DAUGHTER of Jove, relentless power, With pangs unfelt before, unpitied and alone. When first thy sire to send on earth What sorrow was, thou bad'st her know, And from her own she learn'd to melt at others' woe. Scar'd at thy frown terrific, fly Self-pleasing Folly's idle brood, Wild Laughter, Noise, and thoughtless Joy, Light they disperse, and with them go To her they vow their truth, and are again believ'd. Wisdom in sable garb array'd, Immers'd in rapt'rous thought profound, And Melancholy, silent maid, With leaden eye that loves the ground, Still on thy solemn steps attend: Warm Charity, the gen'ral friend, With Justice, to herself severe, And Pity, dropping soft the sadly-pleasing tear. Oh! gently on thy suppliant's head, Not in thy Gorgon terrors clad, Not circled with the vengeful band (As by the impious thou art seen) With thund'ring voice, and threat'ning mien, Thy form benign, oh goddess, wear, Thy philosophic train be there To soften, not to wound my heart. The gen'rous spark extinct revive, Teach me to love, and to forgive, Exact my own defects to scan, What others are to feel, and know myself a Man. THE PROGRESS OF POESY. A PINDARIC ODE. Φωνάντα συνετοῖσιν ἐς Δὲ τὸ πὰν ἑρμηνέων PINDAR. I. 1. AWAKE, Æolian lyre, awake, And give to rapture all thy trembling strings. A thousand rills their mazy progress take: Ver. 1. Awake, Æolian lyre, awake] "Awake, my glory: awake, lute and harp." DAVID'S PSALMS. VARIATION." Awake, my lyre: my glory, wake." Pindar styles his own poetry, with its musical accompaniments, Αἰοληΐς μολπή, Αἰόλιδες χορδαὶ Αἰολίδων πνοαὶ αὐλῶν, Æolian song, Æolian strings, the breath of the Eolian flute. The subject and simile, as usual with Pindar, are united. The various sources of poetry, which give life and lustre to all it touches, are here described; its quiet majestic progress enriching every subject (otherwise dry and barren) with a pomp of diction and luxuriant harmony of numbers; and its more rapid and irresistible course, when swoln and hurried away by the conflict of tumultuous passions. |