ELIA, thy reveries and vision'd themes
To Care's low heart a luscious pleasure prove;
Wild as the mystery of delightful dreams,
Soft as the anguish of remember'd love :
Like records of past days their memory dances,
Mid the cool feelings manhood's reason brings,
As the unearthly visions of romances
Peopled with sweet and uncreated things;-
And yet thy themes thy gentle worth enhances !
Then wake again thy wild harp's tenderest strings;
Sing on, sweet bard; let fairy loves again
Smile in thy dreams with angel extacies;
Bright o'er our souls will break the heavenly strain
Through the dull gloom of earth's realities.
Delightful author! unto whom I owe
Moments and moods of fancy and of feeling,
Afresh to grateful memory now appealing,
Fain would I "bless thee ere I let thee go!"
From month to month has the exhaustless flow
Of thy original mind, its worth revealing
With quaintest humour and deep pathos healing.
The world's rude wounds, reviv'd life's early glow;
And mixt with this, at times, to earnest thought,
Glimpses of truth, most simple and sublime,
By thy imagination have been brought
Over my spirit. From the olden time
Of authorship thy patent should be dated,
And thou with Marvell, Browne, and Burton mated.
