Oh blipdness to the future! kindly giv'n, Hope humbly then; with trembling pinions soar; Lo, the poor Indian! whose uptutor'd mind Sees God in clouds, or hears him in the wind; His soul proud science never taught to stray, Far as the Solar Walk, or Milky Way; Yet simple nature to his hope has giv'n, Behind the cloud-topt hill, a humbler heav'n; Some safer world in depth of woods embrac'd, Some happier island in the wat’ry waste; Where slaves once more their native land behold; No fiends torment, no Christians thirst for gold. To be, contents his natural desire; He asks no angel's wing; no seraph's fire : But thinks, admitted to that equal sky, llis faithful dog shall bear him company. Go, wiser thou ! and in thy scale of sense, Weigh thy opinion against Providence; Cali imperfection what thou fanciest such; Say, here he gives too little, there too much. In pride, in reas'ning pride, our error lies; All quit their sphere, and rush into the skies. Pride still is aining at the blest abodes ; Men would be angels, angels would be gods. Aspiring to be gods, if angels fell, Aspiring to be angels, men rebel : And who but wishes to invert the laws Of ORDER, sins against th’ ETERNAL CAUSE. POPE. SECTION X. Selfishness reproved. Has God, thou fool! work'd solely for thy good, Thy joy, thy pastime, thy attire, thy food ? Who for thy table feeds the wanton fawn, For him as kindly spread the flow'ry lawn. Is it for thee the lark ascends and sings? Joy tunes his voice, joy elevates his wings. Is i: for thee the linnet pours his throat? Loves of his own, and raptures swell the note, The bounding steed you pompously bestride, Shares with his lord tbe pleasure and the pride. Is thine alone the seed that strews the plain ? The birds of Hear'a shall vindicate their grain. Thine the full harvest of the golden year? Part pays, and justly, the deserving steer. The hog, that ploughs not, nor obeys thy call, Lives on the labours of this lord of all. Know, natures children all divide her care ; The fur that warms a monarch, wari'd a bear. While man exclaims, “See all things for !) “See map for mine!" replies a pamper'd goose. And just as short of reason he must fall, Who thinks all made for one, not one for all. 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 ano creature's wants and woes. Say, will the falcon, stooping from above, Smit with his varying plu'nage, spare the dove ? Admires the jay, the insect's gilded wings ? Or hears the hawk when Philomela sings ? Man cares for all: to birds he gives his woods, To beasts his pastures, and to fish his floods : For some his int'rest promps him to provide, For some his pleasure, yet for more his pride. All feed on one vain patron, aud enjoy The extensive blessings of his luxury. That very life his learned hunger craves, He saves from famine, from the savage saves : Nay, feasts the animal he dooms his teast; And, till he ends the being, makes it blest: my use Wbich sees no more the stroke, nor feels the pain, SECTION XI. Human frailty. The purpose of to day, To.morrow rends away. Vice seems already slain ; And it revives again. Finds out his weaker part ; But pleasure wins his heart. Through all his art, we view; His conscience owns it true. And dangers little known, Man vainly trusts his own. To reach the distant coast; COWPER SECTION XII. Ode to peace. Once more in this sad heart ; We therefore need not part. And pleasure's fatal wiles ; The sweets that I was wont to share, The banquet of thy smiles ? And wilt thou quit the stream, To be a guest with them? Wbate'er I lov'd before : Farewell! we meet no more ? SOWPBR, SECTION XIII. Ode to adversity. And purple tyrants vainly groan When first thy sire to send on earth What sorrow was, thou bad'st her know ; Scar'd at thy frown terrific, fly Wisdom, in sable garb array'd, With Justice, to herself severe, Oh, gently on thy suppliant's head, With screaming horror's fun'ral cry, Thy form benign, propitious, wear, To soften, not to wouod my heart. Exact my owo defects to scan ; GRAY. And praise the Almighty's name: To swell the inspiring theme. Ye scenes divinely fair! And breath'd the fluid air. |