In sleep he seem'd to view For, aided both by ear and scent, His teeth were strong, the cage was wood- O had he made that too his prey! Might have repaid him well, I wot, Maria weeps the Muses mourn- THE ROSE. THE rose had been wash'd, just wash'd in a shower Which Mary to Anna convey'd, The plentiful moisture encumber'd the flower, And weigh'd down its beautiful head. The cup was all fill'd, and the leaves were all wet, And it seem'd, to a fanciful view, To weep for the buds it had left with regret I hastily seized it, unfit as it was And such, I exclaim'd, is the pitiless part Regardless of wringing and breaking a heart This elegant rose, had I shaken it less Might have bloom'd with its owner awhile; And the tear that is wiped with a little address May be follow'd perhaps by a smile. THE DOVES. REASONING at every step he treads, While meaner things, whom instinct leads One silent eve I wander'd late, Our mutual bond of faith and truth While innocence without disguise, Shall fill the circles of those eyes, Those ills, that wait on all below, When lightnings flash among the trees, I fear lest thee alone they seize, 'Tis then I feel myself a wife, And pr^~ thy wedded side, But oh! if fickle and unchaste No need of lightnings from on high, Denied the endearments of thine eye, Thus sang the sweet sequester'd bird, A FABLE. A RAVEN, while with glossy breast As ever swept a winter sky, Shook the young leaves about her ears, And fill'd her with a thousand fears, Lest the rude blast should snap the bough, And spread her golden hopes below. But just at eve the blowing weather And all her fears were hush'd together: And now, quoth poor unthinking Ralph, "Tis over, and the brood is safe (For ravens, though as birds of omen They teach both conj'rers and old women Can't prophesy themselves at all). The morning came, when neighbour Hodge, And destined all the treasure there A gift to his expecting fair, Climb'd like a squirrel to his prey, MORAL. 'Tis Providence alone secures, In every change, both mine and yours: From dangers of a frightful shape; A COMPARISON. THE lapse of time and rivers is the same, The silent pace, with which they steal away, No wealth can bribe, nor prayers persuade to stay; Alike irrevocable both when past, And a wide ocean swallows both at last. Though each resemble each in every part, A difference strikes at length the musing heart: Streams never flow in vain; where streams abound How laughs the land with various plenty crown'd! But time, that should enrich the nobler mind, Neglected, leaves a weary waste behind. N ANOTHER. ADDRESSED TO A YOUNG LADY. SWEET stream, that winds through yonder glade Apt emblem of a virtuous maid Silent and chaste she steals along, Far from the world's gay busy throng; With gentle yet prevailing force, Intent upon her destined course; Blessing and bless'd where'er she goes, THE POET'S NEW-YEAR'S GIFT. TO LADY THROCKMORton. MARIA! I have every good For thee wish'd many a time Both sad and in a cheerful mood, But never yet in rhyme. To wish thee fairer is no need, More prudent or more sprightly, In wedded love already bless'd None here is happy but in part: Full bliss is bliss divine: There dwells some wish in every heart That wish, on some fair future day, |