[Page 255]

ODE TO THE NIGHTINGALE.

1 O Thou, that to the moon-light vale
2 Warblest oft thy plaintive tale,
3 What time the village murmurs cease,
4 And the still eye is hush'd to peace,
5 When now no busy sound is heard,
6 Contemplation's favourite bird!
7 Chauntress of Night, whose amorous song
8 First heard the tufted groves among,
9 Warns wanton Mabba to begin
10 Her revels on the circled green,
11 Whene'er by meditation led,
12 I nightly seek some distant mead,
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13 A short repose of cares to find,
14 And soothe my love-distracted mind,
15 O fail not then, sweet Philomel,
16 Thy sadly-warbled woes to tell;
17 In sympathetic numbers join
18 Thy pangs of luckless love with mine!
19 So may no swain's rude hand infest
20 Thy tender young, and rob thy nest;
21 Nor ruthless fowler's guileful snare
22 Lure thee to leave the fields of air,
23 No more to visit vale or shade,
24 Some barbarous virgin's captive made.

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About this text

Title (in Source Edition): ODE TO THE NIGHTINGALE.
Author: Joseph Warton
Themes: animals; music
Genres: ode
References: DMI 32523

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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. 255-256. 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.