Oft with th' enchantress of his foul he talks ;
Sometimes in crouds 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 lose in blind oblivious love,
Snatch'd from her yielded hand, he knows not how,
Thro' forefts huge, and long untravel'd heaths
With defolation brown, he wanders waste,
In night and tempeft wrapt; or shrinks aghast,
Back, from the bending precipice; or wades
The turbid ftream below, and strives to reach
The farther fhore; where fuccourless, and sad,
She with extended arms his aid implores; 1079
But ftrives in vain: borne by th' outragious 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 thro' the heart
Should jealousy its venom once diffuse,
'Tis then delightful mifery no more,
But agony unmix'd, inceffant gall,
Corroding every thought, and blasting all
Love's paradife. Ye fairy profpects, then,
Ye beds of rofes, and ye bowers of joy,
Farewel! Ye gleamings of departed peace,
Shine out your laft! the yellow-tinging plague
Internal vision 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 ;.
Suffus'd, and glaring with untender fire;
A clouded afpect, and a burning cheek,
Where the whole poifon'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 firft endearments, twining round the foul,
With all the witchcraft of enfnaring love.
Strait the fierce ftorm involves his mind anew,
Flames thro' the nerves, and boils along the veins;
While anxious doubt distracts the tortur'd heart:
For even the fad affurance of his fears
Were peace to what he feels. Thus the warm youth,
Whom love deludes into his thorny wilds,
Thro' flowery-tempting paths, or leads a life
Of fever'd rapture, or of cruel care ;
His brightest aims extinguish'd all, and all
His lively moments running down to waste.
BUT happy they! the happiest of their kind! Whom gentler stars unite, and in one fate
Their hearts, their fortunes, and their beings blend. 'Tis not the coarser tie of human laws,
Unnatural oft, and foreign to the mind,
That binds their peace, but harmony itself,
Attuning all their passions into love;
Where friendship full-exerts her softeft power, 1120 Perfect efteem enliven'd by defire
Ineffable, and fympathy of foul;
Thought meeting thought, and will preventing will,
With boundless confidence: for nought but love
Can answer love, and render bliss secure.
Let him, ungenerous, who, alone intent
To bless himself, from fordid parents buys
The loathing virgin, in eternal care,
Well-merited, confume his nights and days:
Let barbarous nations, whose 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 meer, lifelefs, violated form:
While those whom love cements in holy faith, 1135
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; 1140
Something than beauty dearer, should they look
Or on the mind, or mind-illumin'd face;
Truth, goodness, honour, harmony and love,
The richest bounty of indulgent HEAVEN.
Mean-time 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,
pour
the fresh_instruction o'er the mind,
To breathe th' enlivening spirit, and to fix
The generous purpose in the glowing breast.
Oh fpeak the joy! ye, whom the fudden tear
Surprizes often, while you look around,
And nothing strikes your eye but fights of bliss,
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.
These are the matchless joys of virtuous love; 1165 And thus their moments fly. The Seasons thus,
As ceaseless 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 last, serene and mild; 1170
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 social sleep;
Together freed, their gentle spirits fly
To scenes where love and blifs immortal reign.
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