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A PRAYER FOR INDIFFERENCE.
1 OFT I've implor'd the Gods in vain,
2 And pray'd till I've been weary;
3 For once I'll try my wish to gain
4 Of Oberon the fairy.
5 Sweet airy being, wanton sprite,
6 That lurk'st in woods unseen;
7 And oft by Cynthia's silver light
8 Tripst gaily o'er the green!
9 If e'er thy pitying heart was mov'd,
10 As ancient stories tell,
11 And for th' Athenian maid, who lov'd,
12 Thou sought'st a wondrous spell;
13 Oh! deign once more t' exert thy power;
14 Haply some herb or tree,
15 Sov'reign as juice of western flower,
16 Conceals a balm for me.
17 I ask no kind return of love,
18 No tempting charm to please:
19 Far from the heart those gifts remove,
20 That sighs for peace and ease.
21 Nor peace nor ease the heart can know,
22 Which, like the needle true,
23 Turns at the touch of joy or woe,
24 But, turning, trembles too.
25 Far as distress the soul can wound,
26 'Tis pain in each degree:
27 'Tis bliss but to a certain bound;
28 Beyond is agony.
29 Take then this treacherous sense of mine,
30 Which dooms me still to smart;
31 Which pleasure can to pain refine,
32 To pain new pangs impart.
33 Oh, haste to shed the sacred balm!
34 My shatter'd nerves new-string;
35 And for my guest, serenely calm,
36 The nymph, Indifference bring.
37 At her approach, see Hope, see Fear,
38 See Expectation fly;
39 And Disappointment in the rear,
40 That blasts the promis'd joy.
41 The tear, which pity taught to flow,
42 The eye shall then disown:
43 The heart that melts for other's woe,
44 Shall then scarce feel its own.
45 The wounds which now each moment bleed,
46 Each moment then shall close,
47 And tranquil days shall still succeed
48 To nights of calm repose.
49 O, fairy elf! but grant me this,
50 This one kind comfort send;
51 And so may never-fading bliss
52 Thy flow'ry paths attend!
53 So may the glow-worm's glimm'ring light
54 Thy tiny footsteps lead
55 To some new region of delight,
56 Unknown to mortal tread.
57 And be thy acorn goblet fill'd
58 With heav'ns ambrosial dew;
59 From sweetest, freshest flow'rs distill'd,
60 That shed fresh sweets for you.
61 And what of life remains for me,
62 I'll pass in sober ease;
63 Half-pleas'd, contented will I be,
64 Content but half to please.
About this text
Author: Frances Greville (née Macartney)
Themes:
love
Genres:
prayer
References:
DMI 31238
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Source edition
Mendez, Moses. A collection of the most esteemed pieces of poetry: that have appeared for several years. With variety of originals, by the late Moses Mendez, Esq; and other contributors to Dodsley's collection. To which this is intended as a supplement. London: printed for Richardson and Urquhart, 1767, pp. 96-99. [8],320p. ; 8⁰. (ESTC T124631; DMI 1073; OTA K099398.000) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [Harding C 148].)
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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.