James thompson the seasons

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Software Images icon An illustration of two photographs. Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses. Hush'd in short suspense. Into the general choir. Man superior walks Amid the glad creation, musing praise, And looking lively gratitude. At last. But who can hold the shade, while Heaven descends In universal bounty, shedding herbs, And fruits, and flowers, on Nature's ample lap?

Beholds the kindling country colour round. Shakes on the floods, and in a yellow mist. In twinkling myriads lights the dewy gems. Mean time refracted from yon eastern cloud. Bestriding earth, the grand etherial bow Shoots up immense ; and every hue unfolds, In fair proportion, running from the red, To where the violet fades into the sky.

Here, awful Newton! Not so the boy ; He wondering views the bright enchantment bend. Delightful, o'er the radiant fields, and runs To catch the falling glory ; but amazM Beholds th' amusive arch before him fly, Then vanish quite away. Still night succeeds ; A softened shade, and saturated earth Awaits the morning-beam ; to give to light c 10 S P k 1 N G.

Rals'd thro' ten thousand different plastic tubes. The balmy treasures of the former day. Bursts his blind way ; or climbs the mountain-rock, FirM by the nodding verdure of its brow. With such a liberal hand has nature flung Their seeds abroad ; blown them about in winds, Innumerous mix'd them with the nursing mould. The moistening current, and prolific rain.

But who their virtues can declare? With vision pure, into these secret stores Of health, and life, and joy? The food of Man, While yet he liv'd in innocence, and told A length of golden years ; unfleshM in james thompson the seasons, A stranger to the savage arts of life. Death, rapine, carnage, surfeit, and disease ; The lord, and not the tyrant, of the world, 24a The first fresh dawn then wak'd the gladden'd race Of uncorrupted Man, nor blush'd to see The sluggard sleep beneath its sacred beam ; For their light slumbers gently fum'd away j And up they rpse as vigorous as the sun, SPRING.

If Or to the culture of the willing glebe. Wisdom and friendly talk, successive, stole Their hours away. And full replete with bliss ; save the sweet pain. That, inly thrilling, but exalts it more. Nor yet injurious act, nor surly deed. Was known among those happy sons of Heaven ; For reason and benevolence were law. Harmonious Nature too lookM smiling on ; Clear shone the skies, cool'd with eternal gales.

And balmy spirit all. The youthful sun Shot his best rays, and still the gracious clouds DropM fatness down ; as o'er the swelling mead; The herds and flocks, commixing, play'd secure. This when, emergent from the gloomy wood. Warbling the varied heart j the woodlands round Apply'd their quire ; and winds and waters flow'd In consonance. Such were those prime of days.

Are found no more amid these iron times, These dregs of life! Or impotent, or else approving, sees The foul disorder. Senseless, and deform'd, Convulsive anger storms at large ; or pale. And silent, settles into fell revenge. Base envy withers at another's joy. And hates that excellence it cannot reach. Desponding fear, of feeble fancies full, Weak and unmanly, loosens every power.

Hope sickens with extravagance ; and grief. Of life impatient, into madness swells ; Or in dead silence wastes the weeping hours. Oppressed a broken world : The Winter keen Shook forth his waste of snows ; and Summer shot His pestilential heats. Great Spring, before. Greened all the year ; and fruits and blossoms blush'd. In social sweetness on the self-same bough.

Hung not, relaxing, on the springs of life. But now, of turbid elements the sport, From clear to cloudy tost, from hot to cold. And dry to moist, with inward-eating change. Our drooping days are dwindled down to nought. Their period finishM ere 'tis well begun. And yet the wholesome herb neglected dies; Though with the pure exhilarating soul Of nutriment and health, and vital powers.

Beyond the search of art, 'tis copious blest. For, with hot ravine fir'd, ensanguined Man Is now become the lion of the plain, And worse. The wolf, who from the nightly fold Fierce-drags the bleating prey, ne'er drunk her milk Nor wore her warming fleece : Nor has the steer. At whose strong chest the deadly tyger hangs. E'er plow'd for him.

They too are james thompson the seasons high, With hunger stung, and wild necessity j Nor lodges pity in their shaggy breast. But Man, whom Nature form'd of milder clay. With every kind emotion in his heart. And fruits, as numerous as the drops of rain Or beams that gave them birth : Shall he, fair form! The beast of prey, Blood-stain'd, deserves to bleed : But you, ye flocks.

What have you done j ye peaceful people, what. To merit death? And the plain ox. That harmless, honest, guileless animal. In what has he offended? Patient and ever ready, clothes the land With all the pomp of harvest ; shall he bked, And struggling groan beneath the cruel hands Ev'n of the clown he feeds? To swell the riot of th' autumnal feast.

Won by his labour? Thus the feeling heart Would tenderly suggest : But 'tis enough, In this late age, adventurous, to have touch'd Light on the mmibers of the Samian sage. High Heaven forbids the bold presumptuous strain, Whose wisest will has fix'd us in a state That must not yet to pure perfection rise. To tempt the trout. The well-dissembled fly.

The rod fine-tapering with elastic spring. Snatched from the hoary steed the floating line. And all thy slender watry stores prepare. But let not on thy hook the tortur'd worm, Convulsive, twist in agonizing folds ; Which, by rapacious hunger swallowM deep. Gives, as you tear it from the bleeding breast Of the weak helpless uncomplaining wretch.

Harsh pain and horror to the tender hand. Then, issuing cheerful, to thy sport repair ; Chief should the western breezes curling play. And light o'er ether bear the shadowy clouds, High to their fount, this day, amid their hills. And woodlands warbling round, trace up the brooks ; The next, pursue their rocky-channel'd maze, Down to the river, in whose ample wave Their little naiads love to sport at large.

There throw, nice-judging, the delusive fly ; And as you james thompson the seasons it round in artful curve. With eye attentive mark the springing game. And to the shelving shore slow-dragging some. But should you lure From his dark haunt, beneath the tangled roots Of pendant trees, the monarch of the brook. Behoves you then to ply your finest art.

With sullen plunge. At once he darts along. Deep struck, and runs out all the lengthened line ; Then seeks the farthest ooze, the sheltering weed, The cavem'd bank, his old secure abode j And flies aloft, and flounces round the pool. Indignant of the guile. With yielding hand. Gives way, you, now retiring, following now Across the stream, exhaust his idle rage : Till floating broad upon his breathless side.

Even shooting listless languor thro' the deeps ; Then seek the bank where flowering elders croud, Where scatterM wild the lily of the vale Its balmy essence breathes, where cowslips hang The dewy head, where purple violets lurk. With all the lowly children of the shade : Or lie reclin'd beneath yon spreading ash, Hung o'er the steep ; whence, borne on liquid wing.

Or catch thyself the landskip, gliding swift Athwart imagination's vivid eye : Or by the vocal woods and waters luUM, And lost in lonely musing, in the dream, Confus'd, of careless solitude, where mix Ten thousand wandering images of things, Soothe every gust of passion into peace ; SPRING. That waken, not disturb, the tranquil mind. Can imagination boast.

Amid its gay creation, hues like hers? Or can it mix them with that matchless skill, And lose them in each other, as appears In every bud that blows? If fancy then Unequal fails beneath the pleasing task. Ah what shall language do? To life approaching, may perfume my lays With that fine oil, those aromatic gales, That inexhaustive flow continual round?

Yet, tho' successless, will the toil delight. Come then, ye virgins and ye youths, whose hearts Have felt the raptures of refining love ; And thou, Amanda, come, pride of my song! Shines lively fancy and the feeling heart : Oh come! Fresh-blooming flowers, to grace thy braided hair. Of growth luxuriant ; or the humid bank. In fair profusion, decks.

Long let us walk, Where the james thompson the seasons blows from yon extended field Of blossom'd beans. Arabia cannot boast A fuller gale of joy, than, liberal, thence Breathes thro' the sense, and takes the ravish'd soul. Nor is the mead unworthy of thy foot, Full of fresh verdure, and unnumbered flowers. The negligence of Nature, wide, and wild ; Where, undisguis'd by mimic Art, she spreads Unbounded beauty to the roving eye.

Here their delicious task the fervent bees, In swarming millions, tend : Around, athwart. And yellow load them with the luscious spoil. At length the finish'd garden to the view Its vistas opens, and its alleys green. But why so far excursive? Along these blushing borders, bright with dew. And in yon mingFed wilderness of flowers, Fair-handed Spring unbosoms every grace ; Throws out the snow-drop, and the crocus firjt j The daisy, primrose, violet darkly blue.

The varied coloias run ; and while they break On the charm'd eye, th' exulting florist marks, With secret pride, the wonders of his hand. No gradual bloom is wanting ; from the bud. Nor hyacinths, of purest virgin white, Low-bent, and blushing inward ; nor jonquils, Of potent fragrance ; nor Narcissus fair. As o'er the fabled fountain 'hanging still ; Nor broad carnations, nor gay-spotted pinks ; Nor, shower'd from every bush, the damask-rose.

Infinite numbers, delicacies, smells, With hues on hues expression cannot paint. The breath of Nature, and her endless bloom. Hail, Source of Being! Universal Soul Of heaven and earth! Essential Presence, hail! Hast the great whole into perfection touchM. By Thee the various vegetative tribes. Wrapt in a filmy net, and clad with leaves. Draw the live ether, and imbibe the dew : By Thee disposed into congenial soils.

And lively fermentation, mounting, spreads All this innumerous-colour'd scene of things. As rising from the vegetable world My theme ascends, with equal wing ascend, My panting Muse! In gallant thought, to plume the painted wing ; And try again the long-forgotten gtrain. At first faint- warbled. Every copse Deep-tangled, tree irregular, and bush Bending with dewy moisture, o'er the heads Of the coy quiristers that lodge within.

Are prodigal of harmony. Join'd to these, Innumerous songsters, in the freshening shade Of new-sprung leaves, their modulations mix Mellifluous. The jay, the rook, the daw. And each harsh pipe, discordant heard alone. Hence the glossy kind Try every winning way inventive love Can dictate ; and in courtship to their mates Pour forth their little souls.

First, wide around. With distant awe, in airy rings they rove ; Endeavouring by a thousand tricks to catch The cunning, conscious, half-averted glance Of the regardless charmer. Should she seem Softening the least approvance to bestow. Their colours burnish, and by hope inspired, They brisk advance ; then on a sudden struck. And shiver every feather with desire.

Connubial leagues agreed, to the deep woods They haste away, all as their fancy leads. Pleasure, or food, or secret safety prompts ; That Nature's great command may be obeyed. Nor all the sweet sensations they perceive Indulged in vain. Others apart far in the grassy dale. Or roughening waste, their humble texture weave. Steep, and divided by a babbling brook.

When by kind duty fix'd. Among the roots Of hazel, pendant o'er the plaintive stream. They frame the first foundation of their domes j Dry sprigs of trees, in artful fabric laid. And bound with clay together. Now 'tis nought But restless hurry thro' the busy air, Beat by unnumber'd wings. Clean, and complete, their habitation grows. As thus the patient dam assiduous sits, Not to be tempted from her tender task.

Their brittle bondage break; and come to light, A helpless family, demanding food With constant clamour : O what passions then. What melting sentiments of kindly care. On the new parents seize! Even so a gentle pair. By fortune sunk, but formM of generous mould. Check their own appetites, and give them all. Nor toil alone they scorn : Exahing love.

And to the simple, art. With stealthy wing. Should some rude foot their woody haunts molest, Amid a neighbouring bush they silent drop. Hence, around the head Of wandering swain, the white-wingM plover wheels Her sounding flight ; and then directly on In long excursion skims the level lawn. To tempt him from her nest. Be not the Muse asham'd, here to bemoan Her brothers of the grove, by tyrant Man Inhuman caught, and in the narrow cage From liberty confined, and boundless air.

Dull are the pretty slaves, their plumage dull. Oh theiii ye friends of love and love-taught song. Spare the soft tribes, this barbarous art forbear ; If on your bosom innocence can win. Music engage, or piety persuade. Oft when, returning with her loaded bill, Th' astonished mother finds a vacant nest, By the hard hand of unrelenting clowns Robb'd, to the ground the vain provision falls ; Her pinions ruffle, and low-drooping scarce Can bear the mourner to the poplar shade ; Where, all abandoned to despair, she sings Her sorrows thro' the night ; and, on the bough.

Sole-sitting, still at every dying fall Takes up again her lamentable strain Of winding woe ; till wide around, the woods Sigh to her song, and with her wail resound. Ardent, disdain ; and weighing oft their wings. When nought but balm is breathing thro' the woods. Or wing, their range and pasture. O'er the bought Dancing about, still at the giddy verge Their resolution fails ; their pinions still.

In loose libration stretch'd, to trust the void Trembling refuse : Till down before them fly The parent-guides, and chide, exhort, command, Or push them off. The surging air receives Its plumy burden ; and their self-taught wings Winnow the waving element. On ground Alighted, bolder up again they lead. Farther and farther on, the lengthening flight ; Till vanished every fear, and every power RouzM into life and action, light in air Th' acquitted parents see their soaring race, And once rejoicing never know them more.

High from the summit of a craggy cliff. Hung o'er the deep, such as amazing frowns On utmost Kilda's shore ; whose lonely race Resign the setting sun to Indian worlds ; The royal eagle draws his vigorous young. Strong pounc'd, and ardent with paternal fire ; Now fit to raise a kingdom of thdr own, He drives them from his fort, the towering seat.

Should I my steps turn to the rural seat. Whose lofty elms, and venerable oaks. Invite the rook ; who high amid the boughs, In early Spring, his airy city builds. And ceaseless caws amusive ; there, well-pleas'd, I might the various polity survey Of the mix'd houshold kind. The careful hen Calls all her. In the pond. The finely-checker'd duck before her train.

Rows garrulous. The stately-sailing swan Gives out his snowy plumage to the gale ; And, arching proud his neck, with oary feet Bears forward fierce, and guards his osier-isle. Protective of his young. The turkey nigh, Loud-threatning, reddens ; while the peacock spreads His every-colour'd glory to the sun, And swims in radiant majesty along.

O'er the whole homely scene, the cooing dove Flies thick in amorous chacc; and wanton rolls The glancing eye, and turns the changeful neck. And fierce desire. Thro' all his lusty veins The bull, deep-scorch'd, the raging passion feels. Scarce seen, he wades among the yellow broom.

James thompson the seasons

While o'er his ample sides the rambling sprays Luxuriant shoot ; or thro' the mazy wood Dejected wanders ; nor th' inticing bud Crops, tho' it presses on his careless sense. And oft, in jealous mad'ning fancy wrapt. He seeks the fight ; and, idly-butting feigns His rival gor'd in ev'ry knotty trunk. Him should he meet, the bellowing war begins : Their eyes flash fury j to the hoUow'd earth.

Whence the sand flies, they mutter bloody deeds. And groaning deep, th' impetuous battle mix : While the fair heifer, balmy-breathing, near. Stands kindling up their rage. The trembling steed. With this hot impulse seized in every nerve, Nor hears the rein, nor heeds the sounding thong : Blows are not felt ; but tossing high his head. And by the well-known joy to distant plains Attracted strong, all wild he bursts away ; O'er rocks, and woods, and craggy mountains flies ; And, neighing, on the aerial summit takes Th' exciting gale j then, steep descending, cleaves The headlong torrents foaming down the hills.

Even where the madnesa of the stiaiten'd stream Turns in black eddies round ; such is the force With which his frantic heart and sinews swell. Dire were the strain, and dissonant, to sing The cruel raptures of the savage kind : How by this flame their native wrath sublimed. And growl their horrid loves. But this the theme I sing, enraptured, to the British Fair, Forbids, and leads me to the mountain-brow.

Where sits the shepherd on the grassy turf, Inhaling, healthful, the descending sun. Around him feeds his many-bleating flock. Of various cadence ; and his sportive lambs. This way and that convolvM, in friskful glee. Their frolicks play. They start away, and sweep the massy mound That runs around the hill; the rampart once Of iron war, in antient barbarous times.

Liberty and Law, Impartial, watch ; the wonder of a world! That, in a powerful language, felt not heard. Instructs the fowls of heaven! What, but God? Inspiring God! He ceaseless works alone ; and yet alone Seems not to work : With such perfection fram'd Is this complex stupendous scheme of things. The Smiling God is seen ; while water, earthy And air attest his bounty j which exalts The brute-creation to this finer thought.

And annual melts their undesigning jameses thompson the seasons Profusely thus in tenderness and joy. Of Nature? Can fierce passions vex his breast. While every gale is peace, and every grove Is melody? Hard, and unfeeling of another's woe j Or only lavish to yourselves ; away! But come, ye generous minds, in whose wide thought, Of all his works.

Creative Bounty burns With warmest beam ; and on your open front And liberal eye, sits, from his dark retreat Inviting modest want. Nor, till invoked. For you, the roving spirit of the wind Blows Spring abroad; for you, the teeming clouds Descend in gladsome plenty o'er the world j And the sun sheds his kindest rays for you. Ye flower of human race!

In these green days. Reviving Sickness lifts her languid head ; Life flows afresh j and young-ey'd Health exalts The whole creation round. Contentment walks The sunny glade, and feels an inward bliss Spring o'er his mind, beyond the power of kinga To purchase. Pure serenity apace Induces thought, and contemplation still. We feel the present Deity, and taste The joy of God to see a happy world!

Open Library American Libraries. Search the Wayback Machine Search icon An illustration of a magnifying glass. Sign up for free Log in. The seasons. Bookreader Item Preview. It appears your browser does not have it turned on. Please see your browser settings for this feature. EMBED for wordpress. Want more? The lengthy blank verse poem, reflecting on the landscape of the countryside, was highly influential and much liked for at least a century after its writing.

A dispute over the publishing rights to The Seasons gave rise to two important legal decisions Millar v. Taylor ; Donaldson v. Beckett in the history of copyright. Millar may have referred to the edition because it was the first expanded version of Thomson's famous poem, it sold quickly, and it may have helped to clarify for Millar that he owned the highly valuable copyright of this book in perpetuity.

The painting which used his wife, daughter and Jane Potts as models was created by Joshua Reynolds and then it was engraved and prints were sold. This translation formed the basis for a work with the same title by Gottfried van Swietenwhich became the libretto for Haydn's oratorio The Seasons. Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history.

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