Of funny Features, and of ardent Eyes
With flowing Rapture bright, dark Looks fucceed,
Sufus'd, and glaring with untender Fire,
A clouded Afpect, and a burning Cheek,
Where the whole poifon'd Soul, 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 Fondness, eat him up.
With fervent Anguish, and confuming Rage.
In vain Reproaches lend their idle Aid,
Deceitful Pride, and Refolution frail,
Giving falfe Peace a Moment. Fancy pours,
Afresh, her Beauties on his bufy Thought,
Her first Endearments, twining round the Soul,
With all the Witchcraft of ensnaring Love.
Strait the fierce Storm involves his Mind anew, Flames thro the Nerves, and boils along the Veins : While anxious Doubt diftracts the tortur'd Heart; For even the fad Affurance of his Fears
Were Peace to what he feels. Thus the warm Youth,
Whom Love deludes into his thorny Wilds,
Thro flowery-tempting Paths, or leads a Life
Of fever'd Rapture, or of cruel Care;
His brightest Aims extinguish'd all, and all
His lively Moments running down to waite.
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,
Unnatural 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 Power,
Perfect Efteem enliven❜d by Defire
Ineffable, and Sympathy of Soul;
Thought meeting Thought, and Will preventing Will,
With boundless Confidence: for nought but Love 1120
Can answer Love, and render Bliss secure,
Let him, ungenerous, 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 Suns they feel;
Let Eastern Tyrants from the Light of Heaven
Seclude their Bofom-flaves, meanly poffefs'd
Of a meer, lifelefs, violated Form:
While Those whom Love cements in holy Faith,
And equal Transport, free as Nature live,
Difdaining Fear. What is the World to them,
Its Pomp, its Pleasure, and its Nonsense all!
Who in each other clasp whatever fair
High Fancy forms, and lavish Hearts can wish;
Something than Beauty dearer, should they look
Or on the Mind, or mind-illumin'd Face,
Truth, Goodness, Honour, Harmony, and Love,
The richest Bounty of indulgent HEAVEN.
Mean-time a smiling Offspring rises round,
And mingles both their Graces. By degrees,
The human Bloffom blows; and every Day,
Soft as it rolls along, fhews fome new Charm,
The Father's Luftre, and the Mother's Bloom.
Then infant Reason grows apace, and calls
For the kind Hand of an affiduous Care.`
Delightful Tafk! to rear the tender Thought,
To teach the young Idea how to shoot,
Το the fresh Instruction o'er the Mind,
pour
'To breathe th' enlivening Spirit, and to fix
The generous Purpofe in the glowing Breaft.
Oh speak the Joy! ye, whom the fudden Tear
Surprizes often, while you look around,
And nothing strikes your Eye but Sights of Blifs, 1155 All various Nature preffing on the Heart :
An elegant Sufficiency, Content,
Retirement, rural Quiet, Friendship, Books,
Eafe and alternate Labour, useful Life,
Progreffive Virtue, and approving HEAVEN.
These are the matchless Joys of virtuous Love;
And thus their Moments fly. The Seasons thus,
As ceaseless 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 swells
With many a Proof of recollected Love,
Together down they fink in focial Sleep;
Together freed, their gentle Spirits fly
To Scenes where Love and Bliss immortal reign.
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