First Spirit. Hear, Alfred, father of the state… Thy genius Heaven’s high will dec… What proves the hero truly great, Is never, never to despair:

Ye fabled Muses, I your aid discl… Your airy raptures, and your fanci… True genuine woe my throbbing brea… Love prompts my lays, and filial d… My soul springs instant at the war…

Go, little book, and find our Fri… Who Nature and the Muses loves, Who cares the public virtues blend With all the softness of the grove… A fitter time thou canst not choos…

I hate the clamours of the smoky t… But much admire the bliss of rural… Where some remains of innocence ap… Where no rude noise insults the li… Nought but soft zephyrs whispering…

Feather’d lyric, warbling high, Sweetly gaining on the sky, Op’ning with thy matin lay (Nature’s hymn) the eye of day, Teach my soul, on early wing,

By Rufus’ hall, where Thames poll… Provoked, the Genius of the river… And thus exclaimed: 'Have I, ye… Have I for ages laved your fertil… Given herds, and flocks, and villa…

But see the fading many-colour’d w… Shade deepening over shade, the co… Imbrown; a crowded umbrage, dusk,… Of every hue, from wan declining g… To sooty dark. These now the lone…

It was a sad, ay ’twas a sad farew… I still afresh the pangs of partin… Against my breast my heart impatie… And in deep sighs bemoan’d its cru… Thus with the object of my love to…

Now, by the cool, declining year c… Descend the copious exhalations, c… As up the middle sky unseen they s… And roll the doubling fogs around… No more the mountain, horrid, vast…

Hail! Power Divine, who by thy so… From the dark empty space, Made the broad sea and solid land Smile with a heavenly grace. Made the high mountain and firm ro…

The hoop, the darling justly of th… Of every generous swain deserves t… It is unmanly to desert the weak, ‘Twould urge a stone, if possible,… To hear stanch hypocrites bawl out…

As thus the patient dam assiduous… Not to be tempted from her tender… Or by sharp hunger, or by smooth d… Tho’ the whole loosen’d spring aro… Her sympathising partner takes his…

He, when young Spring protrudes t… Into his freshened soul; her genia… He full enjoys; and not a beauty b… And not an opening blossom breathe… In summer he, beneath the living s…

When last we parted, thou wert you… How beautiful let fond remembrance… Alas! since then old time has stol… Full thirty years, leaving my temp… So has it perished like a thing of…

SEE! Winter comes, to rule the v… Vapours, and Clouds, and Storms:… These, that exalt the Soul to sol… And heavenly musing. Welcome kind… Wish’d, wint’ry, Horrors, hail! -…