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A PASTORAL ELEGY.

1 AT first in Vales obscure the Lyre I strung;
2 Vales, where the Muse her annual Labours sung:
3 Now, leaving these, she ranges o'er the Plains,
4 And tunes her Voice to Flocks and Shepherd Swains;
5 Yet, fresh in Grief, but feebly moves her Wings,
6 Weeps, while she flies, and trembles, as she sings.
7 TWO Country Swains, in Friendship firmly join'd,
8 Lov'd each alike, and were, like Brothers, kind:
9 Great CAROLINE her Royal Bounty show'd
10 To one, and rais'd him from the grov'ling Crowd;
11 When straight his smiling Looks, and chearful Mien,
12 Proclaim'd the Goodness of a gracious QUEEN;
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13 But gloomy Sadness soon his Face possess'd,
14 And clouded all the Joys before express'd:
15 The other gay and pleasant still appear'd;
16 Nor griev'd for Evils past, nor future fear'd:
17 One Day they met; MENALCAS first began;
18 And thus the mournful Tale, alternate, ran.
MENALCAS.
19 WHY, COLIN, dost thou wear that pensive Look,
20 And sighing stand, supported by thy Crook?
21 Say, from what Cause this Melancholy springs;
22 Or dost thou verify what DAMON sings?
23 "Vain Man can never satiate his Desires;
24 " The more he has, the more he still requires:
25 "To-day he's craving, and To-morrow cloy'd;
26 " New Pleasures grow insipid, when enjoy'd. "
27 So, when our Sheep on Hills refuse to feed,
28 We straight remove them to the verdant Mead;
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29 Where all, intent, the luscious Herbage graze;
30 And, for that Day, their Pasture seems to please:
31 The next, they range around the flow'ry Space;
32 And bleating tell, they loath the tainted Grass.
COLIN.
33 'TWAS Yesterday a giddy Sheep I view'd,
34 Which rose in CUDDY's Fold, and stagg'ring stood;
35 While one, with burly Horns, secure from Pain,
36 Ran, enviously, and push'd him down again.
37 So you, vain jesting Youth! unmov'd with Care,
38 Insult the hapless Swain, that's in Despair.
MENALCAS.
39 I nor insulted, nor intended Guile;
40 And, if I jested, 'twas to make thee smile:
41 But tell me, Swain, what wond'rous Turn of Fate
42 O'erclouds thy Face, that look'd serene of late?
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43 What, is thy Harvest blasted on the Ground?
44 Or has the Royal CAROLINA frown'd?
45 Unveil thy Griefs, and make thy Sorrows known;
46 You know, my Friend's Misfortunes are my own.
COLIN.
47 MY Harvest is not blasted on the Ground,
48 Nor has the Royal CAROLINA frown'd:
49 But lately, when the Sun had gaily drest
50 The lofty Mountains in a purple Vest,
51 I early rose, to tend my fleecy Care;
52 Wet was the Grass, and piercing cold the Air.
53 My lovely SYLVIA, stay behind, I said,
54 Till I have weav'd a Garland for thy Head;
55 Till I a Bow'r, with shady Branches, form,
56 To shun the scorching Ray, or rapid Storm;
57 And, when the Dew's exhal'd, which Night distill'd,
58 Bless COLIN with thy Presence in the Field.
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59 She answer'd not; but from her Bosom sent
60 A deep presaging Sigh, before I went.
61 The Sun had painted ev'ry Object gay,
62 When to the chearful Field I took my Way;
63 The Lark with Mattins welcom'd in the Morn;
64 The Thrush and Finch sat chirping on the Thorn;
65 The Swallows round, in airy Circles, flew;
66 And, ah! poor COLIN then was joyful too:
67 But suddenly I saw the Mists arise,
68 And dark'ning Clouds o'erspread the dusky Skies,
69 Th'Horizon seem'd to cast a gloomy Frown,
70 While from his airy Height the Lark sunk down
71 The tuneful Birds their joyous Songs deny'd;
72 And boding Owls, and sooty Ravens, cry'd.
73 My drooping Heart, which felt unusual Weight,
74 Shock'd with such Omens, ceas'd almost to beat:
75 Yet these, said I, portend no Evil, while
76 My Royal Mistress condescends to smile:
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77 If She's propitious, what can COLIN fear?
78 Inur'd the lesser Ills of Life to bear.
79 Thus said, I took my Way to yonder Grove;
80 And form'd, with spreading Boughs, an arch'd Alcove:
81 So close I twisted in each pliant Spray,
82 As might exclude the Wind, or sunny Ray.
83 With sweetest Flow'rs I deck'd the mossy Ground,
84 And strew'd the fragrant Woodbinds all around.
85 Here, when, said I, my SYLVIA comes a-field,
86 This grateful Bow'r a safe Retreat shall yield:
87 If rainy, here she may the Storms evade;
88 If fair, the Branches will project a Shade:
89 Here SYLVIA shall, with COLIN, take her Rest;
90 And COLIN here, with SYLVIA, shall be blest.
91 As thus I spake, around I cast my Eye,
92 And saw celestial CELIA drawing nigh:
93 I saw; but wonder'd why her heav'nly Mien
94 Was clouded o'er, that us'd to be serene.
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95 CELIA's the Mistress of the flow'ry Plain,
96 Whose Bounty's known to ev'ry worthy Swain
97 Not Godlike PAN presided with more Care,
98 Nor to Arcadian Shepherds was so dear.
99 When CELIA to the rural Shade retires,
100 She ev'ry Breast with rising Hope inspires;
101 Expecting Swains, with joyous Looks, proclaim
102 The happy Time, and hail the gen'rous Dame:
103 As languid Plants, which half the Year lie dead,
104 When Spring approaches, raise their drooping Head.
105 She cross'd the Plains with a dejected Air;
106 Her pensive Aspect shew'd her pious Care;
107 And, loath th'unwelcome Tidings to reveal,
108 She sighing spoke, and left th'unfinish'd Tale:
109 "Ah poor unhappy Swain! return, return;
110 " The sable Clouds foretel a rainy Morn:
111 "Nor only is the Day o'ercast with Gloom;
112 " Thy pleasing Hopes are blasted all at home;
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113 "Thy SYLVIA, O!" She said, and dropt the rest;
114 But my presaging Heart too rightly guess'd:
115 I silent stood, and spoke my Grief with Tears;
116 You know, my Heart was firmly link'd to hers.
MENALCAS.
117 I know, your Hearts are link'd in Friendship fast;
118 Long may that mutual Bond of Friendship last:
119 May HYMEN to you both propitious prove,
120 And Death but late untie the Knot of Love.
COLIN.
121 O! stop, MENALCAS, and my Loss deplore;
122 The good, the faithful SYLVIA is no more:
123 That gloomy Morn she, in my Absence, dy'd;
124 And rigid Death the last Farewel deny'd.
125 Another Loss I could content have born;
126 But must the Loss of SYLVIA always mourn.
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127 My lovely SYLVIA was my softest Theme,
128 My Song by Day, by Night my pleasing Dream:
129 But now in Sighs I spend the ling'ring Day;
130 And, weeping, pass the tardy Night away:
131 Nor does thy Friend indulge a needless Care;
132 My Loss is great, and just is my Despair.
MENALCAS.
133 THY Loss and Sorrows equally are great;
134 But Death's the Law of Nature, fix'd by Fate:
135 Our Flocks, our Herds, our All precarious stands;
136 And fall we must, when Heav'n our Fall commands.
COLIN.
137 YET Flocks and Herds are with Reluctance spar'd;
138 And what are Flocks and Herds, with her compar'd?
139 A hungry Fox stole ten of CUDDY's Lambs,
140 A lurching Mongrel kill'd their bleating Dams:
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141 Say, did not CUDDY for his Loss repine?
142 But, ah! what Loss was his, compar'd with mine?
MENALCAS.
143 I have a Flute, which DAMON lately made;
144 No Shepherd on a sweeter ever play'd:
145 I tun'd it Yesterday, and straight a Throng
146 Of Nymphs and Swains ran crowding to my Song;
147 My list'ning Ewes, a-while, forsook their Meat;
148 My tender Lambs, tho' hungry, ceas'd to bleat:
149 I'll tune again the soft harmonious Lay;
150 Music, perhaps, may chase thy Cares away.
COLIN.
151 MENALCAS, Music's for a lighter Ill;
152 Such Woes as mine would baffle all thy Skill.
153 Upon his Flute ALEXIS often plays,
154 And strives to charm my Sorrows with his Lays;
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155 Upon his Flute ALEXIS plays in vain;
156 His Lays, tho' charming, cannot charm my Pain.
157 The tuneful Birds rejoice on ev'ry Spray,
158 My wanton Lambkins in their Pasture play;
159 In vain the tuneful Birds rejoice, in vain
160 My wanton Lambkins sport upon the Plain.
161 WITH chearful Green the spacious Fields are crown'd,
162 And beauteous Flow'rs adorn the painted Ground;
163 The snowy Blossoms on the Branches shine,
164 A pleasing Scene to ev'ry Eye, but mine!
165 For neither chearful Green, that crowns the Field,
166 Nor snowy Blossoms, which the Branches yield,
167 Nor Flow'rs, that spread the painted Meadows o'er,
168 Delight my Eyes, now SYLVIA is no more.
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MENALCAS.
169 'TIS more than Time thy mournful Dirge to end;
170 For, see, the whistling Ploughmen homeward tend;
171 Our fleecy Flocks stand waiting round the Fold;
172 Damp feel the Dews, the ruffling Breezes cold;
173 The setting Sun forsakes the blushing Skies,
174 And hazy Fogs from marshy Grounds arise:
175 Then fold thy Sheep, thy anxious Cares remove;
176 Nor weep on Earth, for her who sings above.

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Title (in Source Edition): A PASTORAL ELEGY.
Author: Stephen Duck
Themes: rural life; nature
Genres: heroic couplet; elegy; pastoral

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Source edition

Duck, Stephen, 1705-1756. Poems on several occasions: By Stephen Duck. London: printed for the author, 1736, pp. 54-65. xl,334,[2]p. ; 4⁰. (ESTC T90234; OTA K073280.000)

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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.

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