William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Georgian Verse. 1909.
The ShrubberyWilliam Cowper (17311800)
O
Friendly to peace, but not to me!
How ill the scene that offers rest,
And heart that cannot rest, agree!
Those alders quivering to the breeze,
Might soothe a soul less hurt than mine,
And please, if anything could please.
Foregoes not what she feels within,
Shows the same sadness everywhere,
And slights the season and the scene.
While Peace possessed these silent bowers,
Her animating smile withdrawn,
Has lost its beauties and its powers.
This moss-grown alley, musing, slow;
They seek like me the secret shade,
But not, like me, to nourish woe!
Alike admonish not to roam;
These tell me of enjoyments past,
And those of sorrows yet to come.