To archéd walks of twilight groves,
And shadows brown, that Sylvan loves,
Of pine, or monumental oak,

Where the rude axe, with heavéd stroke,
Was never heard the nymphs to daunt
Or fright them from their hallow'd haunt.
There in close covert by some brook
Where no profaner eye may look,

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Hide me from day's garish eye,

While the bee with honey'd thigh,

That at her flowery work doth sing,
And the waters murmuring,

With such consort as they keep

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Entice the dewy-feather'd Sleep;

And let some strange mysterious dream
Wave at his wings in airy stream
Of lively portraiture display'd,

Softly on my eyelids laid :

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And, as I wake, sweet music breathe
Above, about, or underneath,

Sent by some Spirit to mortals good,
Or the unseen Genius of the wood.

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But let my due feet never fail
To walk the studious cloister's pale,
And love the high-embowéd roof,
With antique pillars massy-proof,
And storied windows richly dight
Casting a dim religious light :
There let the pealing organ blow
To the full-voiced quire below
In service high and anthems clear,

As may with sweetness, through mine ear,
Dissolve me into ecstasies,

And bring all Heaven before mine eyes.
And may at last my weary age

Find out the peaceful hermitage,
The hairy gown and mossy cell
Where I may sit and rightly spell
Of every star that heaven doth show,
And every herb that sips the dew;

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Till old experience do attain
To something like prophetic strain.

These pleasures, Melancholy, give,
And I with thee will choose to live.

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J. MILTON.

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SONG OF THE EMIGRANTS IN BERMUDA

Where the remote Bermudas ride

In the ocean's bosom unespied,

From a small boat that row'd along
The listening winds received this song:
'What should we do but sing His praise 5
That led us through the watery maze
Unto an isle so long unknown,

And yet far kinder than our own?
Where He the huge sea-monsters wracks,
That lift the deep upon their backs,
He lands us on a grassy stage,

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Safe from the storms and prelate's rage:
He gave us this eternal spring
Which here enamels everything,
And sends the fowls to us in care
On daily visits through the air;

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He hangs in shades the orange bright
Like golden lamps in a green night,
And does in the pomegranates close
Jewels more rich than Ormus shows:
He makes the figs our mouths to meet,
And throws the melons at our feet;
But apples plants of such a price,

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No tree could ever bear them twice.
With cedars chosen by His hand
From Lebanon He stores the land;
And makes the hollow seas that roar
Proclaim the ambergris on shore.
He cast (of which we rather boast)
The Gospel's pearl upon our coast;

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And in these rocks for us did frame
A temple where to sound His name.
Oh! let our voice His praise exalt
Till it arrive at Heaven's vault,
Which thence (perhaps) rebounding may
Echo beyond the Mexique bay!'
Thus sung they in the English boat
An holy and a cheerful note:

And all the way, to guide their chime,
With falling oars they kept the time.

A. MARVELL.

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AT A SOLEMN MUSIC

Blest pair of Sirens, pledges of Heaven's joy,
Sphere-born harmonious Sisters, Voice and Verse!
Wed your divine sounds, and mixt power employ
Dead things with inbreathed sense able to pierce ;

And to our high-raised phantasy present
That undisturbéd Song of pure concent
Ay sung before the sapphire-colour'd throne
To Him that sits thereon,

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With saintly shout and solemn jubilee;
Where the bright Seraphim in burning row
Their loud uplifted angel-trumpets blow;
And the Cherubic host in thousand quires
Touch their immortal harps of golden wires,
With those just Spirits that wear victorious palms,
Hymns devout and holy psalms
Singing everlastingly :

That we on earth, with undiscording voice
May rightly answer that melodious noise ;
As once we did, till disproportion'd sin

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Jarr'd against nature's chime, and with harsh din Broke the fair music that all creatures made

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To their great Lord, whose love their motion sway'd

In perfect diapason, whilst they stood
In first obedience, and their state of good.

O may we soon again renew that Song,

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And keep in tune with Heaven, till God ere long To His celestial consort us unite,

To live with Him, and sing in endless morn of light! J. MILTON.

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ALEXANDER'S FEAST, OR, THE POWER OF MUSIC

'Twas at the royal feast for Persia won By Philip's warlike son—

Aloft in awful state

The godlike hero sate

On his imperial throne;

His valiant peers were placed around,

Their brows with roses and with myrtles b und (So should desert in arms be crown'd); The lovely Thais by his side

Sate like a blooming eastern bride

In flower of youth and beauty's pride :-—
Happy, happy, happy pair!

None but the brave

None but the brave

None but the brave deserves the fair!

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Timotheus placed on high

Amid the tuneful quire

With flying fingers touch'd the lyre:

The trembling notes ascend the sky
And heavenly joys inspire.
The song began from Jove

Who left his blissful seats above-
Such is the power of mighty love!
A dragon's fiery form belied the god ;
Sublime on radiant spires he rode
When he to fair Olympia prest,
And while he sought her snowy breast,

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E a

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Then round her slender waist he curl'd,

And stamp'd an image of himself, a sovereign of the world.

-The listening crowd admire the lofty sound; A present deity! they shout around :

A present deity! the vaulted roofs rebound :
With ravish'd ears

The monarch hears,

Assumes the god,

Affects to nod

And seems to shake the spheres.

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The praise of Bacchus then the sweet musician sung,
Of Bacchus ever fair and ever young :

The jolly god in triumph comes !
Sound the trumpets, beat the drums!
Flush'd with a purple grace

He shows his honest face:

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Now give the hautboys breath; he comes, he comes!

Bacchus, ever fair and young,

Drinking joys did first ordain ;

Bacchus blessings are a treasure,

Drinking is the soldier's pleasure :

Rich the treasure,

Sweet the pleasure,

Sweet is pleasure after pain.

Soothed with the sound, the king grew vain ;

Fought all his battles o'er again,

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And thrice he routed all his foes, and thrice he slew

the slain.

The master saw the madness rise,

His glowing cheeks, his ardent eyes;

And while he Heaven and Earth defied
Changed his hand and check'd his pride.
He chose a mournful Muse

Soft pity to infuse :

He sung Darius great and good,

By too severe a fate

Fallen, fallen, fallen, fallen,

Fallen from his high estate,

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