O had he made that too his prey; That beak whence issu'd many a lay Of such mellifluous tone, Might have repaid him well, I wote, For silencing so sweet a throat, Fast stuck within his own. Maria weeps-the Muses mourn— The tree-enchanter Orpheus fell, THE ROSE. THE rose had been wash'd, just wash'd in a show'r, The plentiful moisture encumber'd the flow'r, The cup was all fill'd, and the leaves were all wet, To weep for the buds it had left with regret, I hastily seiz'd it, unfit as it was For a nosegay, so dripping and drown'd, And such, I exclaim'd, is the pitiless part This elegant rose, had I shaken it less, Might have bloom'd with it's owner a while; And the tear, that is wip'd with a little address, May be follow'd perhaps by a smile. THE DOVES. I. REAS'NING at ev'ry step he treads, Man yet mistakes his way, While meaner things, whom instinct leads, Are rarely known to stray. II. One silent eve I wander'd late, III. Our mutual bond of faith and truth No time shall disengage, Those blessings of our early youth IV. While innocence without disguise, And constancy sincere, Shall fill the circles of those eyes, And mine can read them there; V. Those ills, that wait on all below, Shall ne'er be felt by me, Or gently felt, and only so, As being shar'd with thee. VI. When lightnings flash among the trees, Or kites are hov'ring near, I fear lest thee alone they seize, And know no other fear. VII. 'Tis then I feel myself a wife, And press thy wedded side, Resolv'd an union form'd for life Death never shall divide. VIII. But oh! if, fickle and unchaste, (Forgive a transient thought) No need of lightnings from on high, Denied th' endearments of thine eye, This widow'd heart would break. X. Thus sang the sweet sequester'd bird, Soft as the passing wind, And I recorded what I heard, A lesson for mankind. A FABLE. A RAVEN, while with glossy breast But suddenly a wind as high, As ever swept a wintry sky, Shook the young leaves about her ears, And fill'd her with a thousand fears, |