ONTHE SPRING.
NOWwinter, reluctant, the swayResigns to the genial spring;Sol sheds an enlivening ray,And warblers delightfully sing.Fresh verdure adorns the gay plains,So lately o’er-mantl’d with snow;The rivers, releas’d from their chains,Do now with soft murmuring flow.The lark and the linnet unite,The Cuckow too joins in the lay;All nature’s profuse of delight,And soft fanning zephyrs now play.How charming the garden appears?Sweet primroses paint the gay vale:Its head now the daffodil rears,The sweetest of seasons to hail,His team now the hind drives along;Quite cheerful he ploughs the rude plain.He hums his love’s praise in a song,Or whistling forgets her disdain.The seed in the furrow he throws,Indulg’d by bright Phœbus’s rays;Rich Ceres vast increase bestows,When Autumn her bounty displays.The lambkins now sport on the mead;They skip round the heath-cover’d hill;Their dams how securely they feedBy the side of yon murm’ring rill?Near Damon appears with his lute,And wakes the melodious lay;The songsters, attentive and mute,Are perch’d on the wav’ring spray.As Phillis traverses the grove,All nature more charming appears:Leander’s soft stories of love,Still touchingly sound in her ears.They hand in hand trip o’er the plain;No couple more cheerful and gay:She counts him the loveliest swain;He calls her the Queen of the May.Of each others hearts they are sure;The arts of no rival they dread.From minds so unsulli’d and pure,No treachery e’er can proceed.Few princes partake of such joys,Remov’d from all faction and strife:Sure riches and honours are toys,But their’s the endearments of life.
NOWwinter, reluctant, the swayResigns to the genial spring;Sol sheds an enlivening ray,And warblers delightfully sing.Fresh verdure adorns the gay plains,So lately o’er-mantl’d with snow;The rivers, releas’d from their chains,Do now with soft murmuring flow.The lark and the linnet unite,The Cuckow too joins in the lay;All nature’s profuse of delight,And soft fanning zephyrs now play.How charming the garden appears?Sweet primroses paint the gay vale:Its head now the daffodil rears,The sweetest of seasons to hail,His team now the hind drives along;Quite cheerful he ploughs the rude plain.He hums his love’s praise in a song,Or whistling forgets her disdain.The seed in the furrow he throws,Indulg’d by bright Phœbus’s rays;Rich Ceres vast increase bestows,When Autumn her bounty displays.The lambkins now sport on the mead;They skip round the heath-cover’d hill;Their dams how securely they feedBy the side of yon murm’ring rill?Near Damon appears with his lute,And wakes the melodious lay;The songsters, attentive and mute,Are perch’d on the wav’ring spray.As Phillis traverses the grove,All nature more charming appears:Leander’s soft stories of love,Still touchingly sound in her ears.They hand in hand trip o’er the plain;No couple more cheerful and gay:She counts him the loveliest swain;He calls her the Queen of the May.Of each others hearts they are sure;The arts of no rival they dread.From minds so unsulli’d and pure,No treachery e’er can proceed.Few princes partake of such joys,Remov’d from all faction and strife:Sure riches and honours are toys,But their’s the endearments of life.
NOWwinter, reluctant, the swayResigns to the genial spring;Sol sheds an enlivening ray,And warblers delightfully sing.
NOWwinter, reluctant, the sway
Resigns to the genial spring;
Sol sheds an enlivening ray,
And warblers delightfully sing.
Fresh verdure adorns the gay plains,So lately o’er-mantl’d with snow;The rivers, releas’d from their chains,Do now with soft murmuring flow.
Fresh verdure adorns the gay plains,
So lately o’er-mantl’d with snow;
The rivers, releas’d from their chains,
Do now with soft murmuring flow.
The lark and the linnet unite,The Cuckow too joins in the lay;All nature’s profuse of delight,And soft fanning zephyrs now play.
The lark and the linnet unite,
The Cuckow too joins in the lay;
All nature’s profuse of delight,
And soft fanning zephyrs now play.
How charming the garden appears?Sweet primroses paint the gay vale:Its head now the daffodil rears,The sweetest of seasons to hail,
How charming the garden appears?
Sweet primroses paint the gay vale:
Its head now the daffodil rears,
The sweetest of seasons to hail,
His team now the hind drives along;Quite cheerful he ploughs the rude plain.He hums his love’s praise in a song,Or whistling forgets her disdain.
His team now the hind drives along;
Quite cheerful he ploughs the rude plain.
He hums his love’s praise in a song,
Or whistling forgets her disdain.
The seed in the furrow he throws,Indulg’d by bright Phœbus’s rays;Rich Ceres vast increase bestows,When Autumn her bounty displays.
The seed in the furrow he throws,
Indulg’d by bright Phœbus’s rays;
Rich Ceres vast increase bestows,
When Autumn her bounty displays.
The lambkins now sport on the mead;They skip round the heath-cover’d hill;Their dams how securely they feedBy the side of yon murm’ring rill?
The lambkins now sport on the mead;
They skip round the heath-cover’d hill;
Their dams how securely they feed
By the side of yon murm’ring rill?
Near Damon appears with his lute,And wakes the melodious lay;The songsters, attentive and mute,Are perch’d on the wav’ring spray.
Near Damon appears with his lute,
And wakes the melodious lay;
The songsters, attentive and mute,
Are perch’d on the wav’ring spray.
As Phillis traverses the grove,All nature more charming appears:Leander’s soft stories of love,Still touchingly sound in her ears.
As Phillis traverses the grove,
All nature more charming appears:
Leander’s soft stories of love,
Still touchingly sound in her ears.
They hand in hand trip o’er the plain;No couple more cheerful and gay:She counts him the loveliest swain;He calls her the Queen of the May.
They hand in hand trip o’er the plain;
No couple more cheerful and gay:
She counts him the loveliest swain;
He calls her the Queen of the May.
Of each others hearts they are sure;The arts of no rival they dread.From minds so unsulli’d and pure,No treachery e’er can proceed.
Of each others hearts they are sure;
The arts of no rival they dread.
From minds so unsulli’d and pure,
No treachery e’er can proceed.
Few princes partake of such joys,Remov’d from all faction and strife:Sure riches and honours are toys,But their’s the endearments of life.
Few princes partake of such joys,
Remov’d from all faction and strife:
Sure riches and honours are toys,
But their’s the endearments of life.