The Lives of the Poets of Great Britain and Ireland (1753) Volume II Part 6

Beauty, thou wild fantastic ape, Who dost in ev'ry country change thy shape!

Here black, there brown, here tawny, and there white; Thou flatt'rer which compli'st with every sight!

Thou Babel which confound'st the eye With unintelligible variety!

Who hast no certain what nor where, But vary'st still, and dost thy self declare Inconstant, as thy she-professors are.

II.

Beauty, love's scene and masquerade, So gay by well-plac'd lights, and distance made; False coin, and which th' impostor cheats us still; The stamp and colour good, but metal ill!

Which light, or base, we find when we Weigh by enjoyment and examine thee!

For though thy being be but show, 'Tis chiefly night which men to thee allow: And chuse t'enjoy thee, when thou least art thou.

III.

Beauty, thou active, pa.s.sive ill!

Which dy'st thy self as fast as thou dost kill!

Thou Tulip, who thy stock in paint dost waste, Neither for physic good, nor smell, nor taste.

Beauty, whose flames but meteors are, Short-liv'd and low, though thou would'st seem a star, Who dar'st not thine own home descry, Pretending to dwell richly in the eye, When thou, alas, dost in the fancy lye.

IV.

Beauty, whose conquests still are made O'er hearts by cowards kept, or else betray'd; Weak victor! who thy self destroy'd must be When sickness, storms, or time besieges thee!

Thou unwholesome thaw to frozen age!

Thou strong wine, which youths fever dost enrage, Thou tyrant which leav'st no man free!

Thou subtle thief, from whom nought safe can be!

Thou murth'rer which hast kill'd, and devil which would d.a.m.n me.

HYMN to LIGHT.

I.

First born of Chaos, who so far didst come, From the old negro's darksome womb!

Which when it saw the lovely child, The melancholly ma.s.s put on kind looks and smiled.

II.

Thou tide of glory, which no rest dost know, But ever ebb, and ever flow!

Thou golden shower of a true Jove!

Who does in thee descend, and Heaven to earth make love!

III.

Hail active nature's watchful life, and health!

Her joy, her ornament and wealth!

Hail to thy husband heat, and thee!

Thou the world's beauteous bride, the l.u.s.ty bridegroom he!

IV.

Say from what golden quivers of the sky, Do all thy winged arrows fly?

Swiftness and power by birth are thine, From thy great fire they came, thy fire the word divine.

V.

'Tis I believe this archery to shew That so much cost in colours thou, And skill in painting dost bestow, Upon thy ancient arms, the gaudy heav'nly bow.

VI.

Swift as light, thoughts their empty career run, Thy race is finish'd, when begun; Let a Post-Angel start with thee, And thou the goal of earth shall reach as soon as he.

VII.

Thou in the moon's bright chariot proud and gay, Dost thy bright wood of stars survey; And all the year doth with thee bring O thousand flowry lights, thine own nocturnal spring.

VIII.

Thou Scythian-like dost round thy lands above The sun's gilt tent for ever move, And still as thou in pomp dost go, The shining pageants of the world attend thy show.

IX.

Nor amidst all these triumphs dost thou scorn The humble Glow-Worms to adorn, And with those living spangles gild, (O greatness without pride!) the blushes of the Field.

X.

Night, and her ugly subjects thou dost fright, And sleep, the lazy Owl of night; Asham'd and fearful to appear, They skreen their horrid shapes, with the black hemisphere.

XI.

With 'em there hastes, and wildly takes th' alarm, Of painted dreams, a busy swarm, At the first opening of thine eye, The various cl.u.s.ters break, the antick atoms fly.

XII.

The guilty serpents, and obscener beasts, Creep conscious to their secret rests: Nature to thee doth reverence pay, Ill omens, and ill sights removes out of thy way.

XIII.

At thy appearance, grief itself is said, To shake his wings, and rouze his head; And cloudy care has often took A gentle beamy smile, reflected from thy look.

XIV.

At thy appearance, fear itself grows bold; Thy sun-shine melts away his cold: Encourag'd at the sight of thee, To the cheek colour comes, and firmness to the knee.

XV.

Even l.u.s.t, the master of a harden'd face, Blushes if thou be'st in the place, To darkness' curtains he retires, In sympathizing nights he rolls his smoaky fires.

XVI.

When, G.o.ddess, thou lift'st up thy waken'd head, Out of the morning's purple bed, Thy choir of birds about thee play, And all the joyful world salutes the rising day.