To the cold shaking paralytic Hand,
Senfelefs of Beauty's Touch, or Love's Command, Nor longer apt, or able to fulfill
The Dictates of it's feeble Master's Will.
Nought shall the Pfaltry, and the Harp avail, The pleafing Song, or well repeated Tale; When the quick Spirits their warm March forbear; And numbing Coldness has unbrac'd the Ear. The verdant Rifing of the flow'ry Hill, The Vale enamell'd, and the Crystal Rill, The Ocean rolling, and the shelly Shore, Beautiful Objects, fhall delight no more; When the lax'd Sinews of the weaken'd Eye In wat'ry Damps, or dim Suffufion lye. Day follows Night; the Clouds return again After the falling of the later Rain: But to the Aged-blind shall ne'er return Grateful Viciffitude: He ftill muft mourn The Sun, and Moon, and ev'ry Starry Light Eclips'd to Him, and loft in everlafting Night.
Behold where Age's wretched Victim lies: See his Head trembling, and his half-clos'd Eyes:
Afpice! ut infirmos quatit æger anhelitus artus! Senfibus obrepunt incerti Oblivia fomni,
Solaque percipitur per acutos Vita dolores.
Tempore prædanti cedent argentea vitæ Vincula, diffilientque; ruet volventibus annis Urna levis, longoque ævo labefacta peribit. Scilicet hæc fati lex eft: moriemur honoris Expertes, & vana erimus fine nomine turba. Ufque aliam ex aliâ ftirpem manet exitus idem; Gens cadit hæc; nova furgit, abit, fequiturq; priorem; Ævi quæque brevis, terrâque exorta parente, Mox reditura iterum in veteris primordia terræ.
Sed vultu eniteat meliori Scena; coronet Alma falus Hominem, & lætos vigor excitet artus. En! vix exfuperans operofæ longa diei Tædia, feffus adit jam fole cadente penates : Sole oriente iterum prodit; labor ufque recurrit, Arcentique famem & vitam fudore merenti Perpetuum redeunte die redit actus in orbem. Forfitan ad noctem reduci fpectacula præbet
Atra domi moriens puer, aut viduata marito
Frequent for Breath his panting Bofom heaves: To broken Sleeps his remnant Sense He gives; And only by his Pains, awaking finds He Lives.
Loos'd by devouring Time the filver Cord Diffever'd lies: unhonor'd from the Board The Crystal Urn, when broken, is thrown by; And apter Utenfils their Place supply.
These Things and Thou must share One equal Lot; Dye and be loft, corrupt and be forgot;
While still another, and another Race
Shall now fupply, and now give up the Place. From Earth all came, to Earth muft all return; Frail as the Cord, and brittle as the Urn.
But be the Terror of thefe Ills fupprefs'd: And view we Man with Health and Vigor blest. Home He returns with the declining Sun, His deftin'd Task of Labour hardly done; Goes forth again with the ascending Ray, Again his Travel for his Bread to pay, And find the Ill fufficient to the Day. Haply at Night He does with Horror fhun
A widow'd Daughter, or a dying Son:
Filia: Vicinum cras luxuriante beatum Prole videt, nudufque fibi magis inde videtur. Utque dies pergunt, lacrymabile funus Amici Ducitur, hoftilifve occurrit pompa triumphi: Quo fe cunque ferat miser, aut Mala publica turbant Sollicitum, aut proprii laris Infortunia tangunt : Virtutis claræ meritis haud præmia folvi
Digna videt; læsamque fidem & temerata pudici Jura tori queritur, pravo fub Judice litem Protractam, inversasque haud æquo Interprete leges; Aut nigras fraudes Magnatum & turpia damnat Arcana imperii, arbitriumque immane Potentum; Mordacemve_dolet linguam, quam pectore cauto Nec fugiat Sapiens, monitis nec frænet amicis.
Hæccine credantur cafu volvente finiftro Enafci Mala? num pariunt vaga Semina motu Confufo implicita; an potius fert ordine certo Lex ftabilis fati, rerumque immobile fædus? Quin age, fi poteris, nodum mihi Musa resolve; Anne, inquam, cafu eveniunt, fatone jubenti? At quacunque genus ducunt de ftirpe, catenis Heu miferam involvunt animam, variafque coactam In partes rapiunt, & mille timoribus urgent;
His Neighbor's Off-Spring He To-morrow fees; And doubly feels his Want in their Increase: The next Day, and the next he must attend His Foe triumphant, or his buried Friend. In ev'ry Act and Turn of Life he feels Publick Calamities, or Household Ills; The due Reward to just Desert refus'd, The Truft betray'd, the Nuptial Bed abus'd, The Judge corrupt, the long depending Cause, And doubtful Iffue of mifconftru'd Laws. The crafty Turns of a dishonest State, And violent Will of the wrong-doing Great: The Venom'd Tongue injurious to his Fame,
Which nor can Wisdom shun, nor fair Advice reclaim.
Efteem We thefe, my Friends, Event and Chance, Produc'd as Atoms form their flutt'ring Dance? Or higher yet their Effence may We draw From deftin'd Order, and Eternal Law? Again my Mufe, the cruel Doubt repeat: Spring they, I fay, from Accident, or Fate? Yet fuch, We find, they are, as can controll The fervile Actions of our way'ring Soul;
« הקודםהמשך » |