The Complaint, Or, Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality: To which is Prefixed the Life of the AuthorO. Penniman, 1805 - 310 pages |
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ambition angels art thou becauſe beneath beſt bleſſings bleſt bliſs boſom boundleſs cauſe Chriſtian cloſe dæmons dark death Deity deſcend deſpair diſtant divine doſt dread duſt earth eternal ev'ry facred fame fate figh fight firſt fome fong fons fool foon foul immortal fuch glory grave guilt heart heav'n hour human immortal inſpire inſtinct itſelf juſt laſt leaſt leſs life's Lorenzo man's mankind mortal moſt muſt nature nature's ne'er night nought numbers o'er paffion pain paſt peace pleaſure pow'r praiſe preſent pride proud reaſon reſt rife riſe ſay ſcene ſcheme ſee ſeen ſenſe ſet ſhades ſhall ſhame ſhare ſhe ſhines ſhort ſhould ſkies ſmall ſmile ſome ſpeak ſphere ſpirit ſtand ſtars ſtate ſtill ſtorm ſtrange ſtranger ſtream ſtrike ſuch ſupport ſweet thee theme theſe thine thoſe thought thro throne truth univerſal vaſt virtue waſte whoſe wife wing wisdom
Popular passages
Page 25 - At thirty man suspects himself a fool ; Knows it at forty, and reforms his plan ; At fifty chides his infamous delay, Pushes his prudent purpose to resolve; In all the magnanimity of thought Resolves and re-resolves; then dies the same.
Page 25 - ... immortal. All men think all men mortal but themselves ; Themselves, when some alarming shock of Fate Strikes through their wounded hearts the sudden dread : But their hearts wounded, like the wounded air, Soon close; where past the shaft no trace is found.
Page 15 - The bell strikes One. We take no note of time But from its loss : to give it then a tongue Is wise in man. As if an angel spoke I feel the solemn sound. If heard aright, It is the knell of my departed hours. Where are they? With the years beyond the flood.
Page 39 - Tis greatly wise to talk with our past hours ; And ask them, what report they bore to heaven ; And how they might have borne more welcome news.
Page 17 - Embryos we must be till we burst the shell, Yon ambient azure shell, and spring to life, The life of gods, O transport ! and of man. Yet man, fool man ! here buries all his thoughts ; Inters celestial hopes without one sigh.
Page 83 - Religion's All. Descending from the skies To wretched man, the goddess in her left Holds out this world, and, in her right, the next...
Page 53 - Transfixt by fate (who loves a lofty mark) How from the summit of the grove she fell, And left it unharmonious ! All its charms Extinguisht in the wonders of her song ! Her song still vibrates in my ravisht ear, Still melting there, and with voluptuous pain (O to forget her !) thrilling thro...
Page 24 - tis madness to defer: Next day the fatal precedent will plead ; Thus on, till wisdom is push'd out of life. Procrastination is the thief of time; Year after year it steals, till all are fled, And to the mercies of a moment leaves The vast concerns of an eternal scene.
Page 87 - I send thee not to volumes for thy cure ; Read Nature ; Nature is a friend to truth ; Nature is christian ; preaches to mankind ; And bids dead matter aid us in our creed. Hast thou ne'er seen the comet's flaming flight ? Th...
Page 247 - Man, starting from his couch, shall sleep no more ! The day is broke, which never more shall close ! Above, around, beneath, amazement all! Terror and glory join'd in their extremes ! Our GOD in grandeur, and our world on fire...