravenj where the owl 
 By night their hateful orgies howl. 
 
 Will fhe her care^ imploy ; 
 But flies, from ruins and from graves, 
 From ghoftly cells and' monkifll eaves 
 
 To day-light and tfc joy. 
 
 Nor will fhe tempt the barren wafle ; 
 Nor deigns th* ungrateful ftores to tafte 
 
 Of any noxious thing ; 
 But leaves with fcorn to others' ufe 
 The bitter hemlock's baneful juice, 
 
 The nettle's fordid fting, 
 
 FrQpi.
 
 8 
 
 ODE I,) 
 
 From all which nature faireft knows, 
 The vernal blooms, the fummer rofe. 
 
 She draws her mingled wealth ; , 
 And when the lovely tafk is done. 
 She confecrates a double boon. 
 
 To pleafure and to health. 
 
 ODE
 
 O D E II. 9 
 
 o D E 11. 
 
 On the Winter-Solstice, 
 
 M. D. CC. XL. 
 
 TH E radiant ruler of the year 
 At length his wintry goal attains, 
 Soon to reverfe the long career, 
 And Northward bend his golden reins. 
 Prone on Potosi's haughty brow 
 His fiery ftreams inceffant flow. 
 Ripening the filver's dud:ile (lores ; 
 While, in the cavern's horrid fhadc, 
 The panting Indian hides , his head, , , , . 
 And oft th' approach of eve explores. 
 
 B , But
 
 Vo O D E II. 
 
 But ]o, on this defoted coaft 
 
 How faint the light ! how thick the air I 
 
 Lo, arm'd with whirlwind, hail and froft, 
 
 Fierce winter defolates the year. 
 
 The fields refign their ch earful bloom 5 
 
 No n-vore the breezes waft perfume, 
 
 No more the warbling waters roll ; 
 
 Defarts of fnow fatigue the 6yfe,* 
 
 Black ftorms involve the louring fky, 
 
 And gloomy damps opprefs the foul. 
 
 Now thro' the town promifcuous throngs 
 
 Urge the warm bowl and ruddy fire j 
 
 Harmonious dances, feftive fongs, 
 
 To charm the midnight hours confpire. ^ 
 
 While mute and fhrinking with her fears, 
 
 Each blaft the cottage-matron hears 
 
 As o'er the hearth fhe fits alone : 
 
 At morn her bridegroom went abroad> 
 
 The night is dark and deep the road ; 
 
 She fighs and wifhes him at home. 
 
 But
 
 D E IL rr 
 
 But thoui my lyre, awake, arife. 
 And hail the fun's remoteft ray ; 
 Now, now he climbs the Northern fkies, 
 I'o-morrow nearer than to-day. 
 Then louder howl the ftormy wafte. 
 Be land and ocean worfe defac'd. 
 Yet brighter hours are on the wing ; 
 And fancy thro' the wintry glooms, 
 All frefli with dews and opening blooms. 
 Already hails th' emerging fpring. 
 
 O fountain of the golden day I 
 
 Could mortal vows but urge thy fpeed, 
 
 How foon before thy vernal ray 
 
 Should each unkindly damp recede ! 
 
 How foon each hov'ring tempeft fly. 
 
 That now fermenting loads the fky. 
 
 Prompt on our heads to burft amain, 
 
 To rend the foreft from the flcep. 
 
 Or thund'rlng o'er the Baltic deep 
 
 To whelm the merchant's hopes of gain 1 
 
 B 2 But
 
 fi ODE ir. 
 
 But let not man's unequal views 
 Prefume on nature and her laws ; 
 'Tis his with grateful joy to ufe 
 Th' indulgence of the fov'reign caufe ; 
 Secure that health and beauty iprings 
 Thro' this majeftic frame of things 
 Beyond what he can reach to know, 
 And that heav'n's all-fubduing will, 
 With good the jif<%feny of ill, 
 Attempers every ftate below. 
 
 How pleafing wears the wintry nighty 
 
 Spent with the old illuftrious dead ! 
 
 While, by the taper's trembling light, ' 
 
 I feem thofe awful courts to tread 
 
 Where chiefs and' legiilators lie, 
 
 Whofe triumphs move before my eye 
 
 With every laurel frefh-difplay'd ; 
 
 While charm'd I tafle th' Ionian fongj 
 
 Or bend to Plato's godlike tongue 
 
 Refounding thro' the olive fhade.i> U m^ 
 
 But
 
 O D E II. 13 
 
 But if the gay, well-natur'd friend 
 
 Bids leave the ftudious page awhile, 
 
 Then ealier joys the foul unbend 
 
 And teach the brow a fofter fmile ; 
 
 Then while the genial glafs is paid 
 
 By each to her, that faireft maid, 
 
 Whofe radiant eyes his hopes obey, * 
 
 What lucky vows his bofom warm I : 
 
 While abfence heightens every charm,. 
 
 And love invokes returning May. 
 
 May ! thou delight of heav'n and earthy 
 
 When will thy happy morn arife ? 
 
 When the dear place which gave her. birth 
 
 Reftorc Luginda to my eyes ? 
 
 There while ihe walks the wonted grove, 
 
 The feat of mufic and of love, 
 
 Bright as the one primaeval fair. 
 
 Thither^ ye filver-founding lyres, 
 
 Thither,, gay fmiles and young defirei> 
 
 ehaflr hope and mutual faith repair. 
 
 And
 
 14 P I> E M- 
 
 And if believing love can read 
 The wonted foftnefs in her ey, 
 Then fliall my fears, O chai-ming maid, 
 And every pain of abfence die 
 Then ofter to thy name attun'd. 
 And rifing to diviner found, 
 ril tv^akc the free Horatian fong : 
 Old Tyne fhall liften to my tale, 
 And Echo, down the bord'ring vale, 
 The liquid melody prolong. 
 
 
 w-v 
 
 ] liPii. OD E 
 
 41 
 
 %
 
 ODE III. IS 
 
 ODE III. 
 
 Againft Suspicion. 
 
 OFly I 'Tis dire SwsficiON's mien.; 
 And, meditating plagues unfeen, 
 The forc'refs hither bends : 
 Behold her torch in gall imbrued : 
 
 Behold her garments drop with blood 
 
 Of lovers and of friends* 
 
 Fly far ! Already in' your eyes 
 I fee a pale fufFufion jife ; 
 
 And foon thro' every vein, 
 Soon will her fecret venom fpread, 
 And all your heart and all your Jiead 
 
 Imbibe the potent ftain. 
 
 Th(
 
 i6 ODE III. 
 
 Then come the hours of fliame and fear *. 
 Then hints of horror feize your ear ; 
 
 While gleams of loft delight 
 Raife the deep Jifcord or the brain, 
 As light'ning fhines along the main 
 
 Thro* whirlwinds and thro' night. 
 
 No more can faith or candor move ; < . 
 
 But each ingenuous deed of love 
 
 Which once you would: applaud, litwi 
 Now, fmiHng o'er her dark diftrefs,. : i 
 
 Malignant fancy longs : to drefixuv^ijij:^ v.. ^ 
 
 Like injury and fraud. la bi^ aasvoi lO 
 
 Farewel to virtue's peaceful times ! ' 
 
 For foon you'll ftoop to adr the trlmes i 
 
 You thus can ftoop to fear j: 'oi/h noci laA 
 When vice begins her ugly train/ ::::: . ! . . aoo:: 
 With wrongs of.fuch unmanly ftdin, 1 . 
 
 What horrors form the rear.f>3cq tdt ?didrr:I 
 # 'Tis
 
 ODE TIL 17 
 
 Tis thus, to work her baleful powV, [^ \uodi O 
 
 Suspicion waits the fullen hour ^ - 
 
 Of fretfulnefs and ftrife, ,_ . - 
 
 When care th' infirmer bofom wrings, ^^ 
 
 Or EuRUS fhakes his gloomy wings 
 
 To damp the feats of life. 
 
 But come, forfake the fcene unbleft, _-> r.-^., . ^^j 
 Which firft bf^held your candid breaft, ^^,^ 
 
 To groundlefs fears a prey \ yy y^ .^ - 
 
 Come, where with my prevailing lyre .. .^ ^^^^^ ^p^ 
 
 The fkies, the ftreams, the grovep F^^i'P^^) f:;/^ni ^^"^ 
 To charm your doubts away. ^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ 
 
 Thron'd in the fun's defcending car, 
 What Pow'r unfeen diffufes far 
 
 This tendernefs of mind ? 
 What Genius fmiles on every flood ? 
 What God, in whifpers from the wood, 
 
 Bids every heart be kind ? 
 
 C O thou>
 
 Midi 
 
 ul' 
 
 
 au?} 
 
 1 -^o 
 
 
 . 31li J HudW 
 
 aujuya 
 
 V 
 
 rf-r-ft <^ ^ rvT^ 
 
 
 ?^ ODE 1if; 
 
 O thou, whate'er tfiy awful name, 
 Wliofe breath awak'd th'immortal flame 
 
 That moves my adive veins ; 
 Thou, w^ho by fair affefbion's ties 
 Haft doubled all my future joys, 
 
 And half difarm'd my pains ; 
 
 Let univerfal CANDtJtm ftill, 
 Clear as yon heav'n-refleiling rill,' 
 
 Preferve my opeii mind ; 
 Nor THIS, nor xBAt matfis crooked views, ^^'^''^ 
 One mean dr'truel doubt infufe 
 
 To injure human kind. 
 
 ,-'.. } 
 
 M Hi 
 
 r 
 
 ,Ix)ow 
 
 J a 
 
 ODE
 
 O D E m *.s> 
 
 ODE IV. 
 
 T O 
 
 A Gentleman^ whofe Mistress 
 had married an Old Man* 
 
 INDEED, mypH^DRiA, if to find 
 That gold a female's vow can gain, 
 If this had e'er difturb'd your mind, 
 Or coft one ferious moment's pain, 
 I ftiould have faid that all the rules 
 You learnt of moralifts and fchoolsj 
 Were very ufelefs, very vain. 
 
 Vet I pferhaps miftake the cafe j 
 
 And tho' with this heroic air, 
 
 Like one that holds a nobler chac^, 
 
 You feem the lady s lofs to bear, 
 
 l^erhaps your hea|*t bely'd your tongue, 
 
 And thinks my cenfure mighty wrong 
 
 To count it fuch a flight affair. 
 
 C 2 . Wlirft"
 
 20 O D E IV. 
 
 When Hesper gilds the fLaded /ky. 
 
 Slow- wand 'ring thro' the well-known grove^^ 
 
 Met h inks I feb you caft your eye' 
 
 Back to the morning-fcenes of love r 
 
 Her tender look, her graceful way, T^^r^Ti'^'% A 
 
 The pretty things you heard her fay,, 
 
 Afrefhi your ftruggling fancy move. 
 
 Then tell me, is your foul in tire ? ' ^, 
 
 Does wifdom calmly hold her throne ?' 
 
 Then can you queftion each delire, ^^ ^'^^ 
 
 Bid this remain, and that begone ? 
 
 No tear half-ftarting from your eye ? 
 
 No kindling blufli you know not why ? ^^ ^^"^^^ ^^'^ 
 
 No ftealing figh or ftifled groan ? 
 
 tr-rf-'li-r 
 
 Away with this unmanly mood ! 
 
 See where the hoary churl appears, 
 
 Whofe hand hath feiz'd the fav'rite good 
 
 Which you referv'd for happier years : 
 
 While fide by fide : the blufhing maid i 
 
 Shrinks from his vifage half-afraid^ Iffrft hi . 
 
 Spite of the fickly joy * (he wtat s. " i
 
 ODE IV. ai 
 
 Yc guardian pow'rs of love and fame, 
 
 This chafte, harmonious pair behold; " ''/ 
 
 And thus reward the gen'rous flame 
 
 Of all who barter vows for gold. 
 
 O bloom of youth and opening charms ^ lliA .i^T 
 
 Well-buried in a dotard's arms ! 
 
 O worthy price of beauty fold I ^ t {fs 
 
 Ceafe then to gaze, unthankful boy ; 
 
 Let, let her go, the venal fair I 
 
 Unworthy fhe to give you joy ; 
 
 Then wherefore fhould fhe give you care ? 
 
 Lay, lay your myrtle garland down. 
 
 And let the willow's virgin- crown 
 
 With happier omens bind your hair. 
 
 O juft efcap'd the faithlefs main, 
 Tho' driv'n unwilling on the land I 
 To guide your favour'd fteps again, 
 Behold your better genius ftand : 
 Where Plato's olive courts your eye. 
 Where Ham den's laurel blooms on high, 
 He lifts his hcav'n-diredled hand*
 
 22 
 
 o^/D e: IV: 
 
 When thefe are blended on y6u> brow^ 
 The willow will be nam'd no more ; 
 Or if that love-dcfertcd bough 
 The pitying, laughing girls deplore, 
 Yet ftill fliall I moft freely fwear, 
 Your drefs has much a better air 
 Than all that ever bridegroom wore.' 
 
 ODE
 
 ODE V. 3 
 
 O D E V. 
 
 Hymn to Chearfulness, 
 The Author Sick. 
 
 Ho W thick the fliades of evening clofe ! 
 How pale the fky with weight of fnows ! 
 Hafte, light the tapers, urge the fire, 
 And bid the joylefs day retire \ 
 
 Alas, in vain I try within 
 
 To raife the dull, dejedled fcene, 
 While rouz'd by grief thefe fiery paine 
 Tear the frail texture of my veins ; 
 While winter's voice, that ftorms around, 
 And yon deep death-bcH's groaning found 
 Renew my mind's oppreffive gloom, 
 *Till ftarting horror (hakes the room ! 
 
 T
 
 A4 O D E V. 
 
 Is there in nature no kind pow'r 
 Ho fboth afflidlion's lonely hour ? 
 To blunt the edge of dire difeafe, 
 And teach thefe wintry fhades to pleafe ? 
 Come, Chearfulness, triumphant fair, 
 Shine thro' the painful cloud of care ; ^1" 
 
 O fweet of language, mild of mien, 
 O virtue's friend and pleafure's queen ! 
 AiTwage the flames that burn my breaft, ^ ^ 
 
 Attune my jarring thoughts to reft ; 
 And while thy gracious gifts I feel, 
 My fong fhall all thy praife reveal. 
 
 As once ('twas in A s t r .^ a's reign) 
 The vernal pow/s renew'd their train, 
 It happen'd that immortal Love ^ 
 
 Was ranging thro' the fpheres above, 
 And downward hither caft his eye 
 The year's returning pomp to Ipy, 
 
 2 He
 
 ODE V. 2^5 
 
 He favv the radiant God,:af..day 
 
 Lead round the globe the rofy May; 
 
 The fragrant Airs and genial Hours 
 
 Were fliedding round him dews and flow'rs ; 
 
 Before his wheels Aurora paft, 
 
 And Hesper's golden lamp was laft. 
 
 But, faireft of the blooming throngi 
 
 When Health majeftic mov'd along 
 
 All gay with fmiles, to fee below 
 
 The joys which from her prefence flow. 
 
 While earth inliv(;nd hears her voice,. 
 
 And fields, and flocks, and fwains rejoice ; 
 
 Then mighty Love her charms confefs'd, 
 
 And foon his vows inclin'd, her breaft. 
 
 And, known from that aufpicious morn. 
 
 The pleafing Chearfulness was born. 
 
 Thou, Chearfulness, by heav'n defign d 
 To rule the pulfe, that moves the mind, 
 Whatever fretful paflion fprings. 
 Whatever chance or nature brings 
 
 D 
 
 To
 
 a<$ O D E V. 
 
 To ftrain the tuneful poize within, 
 And difarrange the fweet machine. 
 Thou, Goddcfs, with a mafter-hand 
 Doft each attemper'd key command, 
 Refine the foft and fwell the ftrong, 
 Till all is concord, all is fong. 
 
 Fair guardian of domeftic life, 
 Beft baniflier of homebred ftrife, 
 Nor fullen lip, nor taunting eye 
 Deform the fcene where thou art by : 
 No fick'ning hufband damns the hour 
 That bound his joys to female pow'r ; 
 No pining mother weeps the cares 
 That parents wafte on hopelefs heirs : 
 Th' officious daughters pleased attend ; 
 The brother rifes to the friend : 
 By thee their board with flow'rs is crown'd, 
 By thee with fongs their walks rcfound, 
 By thee their fprightly mornings fhine. 
 And evening-hours in pedce decline. 
 
 Behold
 
 G D E V. 27 
 
 Behold the youth, whofe trembling heart 
 Beats high with love's unpitied fmart ; 
 Tho' now he ftrays by rills and bow'rs, 
 And weeping wears the lonely hours, _^^ ^ ^ 
 
 Or, if the nymph her audience deign, 
 Shames the foft flory of his pain 
 With flavifli looks, difcolour'd eyes. 
 And accents faltering into fighs ; 
 Yet thou, aufpicious pow*r, with cafe, 
 Can'jfl: yield him happier arts to pleafe, 
 Exalt his mien to manlier charms, 
 Inftrud his tongue with nobler arms, 
 With more commanding paflion move, 
 And teach the dignity of love. 
 
 Friend to the Mufe and all her train, 
 For thee I court the Mufe again ; 
 And may the votive lay difclofe 
 How much to thy fair aid fhe owes ! 
 See, when thy touch reveals her mine. 
 How pure the ftorcs of fancy fhjne I 
 
 D ^ How
 
 ^58 O D E? ^. 
 
 r 
 
 Hark, when thy breath her fong impells. 
 How full the tuneful current fvvells ! 
 Let melancholy's plaintive tongue 
 
 Jnftrudl the nightly ftrains of Y ; 
 
 But thine was Homer*s ancient might, 
 And thine victorious P i n d a r's flight : 
 Thy myrtles crown'd the * Lefbian meads ; . 
 Thy voice awaked i^ Sicilian reeds ;'':?rB^ glf: 
 Thy breath perfumes the J Teian rofe. 
 And Tibur's vine fpontaneous flows niiii 
 While Horace wantons in thy quire; 
 The gods and heroes of the lyre. 
 
 See where the pale, the fick'hing fage 
 (A prey perhaps to fortune's rage, 
 Perhaps by * tender griefs opprefs'd, 
 Or glooms congenial to his hreafl) 
 Retires in defart-fcenes to dwell. 
 And bids the joylefs world farewell. 
 Alone he treads th' ' autumnal fliade, 
 Alone beneath the mountain laid, 
 
 J Alc-us 4?;/J Sappho. -{ Theocritus. :|:Anacreon. 
 
 He
 
 <^ 
 
 .W D E r^r. 
 
 He fees the nightly damps arife. 
 
 And gathering ftorms involve the fkies ; 
 
 He hears the neighbung furgcs roll. 
 
 And raging thunders fhake the pole j 
 
 Then, ftruck by every objed round, 
 
 And ftunn'd by every horrid found. 
 
 He pants to traverfe nature's ways : 
 
 His evils haunt him thro' the maze ; . . , 
 
 He views ten thoufand daemons , rife, ti| 
 
 To wield the empire of the fkies, j 
 
 And chance and, fate affume the rod. 
 
 And malice blots the throne of God. 
 
 O thou, whofe pleafing pow'r I fing I 
 
 Thy lenient influencCj-Jjitlief .;l^j;ing ; 
 
 Compofe the ftorm, . diipcll the gloom, ^ ^^ 
 
 Till nature wear her wonted bloom-, 
 
 Till fields and fhades [,^|^eir fvveets exhale. 
 
 And mufic fvvell each opening gale : r> 
 
 Then o'er his bread thy foftnefs pour, ^ 
 
 And let him learn the timely hour 
 
 To
 
 o 
 
 30 /O D E V. 
 
 To trace tlie world's benignaut laws, 
 And judge of. that prefiding caiife 
 Who founds in difcord beauty's reign, 
 Converts to pleafure every pain, 
 Subdues the hoftile forms to reft. 
 And bids the univerfe be bleft. 
 
 O thou, whofe pleafing pow'r I fing I 
 If right I touch the votive firing, 
 If equal praife I yield thy name, 
 Still govern thou thy poet's flame ; 
 Still with the Mufe my bofom fliare, 
 And footh to peace corroding care. 
 But moft exert thy genial pow'r -^n^irM vrl I 
 
 On friendftiip's confccrated hour ; ' 
 
 And while my Agis leads the road 
 To fearlefs wifdom's high abode, of^^ l.rT 
 
 Or, warm in freedorii's facred caufe, iuai i^aA 
 
 Purfues the light of Graecian laws, ^ ^'^ ^^^'^ 
 
 Attend, and grace our g^S*it)U^ toils- 
 With all thy garlands, all thy fmiles. 
 
 i;-*\. 
 
 But
 
 O D E V. 
 
 But if, by fortune's ftubborn fway, 
 
 From him and friendfhip torn away,ic^c 
 
 I court the mufe*s healing fpell 
 
 For griefs that ftili with abfence dwell, 
 
 Do thou conduct my fancy's dreams 
 
 To fuch indulgent, tender themes 
 
 As juft the ftruggling breaft may chear. 
 
 And juft fufpend the ftarting tear. 
 
 Yet leave that charming fenfe of woe, 
 
 Which none but friends and lovers know. 
 
 51 
 
 i nO 
 
 O 
 
 'm 
 
 D C>OV 
 
 ,'>iUV<' 
 
 ODE 
 
 Ttrll
 
 _. _ rii arfj liiTv. 
 
 P,,D.&..: VI. I, alaha 10 . 
 
 On the Abfence of the Poetic - 
 Inclination.a^iiisa^ ^ ^^^.a 
 
 tifi3l gfibififi aril Lnt)qtiji flu[ bnA 
 
 QUEEN of tny^fongs, harmonious maid,' 
 Why, why haft thou withdrawn thy aid.?!.W 
 Why thus forfook my widow'd breaft. 
 With dark infeebhng damps opprefs'd ? 
 Where is the told prophetic heat, 
 With which my bofom wont to beat ? 
 Where all the bright myfterioiis dreams 
 Of haunted fhades and tuneful ftreams, 
 Tliat woo'd my Genius to divineft themes ? 
 
 Say, can the purple charms of wine, 
 
 Or young D i o n e's form divine, 
 
 Or flatt'ring fcenes of promised fame 
 
 Relume thy faint, thy dying flame ? 
 
 Hare
 
 ODE VI. Si 
 
 Have foft, melodious airs the pow'r 
 To give one free, poetic hour ? - 
 
 "tor, from amid th' Elylian train, 
 The foul of Milton fhall I gain, 
 To win thee back with fome coeleftial ftrain ? 
 
 mighty mind ! O facred flame ! 
 My fpirit kindles at his name ; 
 
 Again my labVing bofom burns ; ^ ^ 
 The Mufe, th' infpiring Mufe returns \ 
 Such on the banks of Tyne confeft, 
 
 1 hail'd the bright, ethereal guefti 
 
 When firfl (he feal'd me for her own, ''I 
 
 Made all her blifsful treafures known, 
 And bad me fwear to follow Her alone. 
 
 E ODE
 
 54 ODE VII. 
 
 ODE VII. 
 
 To a Friend, on the Hazard of 
 falling in Love. 
 
 N 
 
 O, fooiiOi boy- To virtu gus fame 
 If now thy early hopes be vow'd. 
 If true ambition^s nobler flame 
 Command thy footfteps from the cfoud^' ^ 
 Lean not to Love's inchanting fnare ; 
 His dances, his delights beware, 
 Nor mingle in the band of young and fair. 
 
 By thought, by dangers, and by toils. 
 The wreath of juft renown is worn ^ 
 Nor will ambition's awful fpoils 
 The flowry pomp of eafe adorn : 
 { % But
 
 ODE Vir. 35 
 
 But Love diffolves the nerve of thought ; 
 By Love unmanly fears are taught ; 
 And Love's reward with flothful arts is bought. 
 
 True, where the Mufes, where the pow'rs 
 Of fofter wifdom, eafier wit, 
 Affift the Graces and the Hours 
 To render beauty's praife compleat, 
 The fair may then perhaps impart 
 Each finer fenfe, each winning art, 
 And more than Ichools adorn the manly heart. 
 
 If then, from Love's deceit fecure, 
 Such bhfs be all thy heart intends, 
 Go, where the white-v^^ing'd evening hour 
 On D E L I a's vernal walk defcends : 
 Go, while the pleafing, peaceful fcene 
 Becomes her voice, becomes her mien, 
 Sweet as her fmiles, and as her brow ferene* 
 
 E 2 Attend,
 
 3 ODE VII. 
 
 Attend, while that harmonious tongue ' :l 
 Each bofom, each deiire commands ; I 
 
 Apollo's lute by Hermes ftrung 
 And touch'd by chafte Minerva's hands. 
 Attend. I feel a force divine, 
 O Delia, win my thoughts to thine, 
 That half thy graces feem already mine. A 
 
 Yet confcious of the dangrous charm, 
 Soon would: I turn my fteps away j ft Aoili 
 Nor oft provoke the lovely harm, "^ 
 
 Nor once relax my reafbn's fway. 
 But thouy my friend What fu'dden fighs ? "^1 
 What means the blu(h that comes and flies.? 
 Why flop ? why filent ? why avert thy eyes ? : ) 
 
 I J nCl nO 
 So foon again to meet the fair? ,-.j 
 
 So penfive all this abfent hour ? ;cl 
 
 O yet, unlucky youth, beware, , t^rn?. 
 
 While yet to think is in thy pow'^r. 
 
 I ' In
 
 ODE VII. 37 
 
 In vain with friendiliip's flatt'ring name 
 Thy paflion mafks its inward fhame ; 
 Friendfhip, the treach'rous fuel of thy flame ! 
 
 Once, I remember, tir'd of Love, 
 I fpurn'd his hard, tyrannic chain,. 
 Yet won the haughty fair to prove 
 What fober joys in friendfliip reign. 
 No more I flgh'd, complained, or fwore ; 
 The nymph's coy arts appeared no more. 
 But each could laugh at what we felt before. 
 
 Well-pleas'd we pafs'd the chearful day. 
 To unreferv'd difcourfe refign'd, 
 And 1 inchantcd to furvey 
 One gen'rous woman's real mind : 
 But foon I wonder'd what poflefs'd 
 Each wakeful night my anxious bread: ; 
 No other friend fliip e'er had broke my reft I 
 
 Fool
 
 3; ODE VII. 
 
 Fool that I tvas ' And now, ev'n now 
 While thus I preach the Stoic ftrain, 
 Unlefs I fliuii Dione's view. 
 An hour unfays it all again. 
 O friend! when Love direds her eyes 
 To pierce where every paffion lies, 
 Where is the firm, the cautious, or the wife ? 
 
 tfi*^rl: 
 
 ODE
 
 ODE VIII. 
 
 39 
 
 tsiiss^^i^i^iii^^esB^is^^ 
 
 ODE VIIL 
 
 K 
 
 On leaving Holland. 
 
 ADIEU toLEYDEN's IcMiely bound. 
 The Belgian mufe's fober feat ; 
 Where fhedding frugal gifts around 
 On all the fav'rites at her feet, 
 She feeds the body's bulky frame 
 For paflive, per fevering toils ; 
 And left, for fbme ambitious aim. 
 The daring mind fhould fcorn her homely Ipoils^ 
 She breathes maternal foggs to damp its reftlefs flame. 
 
 Adieu the grave, pacific air, 
 Safe from the flitting mountain-breeze ; 
 The marfliy levels lank and bare, 
 Sacred from furrows, hills or trees : 
 
 Adieu
 
 40 ODE VIII. 
 
 Adieu each mantling, fragrant flood, 
 Untaught to murmur or to flow : 
 Adieu the * mufic of the mud, 
 That fooths at eve the patient lover's woe. 
 And wakes to fprightlier thoughts the painful poet's blood. 
 
 With looks fo frofly, and with fteps fo tame, 
 Ye careful nymphs, ye houfehold things, adieu ; 
 Not once ye taught me love's or friend ihip's flame. 
 And where is he that ever taught it you ? 
 And ye, the flow-ey'd fathers of the land, 
 With whom dominion lurks from hand to hand, 
 Unown'd, undignify'd by public choice, 
 I go where freedom in the fl:reets is known, 
 
 And tells a monarch on his throne, 
 Tells. him he reigns, he lives but by her voice. 
 
 O native A l b i o^,. when to thee 
 Shall I return to part no more ? 
 Far from tliis pale, difcolour'd fea. 
 
 That fleeps upon the reedy fl^ore, 
 
 When 
 * The Frogs.
 
 O D E VHTP 4t 
 
 When fliall T plow thy azure tides, IV/ 
 
 And, as thy fleece-white hills afpire, . II 
 
 Blefs the fair fhade that on their fides 
 Imbow'rs the village and the facred fpirc, 
 While the green hedge, below, the golden flope divides ? 
 
 Ye nymphs that guard the pathlefs grove. 
 Ye blue-ey'd fifters of the fl reams, jiU svodA 
 With whom I wont at morn to rove. 
 With whom at noon I talk'd in dreams ; j 
 
 O take me to your haunts again, .v biiA 
 
 The rocky fpring, the greenwood glade \ jAT 
 To prompt my {lumbers in the murm'ring hade, . ^ 
 And {both my vacant ear with many an hiry ftrain.i ^oaHT 
 
 And thou, my faithful harp, no longer mourn 
 
 Thy drooping mafter s unpropitious hand j.ioijil 
 
 Now brighter ikies and frefhcr gales return/ }>nA 
 
 Now fairer maids thy melody demand. 
 
 Daughters of A l b i o n, guard your votive lyre ! 
 
 O blooming god of I'hefpia's laurell'd quire, 
 jliilW . . 
 
 F Why
 
 4i- QiDE viir. 
 
 why founds not mine harmonious as thy own^ 
 When all the virgin-deities above 
 
 With Venus and with Juno move 
 In concert roiind thy Jift'ning father's throne ? 
 5 e^bivib -jIuI'K 
 
 Thee too, protedrefs of my lays. 
 Elate with wfapfe .paje|lic call 
 Above the foft Italian's "praife, 
 Above the flavifli wreaths of Gaul, 
 I dare from impious thrones reclaim. 
 And wanton floth's luxurious chains. 
 The honours of a poet's name 
 To * A s H L E y's wifdom, or to Ha m d e n's arms, 
 Thee, Freedom, I rejoin, and blefs thy genuine flame, 
 
 Great citizen of Albion ! Thee 
 
 Heroic Valour ftill attends, niq<Dc*ib 
 
 And ufeful Science pleas'd to fee 
 
 How Art her ftudious toil extends. 
 
 * The Earl of Shaftesbury. 
 ^ / While
 
 ODE VIII. 43 
 
 While Truth, diffufing from on high 
 A luflre unconfin'd as day, 
 Fills and commands the public eye, 
 Till, pierc'd and linking by her pow'rful ray. 
 Tame Sloth and monkilli Awe, like nightly Daemons, fly. 
 
 Hence all the land the Patriot's ardour fhares ; 
 Hence dread Religion fmiles wjtji focial joy ; , 
 Hence the free bofom's fofteft, lovelieft cares, 
 Each graceful fcene of private life imploy. 
 
 O fair Britannia, hail! -Wijh p^^rtial love 
 
 The tribes of men their native feats approve, 
 
 Unjuft and hoftile to a foreign fame ; 
 
 But when from.jgcn'rp^&^miiyis and joflap^y^ laws 
 
 A nation holds her prime applaufe, 
 There public zeal defies the teft of blame. 
 
 '^ 
 
 F 2 ODE
 
 44 ODE IX. 
 
 xii 
 
 IIU) 
 
 T 
 
 O D E IX. 
 
 To S L E E Pi 
 
 H O U filent pow'r, whofe balmy fwajr 
 Charms every anxious thought away ; 
 
 In whofe divine oblivion drown'd^ 
 Fatigue and toiling pain grow mild, 
 Love is with fweet fuccefs beguil'd. 
 
 And fad remorfe forgets her fecret wound ; 
 
 O whither haft thou flown, indulgent God ? 
 
 God of kind' fhadows and of healing dews. 
 
 O'er whom dbft thou extend thy magic rod ? 
 
 Around what peaceful couch thy opiate airs diffufe ? 
 
 
 
 Lo, midnight from her ftarry reign 
 Looks awful, down on earth and main. 
 
 The
 
 ODE IX. 45 
 
 The tuneful birds lie hufli'd in fleep. 
 With ail that crop the verdant food. 
 With all that fkim'thecryftal flood, 
 
 Or haunt the caverns of the rocky fteep. 
 
 No rufhing winds difturb the tufted bow'rs ; 
 
 No wakeful found the moonHght valley knows, 
 
 Save where the brook its liquid murmur pours. 
 And lulls the waving fcene to more profound repofe. 
 
 O let not me thus watch alone ! 
 
 O hear my folitary moan ! 
 
 Defcend, propitious, on my eyes ; 
 
 Not from the couch that bears a crown, 
 
 Not from the ftatefman's thorny down, 
 Or where the mifer and his treafure lies : 
 Bring not the fhapes that break the murdVers refl: ; 
 Nor thofe the hireling foldier burns to fee. 
 Nor thofe that haunt the tyrant's gloomy bread :. 
 Far be their guilty nights, and far their dreams from me ! 
 
 Nor
 
 46 ODE IX. 
 
 Nor yet thofe awful joys prefent. 
 For chiefs and heroes only meant : 
 The figur'd brafs, the choral fong, 
 The refcued people's glad applaufe, 
 The lift'ning fenate, and the laws 
 Bent on the dictates of * Timoleon's tongue, 
 Are fcenes too grand for fortune's private ways ; 
 And tho' they fhine to youth's ingenuous view, 
 The fober gainful arts of modern days, 
 To fuch romantic thoughts have bid a long adieu. 
 
 Bleft be my fate ! I need not pray 
 
 That lovefick dreams be kept away : 
 
 No female charms, of fancy bom, 
 
 Nor damafk cheek, nor fparkling eye, 
 
 With me the bands of fleep untie, 
 
 Or fteal by minutes half the fauntring morn. 
 
 Nor 
 
 * After Timolean had dcliver'd Syracufe from the tyranny of 
 Dionyfius, the people on every important deliberation fent for him 
 into the public affembly, ask'd his advice, and voted according to 
 his decifion. Plutarch.
 
 ODE IX. 47 
 
 Nor yet the courtier's hope, the giving fmile, 
 (A lighter phantom and a bafer chain) 
 Bids wealth and place the fever'd night beguile, 
 To gall my waking hours with more vexatious pain. 
 
 But, Morpheus, on thy dewy wing 
 Such fair aufpicious vilions bring, 
 As footh'd great Milton's injur'd age, 
 When in prophetic dreams he faw 
 The tribes unborn with pious awe 
 Imbibe each virtue from his heav'nly page : 
 Or fuch as Mead*s benignant fancy knows. 
 When health's kind treafures, by his art explor'd. 
 Have fav'd the infant from an orphan's woes. 
 Or to the trembling fire his age's hope rcftor'd. 
 
 ODE
 
 4* O D E X. 
 
 ODE X. 
 
 m. 
 
 o 
 
 On Lyric Poetry. 
 
 N C E more I join the Thefpian quire, 
 
 Ah3 tafte tn' infpiring fount again: 
 
 O parent of the Grsecian lyre, 
 
 Admit me to thy fecfret ftrain 
 
 And lo ! with eafe my flep mvadcs 
 The pathlefs vale and opening fliades. 
 Till now -I Tpy^ lier ^Vefdant feat, 
 And now at large I drink the found. 
 While thefe her offspring, lift'ning round, 
 By turns her melody repeat. 
 
 I fee An ACRE ON fmile and fing : 
 His filver treffes breathe perfume ; 
 His cheek difplays a fecond fpring 
 Of rpfes taught by wine to bloom. 
 
 ft 
 
 -II 
 
 Away,
 
 O D E X. 4^ 
 
 Away, deceitful cares, away ! 
 
 And let me liften to his lay, 
 
 While flow'ry dreams my foul employ j 
 
 While turtle-wing'd the laughing hours 
 
 Lead hand in hand the feftal pow'rs. 
 
 Lead youth and love, and harmlefs joy* 
 
 Broke from the fetters of his native land, 
 Devoting fhame and vengeance to her lords. 
 With louder impulfe and a threat'ning hand. 
 The * Lefbian patriot fmites the foimding chords : 
 
 Ye wretches, ye perfidious train, 
 
 Yc curft of Gods and freeborn men, 
 Ye murdVers of the laws, 
 
 Tho' now you glory in your luft, 
 Tho' now you tread the feeble neck in duft. 
 Yet Time and righteous J o v e will judge your dreadful caufe^ 
 
 Alc^us of MItylene, the capital of Lefbos, who fled from his native city to efcape 
 the oppxeflion of thofe who had uillav'd it, and wrote a^ainft them in his txiic thofc 
 noble invedtives which arc fo much applauded by the anuent Critics. 
 
 G But
 
 50 O D E X. 
 
 But lo, to Sappho's mournful airs 
 Defcends the radiant Queen of love ; 
 She fmiles, and afks what fonder cares 
 Her fuppliant's plaintive meafures move : 
 Why is my faithful maid diftreft? 
 Who, Sappho, wounds thy tender breaft ? 
 
 Say, flies he ? Soon he fliall purfue : 
 
 Shuns he thy gifts ? - - - - He too fliall give : 
 
 Slights he thy forrows ? He fliall grieve, 
 
 And bend him to thy haughtieft vow. 
 
 But, O Melpomene, for whom 
 Awakes thy golden fliell again ? 
 What mortal breath fliall e'er prefume 
 To eccho that unbounded ftrain ? 
 Majeftic in the frown of years, 
 Behold, the * Man of Thebes appears : 
 For fome there are, whofe mighty frame 
 The hand of Jove at birth indow^d 
 With hopes that mock the gazing crowd ; 
 As eagles drink the noontide flame, 
 
 * Pindar. While
 
 O D E X. 51 
 
 While the dim raven beats his weary wings, 
 
 ,And clamours far below. Propitious Mufe, 
 
 While I fo late unlock thy hallow'd fprings. 
 And breathe whatever thy ancient airs infufe, 
 
 To polifh Albion's warlike ear 
 
 This long-loft melody to hear. 
 Thy fweeteft arts imploy ; 
 
 As when the winds from fhore to lliore, 
 Thro' Greece thy lyre's perfuafive language bore, 
 Till towns, and ifles, and feas return'd the vocal joy. 
 
 But oft amid the Graecian throng. 
 The loofe-rob'd forms of wild delirc 
 With lawlefs notes intun'd thy fong, 
 To fhamful fteps diffolv'd thy quire. 
 O fair, O chafte, be ftill with me 
 From fuch profaner difcord free : 
 While I frequent thy tuneful fhade, 
 No frantic fhouts of Thracian dames, 
 No Satyrs fierce with favage flames 
 Thy pleafing accents fhall invade, 
 
 G ^ Queen
 
 52 ODE X. 
 
 Queen of the lyre, in thy retreat 
 The faireft flow'rs of Pindus glow ; 
 The vine afpires to crown thy feat, 
 And myrtles round thy laurel grow. 
 Thy ftrings attune their varied ftrain 
 To every pleafure, every pain, 
 Which mortal tribes were born to prove, 
 And ftrait our paffions rife or fall, 
 As at the wind's imperious call 
 The ocean fwells, the billows move. 
 
 When midnight liftens o*er the ilumb'ring earth, 
 Let me, O Mtife, thy folemn whifpers hear : 
 When morning fends her fragrant breezes forth, 
 With airy murmurs touch my opening ear. 
 And ever watchful at thy fide. 
 Let Wifdom's awfirl fufFrage guide 
 
 The tenour of thy lay : 
 To her of old by Jove was giv'h 
 To judge the various deeds of earth and heaven ; 
 'Twas thine by gentle arts to win us to her fway. 
 
 Oft
 
 O D E X. 
 
 Oft as from ftrider hours refign'd 
 I quit the maze where fcience toils, 
 Do thou refrefli my yielding mind 
 With all thy gay, delufive fpoils. 
 But, O indulgent, come not nigH 
 The buiy fteps, the jealous eye 
 Of gainful care and wealthy age, 
 Whofe barFen fouls thy joys difdain, 
 And hold as foes to reafon's reign 
 Whomeer thy lovely hautits ingage. 
 
 With me, when mirth's confenting band 
 Around fair friendfliip's ^^geriial board 
 Invite thy heart-awakening hand. 
 With me falute the Teian chord. 
 Or if invoked at fofter hours, 
 O feek with me the happy Bow'rs 
 That hear D i g n e*s gentlo tongue ; 
 To beauty link'd with virtue's train, 
 To love devoid of jealous pain, 
 There let the Sapphic lute be ftrung, 
 
 53 
 
 But
 
 54 O D E X. 
 
 But when from envyiand from death to clakn . 
 
 A hero bleeding for ' his native land ; 
 
 Or when to nourifh freedom's veftal flame, ^1 
 
 I hear my Genius utter his ^ command. 
 Nor Theban voice, nor Lefbian lyre 
 From thee, O Mufe, do I require, 
 
 While my prophetic mind,. 
 Confcious of pow'rs fhe heveii knew, 
 
 Aftonifli'd grafps at things beyond her view,. 
 Nor by another's fate hath felt her own confin'd^= 
 
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