[Page 256]

ODE TO A LADY WHO HATES THE COUNTRY.

1 NOW Summer, daughter of the Sun,
2 O'er the gay fields comes dancing on,
3 And earth o'erflows with joys;
4 Too long in routs and drawing-rooms,
5 The tasteless hours my fair consumes
6 'Midst folly, flattery, noise.
[Page 257]
7 Come hear mild Zephyr bid the rose
8 Her balmy-breathing buds disclose,
9 Come hear the falling rill;
10 Observe the honey-loaded Bee,
11 The beech-embower'd cottage see,
12 Beside yon' sloping hill.
13 By Health awoke at early morn,
14 We'll brush sweet dews from every thorn,
15 And help unpen the fold;
16 Hence to yon hollow oak we'll stray,
17 Where dwelt, as village-fables say,
18 An holy Druid old.
19 Come wildly rove thro' desart dales
20 To listen how lone Nightingales
21 In liquid lays complain;
22 Adieu, the tender thrilling note,
23 That pants in Monticelli's throat,
24 And Handel's stronger strain.
25 "Insipid pleasures these! you cry,
26 " Must I from dear assemblies fly,
27 "To see rude peasants toil?
28 " For operas listen to a bird?
29 "Shall
b Arcadia.
Sydney's fables be preferr'd
30 "To my sagacious Hoyle?
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31 O falsly fond of what seems great,
32 Of purple pomp and robes of state,
33 And all life's tinsel glare!
34 Rather with humble violets bind,
35 Or give to wanton in the wind
36 Your length of sable hair.
37 Soon as you reach the rural shade,
38 Will Mirth, the sprightly mountain maid,
39 Your days and nights attend;
40 She'll bring fantastic Sport and Song,
41 Nor Cupid will be absent long,
42 Your true ally and friend.

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About this text

Title (in Source Edition): ODE TO A LADY WHO HATES THE COUNTRY.
Author: Joseph Warton
Themes: retirement; rural life
Genres: ode
References: DMI 32524

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Source edition

Pearch, G. A collection of poems in four volumes. By several hands. Vol. II. [The second edition]. London: printed for G. Pearch, 1770, pp. 256-258. 4v. ; 8⁰. (ESTC T116245; DMI 1135; OTA K093079.002) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [(OC) 280 o.789].)

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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.