[Page 171]

A Word of Warning, OR Few Happy Marriages.

I.
1 SAY, Mighty Love, and teach my Song
2 To whom thy Sweetest Joys belong,
3 And who the Happy Pairs
4 Whose Yielding Hearts and Joyning Hands
5 Find Blessings twisted with their Bands
6 To soften all their Cares.
[Page 172]
II.
7 Not the Wild Herd of Nymphs and Swains
8 That thoughtless fly into the Chains
9 As Custom leads the way:
10 If there be Bliss without Design,
11 Ivys and Oaks may grow and twine,
12 And be as Blest as they.
III.
13 Not Sordid Souls, whose Earthy Mould
14 Drawn by Congenial Charms of Gold
15 To dull Embraces move:
16 So two Rich Mountains of Peru
17 May rush to Wealthy Marriage too,
18 And make a World of Love.
IV.
19 Not the Mad Tribe that Hell inspires
20 With Wanton Flames; those raging Fires
21 The Purer Bliss destroy:
22 On Aetna's top let Furies Wed,
23 And Sheets of Lightning dress the Bed
24 T' improve the Burning Joy.
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V.
25 Nor the Dull Pairs whose Marble Forms
26 None of the melting Passions warms,
27 Can mingle Hearts and Hands:
28 Logs of green Wood that quench the Coals
29 Are Married just like Stoick Souls,
30 With Osyers for their Bands.
VI.
31 Not Minds of Melancholy Strain
32 Still Silent, or that still Complain,
33 Can the dear Bondage bless:
34 As well may Heavenly Consorts spring
35 From two old Lutes with ne're a String,
36 Or none besides the Bass.
VII.
37 Nor can the soft Enchantments hold
38 Two Jarring Souls of Angry Mould,
39 The Rugged, and the Keen:
40 Sampson's young Foxes might as well
41 In Bonds of Cheerful Wedlock dwell
42 With Fire-brands ty'd between.
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VIII.
43 Nor let the Cruel Fetters bind
44 A Gentle to a Savage Mind;
45 For Love abhors the Sight:
46 Loose the fierce Tyger from the Deer,
47 For native Rage and native Fear
48 Stand and forbid Delight.
IX.
49 Two Kindest Souls alone must meet;
50 'Tis Friendship makes the Bondage sweet,
51 And feeds their mutual Loves:
52 Bright Venus on her Rolling Throne
53 Is drawn by gentlest Birds alone,
54 And Cupids Yoke the Doves.

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Title (in Source Edition): A Word of Warning, OR Few Happy Marriages.
Author: Isaac Watts
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Genres: address; ode

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Watts, Isaac, 1674-1748. Horæ lyricæ: Poems, chiefly of the lyric kind. In two books. ... By I. Watts. London: Printed by S. and D. Bridge, for John Lawrence at the Sign of the Angel in the Poultrey. MDCCVI., 1706, pp. 171-174. [20],267,[1]p.; 8⁰. (ESTC T82397; OTA K067329.000) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Princeton Theological Seminary Library.)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, 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.

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