Ode to Tranquillity

       &nbspTranquillity! thou better name

       &nbspThan all the family of Fame!

       &nbspThou ne'er wilt leave my riper age

       &nbspTo low intrigue, or factious rage;

       &nbspFor oh! dear child of thoughtful Truth,

       &nbspTo thee I gave my early youth,

And left the bark, and blest the steadfast shore,

Ere yet the tempest rose and scared me with its roar.





       &nbspWho late and lingering seeks thy shrine,

       &nbspOn him but seldom, Power divine,

       &nbspThy spirit rests! Satiety

       &nbspAnd Sloth, poor counterfeits of thee,

       &nbspMock the tired worldling. Idle Hope

       &nbspAnd dire Remembrance interlope,

To vex the feverish slumbers of the mind:

The bubble floats before, the spectre stalks behind.



       &nbspBut me thy gentle hand will lead

       &nbspAt morning through the accustomed mead;

       &nbspAnd in the sultry summer's heat

       &nbspWill build me up a mossy seat;

       &nbspAnd when the gust of Autumn crowds,

       &nbspAnd breaks the busy moonlight clouds,

Thou best the thought canst raise, the heart attune,

Light as the busy clouds, calm as the gliding moon.





       &nbspThe feeling heart, the searching soul,

       &nbspTo thee I dedicate the whole!

       &nbspAnd while within myself I trace

       &nbspThe greatness of some future race,

       &nbspAloof with hermit-eye I scan

       &nbspThe present works of present man—

A wild and dream-like trade of blood and guile,

Too foolish for a tear, too wicked for a smile!