Ages elapsed ere Homers lamp appeard, And ages ere the Mantuan swan was heard: To carry nature lengths unknown before, To give a Milton birth, askd ages more.
Nature, exerting an unwearied power, Forms, opens, and gives scent to every flower; Spreads the fresh verdure of the field, and leads The dancing Naiads through the dewy meads.
When one that holds communion with the skies Has filld his urn where these pure waters rise, And once more mingles with us meaner things, T is een as if an angel shook his wings.