Poetical Works of Johnson, Parnell, Gray, and Smollett - With Memoirs, Critical Dissertations, and Explanatory Notes by Thomas Gray;Thomas Parnell;Tobias George Smollett;Samuel Johnson
page 159 of 295 (53%)
page 159 of 295 (53%)
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Thy presence in its gold enshrined.
The bold adventurer ploughs his way, Through rocks amidst the foaming sea, To gain thy love; and then perceives Thou wert not in the rocks and waves. The silent heart which grief assails, Treads soft and lonesome o'er the vales, 20 Sees daisies open, rivers run, And seeks (as I have vainly done) Amusing thought; but learns to know That Solitude's the nurse of Woe. No real happiness is found In trailing purple o'er the ground; Or in a soul exalted high, To range the circuit of the sky, Converse with stars above, and know All Nature in its forms below; 30 The rest it seeks, in seeking dies, And doubts at last for knowledge rise. Lovely, lasting peace appear! This world itself, if thou art here, Is once again with Eden bless'd, And Man contains it in his breast. 'Twas thus, as under shade I stood, I sung my wishes to the wood, And, lost in thought, no more perceived The branches whisper as they waved: 40 It seem'd as all the quiet place |
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