[54:1] First published, Morning Chronicle, Nov. 7, 1793. First collected 1893.

PERSPIRATION. A TRAVELLING ECLOGUE[56:1]

The dust flies smothering, as on clatt'ring wheel
 Loath'd Aristocracy careers along;
 The distant track quick vibrates to the eye,
 And white and dazzling undulates with heat,
 Where scorching to the unwary traveller's touch, 5
 The stone fence flings its narrow slip of shade;
 Or, where the worn sides of the chalky road
 Yield their scant excavations (sultry grots!),
 Emblem of languid patience, we behold
 The fleecy files faint-ruminating lie. 10

1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[56:1] First published, Letters of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1895, i. 73, 74. The lines were sent in a letter to Southey, dated July 6, 1794.

[AVE, ATQUE VALE!][56:2]

Vivit sed mihi non vivit—nova forte marita,
 Ah dolor! alterius carâ a cervice pependit.
 Vos, malefida valete accensae insomnia mentis,
 Littora amata valete! Vale, ah! formosa Maria!

1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[56:2] First published, Biog. Lit. 1847, Biog. Supplement, ii. 340. This Latin quatrain was sent in a letter to Southey, dated July 13, 1794.

ON BALA HILL[56:3]

With many a weary step at length I gain
 Thy summit, Bala! and the cool breeze plays
 Cheerily round my brow—as hence the gaze
 Returns to dwell upon the journey'd plain.
'Twas a long way and tedious!—to the eye 5
 Tho' fair th' extended Vale, and fair to view
 The falling leaves of many a faded hue
 That eddy in the wild gust moaning by!
Ev'n so it far'd with Life! in discontent
 Restless thro' Fortune's mingled scenes I went, 10
 [57]Yet wept to think they would return no more!
 O cease fond heart! in such sad thoughts to roam,
 For surely thou ere long shalt reach thy home,
 And pleasant is the way that lies before.

1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[56:3] First published (as Coleridge's) in 1893, from an unsigned autograph MS. found among the Evans Papers. The lines are all but identical with Southey's Sonnet to Lansdown Hill (Sonnet viii), dated 1794, and first published in 1797, and were, probably, his composition. See Athenaeum, January 11, 1896.

LINENOTES:

[2]

Bala] Lansdown Poems, 1797.

[3]

Cheerily] Gratefully Poems, 1797.

[12]

O] But Poems, 1797.

LINES[57:1]

WRITTEN AT THE KING'S ARMS, ROSS, FORMERLY THE HOUSE
OF THE 'MAN OF ROSS'

Richer than Miser o'er his countless hoards,
 Nobler than Kings, or king-polluted Lords,
 Here dwelt the Man of Ross! O Traveller, hear!
 Departed Merit claims a reverent tear.
 Friend to the friendless, to the sick man health, 5
 With generous joy he view'd his modest wealth;
 He heard the widow's heaven-breath'd prayer of praise,
 He mark'd the shelter'd orphan's tearful gaze,
 Or where the sorrow-shrivell'd captive lay,
 Pour'd the bright blaze of Freedom's noon-tide ray. 10
 [58]Beneath this roof if thy cheer'd moments pass,
 Fill to the good man's name one grateful glass:
 To higher zest shall Memory wake thy soul,
 And Virtue mingle in the ennobled bowl.
 But if, like me, through Life's distressful scene 15
 Lonely and sad thy pilgrimage hath been;
 And if thy breast with heart-sick anguish fraught,
 Thou journeyest onward tempest-tossed in thought;
 Here cheat thy cares! in generous visions melt,
 And dream of Goodness, thou hast never felt! 20

1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[57:1] First published in the Cambridge Intelligencer, September 27, 1794: included in A Pedestrian Tour through North Wales. By J. Hucks, 1795, p. 15: 1796, 1797, 1803, 1828, 1829, and 1834.

In a letter to Southey dated July 13, 1794, Coleridge writes:—'At Ross . . . we took up our quarters at the King's Arms, once the house of Kyrle, the Man of Ross. I gave the window-shutter the following effusion—"Richer than Misers" etc.' J. Hucks, in his Tour, 1795, p. 15, writes to the same effect. There are but slight variations in the text as printed in the Cambridge Intelligencer and in Hucks' Tour. In 1796 lines 5-10 of the text, which were included in A Monody on the Death of Chatterton (1796), are omitted, and the poem numbered only fourteen lines. In 1797 lines 5-10 were restored to the Man of Ross and omitted from the Monody. The poem numbered twenty lines. In 1803 lines 5-10 were again omitted from the Man of Ross, but not included in the Monody. The poem numbered fourteen lines. The text of 1828, 1829 is almost identical with that of 1834.

Four MS. versions are extant, (1) the Letter to Southey, July 13, 1794; (2) the Estlin Copy-book; (3) the Morrison MSS.; (4) the MS. 4o Copy-book.

LINENOTES:

Title] Written . . . Mr. Kyrle, 'the Man of Ross'. MS. E.

[1]

Misers o'er their Letter, 1794, J. H., MS. E, 1808.

[4]

the glistening tear Letter, 1794: a] the J. H., MS. E. Lines 5-10 are not in MS. 4o, 1796, 1803: in 1797 they follow l. 14 of the text.

[5]

to the poor man wealth, Morrison MSS.

[7]

heard] hears 1797, 1828, 1829.

[8]

mark'd] marks 1797, 1828.

[9]

And o'er the dowried maiden's glowing cheek, Letter, 1794, Morrison MSS.: virgin's snowy cheek, J. H., MS. E.

[10]

Bade bridal love suffuse its blushes meek. Letter, 1794, MS. E, Morrison MSS. Pour'd] Pours 1797, 1828, 1829.

[11]

If 'neath this roof thy wine cheer'd moments pass Letter, J. H., MS. E, MS. 4o, 1803.

[14]

ennobled] sparkling Letter, 1794.

[15]

me] mine 1803.

IMITATED FROM THE WELSH[58:1]

If while my passion I impart,
 You deem my words untrue,
 O place your hand upon my heart—
 Feel how it throbs for you!
Ah no! reject the thoughtless claim 5
 In pity to your Lover!
 That thrilling touch would aid the flame
 It wishes to discover.

? 1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[58:1] First published in 1796: included in 1803, 1828, 1829, and 1834.

LINENOTES:

Title] Song MS. E: Effusion xxxi. Imitated &c., 1796.

LINES[58:2]

TO A BEAUTIFUL SPRING IN A VILLAGE

Once more! sweet Stream! with slow foot wandering near,
 I bless thy milky waters cold and clear.
 Escap'd the flashing of the noontide hours,
 With one fresh garland of Pierian flowers
 (Ere from thy zephyr-haunted brink I turn) 5
 My languid hand shall wreath thy mossy urn.
 For not through pathless grove with murmur rude
 Thou soothest the sad wood-nymph, Solitude;
 Nor thine unseen in cavern depths to well,
 The Hermit-fountain of some dripping cell! 10
 [59]Pride of the Vale! thy useful streams supply
 The scatter'd cots and peaceful hamlet nigh.
 The elfin tribe around thy friendly banks
 With infant uproar and soul-soothing pranks,
 Releas'd from school, their little hearts at rest, 15
 Launch paper navies on thy waveless breast.
 The rustic here at eve with pensive look
 Whistling lorn ditties leans upon his crook,
 Or, starting, pauses with hope-mingled dread
 To list the much-lov'd maid's accustom'd tread: 20
 She, vainly mindful of her dame's command,
 Loiters, the long-fill'd pitcher in her hand.
Unboastful Stream! thy fount with pebbled falls
 The faded form of past delight recalls,
 What time the morning sun of Hope arose, 25
 And all was joy; save when another's woes
 A transient gloom upon my soul imprest,
 Like passing clouds impictur'd on thy breast.
 Life's current then ran sparkling to the noon,
 Or silvery stole beneath the pensive Moon: 30
 Ah! now it works rude brakes and thorns among,
 Or o'er the rough rock bursts and foams along!

1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[58:2] First published in 1796: included in Annual Register, 1796: 1797, 1803, 1828, 1829, and 1834.

LINENOTES:

Title] Lines addressed to a Spring in Village of Kirkhampton near Bath MS. E.

[7]

groves in murmurs MS. E.

[21-2]
And now essays his simple Faith to prove
 By all the soft solicitudes of Love.

MS. E.

For ll. 29-32

But ah! too brief in Youths' enchanting reign,
 Ere Manhood wakes th' unweeting heart to pain,
 Silent and soft thy silver waters glide:
 So glided Life, a smooth and equal Tide.
 Sad Change! for now by choking Cares withstood
 It hardly bursts its way, a turbid, boist'rous Flood!

MS. E.

[30]

Or silver'd its smooth course beneath the Moon. MS. 4o.

[31]

rude] the thorny MS. 4o erased.

IMITATIONS
AD LYRAM[59:1]

(CASIMIR, BOOK II. ODE 3)

The solemn-breathing air is ended—
 Cease, O Lyre! thy kindred lay!
 From the poplar-branch suspended
 Glitter to the eye of Day!
[60]On thy wires hov'ring, dying, 5
 Softly sighs the summer wind:
 I will slumber, careless lying,
 By yon waterfall reclin'd.
In the forest hollow-roaring
 Hark! I hear a deep'ning sound— 10
 Clouds rise thick with heavy low'ring!
 See! th' horizon blackens round!
Parent of the soothing measure,
 Let me seize thy wetted string!
 Swiftly flies the flatterer, Pleasure, 15
 Headlong, ever on the wing.[60:1]

1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[59:1] First published in the Watchman, No. II, March 9, 1796: included in Literary Remains, 1836, I. 41-3. First collected in 1844.

[60:1] If we except Lucretius and Statius, I know not of any Latin poet, ancient or modern, who has equalled Casimir in boldness of conception, opulence of fancy, or beauty of versification. The Odes of this illustrious Jesuit were translated into English about 150 years ago, by a Thomas Hill, I think, [—by G. H. [G. Hils.] London, 1646. 12mo. Ed. L. R. 1836. I never saw the translation. A few of the Odes have been translated in a very animated manner by Watts. I have subjoined the third ode of the second book, which, with the exception of the first line, is an effusion of exquisite elegance. In the imitation attempted, I am sensible that I have destroyed the effect of suddenness, by translating into two stanzas what is one in the original.

Ad Lyram.
Sonori buxi Filia sutilis,
 Pendebis alta, Barbite, populo,
 Dum ridet aer, et supinas
 Solicitat levis aura frondes:
 Te sibilantis lenior halitus
 Perflabit Euri: me iuvet interim
 Collum reclinasse, et virenti
 Sic temere iacuisse ripa.
 Eheu! serenum quae nebulae tegunt
 Repente caelum! quis sonus imbrium!
 Surgamus—heu semper fugaci
 Gaudia praeteritura passu!

'Advertisement' to Ad Lyram, in Watchman, II, March 9, 1796.

LINENOTES:

Title] Song. [Note. Imitated from Casimir.] MS. E.

TO LESBIA[60:2]

Vivamus, mea Lesbia, atque amemus.
Catullus.

My Lesbia, let us love and live,
 And to the winds, my Lesbia, give
 [61]Each cold restraint, each boding fear
 Of age and all her saws severe.
 Yon sun now posting to the main 5
 Will set,—but 'tis to rise again;—
 But we, when once our mortal light
 Is set, must sleep in endless night.
 Then come, with whom alone I'll live,
 A thousand kisses take and give! 10
 Another thousand!—to the store
 Add hundreds—then a thousand more!
 And when they to a million mount,
 Let confusion take the account,—
 That you, the number never knowing, 15
 May continue still bestowing—
 That I for joys may never pine,
 Which never can again be mine!

? 1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[60:2] First published in the Morning Post, April 11, 1798: included in Literary Remains, 1836, i. 274. First collected in P. W., 1893.

LINENOTES:

Title] Lines imitated from Catullus. M. P.

[4]

her] its L. R.

[7]

mortal] little L. R.

[18]

signed Mortimer M. P.

THE DEATH OF THE STARLING[61:1]

Lugete, O Veneres, Cupidinesque.—Catullus.

Pity! mourn in plaintive tone
 The lovely starling dead and gone!
 Pity mourns in plaintive tone
 The lovely starling dead and gone.
 Weep, ye Loves! and Venus! weep 5
 The lovely starling fall'n asleep!
 Venus sees with tearful eyes—
 In her lap the starling lies!
 While the Loves all in a ring
 Softly stroke the stiffen'd wing. 10

? 1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[61:1] First published, Literary Remains, 1836, i. 274. First collected, P. W., 1893. The titles 'Lesbia' and 'The Death of the Starling' first appear in 1893.

LINENOTES:

[7]

sees] see L. R.

MORIENS SUPERSTITI[61:2]

The hour-bell sounds, and I must go;
 Death waits—again I hear him calling;—
 No cowardly desires have I,
 Nor will I shun his face appalling.
 [62]I die in faith and honour rich— 5
 But ah! I leave behind my treasure
 In widowhood and lonely pain;—
 To live were surely then a pleasure!
My lifeless eyes upon thy face
 Shall never open more to-morrow; 10
 To-morrow shall thy beauteous eyes
 Be closed to Love, and drown'd in Sorrow;
 To-morrow Death shall freeze this hand,
 And on thy breast, my wedded treasure,
 I never, never more shall live;— 15
 Alas! I quit a life of pleasure.

FOOTNOTES:

[61:2] First published in the Morning Post, May 10, 1798, with a prefatory note:—'The two following verses from the French, never before published, were written by a French Prisoner as he was preparing to go to the Guillotine': included in Literary Remains, 1836, i. 275. First collected P. W., 1893.

MORIENTI SUPERSTES

Yet art thou happier far than she
 Who feels the widow's love for thee!
 For while her days are days of weeping,
 Thou, in peace, in silence sleeping,
 In some still world, unknown, remote, 5
 The mighty parent's care hast found,
 Without whose tender guardian thought
 No sparrow falleth to the ground.

? 1794.

THE SIGH[62:1]

When Youth his faery reign began
 Ere Sorrow had proclaim'd me man;
 While Peace the present hour beguil'd,
 And all the lovely Prospect smil'd;
 Then Mary! 'mid my lightsome glee 5
 I heav'd the painless Sigh for thee.
And when, along the waves of woe,
 My harass'd Heart was doom'd to know
 The frantic burst of Outrage keen,
 And the slow Pang that gnaws unseen; 10
 [63]Then shipwreck'd on Life's stormy sea
 I heaved an anguish'd Sigh for thee!
But soon Reflection's power imprest
 A stiller sadness on my breast;
 And sickly Hope with waning eye 15
 Was well content to droop and die:
 I yielded to the stern decree,
 Yet heav'd a languid Sigh for thee!
And though in distant climes to roam,
 A wanderer from my native home, 20
 I fain would soothe the sense of Care,
 And lull to sleep the Joys that were!
 Thy Image may not banish'd be—
 Still, Mary! still I sigh for thee.

1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[62:1] First published in 1796: included in 1797, 1803, 1828, 1829. Coleridge dated the poem, June 1794, but the verses as sent to Southey, in a letter dated November, 1794 (Letters of S. T. C., 1895, i. 100, 101), could not have taken shape before the August of that year, after the inception of Pantisocracy and his engagement to Sarah Fricker.

LINENOTES:

Title] Ode MS. E: Song Letter, Nov. 1794, Morrison MSS.: Effusion xxxii: The Sigh 1796.

[7]

along th'] as tossed on 1803. waves] wilds Letter, 1794, MS. E.

[9]

of] the 1803.

[13]

power] hand Letter, Nov. 1794, MS. E.

[18]

a] the Letter, 1794.

[21-2]
I fain would woo a gentle Fair
 To soothe the aching sense of Care

Letter, Nov. 1794.

[21]

sense of] aching MS. E.

Below l. 24 June 1794 Poems, 1796.

THE KISS[63:1]

One kiss, dear Maid! I said and sigh'd—
 Your scorn the little boon denied.
 Ah why refuse the blameless bliss?
 Can danger lurk within a kiss?
Yon viewless wanderer of the vale, 5
 The Spirit of the Western Gale,
 At Morning's break, at Evening's close
 Inhales the sweetness of the Rose,
 And hovers o'er the uninjur'd bloom
 Sighing back the soft perfume. 10
 Vigour to the Zephyr's wing
 Her nectar-breathing kisses fling;
 [64]And He the glitter of the Dew
 Scatters on the Rose's hue.
 Bashful lo! she bends her head, 15
 And darts a blush of deeper Red!
Too well those lovely lips disclose
 The triumphs of the opening Rose;
 O fair! O graceful! bid them prove
 As passive to the breath of Love. 20
 In tender accents, faint and low,
 Well-pleas'd I hear the whisper'd 'No!'
 The whispered 'No'—how little meant!
 Sweet Falsehood that endears Consent!
 For on those lovely lips the while 25
 Dawns the soft relenting smile,
 And tempts with feign'd dissuasion coy
 The gentle violence of Joy.

? 1794.

FOOTNOTES:

[63:1] First published in 1796: included in 1797, 1803, 1828, 1829, and 1834.

LINENOTES:

Title] Ode MS. E: Effusion xxviii 1796: The Kiss 1797, 1828, 1829, 1834: To Sara 1803. MSS. of The Kiss are included in the Estlin volume and in S. T. C.'s quarto copy-book.

[11-15]
Vigor to his languid wing
 The Rose's fragrant kisses bring,
 And He o'er all her brighten'd hue
 Flings the glitter of the dew.
 See she bends her bashful head.

MS. E.

[13-14]
And He o'er all her brighten'd hue
 Sheds the glitter of the dew.

MS. 4o erased.

[18]

The fragrant triumphs of the Rose. MS. E.

[26]

Dawns] Dawn'd MS. E.