IV. These latest scenes confine my roving verse; Of lute, or viol still, more apt for mournful things. V. Befriend me, Night, best patroness of grief; And work my flatter'd fancy to belief, That Heav'n and Earth are colour'd with my woe; My sorrows are too dark for day to know: 25 30 The leaves should all be black whereon I write, And letters, where my tears have wash'd, a wannish white. VI. 35 See, see the chariot, and those rushing wheels, In pensive trance, and anguish, and ecstatic fit. VIL. Mine eye hath found that sad sepulchral rock My plaining verse as lively as before For sure so well instructed are my tears, That they would fitly fall in order'd characters. 26. "Cremona's trump doth sound;".... alluding to the Christiad of Vida, a native of Cremona. VIII. Or should I thence, hurried on viewless wing, 55 Might think th' infection of my sorrows loud Had got a race of mourners on some pregnant cloud. This subject, the Author finding to be above the years he had, when he wrote it, and nothing satisfied with what was begun, left it unfinished. V. ON TIME. FLY, envious Time, till thou run out thy race; 5 So little is our loss, So little is thy gain! For when as each thing bad thou hast entomb'd, 10 Then long Eternity shall greet our bliss With an individual kiss; And Joy shall overtake us as a flood, When every thing that is sincerely good And perfectly divine, With truth, and peace, and love, shall ever shine 15 * In these poems where no date is prefixed, and no circumstances direct us to ascertain the time when they were composed, we follow the order of Milton's own editions. And before this copy of verses, it ap pears from the manuscript, that the poet had written To be set on a clockease. About the supreme throne Of him, t' whose happy-making sight alone When once our heav'nly-guided soul shall climb; Attir'd with stars, we shall for ever sit, 20 Triumphing over Death, and Chance, and thee, D Time. VI. UPON THE CIRCUMCISION. YE flaming Pow'rs, and winged Warriors bright, That erst with music, and triumphant song, First heard by happy watchful shepherds' ear, So sweetly sung your joy the clouds along Through the soft silence of the list'ning night; Now mourn; and, if sad share with us to bear Your fiery essence can distil no tear, Burn in your sighs, and borrow Seas wept from our deep sorrow: He, who with all Heav'n's-heraldry whilere 10 Enter'd the world, now bleeds to give us ease; His infancy to seize ! Sore doth begin O more exceeding love, or law more just? 13 Were lost in death, till he that dwelt above High thron'd in secret bliss, for us frail dust Emptied his glory, ev'n to nakedness And that great covenant which we still transgress Entirely satisfied; And the full wrath beside 20 VII. AT A SOLEMN MUSIC. BLEST pair of Syrens, pledges of Heav'n's joy, With saintly shout, and solemn jubilee; Singing everlastingly: That we on earth, with undiscording voice, May rightly answer that melodious noise; 10 15 Jarr'd against nature's chime, and with harsh din 20 Broke the fair music that all creatures made To their great Lord, whose love their motion sway'd In first obedience, and their state of good. And keep in tune with Heav'n, till God ere long To live with him, and sing in endless morn of light, 25 -VIII. AN EPITAPH on the MARCHIONESS OF WINCHESTER THIS rich marble doth inter The honour'd wife of Winchester, A viscount's daughter, an earl's heir, Added to her noble birth, More than she could own from earth. 5 After so short time of breath, To house with darkness, and with deathr 10 Yet had the number of her days Been as complete as was her praise, Nature and Fate had had no strife In giving limit to her life. Her high birth and her graces sweet, And now with second hope she goes, But, whether by mischance or blame Spoil'd at once both fruit and tree : 15 20 23 30 |