For brutish Pan in vain might thee assay 10
With tinkling sounds to dash thy nervous verse,
Sound without sense; yet in his rude affray,
(For ignorance is Folly's leesing nurse
And love of Folly needs none other's curse)
Midas the praise hath gain'd of lengthen'd cares, 15
For which himself might deem him ne'er the worse
To sit in council with his modern peers,
And judge of tinkling rhimes and elegances terse.
And thou, Mercurius, that with wingèd brow
Dost mount aloft into the yielding sky, 20
And thro' Heav'n's halls thy airy flight dost throw,
Entering with holy feet to where on high
Jove weighs the counsel of futurity;
Then, laden with eternal fate, dost go
Down, like a falling star, from autumn sky, 25
And o'er the surface of the silent deep dost fly:
If thou arrivest at the sandy shore
Where nought but envious hissing adders dwell,
Thy golden rod, thrown on the dusty floor.
Can charm to harmony with potent spell. 30
Such is sweet Eloquence, that does dispel
Envy and Hate that thirst for human gore;
And cause in sweet society to dwell
Vile savage minds that lurk in lonely cell.
O Mercury, assist my lab'ring sense 35
That round the circle of the world wou'd fly.
As the wing'd eagle scorns the tow'ry fence
Of Alpine hills round his high aëry,
And searches thro' the corners of the sky.
Sports in the clouds to hear the thunder's sound, 40
And see the wingèd lightnings as they fly;
Then, bosom'd in an amber cloud, around
Plumes his wide wings, and seeks Sol's palace high.
13 leesing nurse] Read, with all Blake's editors, leasing nurse, i.e. one who holds her charge in a lease or leash.15 cares] All edd. correct this misprint for ears.19 brow] bow all edd.
