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On Dreaming That She Saw her Heart at her Feet.
1 When Nature tir'd with thought was sunk to rest.
2 And all my senses were by Sleep possest,
3 Sweet Sleep, that soft and balmy comfort brings
4 Alike to Beggars and despotic Kings,
5 I dreamt of peace I never felt before,
6 I dreamt my Heart was lying on the floor.
7 Observ'd it, strange to tell! with joyful eyes.
8 And stranger still without the least surprise.
9 Elated with the sight, I smiling sat
10 Exulting o'er the victim at my feet;
11 But soon with words of anguish thus addrest
12 This painful, sweet disturber of my Breast: –
13 "Say busy, lively, trembling, hopping thing,
14 " What new disaster hast thou now to bring,
15 "To torture with thy fears my tender frame,
16 " Who must for all her ills thee only blame?
17 "Speak now, and tell me why, ungrateful guest
18 " For ten years past hast thou denied me rest?
19 "That in my Bosom thou wast nurs'd tis true,
20 " And with my Life and with my Stature grew.
21 "At first so small were all thy wants, that I
22 " Vainly imagin'd I cou'd ne'er deny
23 "Whate'er thy fancy ask'd — Alas! but now
24 " I find thy wants my ev'ry sense outgrow;
25 "And ever having, ever wanting more,
26 " A power to please, to give, or to adore.
27 "Say, why like other Hearts dost thou not bear
28 " With callous apathy each worldly care?
29 "Why dost thou shriek at Envy's horrid cries?
30 " In thee Compassion, Hatred's place supplies,
31 "Why not with malice treat malicious Men?
32 " Why ever pity when thou shou'dst condemn?
33 "Why, at the hearing of a dismal tale,
34 " Dost thou with sorrow turn my Beauty pale?
35 "Why, when distress in any shape appears,
36 " Dost thou dissolve my very soul in Tears?
37 "Why in thy secret folds is Friendship bred?
38 " In other hearts its very name is dead.
39 "Why, if keen Wit and learned Sense draw nigh
40 " Dost thou with emulation beat so high?
41 "And while approving, wish to be approv'd?
42 " And when you love, wish more to be belov'd?
43 "Why not, in cold indifference ever clad,
44 " Alike, unmov'd, regard the good and bad?
45 "Why dost thou waste my youthful bloom with care,
46 " And sacrifice myself, that I may share
47 "Distress in others? why wilt thou adorn
48 " Their days with roses and leave me a thorn? "
49 But here I saw it heave an heavy sigh
50 And thus in sweetest sounds it did reply:
51 "Ah! cease, Eliza! cease thy speech unjust.
[Page 254]52 " Thy heart has e'er fulfill'd its sacred trust;
53 "And ever will its tender mansion serve,
54 " Nor can it from thee this reproach deserve
55 "Against my dictates murmuring have I found
56 " Which thus has laid me bleeding on the Ground,
57 "Compare thyself in this same hour depriv'd
58 " Of this soft Heart, from whence all are deriv'd
59 "The same bewitching graces which adorn,
60 " And make thy Face appear like beauteous Morn:
61 "With me its brilliant ornaments are fled,
62 " And all thy features, like thy Soul, are dead.
63 "'Tis I that make thee others' pleasures share,
64 " And in a Sister's joy forget thy care.
65 "'Tis by my dictates thou art taught to find,"
66 "A Godlike pleasure in a godlike mind;
67 " That makes thee oft relieve a Stranger's woes,
68 "And often fix those friends, that wou'd be foes,
69 " 'Tis I that tremblingly have taught thine Ear
70 "To cherish Music; and 'tis I appear
71 " In all its softest dress, when to the Hearts,
72 "Of all beholders my dear Voice imparts
73 " Harmonic strains; 'tis not because 'tis fine,
74 "For ev'ry note that's felt is surely mine.
75 " In smoothest numbers all that I indite,
76 "For 'tis I taught thy fearful hand to write,
77 " My genius has with watchful care supplied.
78 "What Education to thy sex denied;
79 " Made Sentiment and Nature all combine,
80 "To melt the Reader in each flowing line,
81 " Till they in words this feeling truth impart,
82 "She needs no more who will consult the Heart;
83 " And own in reading what is writ by thee,
84 "No study ever cou'd improve like me.
85 " And when thy bloom is gone, thy beauty flown,
86 "And laughing Youth to wrinkled Age is grown,
87 " Thy actions, writings, friendship, which I gave,
88 "Still shall remain an Age beyond the Grave.
89 " Then do not thus displac'd let me remain
90 "But take me to thy tender breast again."
91 [ "Yes, soft persuader, (I returned), I will,
92 " And if I am deceived, deceive me still. "]
93 Seduc'd I was in haste, then stooping low,
94 Soon reinstated my sweet, pleasing foe;
95 And waking, found it had nor less nor more
96 Than all the Joys, the pangs it had before!
C.
About this text
Author: Elizabeth Craven (née Berkeley)
Themes:
Genres:
heroic couplet
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Source edition
Craven, Elizabeth, 1750–1828. The Beautiful Lady Craven: the Original Memoirs of Elizabeth Baroness Craven afterwards Margravine of Anspach and Bayreuth and Princess Berkeley of the Holy Roman Empire (1750-1828). Edited with Notes and a Biographical and Historical Introduction containing much unpublished matter by A. M. Broadley & Lewis Melville. With 48 Illustrations. In Two Vols. London: John Lane The Bodley Head, 1914, pp. 252-255.
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.