Ode to Genius

Thou child of nature, genius strong, Thou master of the poet's song, Before whose light, Art's dim and feeble ray Gleams like the taper in the blaze of day: Thou lov'st to steal along the secret shade, Where Fancy, bright aerial maid! Awaits thee with her thousand charms, And revels in thy wanton arms. She to thy bed, in days of yore, The sweetly warbling Shakespeare bore; Whom every muse endow'd with every skill, And dipt him in that sacred rill, Whose silver streams flow musical along, Where Phoebus' hallow'd mount resounds with raptur'd song.

Forsake not thou the vocal choir, Their breasts revisit with thy genial fire, Else vain the studied sounds of mimic art, Tickle the ear, but come not nigh the heart. Vain every phrase in curious order set, On each side leaning on the [stop-gap] epithet. Vain the quick rhime still tinkling in the close, While pure description shines in measur'd prose. Thou bear'st aloof, and look'st with high disdain, Upon the dull mechanic train; Whose nerveless strains flag on in languid tone, Lifeless and lumpish as the bagpipe's drowzy drone.

No longer now thy altars blaze, No poet offers up his lays; Inspir'd with energy divine, To worship at thy sacred shrine. Since taste with absolute domain, Extending wide her leaden reign, Kills with her melancholy shade, The blooming scyons of fair fancy's tree; Which erst full wantonly have stray'd In many a wreath of richest poesie. For when the oak denies her stay, The creeping ivy winds her humble way; No more she twists her branches round, But drags her feeble stem along the barren ground.

Where then shall exil'd genius go? Since only those the laurel claim, And boast them of the poet's name, Whose sober rhimes in even tenour flow, Who prey on words, and all their flowrets cull, Coldly correct, and regularly dull. Why sleep the sons of genius now? Why, Wartons, rests the lyre unstrung? And thou, blest bard! around whose sacred brow, Great Pindar's delegated wreath is hung: Arise, and snatch the majesty of song From dullness' servile tribe, and art's unhallow'd throng.