When from the mystic womb of night
The' Almighty call'd the earth;
I smiled upon the infant world,
And graced the wondrous birth.
Through the vast realms of boundless space,
I traverse uncontrol'd;
And starry orbs of proudest blaze
Inscribe my name in gold.
There's not a monarch in the north
But bends the suppliant knee;
The haughty sultan waves his power,
And owns superior me.
Both by the savage and the saint
My empire stands confess'd;
I thaw the ice on Greenland's coast,
And fire the Scythian's breast.
To me the gay aerial tribes
Their glittering plumage ove
With all the variegated pride
That decks the feather'd beau.
The meanest reptiles of the land'
My bounty too partake;
I paint the insect's trembling wing,
And gild the crested snake.
Survey the nations of the deep,
You'll there my power behold;
My pencil drew the pearly scale,
And fin bedropp'd with gold.
I give the virgin's lip to glow,
I claim the crimson dye;
Mine is the rose which spreads the cheek,
And mine the brilliant eye.
Then speak, my fair; for surely thou
My name canst best descry;
Who gave to thee with lavish hands
What thousands I deny.
THAT awful name, which oft inspires
Impatient hopes and fond desires,
Can to another pain impart,
And thrill with fear the shuddering heart.
This mystic word is often read
O'er the still chambers of the dead.
Say what contains the breathless clay,
When the fleet soul is wing'd away?-
Those marble monuments proclaim
My little wily wanton's name.
THE golden stem, with generous aid,
Supports and feeds the fruitful blade.
The queen who ruled a thankless isle,
And gladden'd thousands with her smile
(When the well managed pound of gold
Did more than now the sum thrice told);
This stem of Ceres, and the fair
Of Stuart's house, a name declare,
Where goodness is with beauty join'd,
Where queen and goddess both combined
To form an emblem of the mind.
THE light-footed female that bounds o'er the hills,
That feeds among lilies, and drinks of the rills,
And is famed for being tender and true;
Which Solomon deemed a simile rare,
To liken the two pretty breasts of his fair,
Is the name of the nymph I pursue.
[ROE.]
TELL me the fair, if such a fair there be (Said Venus to her son), that rivals me.' Mark the tall tree (cried Cupid to the Dame), That from its silver bark derives its name: The studious insect, that with wondrous powers Extracts mysterious sweets from fragrant flowers; Proclaim the nymph to whom all hearts submit, Whose sweetness softens majesty and wit.'
THE name of the monarch that abandon'd his
Is the name of the fair I prefer to his crown.
FROM the dark caverns of the earth
Our family derive their birth;
By nature we appear to view
A rugged and a stubborn crew:
But Vulcan's brawny sons, by art
Soften the hardness of our heart;
Give to a slender shape its grace,
And a bright polish to our face.
Thus education makes us mild,
Pliant, and ductile as a child.
Survey the' attire of man, you'll trace
Our friendship for the human race.
We love mankind, indeed we do;
Our actions prove our speeches true.
But what is wondrous strange to name,
The aged female is our flame.
When strength decays, and optics fail,
And cold and penury prevail,
Our labours spare the matron's sight,
We ask but faint supplies of light;
Kindly our ancient girls regale
With food, with fuel, and with ale.
We, as associates to mankind,
All act our various parts assign'd.
No useless hands obstruct our schemes,
We suit our numbers to our themes;
Hence only two of us apply
To form a bandage for the thigh;
But when the gray industrious Peg
Demands a vestment for the leg,
'Tis then in little crowds we join
To aid the matron's wise design.
Thus four or five of us you'll see,
And each as busy as a bee;
Besides a kind assistant near,
Which Peg had stuck athwart her ear.
Now, lasses, if our name you'll tell,
And vow you'll always use us well,
We'll grant your wish to change your life,
And make each fair a happy wife.
[KNITTING NEedle.]
To you, fair maidens, I address,
Sent to adorn your life;
And she who first my name can guess,
Shall first be made a wife.
From the dark womb of mother-earth,
To mortal's aid I come;
But ere I can receive my birth,
I many shapes assume.
Passive by nature, yet I'm made
As active as the roe;
And oftentimes, with equal speed,
Through flowery lawns I go.
When wicked men their wealth consume,
And leave their children poor;
To me their daughters often come,
And I increase their store.
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