mis Carter. O fend her fure, her fteady Ray Thro' Life's perplexing Road: Beneath her clear discerning Eye Col Collin ́s. Collins. 131 E. B. I. S. 425. Von seinen dreizehn Oden, die faft alle moralischen Inhalts ünd, ist die auf die Leidens schaften, welche zur musikalischen Komposition bestimmt war, eine der schönsten und berühmtesten. Auch ohne Beiz hülfe der Musik ist ihr Eindruck ungemein wirksam und lebhaft; und wenn der Dichter gleich nicht sein Eylbenmaaß nach dem Charakter der verschiednen hier geschilderten Leis denschaften abgeändert hat; so ist doch das Kolorit dieser, Schilderungen nichts weniger als matt und einförmig. Man vergleiche z. B. die Gemahlde der Verzweifelung und Hoff nung, der Schwermuth und Heiterkeit, die in ihrer Art vor züglich meisterhaft sind. Auffallend ist übrigens, was auch sein Freund Langhorne, bei der Herausgabe seiner Gedich te, bemerkte, daß keines von seinen Gedichten der Liebe ges widmet, oder daß er, wie 2. es ausdrückt, einer von den wes nigen Poeten ist, die nach Delphi schifften, ohne die Insel Cythere zu berühren. Selbst in dieser Ode, worin man es am wenigsten erwarten durfte, übergieng er die Leidenschaft der Liebe. When Mufick, heavenly Maid, was young, Collins. From the fupporting myrtles round But Thou, o Hope! with eyes fo fair, A foft refponfive voice was heard at ev'ry close; hair. And longer had fhe fung but with a frown He threw his blood-ftain'd fword in thunder down, The war-denouncing trumpet took, And blew a blast so loud and dread, Were ne'er prophetick founds fo full of woe; And ever and anon he beat The doubling drum with furious heat; And tho' fometimes, each dreary paufe between, Her Her foul-fubduing voice apply'd, Yet ftill he kept his wild unalter'd mien, While each ftrain'd ball of fight feem'd burfting from his head. Thy numbers, Jealoufy! to nought were fix'd; Sad proof of thy distressful state; Of diff'ring themes the veering fong was mix'd, With eyes up-rais'd, as one infpir'd, Pale Melancholy fat retir'd, And from her wild fequefter'd feat, In notes by distance made more 1weet, Pour'd thro' the mellow horn her penfive foul, And dafhing foft from rocks around Bubbling runnels join'd the found; Thro' glades and glooms the mingled measure ftole, Love of peace and lonely mufing, In hollow murmurs dy'd away, But o how alter'd was its fprightlier tone! When Cheerfulness, a nymph of healthiest hue, Her bufkins gemm'd with morning dew, Blew an infpiring air, that dale and thicket rung, The oak crown'd fifters, and their chafte-ey'd queen, Peeping from forth their alleys green; Brown Exercife rejoic'd to hear, And Sport leapt up, and feiz'd his beechen fpear. He with viny crown advancing, First to the lively pipe his hand addreft, But foon he saw the brifk-awakening viol, Whole sweet entrancing voice he lov'd the beft. To fome unweary'd minstrel dancing, Collins. Collins. While, as his flying fingers kifs'd the strings, As if he would the charming air repay, O Mufick! sphere-defcended maid, Thomas |