[Page 21]

TO AN UNBORN INFANT.

1 Be still, sweet babe, no harm shall reach thee,
2 Nor hurt thy yet unfinish'd form;
3 Thy mother's frame shall safely guard thee
4 From this bleak, this beating storm.
5 Promis'd hope! expected treasure!
6 Oh! how welcome to there arms!
7 Feeble, yet they'll fondly clasp thee,
8 Shield thee from the least alarms.
9 Lov'd already, little blessing,
10 Kindly cherish'd, tho' unknown,
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11 Fancy forms thee sweet and lovely,
12 Emblem of the rose unblown:
13 Though thy father is imprison'd,
14 Wrong'd, forgotten, robb'd of right,
15 I'll repress the rising anguish,
16 Till thine eyes behold the light.
17 Start not, babe! the hour approaches
18 That presents the gift of life;
19 Soon, too soon thoul't taste of sorrow
20 In these realms of care and strife:
21 Share not thou a mother's feelings,
22 Hope vouchsafes a pitying ray;
23 Tho' a gloom obscures the morning,
24 Bright may shine the rising day,
25 Live, sweet babe, to bless thy father,
26 When thy mother slumbers low;
27 Softly lisp her name that lov'd him,
28 Thro' a world of varied woe.
29 Learn, my child, the mournful story
30 Of thy suffering mother's life;
31 Let thy father not forget her
32 In a future happier wife.
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33 Babe of fondest expectation,
34 Watch his wishes in his face;
35 What pleas'd in me, mayst thou inherit,
36 And supply my vacant place.
37 Whisper all the anguish'd moments
38 That have wrung this anxious breast,
39 Say, I liv'd to give thee being,
40 And retir'd to endless rest.

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Title (in Source Edition): TO AN UNBORN INFANT.
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Genres: address

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Source edition

Kelly, Isabella, 1759-1857. Collection of Poems and Fables on Several Occasions. London: W. Richardson, 1794, pp. 21-23. 72p. (ESTC T122123) (Page images digitized from a copy at the British Library.)

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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.

Other works by Isabella Kelly (née Fordyce)