[Page 33]

SONG.

1 WANDERING in the still of eve,
2 While songsters homeward cleave the air,
3 With lively notes my voice I tun'd,
4 To usher in the ev'ning star;
5 But straying near a woody brake,
6 Sweet sounds of melody ascend,
7 Oft intermix'd with sighs and tears:
8 Anxious a pitying ear I lend,
9 As from a vale below thus sad they roll'd:
10 "Ah! idiot Fortune, why
11 " Should genius somther'd die
12 "When fled by base delusive gold?
13 " When fled by base delusive gold?
14 "Wavering in a doubtful state,
15 " Impell'd by reason and desire,
[Page 34]
16 "Strongly I feel an innate pow'r
17 " Raising the sparks of youthful fire;
18 "While warmer fancy, genuine art,
19 " Urg'd by the touch, break forth to flame;
20 "But, chill'd by the cold worldling's frown,
21 " And starv'd by reason, sink again.
22 "Bewilder'd now I see the book of fate unfold:
23 " Ah! idiot Fortune, why
24 "Should genius smother'd die
25 " When fled by base delusive gold?
26 "When fled by base delusive gold?
27 "Unerring Pow'r! dare I complain?
28 " Yet sure mysterious is thy way!
29 "That the vile dust dug from the earth
30 " Should rule with such unbounded sway;
31 "Should smother up the seeds of love,
32 " And check the emanating fire
33 "That swells the rip'ning artist's breast,
34 " And wakes the soul-entrancing lyre!
[Page 35]
35 "Ah! sad disgrace to man's diviner mould!
36 " For, idiot Fortune! why
37 "Should genius smother'd die,
38 " When fled by base delusive gold?
39 "When fled by base delusive gold?
40 "Murmuring thus at partial fate,
41 " The wretch's comfort I pursue:
42 "How sweet those plaintive moments pass,
43 " How tuneful, but alas! how few!
44 "Courting the Muses, here my lute
45 " Soft I attune, and hail the sky,
46 "Reading the traits of heavenly love,
47 " Aloud I breathe this ardent sigh:
48 "Ah! when to me will Nature's works unfold?
49 " Through cruel Fortune, I
50 "In canker'd rust may die,
51 " If fled by thee, delsuive gold!
52 "If fled by thee, delsuive gold!"

Text

  • TEI/XML [chunk] (XML - 98K / ZIP - 9.5K) / ECPA schema (RNC - 357K / ZIP - 73K)
  • Plain text [excluding paratexts] (TXT - 1.8K / ZIP - 1.1K)

About this text

Title (in Source Edition): SONG.
Author: Ann Batten Cristall
Themes:
Genres: song

Text view / Document view

Source edition

Cristall, Ann Batten. Poetical Sketches by Ann Batten Cristall. London: Printed for J. Johnson, St. Paul's Church Yard, 1795, pp. 33-35. [14],187,[1]p.; 8⁰. (ESTC T126557)

Editorial principles

Typography, spelling, capitalization, and punctuation have been cautiously modernized. The source of the text is given and all significant editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. This ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.