Laurel · William Lisle Bowles · The Poetical Works, Volume I

Monody on the Death of Dr Warton

William Lisle Bowles (1762–1850) · 1789–1837

iambic pentameter · 193 lines · from The Poetical Works, Volume I

Oh! I should ill thy generous cares requiteThou who didst first inspire my timid Muse,Could I one tuneful tear to thee refuse,Now that thine aged eyes are closed in night,Kind Warton! Thou hast stroked my stripling head,And sometimes, mingling soft reproof with praise,My path hast best directed through the mazeOf thorny life: by thee my steps were ledTo that romantic valley, high o'erhungWith sable woods, where many a minstrel rungHis bold harp to the sweeping waterfall;Whilst Fancy loved around each form to callThat fill the poet's dream: to this retreatOf Fancy, (won by whose enticing layI have forgot how sunk the summer's day),Thou first did guide my not unwilling feet;Meantime inspiring the gay breast of youthWith love of taste, of science, and of truth.The first inciting sounds of human praise,A parent's love excepted, came from thee;And but for thee, perhaps, my boyish daysHad all passed idly, and whate'er in meNow live of hope, been buried.I was one,Long bound by cold dejection's numbing chain,As in a torpid trance, that deemed it vainTo struggle; nor my eyelids to the sunUplifted: but I heard thy cheering voice;I shook my deadly slumber off; I gazedDelighted 'round; awaked, inspired, amazed,I marked another world, and in my choiceLovelier, and decked with light! On fairy groundMethought I buoyant trod, and heard the soundAs of enchanting melodies, that stole,Stole gently, and entranced my captive soul.Then all was life and hope! 'Twas thy first ray,Sweet Fancy, on the heart; as when the dayOf Spring, along the melancholy tractOf wintry Lapland, dawns; the cataract,From ice dissolving on the silent sideOf some white precipice, with paly gleamDescends, while the cold hills a slanting beamFaint tinges: till, ascending in his pride,The great Sun from the red horizon looks,And wakes the tuneless birds, the stagnant brooks,And sleeping lakes! So on my mind's cold nightThe ray of Fancy shone, and gave delightAnd hope past utterance.Thy cheering voice,O Warton! bade my silent heart rejoice,And wake to love of nature; every breeze,On Itchin's brink was melody; the treesWaved in fresh beauty; and the wind and rain,That shook the battlements of Wykeham's fane,Not less delighted, when, with random pace,I trod the cloistered aisles; and witness thou,Catherine, upon whose foss-encircled browWe met the morning, how I loved to traceThe prospect spread around; the rills below,That shone irriguous in the gleaming plain;The river's bend, where the dark barge went slow,And the pale light on yonder time-worn fane!So passed my days with new delight; mean timeTo Learning's tender eye thou didst unfoldThe classic page, and what high bards of old,With solemn notes, and minstrelsy sublime,Have chanted, we together heard; and thou,Warton! wouldst bid me listen, till a tearSprang to mine eye: now the bold song we hearOf Greece's sightless master-bard: the breastBeats high; with stern Pelides to the plainWe rush; or o'er the corpse of Hector slainHang pitying;--and lo! where pale, oppressedWith age and grief, sad Priam comes; with beardAll white he bows, kissing the hands besmearedWith his last hope's best blood!The oaten reedNow from the mountain sounds; the sylvan Muse,Reclined by the clear stream of Arethuse,Wakes the Sicilian pipe; the sunny meadSwarms with the bees, whose drowsy lullabySoothes the reclining ox with half-closed eye;While in soft cadence to the madrigal,From rock to rock the whispering waters fall!But who is he, that, by yon gloomy cave,Bids heaven and earth bear witness to his woe!And hark! how hollowly the ocean-waveEchoes his plaint, and murmurs deep below!Haste, let the tall ship stem the tossing tide,That he may leave his cave, and hear no moreThe Lemnian surges unrejoicing roar;And be great Fate through the dark world thy guide,Sad Philoctetes!So Instruction bland,With young-eyed Sympathy, went hand in handO'er classic fields; and let my heart confessIts holier joy, when I essayed to climbThe lonely heights where Shakspeare sat sublime,Lord of the mighty spell: around him pressSpirits and fairy-forms. He, ruling wideHis visionary world, bids terror fillThe shivering breast, or softer pity thrillEv'n to the inmost heart. Within me diedAll thoughts of this low earth, and higher powersSeemed in my soul to stir; till, strained too long,The senses sunk.Then, Ossian, thy wild songHaply beguiled the unheeded midnight hours,And, like the blast that swept Berrathron's towers,Came pleasant and yet mournful to my soul!See o'er the autumnal heath the gray mists roll!Hark to the dim ghosts' faint and feeble cry,As on the cloudy tempest they pass by!Saw ye huge Loda's spectre-shape advance,Through which the stars look pale!Nor ceased the tranceWhich bound the erring fancy, till dark nightFlew silent by, and at my window-grateThe morning bird sang loud: nor less delightThe spirit felt, when still and charmed I sateGreat Milton's solemn harmonies to hear,That swell from the full chord, and strong and clear,Beyond the tuneless couplets' weak control,Their long-commingling diapason roll,In varied sweetness.Nor, amidst the choirOf pealing minstrelsy, was thy own lyre,Warton, unheard;--as Fancy poured the song,The measured music flowed along,Till all the heart and all the senseFelt her divinest influence,In throbbing sympathy:--Prepare the car,And whirl us, goddess, to the war,Where crimson banners fire the skies,Where the mingled shouts arise,Where the steed, with fetlock red,Tramples the dying and the dead;And amain, from side to side,Death his pale horse is seen to ride!Or rather, sweet enthusiast, leadOur footsteps to the cowslip mead,Where, as the magic spell is wound,Dying music floats around:--Or seek we some gray ruin's shade,And pity the cold beggar, laidBeneath the ivy-rustling tower,At the dreary midnight hour,Scarce sheltered from the drifting snow;While her dark locks the bleak winds blowO'er her sleeping infant's cheek!Then let the shrilling trumpet speak,And pierce in louder tones the ear,Till, while it peals, we seem to hearThe sounding march, as of the Theban's song;And varied numbers, in their course,With gathering fulness, and collected force,Like the broad cataract, swell and sweep along!Struck by the sounds, what wonder that I laid,As thou, O Warton! didst the theme inspire,My inexperienced hand upon the lyre,And soon with transient touch faint music made,As soon forgotten!So I loved to lieBy the wild streams of elfin poesy,Rapt in strange musings; but when life began,I never roamed a visionary man;For, taught by thee, I learned with sober eyesTo look on life's severe realities.I never made (a dream-distempered thing)Poor Fiction's realm my world; but to cold TruthSubdued the vivid shapings of my youth.Save when the drisly woods were murmuring,Or some hard crosses had my spirit bowed;Then I have left, unseen, the careless crowd,And sought the dark sea roaring, or the steepThat braved the storm; or in the forest deep,As all its gray leaves rustled, wooed the toneOf the loved lyre, that, in my springtide gone,Waked me to transport.Eighteen summers nowHave smiled on Itchin's margin, since the timeWhen these delightful visions of our primeRose on my view in loveliness. And thouFriend of my muse, in thy death-bed art cold,Who, with the tenderest touches, didst unfoldThe shrinking leaves of Fancy, else unseenAnd shelterless: therefore to thee are dueWhate'er their summer sweetness; and I strew,Sadly, such flowerets as on hillocks green,Or mountain-slope, or hedge-row, yet my handMay cull, with many a recollection bland,And mingled sorrow, Warton, on thy tomb,To whom, if bloom they boast, they owe their bloom!

Words in this poem 60

generous a.: Of honorable birth or origin; highborn. [F. généreux, fr. L. generous of noble birth, noble, excellent, magnanimous, fr. genus birth, race: cf. It. generoso. See 2d Gender.]
didst: , the 2d pers. sing. imp. of Do.
tuneful a.: Harmonious; melodious; musical; as, tuneful notes.
hast: , 2d pers. sing. pres. of. Fave, contr. of havest.
stripling n.: A youth in the state of adolescence, or just passing from boyhood to manhood; a lad. [Dim. of strip; as if a small strip from the main stock or steam.]
reproof n.: Refutation; confutation; contradiction. [OE. reproef. See Proof, Reprove.]
maze n.: A wild fancy; a confused notion. [OE. mase; cf. OE. masen to confuse, puzzle, Norweg. masast to fall into a slumber, masa to be continually busy, prate, chatter, Icel. masa to chatter, dial. Sw.]
sable n.: A carnivorous animal of the Weasel family (Mustela zibellina) native of the northern latitudes of Europe, Asia, and America, -- noted for its fine, soft, and valuable fur. [OF. sable, F. zibeline sable (in sense 4), LL. sabellum; cf. D. sabel, Dan. sabel, zobel, Sw. sabel, sobel, G. zobel; all fr. Russ. sóbole.]
rung n.: A floor timber in a ship. [OE. ronge, AS. hrung, a staff, rod, pole; akin to G. runge a short, thick piece of iron or wood, OD. ronghe a prop, support, Icel. röng a rib in a ship, Goth. H]
boyish a.: Resembling a boy in a manners or opinions; belonging to a boy; childish; trifling; puerile.
shook v. t.: To pack, as staves, in a shook.
delighted a.: Endowed with delight.
stole n.: A long, loose garment reaching to the feet. [AS. stole, L. stola, Gr. stall. See Stall.]
wintry a.: Suitable to winter; resembling winter, or what belongs to winter; brumal; hyemal; cold; stormy; wintery. [AS. wintrig.]
precipice n.: A sudden or headlong fall. Fuller. [F. précipice, L. praecipitium, fr. praeceps, - cipitis, headlong; prae before + caput, capitis, the head. See Pre-, and Chief.]
paly a.: Pale; wanting color; dim. Shak. Whittier. [From Pale, a.]
tuneless a.: Without tune; inharmonious; unmusical.
bade: A form of the pat tense of Bid.
brink n.: The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border; as, the brink of a chasm. Also Fig. [Dan. brink edge, verge; akin to Sw. brink declivity, hill, Icel. brekka; cf. LG. brink a grassy hill, W. bryn hill, bryncyn hillock.]
fane n.: A temple; a place consecrated to religion; a church. [L. fanum a place dedicated to some deity, a sanctuary, fr. fari to speak. See Fame.]
cloistered a.: Dwelling in cloisters; solitary.
irriguous a.: Watered; watery; moist; dewy. [L. irriguus. See Irrigate.]
went n.: Course; way; path; journey; direction.
yonder adv.: At a distance, but within view. [OE. yonder, ýonder; cf. OD. ginder, Goth. jaindr there. Yond, adv.]
classic a.: Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art. [L. classicus relating to the classes of the Roman people, and especially to the frist class; hence, of the first rank, superior, from classis class: cf. F. clas]
minstrelsy n.: The arts and occupation of minstrels; the singing and playing of a minstrel.
sightless a.: Wanting sight; without sight; blind.
corpse n.: A human body in general, whether living or dead; -- sometimes contemptuosly. [OF. cors (sometimes written corps), F. corps, L. corpus; akin to AS. hrif womb. See Midriff, and cf. Corse, Corselet, Corps, Cuerpo.]
pitying a.: Expressing pity; as, a pitying eye, glance, or word.
oaten a.: Consisting of an oat straw or stem; as, an oaten pipe.
reclined a.: Falling or turned downward; reclinate.
sicilian a.: Of or pertaining to Sicily or its inhabitants. Sicilian vespers, the great massacre of the French in Sicily, in the year 1282, on the evening of Easter Monday, at the hour of vespers.
sunny a.: Of or pertaining to the sun; proceeding from, or resembling the sun; hence, shining; bright; brilliant; radiant.
lullaby n.: A song to quiet babes or lull them to sleep; that which quiets. [From Lull, v. t.]
madrigal n.: A little amorous poem, sometimes called a pastoral poem, containing some tender and delicate, though simple, thought. [It. madrigale, OIt. madriale, mandriale (cf. LL. matriale); of uncertain origin, possibly fr. It mandra flock, L. mandra stall, herd of cattle, Gr. madrigal, or]
hollowly adv.: Insincerely; deceitfully.
plaint n.: Audible expression of sorrow; lamentation; complaint; hence, a mournful song; a lament. Chaucer."The Psalmist's mournful plaint." [OE. plainte, pleynte, F. plainte, fr. L. plangere, planctum (plancta, fem. p.p.), to beat, beat the breast, lament. Cf. Complain, Plague, Plangent.]
lemnian a.: Of or pertaining to the isle of Lemnos. Lemnian bole, Lemnian earth, an aluminous earth of a grayish yellow color; sphragide; -- formerly sold as medicine, having astringent properties.
inmost a.: Deepest within; farthest from the surface or external part; innermost. [OE. innemest, AS. innemest, a double superlative form fr. inne within, fr. in in. The modern form is due to confusion with most. See In, and cf. Aftermost, Fore]
haply adv.: By hap, chance, luck, or accident; perhaps; it may be.
spectre n.: Something preternaturally visible; an apparition; a ghost; a phantom. [F. spectre, fr. L. spectrum an appearance, image, specter, fr. specere to look. See Spy, and cf. Spectrum.]
sate v. t.: To satisfy the desire or appetite of; to satiate; to glut; to surfeit. [Probably shortened fr. satiate: cf. L. satus full. See Satiate.]
diapason n.: The octave, or interval which includes all the tones of the diatonic scale. [L., fr. Gr. i. e., diapason. Cf. Panacea.]
amidst prep.: In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
unheard a.: Not heard; not perceived by the ear; as, words unheard by those present.
steed n.: A horse, especially a spirited horse for state of war; -- used chiefly in poetry or stately prose. [OE. stede, AS. steda a stud-horse, war horse, fr. stod a stud of breeding steeds; akin to G. stute a mare, Icel. stedda, sto, a stud. *163. See Stud of horses.]
fetlock n.: The cushionlike projection, bearing a tuft of long hair, on the back side of the leg above the hoof of the horse and similar animals. [OE. fetlak, fitlock, cf. Icel. fet pace, step, fit webbed foot of water birds, akin to E. foot. sq. root 77. See Foot.]
amain adv.: With might; with full force; vigorously; violently; exceedingly. [Pref. a- + main. See 2d Main, n.]
cowslip n.: A common flower in England (Primula veris) having yellow blossoms and appearing in early spring. It is often cultivated in the United States. [AS. c, c, prob. orig., cow's droppings. Cf. Slop, n.]
dreary a.: Sorrowful; distressful. [OE. dreori, dreri, AS. dreórig, sad; akin to G. traurig, and prob. to AS. dreósan to fall, Goth. driusan. Cf. Dross, Drear, Drizzle, Drowse.]
scarce a.: Not plentiful or abundant; in small quantity in proportion to the demand; not easily to be procured; rare; uncommon. [OE. scars, OF. escars, eschars, LL. scarpsus, for L. excerptus, p. p. of excerpere to pick out, and hence to contract, to shorten; ex (see Ex-) + carpere. See C]
elfin a.: Relating to elves.
poesy n.: The art of composing poems; poetical skill or faculty; as, the heavenly gift of poesy. [F. poésie (cf. It. poesia), L. poesis, from Gr. Posy.]
rapt n.: An ecstasy; a trance. Bp. Morton. [From F. rapt abduction, rape, L. raptus, fr. rapere to seize and carry off, to transport; or fr. E. rapt, a. See Rapt, a., and Rapid.]
unseen a.: Not seen or discovered.
springtide n.: The time of spring; springtime. Thomson.
loveliness n.: The state or quality of being lovely. [From Lovely.]
shelterless a.: Destitute of shelter or protection.
sadly adv.: Wearily; heavily; firmly.
cull v. t.: To separate, select, or pick out; to choose and gather or collect; as, to cuil flowers. [OE., OF. cuillir, coillir, F.cueillir, to gather, pluck, pick, fr. L. colligere. See Coil, v. t., and cf. Collect.]

Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.

About this text

Monody on the Death of Dr Warton is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poetical Works of William Lisle Bowles, Vol. 1 With Memoir, Critical Dissertation, and Explanatory Notes by George Gilfillan, Project Gutenberg ebook #18915; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.

Cite as: William Lisle Bowles, Monody on the Death of Dr Warton, in The Poetical Works, Volume I (1789–1837), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #18915, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/bowles-sonnets/monody-on-the-death-of-dr-warton.html, id L09951.

Form and metre

Monody on the Death of Dr Warton is 193 lines in a single stanza. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 89%). 94% of its stressed syllables fall where the metre puts the beat. The lines average 9.3 syllables. 16 lines end on an unstressed syllable, a feminine ending. 39% of the lines run on without a stop at the line end.

See other poems in iambic pentameter.

Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.

Rhyme words, stanza by stanza

The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.

1 -AA-BCCBDDEEFGGFHHIJIJ-KLLKMNNMOOPPQQ--RSSRTTUU-VVWWXXYZZYababcddc-eefggfhh-ijjikkllmnmnoppo-qqrssrtuutvw-wvvxxyyz-zABABCCDD---EEFF--GGHHIIH-JJKKLLMMNNOOPQQPRSSRT--TTUUVWWVXXYY---ZaaZbbcddceeff requite · muse^A · refuse^A · night · head^B · praise^C · maze^C · led^B · o'erhung^D · rung^D · waterfall^E · call^E · retreat^F · lay^G · day^G · feet^F · youth^H · truth^H · praise^I · thee^J · days^I · me^J · buried · one^K · chain^L · vain^L · sun^K · voice^M · gazed^N · amazed^N · choice^M · ground^O · sound^O · stole^P · soul^P · ray^Q · day^Q · tract · cataract · side^R · gleam^S · beam^S · pride^R · looks^T · brooks^T · night^U · delight^U · utterance · voice^V · rejoice^V · breeze^W · trees^W · rain^X · fane^X · pace^Y · thou^Z · brow^Z · trace^Y · below^a · plain^b · slow^a · fane^b · time^c · unfold^d · old^d · sublime^c · thou · tear^e · hear^e · breast^f · plain^g · slain^g · oppressed^f · beard^h · besmeared^h · blood · reedⁱ · muse^j · arethuse^j · meadⁱ · lullaby^k · eye^k · madrigal^l · fall^l · cave^m · woeⁿ · wave^m · belowⁿ · tide^o · more^p · roar^p · guide^o · philoctetes · bland^q · hand^q · confess^r · climb^s · sublime^s · press^r · wide^t · fill^u · thrill^u · died^t · powers^v · long^w · sunk · song^w · hours^v · towers^v · soul^x · roll^x · cry^y · by^y · advance^z · pale · trance^z · night^A · grate^B · delight^A · sate^B · hear^C · clear^C · control^D · roll^D · sweetness · choir · lyre · song^E · along^E · sense^F · influence^F · car · war · skies^G · arise^G · red^H · dead^H · side^I · ride^I · lead^H · mead · wound^J · around^J · shade^K · laid^K · tower^L · hour^L · snow^M · blow^M · cheek^N · speak^N · ear^O · hear^O · song^P · course^Q · force^Q · along^P · laid^R · inspire^S · lyre^S · made^R · forgotten^T · lie · poesy · began^T · man^T · eyes^U · realities^U · thing^V · truth^W · youth^W · murmuring^V · bowed^X · crowd^X · steep^Y · deep^Y · tone · gone · transport · now^Z · time^a · prime^a · thou^Z · cold^b · unfold^b · unseen^c · due^d · strew^d · green^c · hand^e · bland^e · tomb^f · bloom^f

Scansion, line by line

Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.

Line	Syl.	Stress
Oh! I should ill thy generous cares requite	11	·····/˘˘·/˘
Thou who didst first inspire my timid Muse,	10	····˘/·/˘·
Could I one tuneful tear to thee refuse,	10	···/˘···˘/
Now that thine aged eyes are closed in night,	10	·······˘··
Kind Warton! Thou hast stroked my stripling head,	10	·/˘····/˘·
And sometimes, mingling soft reproof with praise,	10	·/·/˘·˘/··
My path hast best directed through the maze	10	····˘/˘···
Of thorny life: by thee my steps were led	10	·/˘·······
To that romantic valley, high o'erhung	10	··˘/˘/˘···
With sable woods, where many a minstrel rung	10	·/˘··/·/˘·
His bold harp to the sweeping waterfall;	10	·····/˘/˘·
Whilst Fancy loved around each form to call	10	·/˘·······
That fill the poet's dream: to this retreat	10	···/˘···˘/
Of Fancy, (won by whose enticing lay	10	·/˘···˘/˘·
I have forgot how sunk the summer's day),	10	··˘/···/˘·
Thou first did guide my not unwilling feet;	10	······˘/˘·
Meantime inspiring the gay breast of youth	10	/·˘/˘·····
With love of taste, of science, and of truth.	10	·····/˘···
The first inciting sounds of human praise,	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
A parent's love excepted, came from thee;	10	·/˘·˘/˘···
And but for thee, perhaps, my boyish days	10	····˘/·/˘·
Had all passed idly, and whate'er in me	11	···/˘·˘˘/··
Now live of hope, been buried.	7	·····/˘
I was one,	3	···
Long bound by cold dejection's numbing chain,	10	·······/˘·
As in a torpid trance, that deemed it vain	10	···/˘·····
To struggle; nor my eyelids to the sun	10	·/˘··/····
Uplifted: but I heard thy cheering voice;	10	/˘˘····/˘·
I shook my deadly slumber off; I gazed	10	···/˘/˘···
Delighted 'round; awaked, inspired, amazed,	10	˘/˘·˘/˘/˘/
I marked another world, and in my choice	10	··˘/˘·····
Lovelier, and decked with light! On fairy ground	11	········/˘·
Methought I buoyant trod, and heard the sound	10	˘/·/˘·····
As of enchanting melodies, that stole,	10	··˘/˘/˘˘··
Stole gently, and entranced my captive soul.	10	·/˘·˘/·/˘·
Then all was life and hope! 'Twas thy first ray,	10	··········
Sweet Fancy, on the heart; as when the day	10	·/˘·······
Of Spring, along the melancholy tract	10	··˘/·/˘·˘·
Of wintry Lapland, dawns; the cataract,	10	·/˘/···/˘˘
From ice dissolving on the silent side	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
Of some white precipice, with paly gleam	10	···/˘˘·/˘·
Descends, while the cold hills a slanting beam	10	˘/·····/˘·
Faint tinges: till, ascending in his pride,	9	···˘/˘···
The great Sun from the red horizon looks,	10	······˘/˘·
And wakes the tuneless birds, the stagnant brooks,	10	···/˘··/˘·
And sleeping lakes! So on my mind's cold night	10	·/˘·······
The ray of Fancy shone, and gave delight	10	···/˘···˘/
And hope past utterance.	6	···/˘˘
Thy cheering voice,	4	·/˘·
O Warton! bade my silent heart rejoice,	10	·/˘··/˘·˘/
And wake to love of nature; every breeze,	10	·····/˘/˘·
On Itchin's brink was melody; the trees	10	·····/˘˘··
Waved in fresh beauty; and the wind and rain,	10	···/˘·····
That shook the battlements of Wykeham's fane,	10	···/˘·····
Not less delighted, when, with random pace,	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
I trod the cloistered aisles; and witness thou,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Catherine, upon whose foss-encircled brow	10	/˘····˘/˘·
We met the morning, how I loved to trace	10	···/˘·····
The prospect spread around; the rills below,	10	·/˘·······
That shone irriguous in the gleaming plain;	11	··˘/˘˘··/˘·
The river's bend, where the dark barge went slow,	10	·/˘·······
And the pale light on yonder time-worn fane!	10	·····/˘···
So passed my days with new delight; mean time	10	······˘/··
To Learning's tender eye thou didst unfold	10	·/˘/˘···˘/
The classic page, and what high bards of old,	10	·/˘·······
With solemn notes, and minstrelsy sublime,	10	·/˘··/˘˘˘/
Have chanted, we together heard; and thou,	10	·/˘·˘/˘···
Warton! wouldst bid me listen, till a tear	10	/˘···/˘···
Sprang to mine eye: now the bold song we hear	10	··········
Of Greece's sightless master-bard: the breast	10	·/˘/˘/˘···
Beats high; with stern Pelides to the plain	9	·········
We rush; or o'er the corpse of Hector slain	10	·······/˘·
Hang pitying;--and lo! where pale, oppressed	10	·/˘˘····˘/
With age and grief, sad Priam comes; with beard	10	·····/····
All white he bows, kissing the hands besmeared	10	····/˘····
With his last hope's best blood!	6	······
The oaten reed	4	·/˘·
Now from the mountain sounds; the sylvan Muse,	10	···/˘··/˘·
Reclined by the clear stream of Arethuse,	10	˘/········
Wakes the Sicilian pipe; the sunny mead	10	··˘/˘··/˘·
Swarms with the bees, whose drowsy lullaby	10	·····/˘/˘·
Soothes the reclining ox with half-closed eye;	10	··˘/˘·····
While in soft cadence to the madrigal,	10	···/˘··/˘˘
From rock to rock the whispering waters fall!	10	·····/˘/˘·
But who is he, that, by yon gloomy cave,	10	·······/˘·
Bids heaven and earth bear witness to his woe!	10	·/···/˘···
And hark! how hollowly the ocean-wave	10	···/˘˘·/˘·
Echoes his plaint, and murmurs deep below!	10	/˘···/˘···
Haste, let the tall ship stem the tossing tide,	10	·······/˘·
That he may leave his cave, and hear no more	10	··········
The Lemnian surges unrejoicing roar;	11	·/˘˘/˘·····
And be great Fate through the dark world thy guide,	10	··········
Sad Philoctetes!	4	····
So Instruction bland,	5	·˘/˘·
With young-eyed Sympathy, went hand in hand	10	···/˘˘····
O'er classic fields; and let my heart confess	10	·/˘·····˘/
Its holier joy, when I essayed to climb	10	·/˘···˘/··
The lonely heights where Shakspeare sat sublime,	10	·/˘·····˘/
Lord of the mighty spell: around him press	10	···/˘·····
Spirits and fairy-forms. He, ruling wide	10	/˘·/˘··/˘·
His visionary world, bids terror fill	10	·/˘·˘··/˘·
The shivering breast, or softer pity thrill	10	·/˘··/˘/˘·
Ev'n to the inmost heart. Within me died	10	···/˘·····
All thoughts of this low earth, and higher powers	11	·······/˘/˘
Seemed in my soul to stir; till, strained too long,	10	··········
The senses sunk.	4	·/˘·
Then, Ossian, thy wild song	6	······
Haply beguiled the unheeded midnight hours,	11	/˘˘/·˘/˘/·/
And, like the blast that swept Berrathron's towers,	11	·········/˘
Came pleasant and yet mournful to my soul!	10	·/˘··/˘···
See o'er the autumnal heath the gray mists roll!	11	···˘/˘·····
Hark to the dim ghosts' faint and feeble cry,	10	·······/˘·
As on the cloudy tempest they pass by!	10	···/˘/˘···
Saw ye huge Loda's spectre-shape advance,	10	·····/˘·˘/
Through which the stars look pale!	6	······
Nor ceased the trance	4	····
Which bound the erring fancy, till dark night	10	···/˘/˘···
Flew silent by, and at my window-grate	10	·/˘····/˘·
The morning bird sang loud: nor less delight	10	·/˘·····˘/
The spirit felt, when still and charmed I sate	10	·/˘·······
Great Milton's solemn harmonies to hear,	10	·/˘/˘/˘˘··
That swell from the full chord, and strong and clear,	10	··········
Beyond the tuneless couplets' weak control,	10	···/˘···˘/
Their long-commingling diapason roll,	10	··˘/˘˘····
In varied sweetness.	5	·/˘/˘
Nor, amidst the choir	6	·˘/·/˘
Of pealing minstrelsy, was thy own lyre,	10	·/˘/˘˘····
Warton, unheard;--as Fancy poured the song,	10	/˘˘/·/˘···
The measured music flowed along,	10	·/˘˘/˘·˘˘/
Till all the heart and all the sense	8	········
Felt her divinest influence,	8	··˘/˘/˘˘
In throbbing sympathy:--Prepare the car,	10	·/˘/˘˘˘/··
And whirl us, goddess, to the war,	8	···/˘···
Where crimson banners fire the skies,	9	·/˘/˘/˘··
Where the mingled shouts arise,	7	··/˘·˘/
Where the steed, with fetlock red,	7	····/˘·
Tramples the dying and the dead;	8	/˘·/˘···
And amain, from side to side,	7	·˘/····
Death his pale horse is seen to ride!	8	········
Or rather, sweet enthusiast, lead	9	·/˘·˘/˘··
Our footsteps to the cowslip mead,	9	/˘/···/˘·
Where, as the magic spell is wound,	8	···/˘···
Dying music floats around:--	7	/˘/˘···
Or seek we some gray ruin's shade,	8	·····/˘·
And pity the cold beggar, laid	8	·/˘··/˘·
Beneath the ivy-rustling tower,	9	···/˘/˘/˘
At the dreary midnight hour,	8	··/˘/·/˘
Scarce sheltered from the drifting snow;	9	·/˘˘··/˘·
While her dark locks the bleak winds blow	8	········
O'er her sleeping infant's cheek!	7	··/˘/˘·
Then let the shrilling trumpet speak,	8	···/˘/˘·
And pierce in louder tones the ear,	8	···/˘···
Till, while it peals, we seem to hear	8	········
The sounding march, as of the Theban's song;	10	·/˘·······
And varied numbers, in their course,	8	·/˘/˘···
With gathering fulness, and collected force,	10	·/˘/˘·˘/˘·
Like the broad cataract, swell and sweep along!	10	···/˘···˘/
Struck by the sounds, what wonder that I laid,	10	·····/˘···
As thou, O Warton! didst the theme inspire,	10	···/˘···˘/
My inexperienced hand upon the lyre,	10	·˘˘/˘·····
And soon with transient touch faint music made,	10	···/˘··/˘·
As soon forgotten!	5	··˘/˘
So I loved to lie	5	·····
By the wild streams of elfin poesy,	10	·····/˘/˘˘
Rapt in strange musings; but when life began,	10	···/˘···˘/
I never roamed a visionary man;	10	·/˘··/˘·˘·
For, taught by thee, I learned with sober eyes	10	·······/˘·
To look on life's severe realities.	10	····˘/˘/˘˘
I never made (a dream-distempered thing)	10	·/˘···˘/˘·
Poor Fiction's realm my world; but to cold Truth	10	·/˘·······
Subdued the vivid shapings of my youth.	10	˘/·/˘/˘···
Save when the drisly woods were murmuring,	10	·······/˘˘
Or some hard crosses had my spirit bowed;	10	···/˘··/˘·
Then I have left, unseen, the careless crowd,	10	····˘/·/˘·
And sought the dark sea roaring, or the steep	10	·····/˘···
That braved the storm; or in the forest deep,	10	·······/˘·
As all its gray leaves rustled, wooed the tone	10	·····/˘···
Of the loved lyre, that, in my springtide gone,	10	·······/˘·
Waked me to transport.	5	···˘/
Eighteen summers now	5	///˘·
Have smiled on Itchin's margin, since the time	10	·····/˘···
When these delightful visions of our prime	10	··˘/˘/˘·/·
Rose on my view in loveliness. And thou	10	·····/˘˘··
Friend of my muse, in thy death-bed art cold,	10	··········
Who, with the tenderest touches, didst unfold	10	···/˘/˘·˘/
The shrinking leaves of Fancy, else unseen	10	·/˘··/˘·˘/
And shelterless: therefore to thee are due	10	·/˘˘······
Whate'er their summer sweetness; and I strew,	11	˘˘/·/˘/˘···
Sadly, such flowerets as on hillocks green,	11	/˘······/˘·
Or mountain-slope, or hedge-row, yet my hand	10	·/˘·······
May cull, with many a recollection bland,	10	···/··˘/˘·
And mingled sorrow, Warton, on thy tomb,	10	·/˘/˘/˘···
To whom, if bloom they boast, they owe their bloom!	10	··········

Notes from the edition 10

Bowles's own notes to his Poetical Works (Project Gutenberg #18915).

Line 57 Catherine Hill.
Line 62 St Cross Hospital.
Line 70 Homer.
Line 74 See the last book.
Line 77 Theocritus.
Line 85 [Greek: MegalÍ moira.]--Soph.
Line 93 Philoctetes, see Sophocles. Youthful impressions on first reading it.
Line 132 See Warton's "Ode to Fancy."
Line 145 Alluding to some pathetic lines in Warton's "Ode to Fancy."
Line 154 See Warton's "Ode on West's Translation of Pindar."

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The Poetical Works, Volume I