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[Page 21]
TO AN UNBORN INFANT.
1 Be still, sweet babe, no harm shall reach thee,
2 Nor hurt thy yet unfinish'd form;
3 Thy mother's frame shall safely guard thee
4 From this bleak, this beating storm.
5 Promis'd hope! expected treasure!
6 Oh! how welcome to there arms!
7 Feeble, yet they'll fondly clasp thee,
8 Shield thee from the least alarms.
9 Lov'd already, little blessing,
10 Kindly cherish'd, tho' unknown,
[Page 22]11 Fancy forms thee sweet and lovely,
12 Emblem of the rose unblown:
13 Though thy father is imprison'd,
14 Wrong'd, forgotten, robb'd of right,
15 I'll repress the rising anguish,
16 Till thine eyes behold the light.
17 Start not, babe! the hour approaches
18 That presents the gift of life;
19 Soon, too soon thoul't taste of sorrow
20 In these realms of care and strife:
21 Share not thou a mother's feelings,
22 Hope vouchsafes a pitying ray;
23 Tho' a gloom obscures the morning,
24 Bright may shine the rising day,
25 Live, sweet babe, to bless thy father,
26 When thy mother slumbers low;
27 Softly lisp her name that lov'd him,
28 Thro' a world of varied woe.
29 Learn, my child, the mournful story
30 Of thy suffering mother's life;
31 Let thy father not forget her
32 In a future happier wife.
[Page 23]33 Babe of fondest expectation,
34 Watch his wishes in his face;
35 What pleas'd in me, mayst thou inherit,
36 And supply my vacant place.
37 Whisper all the anguish'd moments
38 That have wrung this anxious breast,
39 Say, I liv'd to give thee being,
40 And retir'd to endless rest.
About this text
Author: Isabella Kelly (née Fordyce)
Themes:
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Source edition
Kelly, Isabella, 1759-1857. Collection of Poems and Fables on Several Occasions. London: W. Richardson, 1794, pp. 21-23. 72p. (ESTC T122123) (Page images digitized from a copy at the British Library.)
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 Isabella Kelly (née Fordyce)
- ANSWER TO THE SONG OF 'TRUST NOT MAN,' &c. ()
- The CHOICE; or, DULL HOUR PAST. ()
- THE EAGLE, THE KITE, AND THE COCK. An Emblematic Fable, most respectfully addressed to the Right Hon. General C——y. Written in the year 1788. ()
- EPITAPH ON A FAVORITE TAME CHICKEN. ()
- EXTEMPORE AFTER A DISPUTE AT DUNKERQUE. ()
- EXTEMPORE in the GARDEN of a CONVENT belonging to LES SOEURS NOIR, à BOURBURG. ()
- EXTEMPORE ON ARRIVING IN THE COUNTRY. ()
- THE HAWK, THE MAGPIES, AND THE PIGEONS. A Fable, very respectfully addressed to the Hon. Mrs. E—tw—k. ()
- IN THE BLANK LEAF OF LORD LYTTELTON'S WORKS. ()
- LINES FOR THE BLANK LEAF OF MY PRAYER BOOK: WRITTEN ON A SUNDAY. ()
- MIRANDA and the RED-BREAST. A FABLE FOR THE LADIES. ()
- ON A CHILD'S BIRTH DAY. ()
- ON BEHOLDING ARTHUR ASLEEP. ()
- ON THE RIGHT HONORABLE GENERAL C——Y LOSING HIS ELECTION FOR BURY ST. EDMUND'S. ()
- REFLECTIONS AFTER VIEWING A SCENE OF DISTRESS. ()
- THE REFORMED MAN OF FASHION, TO HIS FRIEND. ()
- RETIRED THOUGHTS TO A DEPARTED INFANT. ()
- TO A BROTHER, ON ENTERING THE ARMY. ()
- TO A WANDERING HUSBAND, FROM A DESERTED WIFE. ()
- To ARTHUR. ()
- TO THE MEMORY OF AN HONEST MAN, MR. B. D., ADDRESSED TO HIS WIDOW. ()
- To the MEMORY of ELIZA F——E, AN EXEMPLARY MOTHER. ()
- TO THE MEMORY OF LIEUT. JAMES ABERNETHIE, LOST ON BOARD THE GLORIEUX, 1782. ()
- TO THE MEMORY OF THE HONORABLE MISS CAROLINE CAMPBEL. ()
- TO THE MEMORY OF THE LAMENTED MR. ROBERT HAWKE K——Y. ()
- TO THE MEMORY OF THE LATE CAPTAIN T. H. ABBOTT. RESPECTFULLY ADDRESSED TO THE OFFICERS OF THE ARTILLERY. ()
- THE VISION. ()
- WRITTEN IN VERY DEEP AFFLICTION. ()