Tag Archives: didactic verse

Anne Ross, “Upon the Flight of a Favorite Owl”

ANNE ROSS

“Upon the Flight of a Favourite Owl”

It happen’d in the month of May,
A Lady’s pet flew far away,
From a fine house as bright as day,
To seek a gloomy dwelling.

To thickest woods, as dark as night,                                                 5
Where neither coal nor candle light,
Nor Ladies with their eyes so bright,
Would set his pipe a-yelling.

But Robin Redbreast, he comes in,
When Winter’s frosts and snows begin,                                            10
Says, “Ladies, please to let me in,
To warm me by your fire.

Your hospitable care I claim;
The helpless you do oft maintain:
I only ask a little grain,                                                                         15
‘Tis all that I require.

Let Owls in solitude seek rest,
To me good company is best;
None ever was with want oppress’d
When under your protection.”                                         20

The Ladies smil’d to see their guest,
And kindly thus the bird address’d:
“We’ll skreen you till the Winter’s past,
And warm you in our dwelling.

With bounteous hand we will maintain,                                            25
And keep you from the wind and rain,
That cheerful here you may remain,
And let the wind be bell’wing.”

Then Robin Redbreast made a bow:
“Ladies, a thousand thanks to you,                                                      30
Your kindness you shall never rue,
In granting my desire.

May Providence keep you from harm,
And fill your stack-yard and your barn,
And shield you safely from the storm,                                                  35
And warm you in a caul’ day.

And when ye walk among your trees,
The ground that’s damp I’ll spread with leaves,
And spare the flow’rs to feed your bees,
That ye may still have honey.”                                               40

The bees that suck the summer flowers,
From labour, all their sweetness pours,
And plenty, in a golden shower,
Supplies the land with money.

The sun did shine, he took his leave,                                                       45
And many a bow and glance did give,
Then gallantly his wings did wave,
“Good-morrow to you Ladies.”

NOTES:

8 pipe “The voice or vocal cords” (OED).

23 skreen Variant of “screen,” “to shelter or protect” (OED).

33 Providence “The care of God over all beings” (Johnson).

34 stack-yard “A farmyard where stacks of hay are stored” (OED).

36 caul’ Variant of “cauld,” Scottish form of “cold” (SND).

SOURCE: A Collection of Poems (Glasgow, 1798), pp. 15-17. [Google Books]

 Edited by Grace Elfers

Anne Finch, “The Cautious Lovers”

Leave a reply

ANNE FINCH

“The Cautious Lovers”

 

Silvia, let’s from the Croud retire;
For, What to you and me
(Who but each other do desire)
Is all that here we see?

Apart we’ll live, tho’ not alone;                                                            5
For, who alone can call
Those, who in Desarts live with One,
If in that One they’ve All?

The World a vast Meander is,
Where Hearts confus’dly stray;                                                   10
Where Few do hit, whilst Thousands miss
The happy mutual Way:

Where Hands are by stern Parents ty’d
Who oft, in Cupid’s Scorn,
Do for the widow’d State provide,                                                       15
Before that Love is born:

Where some too soon themselves misplace;
Then in Another find
The only Temper, Wit, or Face,
That cou’d affect their Mind.                                                         20

Others (but oh! avert that Fate!)
A well-chose Object change:
Fly, Silvia, fly, ere ‘tis too late;
Fall’n Nature’s prone to range.

And, tho’ in heat of Love we swear                                                      25
More than perform we can;
No Goddess You, but Woman are,
And I no more than Man.

Th’ impatient Silvia heard thus long;
Then with a Smile reply’d:                                                               30
Those Bands cou’d ne’er be very strong,
Which Accidents divide.

Who e’er was mov’d yet to go down,
By such o’er-cautious Fear;
Or for one Lover left the Town,                                                              35
Who might have Numbers here?

Your Heart, ‘tis true, is worth them all,
And still preferr’d the first;
But since confess’d so apt to fall,
‘Tis good to fear the worst.                                                              40

In ancient History we meet
A flying Nymph betray’d
Who, had she kept in fruitful Crete,
New Conquest might have made.

And sure, as on the Beach she stood,                                                    45
To view the parting Sails;
She curs’d her self, more than the Flood,
Or the conspiring Gales.

False Theseus, since thy Vows are broke,
May following Nymphs beware:                                                      50
Methinks I hear how thus she spoke,
And will not trust too far.

In Love, in Play, in Trade, in War
They best themselves acquit,
Who, tho’ their Int’rests shipwreckt are,                                                     55
Keep unreprov’d their Wit.

NOTES:

9 Meander “A winding course, like a labyrinth” (OED).

42 Nymph Poetical for woman in this context; an allusion to Ariadne, daughter of Minos and princess of Crete (Britannica).

43 Crete The largest island in Greece. Inhabited by the Minoans, a Bronze Age civilization, ruled by King Minos (Britannica).

45 Beach Refers to the shores of Naxos, the island where Ariadne was abandoned by her lover Theseus (Ancient History Encyclopedia).

48 Gales “A wind of considerable strength” (OED).

49 Theseus Athenian hero noteworthy for slaying the minotaur in the Cretan labyrinth with the help of Ariadne, who provided a yarn ball as aid for navigating the labyrinth (Ancient History Encyclopedia).

56 unreprov’d “Uncensured” (OED).

Source: Poems on Several Occasions (London 1714), pp. 118-122. [Google Books]

 Edited by Roland Shepherd

John Bennet, “The Brewer and the Rat”

Leave a reply

JOHN BENNET

 “The BREWER and the RAT”

 

‘Twas on a time a rat did stray
In search of food, and in his way,
By chance he met with sweet regale,
From dregs of Bowley’s new-brewn ale;
But not content with this good fare,                                      5
He search’d for something yet more rare:
He search’d, and found, he thought, a prize,
And straitway to his ruin flies.
Descends with ease the dreary vat,
And gladden’d much at this retreat,                                       10
Nor thought of danger till too late.
For in the midst of all his joys,
His fears were waken’d at the noise
Of Bowley with attendants twain,
Who for their fresh-fill’d vessel came.                                   15

The Rat now saw the danger great,
And earnest strove to shun his fate:
Oft round the fatal vat he run,
But by that found himself undone;
Because the efforts made in vain,                                          20
His once dear freedom to regain,
Soon drew the injur’d Brewer there,
To see the cause of noise so near.
Then did the Rat his error find,
Yet, not to prove the Fates unkind,                                         25
When dying to the Brewer spoke,
My discontent deserves this stroke.
Had not I been to prudence blind,
And all to thievery inclin’d;
I still had liv’d in pleasure free,                                                30
Nor lost my life with infamy.

The moral bids vain mortals to beware,
Lest they too soon do meet the Rat’s just fare;
Bids them not gratify their vicious will,
Which so productive is of future ill.                                         35

NOTES:

3  regale  “A sumptuous meal” (OED).

4  dregs  “The sediment of liquors” (OED); Bowley’s new-brewn ale  A reference to a Quaker brewer by the name of Bowley whose business was centered in Cirencester, about 35 miles from Bennet’s hometown of Woodstock (Mathias, The Brewing Industry in England, p. 299).  Bennet also includes a poem titled “Bowley’s Ale” in this volume (pp. 127-28)

5  fare  “Food” (OED).

8  straitway  “Immediately” (OED).

9  vat  “A cask, tun, or other vessel used for holding or storing water, beer, or other liquid” (OED).

14  twain  “In concord with” (OED).

25  Fates  “In later Greek and Roman mythology, the three goddesses supposed to determine the course of human life” (OED).

28  prudence  “The ability to recognize and follow the most suitable or sensible course of action” (OED).

31  infamy  “Evil fame or reputation” (OED).

Source: Poems on Several Occasions (London, 1774), p. 117-19.  [Google Books]

Edited by Nicole Breazeale