FAREWELL TO PERTH.
Adieu! pleasant Perth, all thy parts I admire,
Thy domes, and rich buildings, in every fine street,
Thy bridge, and thy churches, with each lofty spire,
Tay’s meads, and green isles, make thy beauty complete.
Of old in thy bosom, though kings once resided,
Thou’rt now even more splendid by commerce increas’d,
With wise regulations, and rulers provided;
Where arts are encouraged, and learning, and taste,
Though much has of late, for the poor been collected,
Ye affluent, think still, what must many endure,
Uncover’d from cold, & with want sore dejected,
Your own cup being brimful, O! think of the poor.
So may your fine city, still more and more flourish,
And trade spreading plenty, again soon return,
With anxious remembrance, this wish I will cherish,
When far distant from it, reluctantly borne,
Yes, I’ll think of thee Perth, not for thy gay splendor,
But sweet were the times that in thee I have seen,
The mem’ry of which will remain soft & tender,
Tho’ ’twixt me & thee many miles intervene.
In some distant valley, by some pleasant fountain,
Where linnets and larks warble sweet in the spring,
While sound’s plaintive echo from rocks, grove, or mountain,
Of Perth, when unseen, often sad I will sing.