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[Page 94]
[Illustration]
FABLE [28] XXVIII.
The Persian, the Sun and the Cloud.
1 Is there a bard whom genius fires,
2 Whose ev'ry thought the God inspires?
3 When Envy reads the nervous lines,
4 She frets, she rails, she raves, she pines,
5 Her hissing snakes with venom swell,
6 She calls her venal train from hell,
[Page 95]7 The servile fiends her nod obey,
8 And all Curl's authors are in pay.
9 Fame calls up calumny and spite.
10 Thus shadow owes its birth to light.
11 As prostrate to the God of day
12 With heart devout a Persian lay;
13 His invocation thus begun.
14 Parent of light, all-seeing Sun,
15 Prolific beam, whose rays dispense
16 The various gifts of Providence,
17 Accept our praise, our daily prayer,
18 Smile on our fields and bless the year.
19 A Cloud, who mock'd his grateful tongue,
20 The day with sudden darkness hung,
21 With pride and envy swell'd, aloud
22 A voice thus thunder'd from the cloud.
23 Weak is this gawdy God of thine,
24 Whom I at will forbid to shine;
[Page 96]25 Shall I nor vows, nor incense know?
26 Where praise is due the praise bestow.
27 With fervent zeal the Persian mov'd
28 Thus the proud calumny reprov'd.
29 It was that God, who claims my prayer,
30 Who gave thee birth and rais'd thee there:
31 When o'er his beams the veil is thrown
32 Thy substance is but plainer shown.
33 A passing gale, a puff of wind
34 Dispells thy thickest troops combin'd.
35 The gale arose; the vapor tost
36 (The sport of winds) in air was lost;
37 The glorious orb the day refines.
38 Thus Envy breaks, thus Merit shines.
Source edition
Gay, John, 1685-1732. FABLES. By Mr. GAY. London: Printed for J. Tonson and J. Watts, MDCCXXVII., 1727, pp. 94-96. [14],173,[1]p.: ill.; 4°. (ESTC T13818)
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.
Other works by John Gay
- [FABLE ] INTRODUCTION TO THE FABLES. The Shepherd and the Philosopher. ()
- FABLE [01] I. The Lyon, the Tyger, and the Traveller. ()
- FABLE [02] II. The Spaniel and the Cameleon. ()
- FABLE [03] III. The Mother, the Nurse, and the Fairy. ()
- FABLE [04] IV. The Eagle, and the Assembly of Animals. ()
- FABLE [05] V. The Wild Boar and the Ram. ()
- FABLE [06] VI. The Miser and Plutus. ()
- FABLE [07] VII. The Lyon, the Fox, and the Geese. ()
- FABLE [08] VIII. The Lady and the Wasp. ()
- FABLE [09] IX. The Bull and the Mastiff. ()
- FABLE [10] X. The Elephant and the Bookseller. ()
- FABLE [11] XI. The Peacock, the Turkey, and Goose. ()
- FABLE [12] XII. Cupid, Hymen, and Plutus. ()
- FABLE [13] XIII. The tame Stag. ()
- FABLE [14] XIV. The Monkey who had seen the World. ()
- FABLE [15] XV. The Philosopher and the Pheasants. ()
- FABLE [16] XVI. The Pin and the Needle. ()
- FABLE [17] XVII. The Shepherd's Dog and the Wolf. ()
- FABLE [18] XVIII. The Painter who pleased No body and Every body. ()
- FABLE [19] XIX. The Lyon and the Cub. ()
- FABLE [20] XX. The Old Hen and the Cock. ()
- FABLE [21] XXI. The Rat-catcher and Cats. ()
- FABLE [22] XXII. The Goat without a beard. ()
- FABLE [23] XXIII. The Old Woman and her Cats. ()
- FABLE [24] XXIV. The Butterfly and the Snail. ()
- FABLE [25] XXV. The Scold and the Parrot. ()
- FABLE [26] XXVI. The Cur and the Mastiff. ()
- FABLE [27] XXVII. The Sick Man and the Angel. ()
- FABLE [29] XXIX. The Fox at the point of death. ()
- FABLE [30] XXX. The Setting-dog and the Partridge. ()
- FABLE [31] XXXI. The Universal Apparition. ()
- FABLE [32] XXXII. The two Owls and the Sparrow. ()
- FABLE [33] XXXIII. The Courtier and Proteus. ()
- FABLE [34] XXXIV. The Mastiffs. ()
- FABLE [35] XXXV. The Barley-mow and the Dung-hill. ()
- FABLE [36] XXXVI. Pythagoras and the Countryman. ()
- FABLE [37] XXXVII. The Farmer's Wife and the Raven. ()
- FABLE [38] XXXVIII. The Turkey and the Ant. ()
- FABLE [39] XXXIX. The Father and Jupiter. ()
- FABLE [40] XL. The two Monkeys. ()
- FABLE [41] XLI. The Owl and the Farmer. ()
- FABLE [42] XLII. The Jugglers. ()
- FABLE [43] XLIII. The Council of Horses. ()
- FABLE [44] XLIV. The Hound and the Huntsman. ()
- FABLE [45] XLV. The Poet and the Rose. ()
- FABLE [46] XLVI. The Cur, the Horse, and the Shepherd's Dog. ()
- FABLE [47] XLVII. The Court of Death. ()
- FABLE [48] XLVIII. The Gardener and the Hog. ()
- FABLE [49] XLIX. The Man and the Flea. ()
- FABLE [50] L. The Hare and many Friends. ()