66 When Pitt expired in plenitude of power, THE TEA R. “O lachrymarum fons, tenero sacros Pectore te, pia Nympha, sensit."-Gray. WHEN Friendship or Love our sympathies more, When Truth in a glance should appear, But the test of affection 's a Tear. To mask detestation or fear; Is dimm'd for a time with a Tear. Mild Charity's glow, to us mortals below, Shuws the soul from barbarity clear; Compassion will melt where this virtue is felt, And its dew is diffused in a Tear. The man doom'd to sail with the blast of the galo, Through billows Atlantic to steer, As he hds o'er the wave which may soon be his grave, The green sparkles bright with a Tear. The soldier braves death for a fanciful wreath In Glory's romantic career: And bathes every wound with a Tear. Renouncing the gore-crimson'd spear, From her eyelid he kisses the Tear. Where love chased each fast-fleeting year, But thy spire was scarce seen through a Tear. My Mary to love once so dear; She rewarded those vows with a Tear. Her name still my heart must revere: And forgive her deceit with a Tear. This hope to my breast is most near : May we meet, as we part, with a Tear. And my corse shall recline on its bier, Oh ! moisten their dust with a Tear. Which the children of vanity rear ; October 26th, 1806. REPLY TO SOME VERSES OF J. M. B. PIGOT, ESQ., ON THE CRUELTY OF HIS MISTRESS Why thus in despair do you fret ? Will never obtain a coquette. At first she may frown in a pet ; And theu you may kiss your coquette. • Harrov For such are the airs of these fanciful fairs, They think all our homage a debt : Yet a partial neglect soon takes an effect, And humbles the proudest coquette. And seem her hauteur to regret; That yours is the rosy coquette. This whimsical virgin forget; And laugh at the little coquette. And love them most dearly ; but yet, Did they act like your blooming coquette. And break through her slight-woven net; To fly from the captious coquette. Ere quite with her snares you're beset : October 27th, 1806. TO THE SIGHING STREPHON. Your pardon, a thousand times o'er : But I swear I will do so no more. No more I your folly regret ; Of this quickly reformed coquette. From your verses, what else she deserved ; As your fair was so devilish reserved. Can such wonderful transports produce ; My counsel will get but abuse. "Tis true, I am given to range : Yat there's pleasure, at least, in a change. I will not advance, by the rules of romance, To humour a whimsical fair; Or drive me to dreadful despair. To mix in the Platonists' school; Thy mistress would think me a fool. Whose image must fill my whole breast What an insult 'twould be to the rest ! Your passion appears most absurd ! For it only consists in the word. TO ELIZA. ELIZA, what fools are the Mussulman sect, Who to wome eny the soul's future existence; Could they see thee, Eliza, they'd own their defect, And this doctrine would meet with a general resistancs Had their prophet possess'd half an atom of sense, He ne'er would have women from paradise driven ; Instead of his houris, a flimsy pretence, With women alone he had peopled his heaven. Yet still, to increase your calamities more, Not content with depriving your bodies of spirit, He allots one poor husband to share amongst four ! With souls you'd dispense; but this last who could bear it! His religion to please neither party is made ; On husbands 'tis hard, to the wives most uncivil ; Still I can't contradict, what so oft has been said, “ Though women are angels, yet wodlock 's the devil." LACHIN Y GAIR.* In you let the minions of luxury rove; Though still they are sacred to freedom and love : • Lachin y Gair, or, as it is pronounced in the Erse, Loch na Garr, towers proudly pre-eminent in the Northern Highlands, near Invercauld. One of our modern tourists mentions it as the highest mountain, perhaps, in Great Britain. Be this as it inay, it is certainly one of the most sublime and picturesque amongst our " Caledonian Alps." Its appearance is of a dusky hue, but the suminit is the seat of eternal snows. Near Lachin y Gair I spent some of the early part of my life, the recollection of which has given birth to these etanzas Yet, Caledonia, beloved are thy mountains, Round their white sumniits though elements war ; I sigh for the valley of dark Loch na Garr. My cap was the bonnet, my cloak was the plaid ;* As daily I strode through the pine-cover'd glade. Gave place to the rays of the bright polar star ; Disclosed by the natives of dark Loch na Garr. Rise on the night-rolling breath of the gale ?” And rides on the wind, o'er his own Highland valo. Winter presides in his cold icy car. They dwell in the tempests of dark Loch na Garr. Tell you that fate had forsaken your cause ?” Victory crown'd not your fall with applause : You rest with your clan in the caves of Braemar ;s Your deeds on the echoes of dark Loch na Garr. Years must elapse ere I tread you again ; Yet still are you dearer than Albion's plain. To one who has roved o'er the mountains afar ! The steep frowning glories of dark Loch na Garr. TO ROMANCE. Auspicious queen of childish joye, Thy votive train of girls and boys; • This word is erroneously pronounced plad: the proper pronunciation (according to che Scotch) is shown by the orthography. + I allude here to my maternal an restors, “the Gordons," many of whom fought for the unfortunate Prince Charles, better known by the name of the Pretender. This branch was nearly allied by blood, as weil as attachment, to the Stuarts. George, the second Earl of Huntley, married the Princess Annabella Stuart, daughter of James the First of Scotland. By her he left four sons: the third, Sir William Gordon, I have the honour to claim as one of my progenitors. Whether any perished in the battle of Culloden, I am not certain; but, as many fell In the insurrection, I have used the name of the principal action, " pars pro toto." § A tract of the Highlands so called. There is also a Castle of Braemar. |