And young and old come forth to play On a sunshine holiday,
Till the livelong daylight fail; Then to the spicy nut-brown ale, With stories told of many a feat, How fairy Mab the junkets eat, She was pinch'd, and pull'd, she said, And he by friar's-lantern led,
Tells how the drudging goblin sweat, To earn his cream-bowl duly set, When in one night, ere glimpse of morn, His shadowy flail hath thresh'd the corn, That ten day-laborers could not end; Then lies him down the lubber fiend, And stretch'd out all the chimney's length, Basks at the fire his hairy strength, And crop-full out of doors he flings, Ere the first cock his matin rings. Thus done the tales, to bed they creep, By whispering winds soon lull'd asleep. Tower'd cities please us then, And the busy hum of men,
Where throngs of knights and barons bold In weeds of peace high triumphs hold, With store of ladies, whose bright eyes Rain influence, and judge the prize Of wit, or arms, while both contend To win her grace, whom all commend. There let Hymen oft appear In saffron robe, with taper clear, And pomp, and feast, and revelry, With mask, and antique pageantry, Such sights as youthful poets dream On summer eves by haunted stream. Then to the well-trod stage anon, If Jonson's learnéd sock be on, Or sweetest Shakspeare, fancy's child, Warble his native wood-notes wild. And ever against eating cares, Lap me in soft Lydian airs, Married to immortal verse,
Such as the meeting soul may pierce In notes, with many a winding bout
Of linked sweetness long drawn out, With wanton heed, and giddy cunning, The melting voice through mazes running, Untwisting all the chains that tie The hidden soul of harmony;
That Orpheus' self may heave his head From golden slumber on a bed
Of heapt Elysian flowers, and hear Such strains as would have won the ear Of Pluto, to have quite set free His half-regain'd Eurydice. These delights if thou canst give, Mirth, with thee I mean to live.
IL PENSEROSO.
HENCE, vain deluding joys,
The brood of folly without father bred! How little you bested,
Or fill the fixéd mind with all your toys! Dwell in some idle brain,
And fancies fond with gaudy shapes possess, As thick and numberless
As the gay motes that people the sunbeams, Or likest hovering dreams,
The fickle pensioners of Morpheus' train. But hail, thou goddess sage and holy,
Hail, divinest Melancholy,
Whose saintly visage is too bright
To hit the sense of human sight, And therefore to our weaker view O'erlaid with black, staid wisdom's hue; Black, but such as in esteem
Prince Memnon's sister might beseem, Or that starr'd Ethiop queen that strove To set her beauty's praise above
The sea-nymphs, and their powers offended: Yet thou art higher far descended; Thee bright-hair'd Vesta long of yore To solitary Saturn bore;
Bajestic train. Arceable state of Cyprus lawn, Over the dent shoulders drawn. Com 2, but Seen thy wanted state, With ever, arop, and tonsing gait, Ano s eu amereing with the akies, Thy rapt A sitting in the eyeşi ed in holy passion siła,
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Theo co Centenarion;
Ang the mute Siles je hi-t along, Lec- Phlone will deign & HODg,
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Sweet bid that shunn'st tih do Most musical, most malae o kada Thee, chaares-s, oft the wave Nu ats I woo come thy even wing a Aussing thee, I may need t On the dry sooth-aluser groot, To beboid the wanders,, Bern,
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