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[Page 249][Page 251]
A Poem on Her MAJESTY's Birth-Day.
1 O You, the MONARCH's Bliss, the Muse's Friend!
2 Accept the Tribute Duty bids me send:
3 'Tis what the Bard should long before have paid;
4 But fearful to aspire, has long delay'd.
5 PHOEBUS alone can PHOEBUS' Chariot guide;
6 The Youth who dar'd to drive it, daring, dy'd.
7 My humble Muse can humble Subjects treat;
8 But trembles to attempt a Theme so great:
9 Yet, warm with Gratitude, would fain display
10 Her Zeal to You, on this auspicious Day.
11 To You! whose gracious Goodness plumes her Wings,
12 By whom she lives, by whom inspir'd, she sings:
[Page 250]13 Long may she celebrate your sacred BIRTH;
14 Long may You stay from Heav'n, to bless the Earth;
15 To chear the Royal Sov'reign of our ISLE;
16 Increase his Joys, or soften all his Toil;
17 Who now, while Death in purple Triumph reigns,
18 And sanguine Floods pollute the distant Plains;
19 Watchful o'er Britain's Fate, employs his Care,
20 Or wisely to avert, or bravely meet the War.
21 O glorious QUEEN! by Nature form'd to bring
22 The sweetest Comfort to the justest KING!
23 Let proud Oppressors, who abuse their Pow'r,
24 Hear groaning Subjects curse their natal Hour:
25 You, on that happy Hour, may justly feast
26 Your Soul with Thoughts of making Thousands blest;
27 Whose godlike Bounties, to the Wretched, show,
28 You're only pow'rful to relieve their Woe.
29 WHAT tho' the Muse old Annals should explore,
30 Mark all our Queens, and trace their Virtues o'er?
31 Where could she find so much exalted Sense,
32 Nobly employ'd, like yours, in Truth's Defense?
33 You strive to make the Seeds of Virtue grow,
34 To spread the Light, which Heav'n reveal'd below:
35 Yet, free from superstitious Zeal, incline
36 To make the Rays of Moral Goodness shine;
37 Supporting those, who, firm to Truth, defend
38 That first fix'd Law, on which all Laws depend.
39 BENEATH your Influence, Art and Science rear
40 Their sacred Heads, and flourish by your Care:
41 This Truth let Oxford's pompous Dome proclaim,
42 Which boasts the Honour of a*
[Page 252]* Queen's College.
Royal Name. 43 Lately your Bard survey'd the graceful Scene,
44 Rising with Bounties of a gen'rous QUEEN!
45 O! had the Muse there fledg'd her infant Wing,
46 And early tasted of that learned Spring;
47 She then had soar'd in more heroic Lays,
48 In more majestic Numbers sung your Praise;
49 But fearful now, must quit the glorious Theme,
50 Must leave the Architect to speak your Fame:
51 His Art shall there another Athens shew,
52 And there another Guardian PALLAS You.
About this text
Author: Stephen Duck
Themes:
birthday
Genres:
heroic couplet; occasional poem
Text view / Document view
Source edition
Duck, Stephen, 1705-1756. Poems on several occasions: By Stephen Duck. London: printed for the author, 1736, pp. 249-252. xl,334,[2]p. ; 4⁰. (ESTC T90234; OTA K073280.000)
Editorial principles
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.
Other works by Stephen Duck
- The ABSENT LOVER. ()
- [Ad JOANNEM MILTONUM.] ()
- The ANSWER. ()
- AVARO and AMANDA. A POEM, in FOUR CANTO's, Taken from the Spectator, Vol. I. No. xi. ()
- CHLOE's CONQUEST. ()
- CONTENTMENT. ()
- A Description of a Journey To Marlborough, Bath, Portsmouth, &c. To the Right Honourable the Lord Viscount PALMERSTON. ()
- An EPIGRAM. ()
- FELIX and CONSTANCE. A POEM, taken from BOCCACE. ()
- GRATITUDE. A PASTORAL. ()
- Imitated from CLAUDIAN. ()
- An IMITATION Of the Sixteenth Ode Of the Second Book of HORACE. ()
- An Imitation of the Sixteenth Ode of the Third Book of HORACE. ()
- An Imitation of the Tenth Ode of the Second Book of HORACE. To the Right Hon. the Lord Viscount PALMERSTON. ()
- Occasion'd by a Dispute with a LADY. ()
- An ODE, presented to their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of WALES, in Richmond Gardens, on Thursday, May 6. 1736. ()
- Of FRIENDSHIP. To CELIA. ()
- On a GOOD CONSCIENCE. ()
- On a Screen, work'd in Flowers by Her Royal Highness ANNE, Princess of ORANGE. ()
- On Celia's Picture, drawn by Sir Godfrey Kneller. ()
- On Delia singing, and playing on Music. ()
- On FLORELLA's Birth-Day. ()
- On MITES. To a LADY. ()
- On Mrs. L—s. ()
- On MUSIC. ()
- On POVERTY. ()
- On RICHMOND PARK, and ROYAL GARDENS. ()
- On the Hon. Mrs. HORNER's Travelling for the Recovery of her Health. ()
- On the Marriage of his Serene Highness the Prince of Orange. ()
- On the QUEEN's Grotto, in RICHMOND Gardens. ()
- On Two Young Ladies leaving the Country. ()
- A PASTORAL ELEGY. ()
- PENELOPE to ULYSSES. Paraphras'd from OVID. ()
- Proper Ingredients to make a Sceptic. ()
- The SHUNAMMITE. To Mrs. STANLEY. ()
- The THRESHER's LABOUR. To the Revd. Mr. STANLEY. ()
- To a Gentleman, who requested a Copy of Verses from the Author. ()
- To a Young LADY, who had a CUPID given Her. ()
- To DEATH. An IRREGULAR ODE. ()
- To His ROYAL HIGHNESS The DUKE of CUMBERLAND, On His BIRTH-DAY. ()
- To Mr. Winder, (now Fellow) of Corpus-Christi, Oxford; in Answer to a Latin Epistle, which he sent me. ()
- To Mr. WORSDALE: Occasion'd by seeing CELIA's Picture unfinish'd. Writ extempore at Kensington. ()
- To the Author of a Poem on the Duke of Lorrain's Arrival at the British Court. ()
- To the Rev. Dr. Freind, on his quitting Westminster School. ()
- To the Right Honourable William Clayton, Esq (now Lord Sundon) on his being Elected Representative in Parliament for Westminster without Opposition. ()
- TRUTH and FALSHOOD. A FABLE. ()
- The Two Beavers. A FABLE. ()
- VERSES to the Author, In IMITATION of HORACE's ODE on PINDAR. Apply'd to the Marriage of his Highness the Prince of Orange with ANNE, Princess Royal of Great Britain. ()