LI-PO;

OR, THE GOOD GOVERNOR.

A CHINESE ECLOGUE.

THOSE who are conversant in the best accounts of China, particularly Du Halde's History, must have remarked, that the Chinese government, though arbitrary, is well regulated and mild; and that a prince, in that country, can acquire no glory, but by attention to the welfare of his subjects. On this general idea is founded the plan of the following poem.

WHERE Honan's hills Kiansi's vale enclose,
And Xifa's lake its glassy level shows;
Li-po's fair island lay-delightful scene!
With swelling slopes, and groves of every green:
On azure rocks his rich pavilion plac'd,
Rear'd its light front with golden columns grac'd;

High o'er the roof a weening willow hung,
And jasmine boughs the lattice twin'd among;
In porcelain vases crested amaranth grew,
And starry aster, crimson, white, and blue;
Lien-hoa flow'rs upon the water spread;
Bright shells and corals varied lustre shed;
From sparry grottos crystal drops distill'd
On sounding brass, and air with music fill'd;
Soft through the bending canes the breezes play'd,
The rustling leaves continual murmur made;
Gay shoals of gold-fish glitter'd in the tide,
And gaudy birds flew sportive by its side.
The distant prospects well the sight might please,
With pointed mountains, and romantic trees:
From craggy cliffs, between the verdant shades,
The silver rills rush'd down in bright cascades;
O'er terrac'd steeps rich cotton harvests wav'd,
And smooth canals the rice-clad valley lav'd;
Long rows of cypress 2 parted all the land,
And tall pagodas crown'd the river's strand!
'T was here, from business and its pomp and pain,
The pensive master sought relief in vain.
Li-po, mild prince, a viceroy's sceptre sway'd,
And ten fair towns his gentle rule obey'd:
The morn's transactions to his memory came,
And some he found to praise, and some to blame;
Mark'd here how justice, pity there prevail'd,
And how from haste or indolence he fail'd.

Beneath a bow'r of sweet ka-fa, whose bloom
Fill'd all th' adjacent lawn with rich perfume,
His slaves at distance sat-a beauteous train!-
One wak'd the lute, and one the vocal strain:
They saw his brow with care all clouded o'er,
And wish'd to ease the anxiety he bore.
Amusive tales their soothing lay disclos'd,
Of heroes brave to perils strange expos'd,

1 The Chinese reduce the steep slopes of their hills into little terraces, on which they grow cotton, potatoes, &c. They plant the edges of their terraces with trees, which keep up the ground, and make a very fine appearance.

2 Their rice-grounds are separated by broad ditches, the sides of which are planted with cypresses. Vide Osbeck's Voyage to China.

Of tyrants proud, from pow'r's high summit cast;
And lovers, long desponding, bless'd at last.
They ceas'd; the warblings softly died away,
Like zephyrs ceasing at the close of day. [sight,
"This scene," said he, "how fair! to please the
How Nature's charms, Art's ornaments unite!
Those maids, what magic in the strains they sung!
Song sweetliest flows from Beauty's tuneful tongue.
Yet say, did Tien bid pow'r and wealth be mine,
For me my soul to pleasure to resign?

"What boots that annual, on our fathers' tombs,
We strew fair flow'rs, and offer choice perfumes;
Our veneration of their memories show,
And not their steps in virtue's path pursue?
When, from his province as the prince returns,
Rich feasts for him are spread, and incense burns,
And gilded barks unfold their streamers gay,
And following crowds their loud applauses pay;
Avails all this, if he from right has swerv'd,
And conscience tells him all is undeserv'd?
Arise, Li-po! 't is duty calls, arise!

66

The Sun sinks redd'ning in Tartarian skies.
Yon walls that tow'r o'er Xensi's neighb'ring plain,
Yon walls unnumber'd miseries contain.

Think, why did Tien superior rank impart,

Force of the mind, or feelings of the heart.
Last night in sleep, to Fancy's sight display'd,
Lay lovelier scenes than e'er my eyes survey'd ;
With purple shone the hills, with gold the vales,
And greenest foliage wav'd in gentlest gales:
Midst palmy fields, with sunshine ever bright,
A palace rear'd its walls of silvery white;
The gates of pearl a shady hall disclos'd,
Where old Confucius' rev'rend form repos'd:
Loose o'er his limbs the silk's light texture flow'd,
His eye serene ethereal lustre show'd:

My son,' said he, as near his seat I drew,
'Cast round this wondrous spot thy dazzled view;
See how, by lucid founts in myrtle bow'rs,
The bless'd inhabitants consume their hours;
They ne'er to War, fell fiend! commission gave
To murder, ravish, banish, and enslave;
They ne'er bade Grandeur raise her gorgeous pile,
With tribute ravish'd from the hand of Toil;
But parents, guardians of the people reign'd,
The weak defended, and the poor sustain'd.'
Smiling he ceas'd-the vision seem'd to fly,
Like fleecy clouds dispersing in the sky.

Arise, Li-po! and cast thy robes aside, Disguise thy form, thy well-known features hide; Go forth, yon streets, yon crowded streets pervade, Mix with the throng, and mark who seeks thy aid: There Avarice stern o'er poverty bears sway, And age and sickness fall his easy prey; There hands that Justice' sacred ensigns bear, Protect the plunderer, and the plunder share; Perhaps there Discord's desp'rate rage prevails, And Wisdom's voice to calm the tumult fails; Perhaps Revenge gives victims to the grave, Perhaps they perish, ere I haste to save!”

He spoke, and rose; but now along the way That from the city-gate fair-winding lay,, Stretch'd through green meads where lowing cattle Amid the lake's wide silver level rais'd, [graz'd, Led up steep rocks by painted bridges join'd, Or near thin trees that o'er the tide inclin❜d, Slow tow'rds his palace came a suppliant train ;Whoe'er his presence sought ne'er sought in vainThe ready vessel, waiting at his call,

Receiv'd, and bore him to the audience-hall.

ODES.

THE Horatian, or lesser ode, is characterized principally by ease and correctness. The following little pieces, attempted on that plan, were the production of very different periods, and, on revisal, were thought not undeserving a place in this collection.

ODE I.

TO LEISURE.

GENTLE Leisure, whom of yore

To Wealth the fair Contentment bore,
When Peace with them her dwelling made,
And Health her kind attendance paid;
As wand'ring o'er the sunny plains
They fed their herds and fleecy trains :-
O thou! who country scenes and air
Preferr'st to courts, and crowds, and care;
With thee I've often pass'd the day,
To thee I wake the grateful lay.

With thee on Chadwell's thymy brow,
Beneath the hazels bending bough,
I've sat to breathe the fragrance cool
Exhaling from the glassy pool;

Where, through th' unsully'd crystal seen,
The bottom show'd its shining green:
As, all-attentive, these I view'd,
And many a pleasing thought pursu'd,
Whate'er of pleasure they bestow'd,
Still I to thee that pleasure ow'd!

With thee, on Mussla's corn-clad height,
The landscape oft has charm'd my sight;
Delightful hills, and vales, and woods,
And dusty roads, and winding floods;

And towns, that through thin groups of shade Their roofs of vary'd form display'd:

As, all-attentive, these I view'd,

And many a pleasing thought pursu'd,
Whate'er of pleasure they bestow'd,
Still I to thee that pleasure ow'd!

With thee, where Easna's 3 hornbeam grove
Its foliage o'er me interwove,
Along the lonely path I 've stray'd,
By banks in hoary moss array'd,
Where tufts of azure orpine grew,
And branchy fern of brighter hue:
As, all-attentive, these I view'd,
And many a pleasing thought pursu'd,
Whate'er of pleasure they bestow'd,
Still I to thee that pleasure ow'd!

With thee by Stansted's 4 farms enclos'd, With aged elms in rows dispos'd; Or where her chapel's walls appear, The silver winding river near, Beneath the broad-leav'd sycamore, I've linger'd on the shady shore:

The New River Head, near Ware.

2 A hill on the north side of Ware.

3 A pleasant wood, east of Ware.

A village in the same neighbourhood.

As, all-attentive, these I view'd,
And many a pleasing thought pursu'd,
Whate'er of pleasure they bestow'd,
Still I to thee that pleasure ow'd!

With thee, where Thames his waters leads
Along the undulating tide,
Round Poplar's isle 5 of verdant meads,

I've seen the white-sail'd vessels glide;
Or gaz'd on London's lofty towers,
Or Dulwich hills, or Greenwich bowers:
As, all-attentive, these I view'd,
And many a pleasing thought pursu❜d,
Whate'er of pleasure they bestow'd,
Still I to thee that pleasure ow'd!

O gentle Leisure!-absent long-
I woo thee with this tuneful song:
If e'er, allur'd by grateful change,
O'er scenes yet unbeheld I range,
And Albion's east or western shore
For rural solitudes explore:
As, all-attentive, these I view,
And many a pleasing thought pursue,
Whate'er of pleasure they bestow,
To thee that pleasure I must owe!

ODE II.

THE EVENING WALK.

WHAT time fair Spring, with dewy hand, Awakes her cowslip bloom;

And hawthorn boughs, by breezes fann'd, Diffuse a rich perfume;

Young Theron down the valley stray'd
At ev'ning's silent hour;

When bright the setting sunbeams play'd
On Hertford's distant tower.

He sigh'd, and cast around his eye
O'er all the pleasing scene;
Now tow'rds the golden-clouded sky,
Now on the fields of green.

"Thrice has fair Spring her cowslip bloom Awak'd with dewy hand;

And hawthorn boughs diffus'd perfume,
By western breezes fann'd,

"Since here, at ev'ning's silent hour, Delighted oft I stray'd;

While bright on Hertford's distant tower The setting sunbeams play'd:

""T was then the flatterer Hope was near; And sung this soothing strain: "Where through the trees yon tow'rs appear Far o'er the level plain;

"There oft thy pleasant evening walk Thy fav'rite maid shall join,

And all the charms of tender talk
And tuneful song be thine:

5 Commonly called the Isle of Dogs, opposite Greenwich.

"With thee she 'll hear the bleat of flocks,

The throstle's mellow lay;

The rills that murmur o'er the rocks,

The whispers of the spray.'

"So sung false Hope-deceiv'd I heard, And set my heart at ease;

The future then so fair appear'd,

It made the present please.

"So sung false Hope-the approaching years, That distant look'd so gay,

With clouds of cares and storms of fears
All fraught, have pass'd away.

"As glides yon Sun adown the sky,

As rolls yon rapid stream;

So fast our joys and sorrows fly,
And, flown, appear a dream.

"Be then the events that Time has brought,

To me not brought in vain;

By painful disappointment taught,

Let wisdom be my gain!"

Thus Theron spoke, and earnest ey'd

The Sun's departing ray;

Again he look'd, again he sigh'd,
And homeward bent his way.

Where grapes depress the vines; Where, on the bank with roses gay, Love, Innocence, and Pleasure play, And Beauty's form reclines.

Now diff'rent tones and measures flow,
And, gravely deep, and sadly slow,
Involve the mind in gloom;

I seem to join the mournful train,
Attendant round the couch of Pain,
Or leaning o'er the tomb:

To where the orphan'd infant sleeps,
To where the love-lorn damsel weeps,
I pitying seem to stray;
Methinks I watch his cradle near;
Methinks her drooping thoughts I cheer,
And wipe her tears away.

Now loud the tuneful thunders roll,
And rouse and elevate the soul
O'er Earth and all its care;

I seem to hear from heavenly plains
Angelic choirs responsive strains,
And in their raptures share.

ODE III.

TO CHILDHOOD.

CHILDHOOD! happiest stage of life,
Free from care and free from strife,
Free from Memory's ruthless reign,
Fraught with scenes of former pain;
Free from Fancy's cruel skill,
Fabricating future ill;

Time, when all that meets the view,
All can charm, for all is new;
How thy long-lost hours I mourn,
Never, never, to return!

Then to toss the circling ball,
Caught rebounding from the wall;
Then the mimic ship to guide
Down the kennel's dirty tide;
Then the hoop's revolving pace
Through the dusty street to chase;
O what joy!-it once was mine,
Childhood, matchless boon of thine!-
How thy long-lost hours I mourn,
Never, never to return!

ODE IV.

HEARING MUSIC.

YON organ! hark!-how soft, how sweet,
The warbling notes in concert meet!
The sound my fancy leads

To climes where Phoebus' brightest beams
Gild jasmine groves and crystal streams,
And lily-mantled meads;

Where myrtle bowers their bloom unfold, Where citrons bend with fruit of gold,

ODE V.

A LANDSCAPE.

On the eastern hill's steep side
Spreads the rural hamlet wide;
Cross the vale, where willows rise,
Further still another lies;
And, beneath a steeper hill,

Lies another further still:

Near them many a field and groveScenes where Health and Labour rove!

Northward swelling slopes are seen, Clad with corn-fields neat and green; There, through grassy plains below, Broad and smooth the waters flow; While the town, their banks along, Bids its clust'ring houses throng, In the sunshine glitt'ring fair; Haunts of business, haunts of care!

Westward o'er the yellow meads
Wind the rills through waving reeds;
From dark elms a shadow falls
On the abbey's whiten'd walls:
Wide the park's green lawns expand;
Thick its tufted lindens stand:
Fair retreat! that well might please
Wealth, and Elegance, and Ease.

Hark! amidst the distant shades
Murm'ring drop the deep cascades;
Hark! amidst the rustling trees
Softly sighs the gentle breeze;
And the Eolian harp, reclin'd
Obvious to the stream of wind,
Pours its wildly-warbled strain,
Rising now, now sunk again.

How the view detains the sight!
How the sounds the ear delight!-
Sweet the scene! but think not there
Happiness sincere to share:
Reason still regrets the day
Passing rapidly away;
Less'ning life's too little store;
Passing, to return no more!

BATH! ere I quit thy pleasing scene,
Thy beachen cliff I'll climb again,
To view thy mountains' vivid green,
To view thy hill-surrounded plain:
To see distinct beneath the eye,
As in a pictur'd prospect nigh,
Those attic structures shining white,
That form thy sunny crescent's bend,
Or by thy dusty streets extend,
Or near thy winding rivers site.

Did Commerce these proud piles upraise?
For thee she ne'er unfurl'd her sails-
Hygeia gave thy fountains praise,

And Pain and Languor sought thy vales:

5 The Dulwich hills.

But these suffic'd an humble cell,

If they with Strength and Ease might dwell. Then Fashion call'd; his potent voice Proud Wealth with ready step obey'd, And Pleasure all her arts essay'd, To fix with thee the fickle choice.

Precarious gift!-Thy mans ons gay,
Where peers and beauties lead the ball,
Neglected, soon may feel decay;
Forsaken, moulder to their fall.-
Palmyra, once like thee renown'd,
Now lies a ruin on the ground.-
But still thy environs so fair,
Thy waters' salutary aid,
Will surely always some persuade
To render thee their care.

ODE X.

TO J. PAYNE, ESQ.

ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND.

O FRIEND! to thee, whose lib'ral mind
Was form'd with taste for joys refin'd,
For all the extended country yields,
Of azure skies and verdant fields;
For all that Genius' hand displays,-
The painter's forms, the poet's lays:-
To thee, restraint to that dull room,
Where sunshire never breaks the gloom;
To thee, restraint to that dull lore
Of books, with numbers cypher'd o'er-
How hard the lot! I see with pain,
And wish it oft exchang'd in vain.

Yet not for thee I ask the stores
Which Rapine rends from foreign shores,
Nor those Oppression's pow'r procures
From ills that Poverty endures.
Far happier thou! thy honest gain
Can life with decency sustain;

For thee, Content, with thought serene,
Surveys the present changeful scene;
And Piety her view sublime
Extends beyond the realm of time.

ODE XI.

TO A FRIEND

APPREHENSIVE OF DECLINING FRIENDSHIP.

Too much in man's imperfect state Mistake produces useless pain.— Methinks, of friendship's frequent fate I hear my Frogley's voice complain.

This heart, I hope, forgives its foes;
I know it ne'er forgets its friends;
Where'er may chance my steps dispose,
The absent oft my thought attends.

Deem not that Time's oblivious hand
From Memory's page has ras'd the days,

And on his crystal current gaze.