MISCELLANEOUS POEMS. ANNO ETATIS 17. ON THE DEATH OF A FAIR INFANT, DYING OF A COUGH. I. O FAIREST flower, no sooner blown but blasted, Soft silken primrose fading timelessly, Summer's chief honour, if thou hadst out-lasted Bleak Winter's force that made thy blossom dry; For he being amorous on that lovely dye That did thy cheek envermeil, thought to kiss, But kill'd, alas, and then bewail'd his fatal bliss. II. For since grim Aquilo his charioteer By boisterous rape th' Athenian damsel got, 10] Shakespeare's Passionate Pilgrim. 'Swet Rose, fair flower, untimely pluckt, soon vaded, Fair Creature, kild too soone by Death's sharpe sting.' 5 10 6 kiss] Shakesp. Venus and Adonis, 'He thought to kiss him, and hath kill'd him so.' Todd. Newton, If likewise he some fair one wedded not, Of long-uncoupled bed, and childless eld, Which 'mongst the wanton Gods a foul reproach was held. III. So mounting up in icy-pearled car, ; 15 Through middle empire of the freezing air But all unwares with his cold-kind embrace 20 Unhous'd thy virgin soul from her fair biding place. IV. Yet art thou not inglorious in thy fate; 25 But then transform'd him to a purple flower: Alack, that so to change thee Winter had no power! V. Yet can I not persuade me thou art dead, Or that thy corse corrupts in earth's dark womb, 12 infamous] The common accentuation of our elder poetry Drummond's Urania, 1616, 'On this infamous stage of woe to die.' Todd. Or that thy beauties lie in wormy bed, VI. Resolve me then, oh Soul most surely blest, 40 Oh say me true, if thou wert mortal wight, [flight. And why from us so quickly thou didst take thy VII. Wert thou some star which from the ruin'd roof Of shak'd Olympus by mischance didst fall; Which careful Jove in nature's true behoof Took up, and in fit place did reinstall? Or did of late earth's sons besiege the wall 45 Of sheeny Heav'n, and thou some Goddess fled Amongst us here below to hide thy nectar'd head? VIII. Or wert thou that just Maid, who once before 81 wormy] Shakesp. Mid. N. Dr. act iii. sc. ult. 'Already to their wormy beds are gone.' Warton. 50 40 were] He should have said 'are,' if the rhyme had permitted. Hurd. And cam'st again to visit us once more? [good? Let down in cloudy throne to do the world some IX. Or wert thou of the golden-winged host, 60 Thereby to set the hearts of men on fire To scorn the sordid world and unto heav'n aspire ? X. But oh, why didst thou not stay here below 65 To stand 'twixt us and our deserved smart? But thou canst best perform that office where thou art. XI. 70 Then thou, the Mother of so sweet a Child. 58 Or wert] In this line a dissyllable word is wanting. Mr. J. Heskin conjectured'Or wert thou Mercy,' &c. 75 And wisely learn to curb thy sorrows wild; ANNO ÆTATIS 19. At a VACATION EXERCISE in the COLLEGE, part Latin, part English. The Latin speeches ended, the English thus began. HAIL, native Language, that by sinews weak 5 5 dumb silence] Nonni Dionys. xiii. 10. ȧowvηTW σLπŶ. Chapman's Homer's Il. p. 98, ' Dumb silence seiz'd them all.' Daniel's Poems, ii. 236. Wishart's Immanuel, p. 66. Syl vester's Du Bartas, p. 5. England's Helicon, p. 259. C. Cotton's Poems, p. 239. Buchanan. Sylv. p. 310, 'tacitæ per muta silentia silvæ.' |