To AURELIA on her GOING ABROAD. Mary Robinson (née Darby) Alexander Huber Editor Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford
Broad Street Oxford OX1 3BG UK
Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive
Taylor Institution Library St Giles' Oxford OX1 3NA UK info@eighteenthcenturypoetry.org https://www.eighteenthcenturypoetry.org/
Oxford This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. T100118 Robinson, Mary, 1758-1800. Poems by Mrs. Robinson [poems only]. London Printed for C. Parker, the Upper Part of New Bond-Street 1775 pp. 98-100. [8],134p.,plate; 8⁰.

This e-text is part of the Works section of the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA).

XML created for the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive (ECPA).

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 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.

Library of Congress Name Authority File (LCNAF) text-indent: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center; text-align: right; text-align: left; display: inline font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;
To AURELIA on her GOING ABROAD . Farewell , my friend , good angels waft thee o'er , And guard thee safely to Italia's shore . Propitious powers on all thy steps await , Mild as thy gentle bosom — be thy fate . Serene and calm be every moment past , May each revolving day approve the last ; Pure as thyself may all thy friendships prove . And may'st thou find sincerity in love . Be cautious , fair Aurelia , how you trust , To fickle man — for few alas are just . If at love's altar you resign your heart , Let well try'd constancy direct the dart . May sweet contentment crown the fleeting hours , And strew thy paths with ever blooming flow'rs . May no unwelcome pain disturb thy rest , No anxious cares invade thy gen'rous breast ; But every earthly bliss on thee attend , And keep from insult my much honor'd friend . When thou art landed on the distant isle , Think of our friendship past , and deign to smile : For know Aurelia's love I value more , Then all the gems of India's wealthy shore . The laws of sacred virtue still protect , Nor let my friendship meet a cold neglect . Let not sad absence banish from thy mind , Those faithful vows which once our hearts did bind . Those gen'rous ties of truth , ah ! ne'er resign , For seldom love is more sincere than mine ; I boast no more than truth has pow'r t'impart , A faithful , feeling , undissembling heart . Seek not the splendid cares of shining courts , For hidden sorrow with the great resorts . Unbidden grief lurks in the dark disguise , And heav'n-born peace her cheering ray denys . Sweet mediocrity to thee alone , Superior joys are most distinctly known . Bestow your choicest gifts ye sacred nine , On greater souls — simplicity be mine .