Where rapture burns on rapture, every line
With rifing frenzy fir'd. But if on bed
Delirious flung, fleep from his pillow flies,
All night he toffes, nor the balmy power
In any posture finds; till the grey morn
Lifts her pale luftre on the paler wretch,
Exanimate by love: and then perhaps
Exhaufted Nature finks a while to rest,
Still interrupted by distracted dreams,
That o'er the fick imagination rise,
And in black colours paint the mimic scene.
Oft with th' enchantress of his foul he talks ;
Sometimes in crowds diftrefs'd; or if retir'd
To fecret winding flower-enwoven bowers,
Far from the dull impertinence of Man,
Juft as he, credulous, his endless cares
Begins to lofe in blind oblivious love,
Snatch'd from her yielded hand, he knows not how,
Through forefts huge, and long untravel'd heaths
With defolation brown, he wanders waste,
In night and tempeft wrapt; or fhrinks aghaft,
Back, from the bending precipice; or wades
The turbid ftream below, and strives to reach
The farther thore; where fuccourlefs, and fad,
She with extended arms his aid implores;
But ftrives in vain: borne by th' outrageous flood
To distance down, he rides the ridgy wave,
Or whelm❜d beneath the boiling eddy finks.
These are the charming agonies of love,
Whofe mifery delights. But through the heart
Should jealoufy its venom once diffuse,
'Tis then delightful mifery no more,
But agony unmix'd, inceffant gall,
Corroding every thought, and blafting all
Love's paradife. Ye fairy profpects, then,
Ye beds of roses, and ye bowers of joy,
Farewel! Ye gleamings of departed peace,
Shine out your laft! The yellow-tinging plague 1080 Internal vifion taints, and in a night
Of livid gloom imagination wraps.
Ah, then! instead of love-enliven'd cheeks,
Of funny features, and of ardent eyes
With flowing rapture bright, dark looks fucceed, 1085 Suffus'd and glaring with untender fire;
A clouded aspect, and a burning cheek,
Where the whole poison'd foul, malignant, fits,
And frightens love away. Ten thousand fears
Invented wild, ten thousand frantic views
Of horrid rivals, hanging on the charms
For which he melts in fondness, eat him up
With fervent anguish, and confuming rage.
In vain reproaches lend their idle aid,
Deceitful pride, and refolution frail,
Giving falfe peace a moment. Fancy pours,
Afresh, her beauties on his bufy thought,
Her first endearments twining round the foul,
With all the witchcraft of enfnaring love.
Straight the fierce ftorm involves his mind anew, 1100 Flames through the nerves, and boils along the veins; While anxious doubt distracts the tortur'd heart:
For ev'n the fad affurance of his fears
Were ease to what he feels.
Whom love deludes into his thorny wilds,
Through flowery-tempting paths, or leads a life
Of fever'd rapture, or of cruel care;
His brightest flames extinguish'd all, and all
His lively moments running down to waste.
But happy they! the happieft of their kind! 1110 Whom gentler starts unite, and in one fate
Their hearts, their fortunes, and their beings blend. 'Tis not the courfer tie of human laws,
With boundless confidence: for nought but love
Can anfwer love, and render blifs fecure.
Let him, ungenerous, who, alone intent
To blefs himself, from fordid parents buys
The loathing virgin, in eternal care,
Well-merited, confume his nights and days:
Let barbarous nations, whofe inhuman love
Is wild defire, fierce as the funs they feel;
Let eastern tyrants, from the light of heaven
Seclude their bofom-flaves, meanly poffefs'd
Of a mere, lifelefs, violated form:
While those whom love cements in holy faith,
And equal transport, free as Nature live,
Difdaining fear. What is the world to them,
Its pomp, its pleasure, and its nonfenfe all!
Who in each other clasp whatever fair
High fancy forms, and lavish hearts can wish;
Something than beauty dearer, fhould they look
Or on the mind, or mind-illumin'd face;
Truth, goodness, honour, harmony, and love, 1140
The richest bounty of indulgent Heaven.
Meantime a smiling offspring rifes round,
And mingles both their graces. By degrees,
The human bloffom blows; and every day,
Soft as it rolls along, fhews fome new charm,
The father's luftre, and the mother's bloom.
Then infant reafon grows apace, and calls
For the kind hand of an affiduous care.
Delightful task! to rear the tender thought,
To teach the young idea how to shoot,
the fresh inftruction o'er the mind, To breathe th' enlivening fpirit, and to fix The generous purpofe in the glowing breast.
Oh, fpeak the joy! ye, whom the fudden tear
Surprifes often, while you look around,
And nothing ftrikes your eye but fights of blifs,
All various Nature preffing on the heart :
An elegant fufficiency, content,
Retirement, rural quiet, friendship, books,
Eafe and alternate labour, useful life,
Progreffive virtue, and approving Heaven.
Thefe are the matchlefs joys of virtuous love;
And thus their moments fly. The Seafons thus,
As ceafelefs round a jarring world they roll,
Still find them happy; and confenting Spring
Sheds her own rofy garland on their heads:
Till evening comes at laft, ferene and mild;
When, after the long vernal day of life,
Enamour'd more, as more remembrance fwells
With many a proof of recollected love,
Together down they fink in focial fleep;
Together freed, their gentle spirits fly
To scenes where love and bliss immortal reign.
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