Ode to Solitude

Thou mountain nymph, fair Solitude!
O! lead me to thy secret cell,
Where no unholy cares intrude,
But Peace and VIRTUE ever dwell.

The caverned rock, with moss overgrown,
And crowned with ivy's lasting hue,
Thou chusest for thy rural throne-
Thy canopy the concave blue.

O! place me gently by thy side,
Whilst the wide landscape blooms below,
And over our heads, in Nature's pride,
Rich showers form Heaven's resplendent bow.

Whilst, downward, on the sunny plain,
And sloping hills and vales I gaze,
Where Beauty, Health, and Pleasure reign,
And Man, rejoicing, spends his days.

Imprint this precept in my heart-
All temporal delights are vain,
The laboured elegance of Art,
And all the treasuries of gain.

O! purify my humble mind
With thy divine supernal fire,
And let me, by its power refined,
To real happiness aspire.

With Contemplation let me range
Vast Nature's ever-varying maze,
And view, with wonder, every change,
And give to Nature's Author praise.

The glens and rocks shall hear me sing,
Their echoes to my voice reply,
Whilst I adore Creation's King,
Whose wisdom formed the earth and sky.

All earthly happiness how vain,
Compared with heavenly Solitude,
That leads the studious soul, serene,
To seek - and find - ETERNAL GOOD !