THESE are the charming agonies of LOVE, Whofe mifery delights. But through the heart Should JEALOUSY its venom once diffuse, 'Tis then delightful mifery no more, But agony unmix'd, inceffant gall, Corroding every thought, and blafting all LOVE's paradife. Ye fairy profpects, then, Ye beds of rofes, and ye bow'rs of joy, Farewell! ye gleamings of departed peace, Shine out your laft! the yellow-tinging plague Internal vifion taints, and in a night
Of livid gloom imagination wraps.
Ah, then inftead of love-enliven'd cheeks, Of funny features, and of ardent eyes,
With flowing rapture bright, dark looks fucceed, Suffus'd, and glaring with untender fire; A clouded afpect, and a burning cheek, Where the whole poison'd foul, malignant, fits, And frightens LOVE away. Ten thousand fears Invented wild, ten thousand frantic views Of horrid rivals, hanging on the charms For which he melts in fondnefs, eat him up With fervent anguish, and confuming rage. In vain reproaches lend their idle aid, Deceitful pride, and resolution frail, Giving falle peace a moment. Fancy pours, Afresh, her beauties on his bufy thought, Her firft endearments twining round the foul, With all the witchcrafts of enfnaring love. Straight the fierce ftorm involves his mind anew, Flames thro' the nerves, and boils along the veins; While anxious doubt diftracts the tortur❜d heart: For ev'n the fad affurance of his fears.
Were eafe to what he feels. Thus the warm youth, Whom love deludes into his thorny wilds, Thro' flow'ry-tempting paths, or leads a life Of ferver'd rapture, or of cruel care; His brightest flames extinguish'd all, and all His lively moments running down to waste.
CONJUGAL FELICITY.
BUT happy they! the happiest of their kind! Whom gentler stars unite, and in one fate Their hearts, their fortunes, and their beings blend. 'Tis not the coarser tie of human laws, Unnat'ral oft and foreign to the mind, That binds their peace, but harmony itself, Attuning all their paffions into LOVE; Where friendship full-exerts her fofteft pow'r, Perfect efteem, enliven'd by defire Ineffable, and fympathy of foul;
Thought meeting thought, and will preventing will, With boundless confidence; for nought but LOVE Can anfwer LOVE, and render blifs fecure. Let him, ungen'rous, who, alone intent To bless himself, from fordid parents buys The loathing virgin, in eternal care, Well-merited, confume his nights and days; Let barbarous nations, whofe inhuman LOVE Is wild defire fierce, as the funs they feel; Let eastern tyrants, from the light of heav'n Seclude their bofom-flaves, meanly poffefs'd Of a mere lifelefs, violated form :
While thofe whom LOVE Cements in holy faith, And equal tranfport, free as nature live, Difdaining fear. What is the world to them, Its pomp, its pleasure, and its nonfenfe all! Who in each other clasp whatever fair High fancy forms, and lavish hearts can wish! Something than beauty dearer fhould they look, Or, on the mind, or mind-illumin'd face; Truth, goodnefs, honour, harmony, and love, The richest bounty of indulgent heav'n. Meantime a fmiling offspring rifes round, And mingles both their graces. By degrees, The human bloffom blows; and ev'ry day, Soft as it rolls along, fhews fome new charm, The father's luftre, and the mother's bloom. Then infant reafon grows apace, and calls
For the kind hand of an affiduous care. Delightful task! to rear the tender thought, To teach the young idea how to fhoot, To pour the fresh inftruction o'er the mind, To breathe th' enlivening fpirit, and to fix The gen'rous purpofe in the glowing breaft. Oh, fpeak the joy! ye, whom the fudden tear Surprizes often, while you look around, And nothing strikes your eye but fights of bliss. All various nature preffing on the heart: An elegant fufficiency, content, Retirement, rural quiet, friendship, books, Eafe and alternate labour, useful life, Progreffive virtue, and approving heav'n. Thefe are the matchlefs joys of virt'ous LOVE; And thus their moments fly. The feafons thus, As ceafelefs round a jarring world they roll, Still find them happy; and confenting SPRING Sheds her own rofy garland on their heads : Till evening comes at laft, ferene and mild; When after the long vernal day of life, Enamour'd more, as more remembrance fwells With many a proof of recollected LOVE, Together down they fink in focial sleep; Together freed, their gentle fpirits fly To fcenes where LOVE and blifs immortal reign.
MEMORY! thou fond deceiver, Still importunate and vain,
To former joys recurring ever, And turning all the paft to pain:
Thou, like the world, the oppreft oppreffing, Thy fmiles increase the wretch's woe; And he who wants each other bleffing, In thee muft ever find a foe.
THOMAS AND KITTY.
on BATAVIA's fea-beat fhore, On a bleak rock and bare,
The widow'd KITTY fat, and tore Her fine,-her dark-brown hair. A little fondling at her breast,
She ftrove to foothe to peace, As he her cold and bloodlefs nipple preft. Alas! when shall my forrows ceafe? When fhall the form be o'er?
And in my clay-cold bed
Be laid, this weary, aching head, Where I fhall grieve no more?
Now KITTY, once of faireft nymphs most fair, And THOMAS, gayeft of his gay compeers, Had pledg'd their faith a mutual fate to fhare, And hope had look'd for many happy years. His little all he hazarded in trade;
But, cruelly by fortune crofs'd,
That little all in trade he loft,
By a falfe friend betray'd.
Now, dunn'd with all the rigour of the law, Tom, as the clouds began to form, The horrors of a jail forefaw:
And oft would KITTY's tearful eye Extort a tender figh,
And make him with fome shelter from the ftorm.
Poor fhelter! with the vengeful blade,
To aid the flaughter DEATH had made, He plow'd the wave with daring mind;
Nor would his much-lov'd KITTY flay behind,
But to that foreign land would go,
Where he was doom'd to face the madd'ning foe. Here, brought from GALLIA's wide domain, War had his bloody eagle borne:
Her THOMAS fell among the flain, And KITTY fhe was left to mourn.
O'er his pale bloody corfe fhe hung, Her heart with ev'ry forrow wrung: And now the grafp'd his cold-cold hand, And now the kifs'd his cheek fo pale. And oft the day she did bewail
That e'er fhe left her native land: Her mind foreboding many fears, She crofs'd the wafteful ocean wild; And now of every ftay bereft,
To the hard world's mercy left- And then the hugg'd her INFANT CHILD, And burfted into tears. O THOMAS! 'twas a dreary day Thou left thy native home, In foreign parts to roam;
And now, on the cold clay, Beat by the winds fo chill and drear, Thou lay'ft thy manly head, Among the countless dead, Unwept by any friendly tear,
But those thy KATE has shed.
Ah me! the bitter blaft! Ceafe, ceafe, my little BABE, to cry, The world is wide for thee and I: Soon fhall the form be paft. Thy little limbs I fhall infold, And fhield thee from the cold.
No wind, tho' e'er fo chill and drear, Shall harm my little dear.
Ah! thou too haften'ft to thy grave; I fee, L.fee DEATH in thine eye: Thy MAMMY's fondnefs cannot fave, For ah! her breast is cold and dry,- But all fhall foon be o'er
And I fhall grieve no more.
Now rage, ye winds! 'tis but on me Pour on, ye rains!-Ye thunders reel My BABBY fleeps too found to feel.
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