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HAIL, sweet retirement, hail! | |
Best state of man below, | |
To smooth the tide of passions frail, | |
And bear the soul away from scenery of wo. | |
When, retired from busy noise, | 5 |
Vexing cares and troubled joys, | |
To a mild serener air, | |
In the country we repair: | |
Calm enjoy the rural scene, | |
Sportive oer the meadows green: | 10 |
When the suns enlivening ray | |
Speaks the genial month of May, | |
Lo! his amorous, wanton beams | |
Dance on yonder crystal streams; | |
In soft dalliance pass the hours, | 15 |
Kissing dew-drops from the flowers, | |
While soft music through the grove, | |
Sweetly tunes the soul to love. | |
And the hills harmonious round | |
Echo with responsive sound; | 20 |
There the turtle-dove alone, | |
Makes his soft, melodious moan; | |
While from yonder bough t is heard, | |
Sweetly chirps the yellow-bird: | |
There the linnets downy throat | 25 |
Warbles the responsive note; | |
And to all the neighboring groves, | |
Robin Redbreast tells his loves. | |
There, Amanda, we might walk, | |
And of soft endearments talk; | 30 |
Or anon we d listen, love, | |
To the gently-cooing dove. | |
In some sweet, embowering shade, | |
Some fair seat by nature made, | |
I my love would gently place, | 35 |
On the tender woven grass: | |
Seated by thy lovely side, | |
Oh, how great would be my pride! | |
While my soul should fix on thine, | |
Oh the joy to call thee mine! | 40 |
For why should doves have more delight, | |
Than we, my sweet Amanda, might? | |
And why should larks and linnets be | |
More happy, lovely maid, than we? | |
There the pride of genius blooms, | 45 |
There sweet contemplation comes: | |
There is science, heavenly fair, | |
Sweet philosophy is there; | |
With each author valued most, | |
Ancient glory, modern boast. | 50 |
There the mind may revel oer | |
Doughty deeds of days of yore; | |
How the mighty warriors stood, | |
How the field was dyed in blood, | |
How the shores were heapd with dead, | 55 |
And the rivers streamd with red; | |
While the heroes souls on flame, | |
Urged them on to deathless fame. | |
Or we view a different age | |
Pictured in the historic page | 60 |
Kings, descending from a throne; | |
Tyrants, making kingdoms groan, | |
With each care to state allied, | |
And all the scenery of pride. | |
Or perhaps we ll study oer | 65 |
Books of philosophic lore; | |
Read what Socrates has thought, | |
And how godlike Plato wrote; | |
View the earth with Bacons eyes; | |
Or, with Newton, read the skies; | 70 |
See each planetary ball, | |
One great sun attracting all: | |
All by gravitation held, | |
Self-attracted, self-repelled: | |
We shall cheat away old time, | 75 |
Passing moments so sublime. | |
Hail, sweet retirement, hail! | |
Best state of man below, | |
To smooth the tide of passions frail, | |
And bear the soul away from scenery of wo. | 80 |
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