The Poetical Works of Edward Young Part 27

"But how to smile; to stem the tide Of nature in our veins; Is it not hard to weep in joy?

What then to smile in pains?"

Victorious joy! which breaks the clouds, And struggles through a storm; Proclaims the mind as great, as good And bids it doubly charm:

If doubly charming in our s.e.x, A s.e.x, by nature, bold; What then in yours? 'tis diamond there Triumphant o'er our gold.

And should not this complaint repress, And check the rising sigh?

Yet farther opiate to your pain I labour to supply.

Since spirits greatly damp'd distort Ideas of delight, Look through the medium of a friend, To set your notions right:

As tears the sight, grief dims the soul; Its object dark appears; True friends.h.i.+p, like a rising sun, The soul's horizon clears.

A friend's an optic to the mind With sorrow clouded o'er; And gives it strength of sight to see Redress unseen before.

Reason is somewhat rough in man; Extremely smooth and fair, When she, to grace her manly strength, a.s.sumes a female air:

A friend(51) you have, and I the same, Whose prudent, soft address Will bring to life those healing thoughts Which died in your distress;

That friend, the spirit of my theme Extracting for your ease, Will leave to me the dreg, in thoughts Too common; such as these:

Let those lament to whom full bowls Of sparkling joys are given; That triple bane inebriates life, Imbitters death, and hazards heaven:

Woe to the soul at perfect ease!

'Tis brewing perfect pains; Lull'd reason sleeps, the pulse is king; Despotic body reigns;

Have you(52) ne'er pitied joy's gay scenes, And deem'd their glory dark?

Alas! poor envy! she's stone-blind, And quite mistakes her mark:

Her mark lies hid in sorrow's shades, But sorrow well subdu'd; And in proud fortune's frown defied By meek, unborrow'd good.

By resignation; all in that A double friend may find, A wing to heaven, and, while on earth, The pillow of mankind:

On pillows void of down, for rest Our restless hopes we place; When hopes of heaven lie warm at heart, Our hearts repose in peace:

The peace, which resignation yields, Who feel alone can guess; 'Tis disbeliev'd by murmuring minds, They must conclude it less:

The loss, or gain, of that alone Have we to hope or fear; That fate controls, and can invert The seasons of the year:

O! the dark days, the year around, Of an impatient mind!

Thro' clouds, and storms, a summer breaks, To s.h.i.+ne on the resign'd:

While man by that of every grace, And virtue, is possess'd; Foul vice her pandaemonium builds In the rebellious breast;

By resignation we defeat The worst that can annoy; And suffer, with far more repose, Than worldlings can enjoy.

From small experience this I speak; O! grant to those I love Experience fuller far, ye powers, Who form our fates above!

My love were due, if not to those Who, leaving grandeur, came To s.h.i.+ne on age in mean recess, And light me to my theme!

A theme themselves! A theme, how rare!

The charms, which they display, To triumph over captive heads, Are set in bright array:

With his own arms proud man's o'ercome, His boasted laurels die: Learning and genius, wiser grown, To female bosoms fly.

This revolution, fix'd by fate, In fable was foretold; The dark prediction puzzled wits, Nor could the learn'd unfold:

But as those ladies'(53) works I read, They darted such a ray, The latent sense burst out at once, And shone in open day:

So burst, full ripe, distended fruits, When strongly strikes the sun; And from the purple grape unpress'd Spontaneous nectars run.

Pallas, ('tis said,) when Jove grew dull, Forsook his drowsy brain; And sprightly leap'd into the throne Of wisdom's brighter reign;

Her helmet took; that is, shot rays Of formidable wit; And lance,-or, genius most acute, Which lines immortal writ;

And gorgon s.h.i.+eld,-or, power to fright Man's folly, dreadful shone, And many a blockhead (easy change!) Turn'd, instantly, to stone.

Our authors male, as, then, did Jove, Now scratch a damag'd head, And call for what once quarter'd there, But find the G.o.ddess fled.

The fruit of knowledge, golden fruit!

That once forbidden tree, Hedg'd-in by surly man, is now To Britain's daughters free:

In Eve (we know) of fruit so fair The n.o.ble thirst began; And they, like her, have caus'd a fall, A fall of fame in man:

And since of genius in our s.e.x, O Addison! with thee The sun is set; how I rejoice This sister lamp to see!

It sheds, like Cynthia, silver beams On man's nocturnal state; His lessen'd light, and languid powers, I show, whilst I relate.

Part II.

But what in either s.e.x, beyond All parts, our glory crowns?

"In ruffling seasons to be calm, And smile, when fortune frowns."

Heaven's choice is safer than our own; Of ages past inquire, What the most formidable fate?

"To have our own desire."

If, in your wrath, the worst of foes You wish extremely ill; Expose him to the thunder's stroke, Or that of his own will.

What numbers, rus.h.i.+ng down the steep Of inclination strong, Have perish'd in their ardent wis.h.!.+

Wish ardent, ever wrong!

'Tis resignation's full reverse, Most wrong, as it implies Error most fatal in our choice, Detachment from the skies.

By closing with the skies, we make Omnipotence our own; That done, how formidable ill's Whole army is o'erthrown!