Part 36 (1/2)
ODE ODE
_To the Honourable_ WILLIAM PITT. _To the Right Hon._ WILLIAM PITT.
_By_ W. MASON, _M.A._ _By_ W. MASON, _M.A._
?? ???, ?t? f???e?a? ”Give not the Mitre now!
T?at?? f???a? ?f????a?ta? ??p?de?, Lest base-tongued ENVY squinting at my brow, ??t? ??et?? p?te s???t? pat??a?, Cry, 'lo! the price for CAVENDISH betray'd!'
??d? t??sd ?????. But in good time nor that, oh! PITT!
PINDAR, Isthm. Ode 2. forget, Nor my more early service yet unpaid, My puffs on CHATHAM in his offspring's aid, Not what this loyal Ode shall add to swell the debt.”
MY OWN TRANSLATION.
I. I.
'Tis May's meridian reign; yet Eurus 'Tis now the TENTH of APRIL; yet the cold wind Forbids each shrinking thorn its In frigid fetters doth each blossom leaves unfold, bind, Or hang with silver buds her rural No silver buds her rural throne throne: emboss: No primrose shower from her green lap No violets _blue_ from her _green_ lap she throws[1], she throws[2]; No daisy, violet, or cowslip blows, Oh! lack-a-daisy! not a daisy blows, And Flora weeps her fragrant And (ere she has them) FLORA weeps offspring gone. their loss.
h.o.a.r frost arrests the genial dew; h.o.a.r frost, with bailiff's grizly hue, To wake, to warble, and to woo At Winter's suit, arrests the dew; No linnet calls his drooping No Cuckow wakes her drowsy mate: love: Shall then the poet strike the His harp then shall a Parson lyre, strum, When mute are all the feather'd When other Blackbirds all are quire, dumb, And Nature fails to warm the syrens of When neither Starlings, Daws, or the grove? Magpies prate?
II. II.
He shall: for what the sullen Spring He shall: for what the sulky Spring denies denies, The orient beam of virtuous youth An annual b.u.t.t of sugar'd SACK supplies: supplies; That moral dawn be his inspiring That beverage sweet be his inspiring flame. flame, Beyond the dancing radiance of the Cloath'd in the radiant influence of east the East, Thy glory, son of CHATHAM! fires his Thy glory, son of CHATHAM, fires his breast, breast; And proud to celebrate thy vernal And swift to adulate thy vernal fame. fame, Hark, from this lyre the strain Hark! from his lyre a strain is ascends, heard, Which but to Freedom's fav'rite In hopes, ere long, to be friends preferred, That lyre disdains to sound. To sit in state 'midst mitred peers.
Hark and approve, as did thy Hark and approve! as did thy sire, sire[3]
The lays which once with kindred The lays which, nodding by the fire fire, His muse in attic mood made Mona's To gentle slumbers sooth'd his oaks rebound. listening ears.
III. III.
Long silent since, save when, in Long silent since, save when on KEPPEL's name, t'other side, Detraction, murd'ring BRITAIN's naval In KEPPEL's praise to little purpose fame, tried, Rous'd into sounds of scorn th' I rous'd to well-feign'd scorn the indignant string[4]. indignant string; But now, replenish'd with a richer But now replete with a more hopeful theme, theme, The vase of harmony shall pour its The o'erflowing ink-bottle shall pour stream, its stream, Fann'd by free Fancy's Through quills by Dullness pluck'd rainbow-tinctur'd wing. from gosling's downy wing.
Thy country too shall hail the St. JAMES's too shall hail the song, song, Her echoing heart the notes Her echoing walls the notes prolong; prolong, While they alone with [5]envy Whilst they alone with sorrow sigh, sigh.
Whose rancour to thy parent dead Whose reverence for thy parent dead, Aim'd, ere his funeral rites were Now bids them hang their drooping paid, head, With vain vindictive rage to starve And weep, to mark the conduct of his his progeny. progeny.
IV. IV.
From earth and these the muse averts From these the courtly muse averts her her view, eye.
To meet in yonder sea of ether blue To meet with genuine unaffected joy A beam to which the blaze of noon is A scene that pa.s.ses in the Closet's pale: gloom; In purpling circles now the glory In whitening circles the dim glory spreads, spreads, A host of angels now unveil their Bedchamber Lords unveil their powder'd heads, heads, While heav'n's own music triumphs on And Tory triumphs sound throughout the gale. the room: Ah see, two white-rob'd seraphs Ah! see two Jannisaries lead lead Thy father's venerable shade; Ill.u.s.trious BUTE's thrice-honour'd shade; He bends from yonder cloud of Behind yon curtain did he stand, gold, While they, the ministers of Whilst they (which Whigs with light, horror mark) Bear from his breast a mantle Bear from his cloak a lantern bright, dark, And with the heav'n-wove robe thy And trust the hallow'd engine to thy youthful limbs enfold. youthful hand.
V. V.
”Receive this mystic gift, my son!” he ”Receive this mystic gift, brave boy,”
cries, he cries, ”And, for so wills the Sovereign of ”And if so please the Sovereign of the the skies, skies, With this receive, at ALBION's With this receive at GEORGE's anxious hour, anxious hour, A double portion of my patriot zeal, A double portion of my Tory zeal, Active to spread the fire it dar'd to Active to spread the fire it dared to feel feel, Thro' raptur'd senates, and with Through venal senates, and with awful power boundless pow'r, From the full fountain of the tongue From the full fountain of the tongue, To call the rapid tide along To roll a tide of words along, Till a whole nation caught the Till a whole nation is deceived.
flame.
So on thy sire shall heav'n bestow, So shall thy early labours gain A blessing TULLY fail'd to know, A blessing BUTE could ne'er attain; And redolent in thee diffuse thy In fact, a Courtier be, yet Patriot be father's fame. believed.
VI. VI.
”Nor thou, ingenuous boy! that Fame ”Nor thou, presumptuous imp, that fame despise disown, Which lives and spreads abroad in Which draws its splendor from a Heav'n's pure eyes, monarch's throne, The last best energy of n.o.ble Sole energy of many a lordly mind, mind[6]; Revere thy father's shade; like him Revere the shade of BUTE, subservient disdain still The tame, the timid, temporizing To the high dictates of the Royal train, will; Awake to self, to social interest Awake to self, to social interest blind: blind.
Young as thou art, occasion calls, Young as thou art, occasion calls, Thy country's scale or mounts or Prerogative or mounts or falls falls As thou and thy compatriots As thou and thy compatriots[7]
strive; strive, Scarce is the fatal moment past Scarce in the fatal moment past That trembling ALBION deem'd her Which Secret Influence deem'd her last, last, O knit the union firm, and bid an Oh! save the expiring fiend, and bid empire live. her empire live!
VII. VII.
”Proceed, and vindicate fair Freedom's ”Proceed!--Uphold Prerogative's high claim, claim, Give life, give strength, give Give life, give strength, give substance to her name; substance to her name!
The native rights of man with Fraud The rights divine of Kings with contest. Whigs contest; Yes, s.n.a.t.c.h them from Corruption's Save them from Freedom's bold baleful power, incroaching hand, Who dares, in Day's broad eye, those Who dares, in Day's broad eye, those rights devour, rights withstand, While prelates bow, and bless the And be by Bishops thy endeavours harpy feast. bless'd!”