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FOR THE NEW YEAR: TO THE SUN.

Intended To be Sung before Their Majesties on New-Years Day. 1693/4.

1 LIGHT of the World, and Ruler of the Year,
2 With happy Speed begin thy great Career;
3 And as the Radiant Journey's run
4 Where e're thy Beams are spread, where e're thy Power is known,
5 Through all the distant Nations own,
6 That in Fair Albion thou hast seen
7 The Greatest Prince, the Brightest Queen,
8 That ever Sav'd a People, ever Grac'd a Throne.
9 So may Thy God-head be confest,
10 So the returning Year be Blest,
11 As its Infant Months bestow
12 Springing Wreaths for William's Brow;
13 As its Summer's Youth shall shed
14 Eternal Sweets round Mary's Head:
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15 From the Blessings They shall know,
16 Our Times are Dated, and our Aera's move,
17 They Govern, and Enlighten all below
18 As Thou do'st all above.
19 Let our Heroe in the War
20 Active and Fierce like Thee, appear;
21 Like Thee, Great Son of Iove, like Thee,
22 When clad in rising Majesty
23 Thou Marchest down o'er Delos Hills confest,
24 With all thy Arrows Arm'd, with all thy Glory Drest.
25 Like Thee, the Heroe, does his Arms imploy,
26 The raging Python to destroy,
Cho.
27 And give the injur'd Nations Peace and Ioy.
28 From Ancient Times Historic Stores
29 Gather all the smiling Hours,
30 All that with Friendly Care have guarded
31 Patriots and Kings in Rightful Wars,
32 All that with Conquest have rewarded
33 His Great Fore-fathers Pious Cares,
34 All that Story have Recorded
35 Sacred to Nassau's long Renown,
36 For Countries Sack'd and Battels Won.
Cho.
37 March Them again in fair Array,
38 And bid Them form the Happy Day,
39 The Happy Day design'd to wait
40 On William's Fame, and Europe's Fate.
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41 Let the Happy Day be Crown'd
42 With great Event and fair Success,
43 No brighter in the Year be found,
44 But that which brings the Victor home in Peace.
45 Again Thy God-head we implore,
46 (Great in Wisdom as in Power)
47 Again for Mary's sake and ours,
48 Chuse out other smiling Hours,
49 Such as with lucky Wings have fled
50 When Happy Counsels were advising,
51 Such as have glad Omens shed
52 O'er forming Laws and Empires rising;
53 Such as many Lustres ran
54 Hand in Hand a goodly Train,
55 To bless the Great Eliza's Reign,
56 And in the Typic Glory show
57 The fuller Bliss which Mary should bestow.
58 As the Graver Hours advance,
59 Mingled send into the Dance,
60 Many fraught with all the Treasures
61 Which the Eastern Travel views,
62 Many wing'd with all the Pleasures
63 Man can ask, or Heav'n diffuse.
64 To ease the Cares which for Her Subjects sake
65 The Pious Queen does with glad Patience take.
Cho.
66 To let Her all the Blessings know
67 Which from those Cares upon Her Subjects flow.
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68 For Thy own Glory sing our Sov'raign's Praise
69 (God of Verses and of Days)
70 Let all Thy Tuneful Sons adorn
71 Their lasting Work with William's Name,
72 Let chosen Muses yet unborn
73 Take Mary's Goodness for their Theam:
74 Eternal Structures let Them raise
75 On William's and on Mary's Praise,
76 Nor want new Subjects for the Song,
77 Nor fear They can exhaust the Store,
78 Till Nature's Musick lies unstrung,
79 Till Thou shalt shine no more.
FINIS.

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Title (in Source Edition): FOR THE NEW YEAR: TO THE SUN. Intended To be Sung before Their Majesties on New-Years Day. 1693/4.
Author: Matthew Prior
Themes:
Genres: ode; Pindaric ode; address

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Source edition

Prior, Matthew, 1664-1721. For the New Year, to the sun intended to be sung before Their Majesties on New-Years Day, 1693/4 / written by Mr. Prior at the Hague. London: Printed for J. Tonson ..., 1694, pp. 1-4. 4 p. (ESTC R21857; OTA A55906)

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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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