HYMN
to
ADVERSITY
.
By
the
Same
,
DAUGHTER
of
Jove
,
relentless
Pow'r
,
Thou
Tamer
of
the
human
breast
,
Whose
iron
scourge
and
tort'ring
hour
The
Bad
affright
,
afflict
the
Best
!
Bound
in
thy
adamantine
chain
The
Proud
are
taught
to
taste
of
pain
,
And
purple
tyrants
vainly
groan
With
pangs
unfelt
before
,
unpitied
and
alone
.
When
first
thy
Sire
to
send
on
earth
Virtue
,
his
darling
Child
,
design'd
,
To
thee
he
gave
the
heav'nly
Birth
,
And
bad
to
form
her
infant
mind
.
Stern
rugged
Nurse
!
thy
rigid
lore
With
patience
many
a
year
she
bore
:
What
sorrow
was
,
thou
bad'st
her
know
,
And
from
her
own
she
learn'd
to
melt
at
others'
woe
.
Scared
at
thy
frown
terrific
,
fly
Self-pleasing
Folly's
idle
brood
,
Wild
Laughter
,
Noise
,
and
thoughtless
Joy
,
And
leave
us
leisure
to
be
good
.
Light
they
disperse
,
and
with
them
go
The
summer
Friend
,
the
flatt'ring
Foe
;
By
vain
Prosperity
received
,
To
her
they
vow
their
truth
,
and
are
again
believed
.
Wisdom
in
sable
garb
array'd
,
Immers'd
in
rapt'rous
thought
profound
,
And
Melancholy
,
silent
maid
With
leaden
eye
,
that
loves
the
ground
,
Still
on
thy
solemn
steps
attend
:
Warm
Charity
,
the
gen'ral
friend
,
With
Justice
to
herself
severe
,
And
Pity
,
dropping
soft
the
sadly-pleasing
tear
.
Oh
!
gently
on
thy
Suppliant's
head
,
Dread
Goddess
,
lay
thy
chast'ning
hand
!
Not
in
thy
Gorgon
terrors
clad
,
Nor
circled
with
the
vengeful
Band
(
As
by
the
Impious
thou
art
seen
)
With
thund'ring
voice
,
and
threat'ning
mien
,
With
screaming
Horror's
funeral
cry
,
Despair
,
and
fell
Disease
,
and
ghastly
Poverty
.
Thy
form
benign
,
oh
Goddess
,
wear
,
Thy
milder
influence
impart
,
Thy
philosophic
Train
be
there
To
soften
,
not
to
wound
my
heart
,
The
gen'rous
spark
extinct
revive
,
Teach
me
to
love
,
and
to
forgive
,
Exact
my
own
defects
to
scan
,
What
others
are
to
feel
,
and
know
myself
a
man
.