"Nature's bright Mirrour in thy Bosom shone"
— Jones, Henry (1721-1770)
Author
Place of Publication
Dublin
Publisher
Printed by and for S. Powell
Date
1749
Metaphor
"Nature's bright Mirrour in thy Bosom shone"
Metaphor in Context
Thy Genius here in early Bloom appears
A hopeful Promise of thy riper Years.
If now thy Dawn of Thought such Light displays,
How strong the Lustre of thy Noon-tide Blaze?
The Morning Star thus, with a milder Ray,
Doth gently glimmer at the Gates of Day.
Unnumber'd Beauties in thy Grotto shine,
And Judgment triumphs in the fair Design;
The charming Incidents so aptly fall,
They look like Art, yet Nature shines through all.
Here mossy Mounds impending seem to swell,
That from their Veins effuse the gushing Rill;
The Rill o'er spangling Pebbles seems to glide,
With Shells of Amber glitt'ring at its Side,
That mid the Gloom reflect a Silver Ray,
As Planets twinkle in the Dusk of Day.
Angels' Ideas in thy Mind arose,
And whisp'ring Graces taught thee to dispose:
Nature's bright Mirrour in thy Bosom shone,
And she, with Blushes, saw herself outdone:
To you, profuse, she lavish'd all her Store
Of Matter freely, but of Fancy more.
Not all the Gems, which Indian Mines prepare,
Can with that Ruby in thy Soul compare:
Its bright'ning Blaze like Aaron's Breast shall shine,
Alike refulgent, and alike divine.
Delightful Earnest of my future Lays,
Which wake my Wonder and excel my Praise.
O could my Verse with equal Fervour flow!
My Bays immortal, mix'd with thine, should grow.
Beneath th'Indulgence of a Mother's Eyes,
Thy fruitful Genius early learn'd to rise:
The happy Influence on so rich a Soil
An Harvest yields, that crowns her tender Toil.
So where the Eastern Sun its Beams bestows,
The Brilliant brightens, and the Lilly glows.
A hopeful Promise of thy riper Years.
If now thy Dawn of Thought such Light displays,
How strong the Lustre of thy Noon-tide Blaze?
The Morning Star thus, with a milder Ray,
Doth gently glimmer at the Gates of Day.
Unnumber'd Beauties in thy Grotto shine,
And Judgment triumphs in the fair Design;
The charming Incidents so aptly fall,
They look like Art, yet Nature shines through all.
Here mossy Mounds impending seem to swell,
That from their Veins effuse the gushing Rill;
The Rill o'er spangling Pebbles seems to glide,
With Shells of Amber glitt'ring at its Side,
That mid the Gloom reflect a Silver Ray,
As Planets twinkle in the Dusk of Day.
Angels' Ideas in thy Mind arose,
And whisp'ring Graces taught thee to dispose:
Nature's bright Mirrour in thy Bosom shone,
And she, with Blushes, saw herself outdone:
To you, profuse, she lavish'd all her Store
Of Matter freely, but of Fancy more.
Not all the Gems, which Indian Mines prepare,
Can with that Ruby in thy Soul compare:
Its bright'ning Blaze like Aaron's Breast shall shine,
Alike refulgent, and alike divine.
Delightful Earnest of my future Lays,
Which wake my Wonder and excel my Praise.
O could my Verse with equal Fervour flow!
My Bays immortal, mix'd with thine, should grow.
Beneath th'Indulgence of a Mother's Eyes,
Thy fruitful Genius early learn'd to rise:
The happy Influence on so rich a Soil
An Harvest yields, that crowns her tender Toil.
So where the Eastern Sun its Beams bestows,
The Brilliant brightens, and the Lilly glows.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "bosom" and "mirrour" (mirror) in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
At least 2 entries in ESTC (1749).
See Poems on Several Occasions. By Henry Jones. (Dublin: Printed by and for S. Powell, in Crane-Lane, 1749). <Link to ESTC>
See Poems on Several Occasions. By Henry Jones. (Dublin: Printed by and for S. Powell, in Crane-Lane, 1749). <Link to ESTC>
Date of Entry
11/30/2005
