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Mary Darby Robinson - The Adieu to Love
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LOVE, I renounce thy tyrant sway,
  I mock thy fascinating art,
MINE, be the calm unruffled day,
  That brings no torment to the heart; 
The tranquil mind, the noiseless scene, 
Where FANCY, with enchanting mien, 
Shall in her right-hand lead along 
The graceful patroness of Song;
Where HARMONY shall softly fling 
Her light tones o`er the dulcet string; 
And with her magic LYRE compose 
Each pang that throbs, each pulse that glows; 
Till her resistless strains dispense, 
The balm of blest INDIFFERENCE. 

  LOVE, I defy thy vaunted pow`r!
In still Retirement`s sober bow`r
I`ll rest secure;­no fev`rish pain
Shall dart its hot-shafts thro` my brain, 
No start`ling dreams invade my mind 
No spells my stagnate pulses bind; 
No jealous agonies impart 
Their madd`ning poisons to my heart 
But sweetly lull`d to placid rest, 
The sensate tenant of my breast 
Shall one unshaken course pursue, 
Such as thy vot`ries never knew.­ 

  SWEET SOLITUDE ! pure Nature`s child, 
Fair pensive daughter of the wild; 
Nymph of the Forest; thee I press 
My weary sick`ning soul to bless; 
To give my heart the dear repose, 
That smiles unmov`d at transient woes; 
That shelter`d from Life`s trivial cares, 
Each calm delicious comfort shares; 
While conscious rectitude of mind, 
Blends with each thought a bliss refin`d, 
And scorning fear`s soul-chilling pow`r, 
Dares court REFLECTION`S dang`rous hour, 
To scrutinize with cautious art, 
Each hidden channel of the heart.­ 

  Ah, gentle maiden, let me stray,
Where Innocence for ever gay,
Shall lead me to her loveliest bow`rs
And crown my brow with thornless flow`rs;
And strew the weedy paths of time
With Resignation`s balm sublime;
While Rosy SPRING, shall smiling haste,
On light steps o`er the dewy waste, 
Eager her brightest gems to shed 
Around my verdant perfum`d bed; 
And in her train the glowing hours 
Shall bathe their wings in scented show`rs; 
And shake the fost`ring drops to earth, 
To nurse meek blossoms into birth; 
And when autumnal zephyrs fly 
Sportive, beneath the sapphire sky, 
Or in the stream their pinions lave, 
Or teach the golden sheaves to wave; 
I`ll watch the ruby eye of day 
In awful lustre glide away, 
And closing sink to transient rest, 
On panting Ocean`s pearly breast. 

  O SOLITUDE ! how blest the lot 
Of her who shares thy silent cot! 
Who with celestial peace, pursues 
The pensive wand`rings of the MUSE; 
To stray unseen where`er she leads, 
O`er grassy hills and sunny meads, 
Or at the still of Night`s cold noon 
To gaze upon the chilly Moon, 
While PHILOMELA`S mournful Song 
Meanders fairy haunts among, 
To tell the hopeless LOVER`S ear, 
That SYMPATHY`S FOND BIRD is near; 
Whose note shall soothe his aching heart, 
Whose grief shall emulate his smart; 
And by its sadly proud excess, 
Make every pang he suffers less; 
For oft in passion`s direst woes, 
The veriest wretch can yield repose; 
While from the voice of kindred grief, 
We gain a sad, but kind relief. 

  AH LOVE! thou barb`rous fickle boy,
Thou semblance of delusive joy,
Too long my heart has been thy slave:
For thou hast seen me wildly rave,
And with impetuous frenzy haste,
Heedless across the thorny waste,
And drink the cold dews, ere they fell
On my bare bosom`s burning swell;
When bleak the wintry whirlwinds blew;
And swift the sultry meteors flew;
Yes, thou hast seen me, tyrant pow`r,
At freezing midnight`s witching hour,
Start from my couch, subdu`d, oppres`d,
While jealous anguish wrung my breast,
While round my eager senses flew,
Dark brow`d Suspicion`s wily crew,
Taunting my soul with restless ire,
That set my pulsate brain on fire.
What didst thou then ? Inhuman Boy!
Didst thou not paint each well-feign`d joy,
Each artful smile, each study`d grace
That deck`d some sordid rival`s face;
Didst thou not feed my madd`ning sense
With Love`s delicious eloquence,
While on my ear thy accents pour`d
The voice of him my soul ador`d, 
His rapt`rous tones­his strains divine,
And all those vows that once were mine.
But mild Reflection`s piercing ray,
Soon chas`d the fatal dream away,
And with it all my rending woes,
While in its place majestic rose
The Angel TRUTH !­her stedfast mien
Bespoke the conscious breast serene;
Her eye more radiant than the day
Beam`d with persuasion`s temper`d ray;
Sweet was her voice, and while she sung
  Myriads of Seraphs hover`d round,
  Eager to iterate the sound, 
That on her heav`n-taught accents hung. 
Wond`ring I gaz`d! my throbbing breast, 
Celestial energies confest; 
Transports, before unfelt, unknown, 
Throng`d round my bosom`s tremb`ling throne, 
While ev`ry nerve with rapture strange, 
Seem`d to partake the blissful change. 

  Now with unmov`d and dauntless Eye,
I mark thy winged arrows fly;
No more thy baneful spells shall bind
The purer passions of my mind;
No more, false Love, shall jealous fears
Inflame my check with scalding tears;
Or shake my vanquish`d sense, or rend
  My aching heart with poignant throes,
Or with tumultuous fevers blend,
  Self-wounding, visionary woes.­ 

No more I`ll waste the midnight hour 
In expectation`s silent bow`r; 
And musing o`er thy transcripts dear, 
Efface their sorrows with a tear. 
No more with timid fondness wait 
Till morn unfolds her glitt`ring gate, 
When thy lov`d song`s seraphic sound, 
Wou`d on my quiv`ring nerves rebound 
With proud delight;­no more thy blush 
Shall o`er my cheek unbidden rush, 
And scorning ev`ry strong controul, 
Unveil the tumults of my soul. 
No more when in retirement blest, 
Shalt thou obtrude upon my rest; 
And tho` encircled with delight, 
Absorb my sense, obscure my sight, 
Give to my eye the vacant glance, 
The mien that marks the mental trance; 
The fault`ring tone­the sudden start, 
The trembling hand, the bursting heart; 
The devious step, that strolls along 
Unmindful of the gazing throng; 
The feign`d indiff`rence prone to chide; 
That blazons­what it seeks to hide. 

  Nor do I dread thy vengeful wiles, 
Thy soothing voice, thy winning smiles, 
Thy trick`ling tear, thy mien forlorn, 
Thy pray`r, thy sighs, thy oaths I scorn; 
No more on ME thy arrows show`r, 
Capricious Love­! I BRAVE THY POW`R.
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