Several Poems, Poem 7
CONTEMPLATIONS.
SOme time now paſt in the Autumnal Tide,
When Phoebus wanted but one hour to bed,
The trees all richly clad, yet void of pride,
Where gilded o're by his rich golden head.
Their leaves & fruits ſeem'd painted, but was true
Of green, of red, of yellow, mixed hew,
Rapt were my ſences at this delectable view.
2
I wiſt not what to wiſh, yet ſure thought I,
If ſo much excellence abide below;
How excellent is he that dwells on high?
Whoſe power and beauty by his works we know.
Sure he is goodneſs, wiſdome glory, light,
That hath this under world ſo richly dight:
More Heaven then Earth was here▪ no winter & no night.
3
Then on a ſtately Oak I caſt mine Eye,
Whoſe ruffling top the Clouds ſeem'd to aſpire;
How long ſince thou waſt in thine Infancy?
Thy ſtrength, and ſtature, more thy years admire▪
Hath hundred winters paſt ſince thou waſt born…
Or thouſand ſince thou brakeſt thy ſhell of horn,
If ſo, all theſe as nought, Eternity doth ſcorn.
4
Then higher on the gliſtering Sun I gaz'd,
Whoſe beams was ſhaded by the leavie Tree,
The more I look'd, the more I grew amaz'd,
And ſoftly ſaid, what glory's like to thee?
Soul of this world, this Univerſes Eye,
No wonder, ſome made thee a Deity:
Had I not better known, (alas) the ſame had I.
5
Thou as a Bridegroom from thy Chamber r…hes,
And as a ſtrong man, joyes to run a race,
The morn doth uſher thee, with ſmiles & bluſhes,
The Earth reflects her glances in thy face.
Birds inſects, Animals with Vegative,
Thy heart from death and dulneſs doth revive:
And in the darkſome womb of fruitful nature dive.
6
Thy ſwift Annual, and diurnal Courſe,
Thy daily ſtreight, and yearly oblique path,
Thy pleaſing fervor, and thy ſcorching force,
All mortals here the feeling knowledg hath
Thy preſence makes it day, thy abſence night,
Quaternal Seaſons cauſed by thy might:
Hail Creature, full of ſweetneſs, beauty & delight.
7
Art thou ſo full of glory, that no Eye
Hath ſtrength, thy …hining Rayes once to behold?
And is thy ſplendid Throne erect ſo high?
As to approach it, can no earthly mould.
How full of glory then muſt thy Creator be?
Who gave this bright light luſter unto thee:
Admir'd, ador'd for ever, be that Majeſty.
8
Silent alone, where none or ſaw, or heard,
In pathleſs paths I lead my wandring feet,
My humble Eyes to lofty Skyes I rear'd
To ſing ſome Song, my mazed Muſe thought meet.
My great Creator I would magnifie,
That nature had, thus decked liberally:
But Ah, and Ah, again, my imbecility!
9
I heard the merry graſhopper then ſing,
The black clad Cricket, bear a ſecond part,
They kept one tune, and plaid on the ſame ſtring,
Seeming to glory in their little Art.
Shall Creatures abject, thus their voices raiſe?
And in their kind reſound their makers praiſe:
Whilſt I as mute, can warble forth no higher layes.
10
When preſent times look back to Ages paſt,
And men in being fancy thoſe are dead,
It makes things gone perpetually to laſt
And calls back moneths and years that long ſince fled
It makes a man more aged in conceit,
Then was Methuſilah, or's grand-ſire great:
While of their perſons & their acts his mind doth treat.
11
Sometimes in Eden fair, he ſeems to be,
Sees glorious Adam there made Lord of all,
Fancyes the Apple, dangle on the Tree,
That turn'd his Sovereign to a naked thral▪
Who like a miſcreant's driven from that place,
To get his bread with pain, and ſweat of face▪
A penalty impos'd on his backſliding Race.
12
Here ſits our Grandame in retired place,
And in her lap, her bloody Cain new born,
The weeping Imp oft looks her in the face.
Bewails his unknown hap, and fate forlorn;
His Mother ſighs, to think of Paradiſe,
And how ſhe loſt her bliſs, to be more wiſe,
Believing him that was, and is, Father of lyes.
13
Here Cain and Abel come to ſacrfiice,
Fruits of the Earth, and Fatlings each do bring,
On Abels gift the fire deſcends from Skies,
But no ſuch ſign on falſe Cain's offering;
With ſullen hateful looks he goes his wayes.
Hath thouſand thoughts to end his brothers dayes,
Upon whoſe blood his future good he hopes to raiſe
14
There Abel keeps his ſheep, no ill he thinks,
His brother comes, then acts his fratricide,
The Virgin Earth, of blood her firſt draught drinks
But ſince that time ſhe often hath been cloy'd;
The wretch with gaſtly face and dreadful mind,
Thinks each he ſees will ſerve him in his kind,
Though none on Earth but kindred near then could he find.
15
Who fancyes not his looks now at the Barr,
His face like death, his heart with horror fraught,
Nor Male-factor ever …elt like warr,
When deep diſpair, with wiſh of life hath ſought,
Branded with guilt and cruſht with treble woes,
A Vagabond to Land of N…d he goes
A City builds, that wals might him ſecure from foes.
16
Who thinks not oft upon the Fathers ages.
Their long deſcent how nephews ſons they ſaw,
The ſtarry obſervations of thoſe Sages,
And how their precepts to their ſons were law,
How Adam ſign'd to ſee his Progeny,
Cloath'd all in his black ſinfull Livery,
Who neither guilt, nor yet the puniſhment could fly.
17
Our Life compare we with their length of dayes
Who to the tenth of theirs doth now arrive?
And though thus ſhort, we ſhorten many wayes,
Living ſo little while we are alive;
In eating, drinking, ſleeping, vain delight
So unawares comes on perpetual night,
And puts all pleaſures vain unto eternal …light:
18
When I behold the heavens as in their prime,
And then the earth (though old) ſtil clad in green,
The ſtones and trees, inſenſible of time,
Nor age nor wrinkle on their front are ſeen;
If winter come and greeneſs then do fade,
A Spring returns, and they more youthfull made▪
But Man grows old, lies down, remains where once he's laid.
20
By birth more noble then thoſe creatures all,
Yet ſeems by nature and by cuſtome curs'd,
No ſooner born, but grief and care makes fall
That ſtate obliterate he had at firſt▪
Nor youth, nor ſtrength, nor wiſdom ſpring again
Nor habitations long their names retain
But in oblivion to the final day remain.
20
Shall I then praiſe the heavens the trees, the earth
Becauſe their beauty and their ſtrength laſt longer
Shall I wiſh there, or never to had birth,
Becauſe they're bigger, & their bodyes ſtronger?
Nay, they ſhall darken, periſh, fade and dye,
And when unmade, ſo ever ſhall they lye,
But man was made for endleſs immortality.
21
Under the cooling ſhadow of a ſtately Elm
Cloſe ſate I by a goodly Rivers ſide,
Where gliding ſtreams the Rocks did overwhelm;
A lonely place, with pleaſures dignifi'd.
I once that lov'd the ſhady woods ſo well,
Now thought the rivers did the trees excel.
And if the ſun would ever ſhine, there would I dwell▪
22
While on the ſtealing ſtream I …ixt mine eye.
Which to the long'd for Ocean held its courſe,
I markt, nor crooks, nor rubs that there did lye
Could hinder ought, but ſtill augment its force▪
O happy Flood, quoth I, that holds thy race
Till thou arrive at thy beloved place,
Nor is it rocks or ſhoals that can obſtruct thy pace
23
Nor is't enough, that thou alone may'ſt ſlide,
But hundred brooks in thy cleer waves do meet,
So hand in hand along with thee they glide
To Thetis houſe, where all imbrace and greet:
Thou Emblem true, of what I count the beſt,
O could I lead my Rivolets to reſt,
So may we preſs to that vaſt manſion, ever bleſt.
24
Ye Fiſh which in this liquid Region 'bide,
That for each ſeaſon, have your habitation,
Now ſalt, now freſh where you think beſt to glide
To unknown coaſts to give a viſitation,
In Lakes and ponds, you leave your numerous fry,
So nature taught and yet you know not why,
You watry folk that know not your felicity.
25
Look how the wantons frisk to taſt the air,
Then to the colder bottome ſtreight they dive,
Eftſoon to N…ptun's glaſſie Hall repair
To ſee what trade they great ones there do drive,
Who forrage o're the ſpacious ſea-green field,
And take the trembling prey before it yield,
Whoſe armour is their ſ…ales, their ſpreading ſins their ſhield.
26
While muſing thus with contemplation fed,
And thouſand fancies buzzing in my brain,
The ſweet-tongu'd Philomel percht ore my head,
And chanted forth a moſt melodious ſtrain
Which rapt me ſo with wonder and delight,
I judg'd my hearing better then my ſight,
And wiſht me wings with her a while to take my flight.
28
O merry Bird (ſaid I) that fears no ſnares,
That neither toyles nor hoards up in thy barn,
Feels no ſad thoughts, nor cruciating cures
To gain more good, or ſhun what might thee harm
Thy cloaths ne're wear, thy meat is every where.
Thy bed a bough, thy drink the water cleer,
Reminds not what is paſt, nor whats to come doſt fear
28
The dawning morn with ſongs thou doſt prevent,
Sets hundred notes unto t… feat…ered crew,
So each one tunes his pretty inſtrument,
And warbling out the old beg…n …,
And thus they paſs their youth in ſummer ſeaſon,
Then follow thee into a better R…g…n,
where winter's never felt by that ſweet airy legion
29
Man at the beſt a creature frail and vain,
In knowledg ignorant, in ſtrength but weak,
Subject to ſorrows, loſſes, ſickneſs, pain,
Each ſtorm his ſtate, his mind, his body break.
From ſome of theſe he never finds ceſſation,
But day or night, within, without, vexation,
Troubles from foes, from friends, from deareſt, near'ſt Relati…
30
And yet this ſinfull creature, frail and vain,
This lump of wretchedneſs, of ſin and ſorrow
This weather-beaten veſſel wrackt with pain,
Joyes not in hope of an eternal morrow,
Nor all his loſſes, croſſes and vexation,
In weight, in frequency and long duration
Can make him deeply groan for that divine Tranſlation▪
31
The Mariner that on ſmooth waves doth glide,
Sings merrily, and ſteers his Barque with eaſe,
As if he had command of wind and tide,
And now become great Maſter of the ſeas;
But ſuddenly a ſtorm ſpoiles all the ſport.
And makes him long for a more quiet port.
Which' gainſt all adverſe winds may ſerve for …ort.
32
So he that ſaileth in this world of pleaſure,
Feeding on ſweets, that never bit of th' ſowre,
That's full of friends, of honour and of treaſure,
Fond fool, he takes this earth ev'n for heav'ns bower.
But ſad affliction comes & makes him ſee
Here's neither honour, wealth, nor ſafety;
Only above is found all with ſecurity.
33
O Time the fatal wrack of mortal things,
That draws oblivions curtains over kings,
Their ſumptuous monuments, men know them not,
Their names without a Record are forgot,
Their parts, their ports, their pomp's all laid in th' duſt
Nor wit nor gold, nor buildings ſcape times ruſt,
But he whoſe name is grav'd in the white ſtone
Shall laſt and ſhine when all of theſe are gone.