The fur that warms a monarch, warm'd a bear.
While man exclaims, "See all things for my use!"
"See man for mine!" replied a pamper'd goose.
And just as short of reason he must fall,
Who thinks all made for one, not one for all.
4. Grant that the pow'rful still the weak control;
Be man the wit and tyrant of the whole :
Nature that tyrant checks; he only knows,
And helps another creature's wants and woes.
Say, will the falcon, stooping from above,
Smit with her varying plumage, spare the dove?
Admires the gay the insect's gilded wings?
Or hears the hawk when Philomela sings?
5. Man cares for all: to birds he gives his woods,
To beasts his pasture, and to fish his floods ;
For some his int'rest prompts him to provide,
For more his pleasure, yet for more his pride:
All feed on one vain patron, and enjoy
Th' extensive blessing of his luxury.
6. That very life his learned hunger craves,
He saves from famine, from the savage saves;
Nay, feasts the animal he dooms his feast;
And till he ends the being, makes it blest:
Which sees no more the stroke, nor feels the pain,
Than favour'd man by touch ethereal slain.
The creature had his feast of life before;
Thou too must perish, when thy feast is o'er !
SECTION XI.
Human frailty.
1. WEAK and irresolute is man ;
The purpose of to-day,
Woven with pains into his plan,
To-morrow rends away.
2. The bow weli bent, and smart the spring,
Vice seems already slain;
But passion rudely snaps the string,
And it revives again.
3. Some foe to his upright intent
Finds out his weaker part;
Virtue engages his assent,
But pleasure wins his heart.
4. 'Tis here the folly of the wise,
Through all his art, we view;
And while his tongue the charge denies,
His conscience owns it true.
5. Bound on a voyage of awful length,
And dangers little known,
A stranger to superior strength,
Man vainly trusts his own.
6. But oars alone can ne'er prevail
To reach the distant coast;
The breath of heav'n must swell the sail,
Or all the toil is lost.
SECTION XII.
Ode to peace.
1. COME, peace of mind, delightful guest!
Return, and make thy downy nest
Once more in this sad heart :
Nor riches I, nor pow'r pursue,
Nor hold forbidden joys in view;
We therefore need not part.
2. Where wilt thou dwell, if not with me,
From av'rice and ambition free,
And pleasure's fatal wiles;
For whom, alas! dost thou prepare
The sweets that I was wont to share,
The banquet of thy smiles?
3. The great, the gay shall they partake
The heav'n that thou alone canst make;
And wilt thou quit the stream,
That murmurs through the dewy mead,
The grove and the sequester'd shade,
To be a guest with them?
4. For thee I panted, thee I prized,
For thee I gladly sacrific'd
Whate'er I loved before;
And shall I see thee start away,
And helpless, hopeless, hear thee say-
Farewell, we meet no more?
SECTION XIII.
Ode to adversity.
1. DAUGHTER of heav'n, relentless pow'r,
Thou tamer of the human breast,
Whose iron scourge, and tott'ring hour,
The bad affright, afflict the best!
Bound in thy adamantine chain,
The proud are taught to taste of pain,
And purple tyrants vainly groan
With pangs unfeit before, unpitied and alone.
2. When first thy sire to send on earth
Virtue, his darling child, designed,
To thee he gave the heav'nly birth,
And bade to form her infant mind.
Stern rugged nurse? thy rigid lore
With patience many a year she bore.
What sorrow was,
thou bad'st her know;
And from her own she learned to melt at others wo.
3. Scar'd at thy frown terrific, fly
Self-pleasing folly's idle brood,
Wild laughter, noise, and thoughtless joy,
And leave us leisure to be good.
Light they disperse; and with them go
The summer friend, the flattering foe.
By vain prosperity receiv'd,
To her they vow their truth, and are again believ❜d. 4. Wisdom in şable garb array'd,
Immers'd in rapt'rous thought profound,
And melancholy, silent maid,
With leaden eye that loves the ground,
Still on thy solemn steps attend:
Warm charity, the gen'ral friend,
With justice, to herself severe,
And pity, dropping soft the sadly pleasing tear. 5. Oh, gently, on thy suppliant's head,
Dread power, lay thy chast'ning hand
Not in thy gorgon terrors clad,
Nor circled with the vengeful band,
(As by the impious thou art seen,)
With thund'ring voice, and threat'ning mien
With screaming horror's funeral cry,
Despair, and fell disease, and ghastly poverty.
6. Thy form benign, propitious, wear,
Thy milder influence impart.;
Thy philosophic train be there,
To soften, not to wound my heart.
The gen'rous spark extinct revive :
Teach me to love, and to forgive,
Exact my own defects to scan ;
What others are to feel; and know myself a man.
The Creation required to Praise its Author.
1. Begin my soul the exalted lay!
Let each enraptur'd thought obey,
And praise th' Almighty's name.
Lo! heav'n and earth, and seas and skies,
In one melodious concert rise,
To swell th' inspiring theme.
2. Ye fields of light celestial plains,
Where gay transporting beauty reigns,
Ye scenes divinely fair!
Your Maker's wond'rous pow'r proclaim,
Tell how he form'd your shining frame,
And breath'd the fluid air.
3. Ye angels, catch the thrilling sound!
While all the adoring thrones around
His boundless mercy sing:
Let ev'ry list'ning saint above
Wake all the tuneful soul of love
And touch the sweetest string.
4. Join, ye loud spheres, the vocal choir
Thou dazzling orb of liquid fire,
The mighty chorus aid:
Soon as gray ev'ning gilds the plain,
Thou moon, protract the melting strain,
And praise him in the shade.
3. Thou heav'n of heav'ns, his vast abode ;
Ye clouds, proclaim your forming God,
Who call'd yon worlds from night:
"Ye shades dispel !"-th' Eternal said;
At once the involving darkness fled,
And nature sprung to light.
6. Whate'er a blooming world contains,
That wings the air, that skims the plains,
United praise bestow;
Ye dragons, sound his awful name
To heav'n aloud; and roar acclaim,
Ye swelling deeps below.
7. Let ev'ry element rejoice;
Ye thunders burst with awful voice
TO HIM who bids you roll :
His praise in softer notes declare,
Each whispering breeze of yielding air,
And breath it to the soul.
9. To him, ye graceful cedars, bow;
Ye tow'ring mountains, bending low,
Your great Creator own;
Tell, when affrighted nature shook,
How Sinai kindled at his look,
And trembled at his frown.
8. Ye flocks that haunt the humble vale,
Ye insects flutt'ring on the gale,
In mutual concourse rise;
Crop the gay rose's vermeil bloom,
And waft its spoils, a sweet purfume,
In incense to the skies.
10. Wake all ye mounting tribes, and sing;
Ye plumy warblers of the spring,
Harmonious anthems raise
TO HIM who shap'd your finer mould,
Who tipt your glitt'ring wings with gold,
And tun'd your voice to praise.
11. Let man, by nobler passions sway'd,
The feeling heart, the judging head,
In heav'nly praise employ ;
Spread his tremendous name around,
Till heaven's broad arch rings back the sound,
The gentral burst of joy.
12. Ye whom the charms of grandeur please,
Nurs'd on the downy lap of ease,
Fall prostrate at his throne;
Ye princes, rulers, all adore!
Praise him, ye kings, who makes your pow'r
13. Ye fair, by nature form'd to move,
O praise th' eternal SOURCE OF LOVE,
With youth's enliv'ning fire;
Let age take up the tuneful lay,
Sigh his bless'd name-then soar away,
And ask an angel's lyre.
SECTION XV.
The universal prayer.
1. FATHER OF ALL in ev'ry age,
In ev'ry clime, ador'd,
By saint, by savage, and by sage,
Jehovah, Jove, or Lord!
2. Thou GREAT FIRST CAUSE; least understood,
Who all my sense confin'd,
To know but this, that thou art good,-
And that myself am blin d:
3. Yet gave me, in this dark estate,
To see the good from ill;
And binding nature fast in fate,
Left free the human will.
4. What conscience dictates to be done,
Or warns me not to do,
This teach me more than hell to shun,
That more than heav'n pursue.
5. What blessings thy free bounty gives,
Let me not cast away;
For God is paid, when man receive s;
T'enjoy is to obey.
6. Yet not to earth's contracted span
Thy goodness let me bound,
Or think thee Lord alone of man,
When thousand worlds are round.
7. Let not this weak, unknowing hand
Presume thy bolts to throw ;
And deal damnation round the land
On each I judge thy foe.
8. If I am right, thy grace impart,
Still in the right to stay ;
If I am wrong, oh teach my heart
To find that better way!
9. Save me alike from foolish pride,
Or impious discontent,
At aught thy wisdom has denied,
Or aught thy goodness lent.
10. Teach me to feel another's woe,
To hide the fault I see;
That mercy I to others show,
That mercy show to me.
11. Mean tho' I am, not wholly so,
Since quicken'd by thy breath,
O lead me wheresoe'er I go,
Through this day's life or death!
12. This day, be bread and peace my lot:
All else beneath the sun.
Thou know'st if best bestow'd or not,
And let thy will be done.
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