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Quotes by James Thomson
The city of dreadful night.— filed under Circumstance
For, if the worlds In worlds enclosed should on his senses burst *** He would abhorrent turn.— filed under Abhorrence
Age too shines out: and, garrulous, recounts The feats of youth.— filed under Affliction
1729. Senseless, and deformed, Convulsive Anger storms at large; or pale, And silent, settles into fell revenge.— filed under Anger
(Parody of Jean Ingelow). But should you lure From his dark haunt, beneath the tangled roots Of pendent trees, the Monarch of the brook, Behoves you then to ply your finest art.— filed under Angling
Ox. And the plain ox, That harmless, honest, guileless animal, In what has he offended? he whose toil. Patient and ever ready, clothes the land With all the pomp of harvest.— filed under Animals-Swine
Her polish'd limbs, Veil'd in a simple robe, their best attire; Beyond the pomp of dress; for Loveliness Needs not the foreign aid of ornament, But is, when unadorn'd, adorn'd the most.— filed under Apparitions
O fair undress, best dress! it checks no vein, But every flowing limb in pleasure drowns, And heightens ease with grace.— filed under Apparitions
Loveliness Needs not the foreign aid of ornament, But is when unadorn'd adorn'd the most.— filed under Beauty
Thoughtless of beauty, she was Beauty's self.— filed under Beauty
While I deduce, From the first note the hollow cuckoo sings, The symphony of spring.— filed under Birds-Cuckoo
Up springs the lark, Shrill-voiced, and loud, the messenger of morn; Ere yet the shadows fly, he mounted sings Amid the dawning clouds, and from their haunts Calls up the tuneful nations.— filed under Birds-Lark
Linnets *** sit On the dead tree, a dull despondent flock.— filed under Birds-Lark
Lend me your song, ye Nightingales! O, pour The mazy-running soul of melody Into my varied verse.— filed under Birds-Nightingale
The Redbreast, sacred to the household gods, Wisely regardful of the embroiling sky, In joyless fields and thorny thickets leaves His shivering mates, and pays to trusted Man His annual visit.— filed under Birds-Robin
Invite the rook who high amid the boughs, In early spring, his airy city builds, And ceaseless caws amusive.— filed under Birds-Sea Bird
The swallow sweeps The slimy pool, to build his hanging house.— filed under Birds-Swallow
When autumn scatters his departing gleams, Warn'd of approaching winter, gather'd, play The swallow-people; and toss'd wide around, O'er the calm sky, in convolution swift, The feather'd eddy floats; rejoicing once, Ere to their wintry slumbers they retire.— filed under Birds-Swallow
The stately-sailing swan Gives out his snowy plumage to the gale; And, arching proud his neck, with oary feet Bears forward fierce, and guards his osier isle, Protective of his young.— filed under Birds-Thrush
Health is the vital principle of bliss, And exercise of health.— filed under Bliss
Pure was the temperate Air, an even Calm Perpetual reign'd, save what the Zephyrs bland Breath'd o'er the blue expanse.— filed under Calmness
A lucky chance, that oft decides the fate Of mighty monarchs.— filed under Chance
Falsehood. Whoe'er amidst the sons Of reason, valor, liberty and virtue, Displays distinguished merit, is a noble Of Nature's own creating.— filed under Character
Even from the body's purity, the mind Receives a secret sympathetic aid.— filed under Chastity
An elegant Sufficiency, Content, Retirement, rural Quiet, Friendship, Books, Ease and alternate Labor, useful Life, Progressive Virtue, and approving Heaven!— filed under Content
Rule, Britannia, rule the waves; Britons never will be slaves.— filed under Countries-England
Corse. Oct. 5, 1864. Who stemm'd the torrent of a downward age.— filed under Courage
At the throng'd levee bends the venal tribe: With fair but faithless smiles each varnish'd o'er, Each smooth as those that mutually deceive, And for their falsehood each despising each.— filed under Courtiers
And Mecca saddens at the long delay.— filed under Delight
Father of light and life! Thou Good Supreme! Save me from folly, vanity, and vice, From every low pursuit! and feed my Soul With knowledge, conscious peace, and virtue pure- Sacred, substantial, never-fading bliss!— filed under Desolation
But while listening Senates hang upon thy tongue, Devolving through the maze of eloquence A roll of periods, sweeter than her song.— filed under Eloquence
Base Envy withers at another's joy, And hates that excellence it cannot reach.— filed under Envy
From seeming evil still educing good.— filed under Faith
Desponding Fear, of feeble fancies full, Weak and unmanly, loosens every power.— filed under Fear
The daisy, primrose, violet darkly blue; And polyanthus of unnumbered dyes.— filed under Flirting
From the soft wing of vernal breezes shed, Anemones, auriculas, enriched With shining meal o'er all their velvet leaves.— filed under Flowers-Anemone
Flocks thick-nibbling through the clovered vale.— filed under Flowers-Clover
And oft, with bolder wing, they, soaring, dare The purple heath.— filed under Flowers-Honeysuckle
Residence. Where scattered wild the Lily of the Vale Its balmy essence breathes.— filed under Flowers-Lotus
As through the verdant maze Of sweetbriar hedges I pursue my walk; Or taste the smell of dairy.— filed under Flowers-Rosemary
But one, the lofty follower of the Sun, Sad when he sets, shuts up her yellow leaves Drooping all night; and, when he warm returns, Points her enamoured bosom to his ray.— filed under Flowers-Thorn
Aristxnetus. Ep. XIII. Fortune is like glass-the brighter the glitter, the more easily broken. h. PUBLIUS SYRUS. Maxims. 283. Forever, Fortune, wilt thou prove An unrelenting foe to love, And, when we meet a mutual heart, Come in between, and bid us part?— filed under Fortune
After the conquest of Afric, Greece, the lesser Asia, and Syria were brought into Italy all the sorts of their Mala, which we interprete apples, and might signify no more at first; but were afterwards applied to many other foreign fruits. и. SIR WM. TEMPLE-On Gardening. The juicy pear Lies, in a soft profusion, scattered round.— filed under Fruits
Wisdom. Par. 28. At last I heard a voice upon the slope Cry to the summit, "Is there any hope?" To which an answer pealed from that high land, But in a tongue no man could understand; And on the glimmering limit far withdrawn, God made himself an awful rose of dawn. и. TENNYSON-Vision of Sin. V. But I lose Myself in Him, in Light ineffable! Come then, expressive Silence, muse His praise. These, as they change, Almighty Father, these Are but the varied God. The rolling Year Is full of Thee.— filed under God
What, but God? Inspiring God! who boundless Spirit all, And unremitting Energy, pervades, Adjusts, sustains, and agitates the whole.— filed under God
Think, oh, grateful think! How good the God of Harvest is to you; Who pours abundance o'er your flowing fields, While those unhappy partners of your kind Wide-hover round you, like the fowls of heaven, And ask their humble dole.— filed under Harvest
Ah! what avail the largest gifts of Heaven, When drooping health and spirits go amiss? How tasteless then whatever can be given! Health is the vital principle of bliss, And exercise of health. S.— filed under Hearing
Home is the resort Of love, of joy, of peace, and plenty; where Supporting and supported, polished friends And dear relations mingle into bliss.— filed under Honesty
Yond Cassius has a lean and hungry look. Julius Cæsar. Act I. Sc. 2. L. 194. Cruel as death, and hungry as the grave.— filed under Hunger
Their only labour was to kill the time; And labour dire it is, and weary woe, They sit, they loll, turn o'er some idle rhyme, Then, rising sudden, to the glass they go, Or saunter forth, with tottering steps and slow.— filed under Ignorance
Hail! Independence, hail! Heaven's next best gift, To that of life and an immortal soul!— filed under Independence
Among the crooked lanes, on every hedge, The glow-worm lights his gem; and through the dark, A moving radiance twinkles.— filed under Insects-Katydid
Island of bliss! amid the subject Seas, That thunder round thy rocky coasts, set up, At once the wonder, terror, and delight Of distant nations; whose remotest shore Can soon be shaken by thy naval arm; Not to be shook thyself, but all assaults Baffling, like thy hoar cliffs the loud sea-wave.— filed under Jealousy
But through the heart Should Jealousy its venom once diffuse, 'Tis then delightful misery no more, But agony unmixed, incessant gall, Corroding every thought, and blasting all Love's paradise.— filed under Jealousy
Poesy. For still the World prevail'd, and its dread laugh, Which scarce the firm Philosopher canscorn.— filed under Laughter
And let th' aspiring Youth beware of Love, Of the smooth glance beware; for 'tis too late, When on his heart the torrent-softness pours, Then Wisdom prostrate lies, and fading Fame Dissolves in air away.— filed under Love
O, what are you waiting for here? young man! What are you looking for over the bridge ?- A little straw hat with the streaming blue ribbons Is soon to come dancing over the bridge. C.— filed under Love
Why should we kill the best of passions, love? It aids the hero, bids ambition rise To nobler heights, inspires immortal deeds, Even softens brutes, and adds a grace to virtue.— filed under Love
Rings put upon his fingers, A most delicious banquet by his bed, And brave attendants near him when he wakes, Would not the beggar then forget himself? Taming of the Shrew. Induction. Sc. 1. L. 38. Falsely luxurious, will not man awake?— filed under Man
But happy they, the happiest of their kind! Whom gentler stars unite, and in one fate Their Hearts, their Fortunes, and their Beings blend.— filed under Matrimony
The glad circle round them yield their souls To festive mirth, and wit that knows no gall.— filed under Midnight
He saw her charming, but he saw not half The charms her downcast modesty conceal'd.— filed under Modesty
Among the changing months, May stands confest The sweetest, and in fairest colors dressed.— filed under Months-June
As like the sacred queen of night, Who pours a lovely, gentle light Wide o'er the dark, by wanderers blest, Conducting them to peace and rest.— filed under Monuments
The meek-eyed Morn appears, mother of Dews.— filed under Morning
But who can paint Like Nature? Can imagination boast, Amid its gay creation, hues like hers? Or can it mix them with that matchless skill, And lose them in each other, as appears In every bud that blows?— filed under Nature
I care not, Fortune, what you me deny; You cannot rob me of free Nature's grace, cannot You cannot shut the windows of the sky, shut the windows of the sky, Through which Aurora shows her brightening face; You cannot bar my constant feet to trace The woods and lawns, by living stream, at eve.— filed under Nature
O Nature! *** Enrich me with the knowledge of thy works; Snatch me to Heaven.— filed under Nature
Rocks rich in gems, and Mountains big with mines, That on the high Equator, ridgy, rise, Whence many a bursting Stream auriferous plays. C.— filed under Nature
Now black and deep the Night begins to fall, A shade immense! Sunk in the quenching Gloom, Magnificent and vast, are heaven and earth. Order confounded lies; all beauty void, Distinction lost, and gay variety One universal blot: such the fair power Of light, to kindle and create the whole.— filed under Night
Whoe'er amidst the sons Of reason, valor, liberty, and virtue Displays distinguished merit, is a noble Of Nature's own creating.— filed under Oaths
In ancient times, the sacred Plough employ'd The Kings and awful Fathers of mankind : And some, with whom compared your insecttribes Are but the beings of a summer's day, Have held the Scale of Empire, ruled the Storm Of mighty War; then, with victorious hand, Disdaining little delicacies, seized The Plough, and, greatly independent, scorned All the vile stores corruption can bestow.— filed under Occupations-Agriculture
The lively Diamond drinks thy purest rays, Collected light, compact.— filed under Occupations-Jeweler
A little, round, fat, oily man of God.— filed under Occupations-Preaching
Sculpture. So stands the statue that enchants the world, So bending tries to veil the matchless boast, The mingled beauties of exulting Greece.— filed under Occupations-Shoemaking
Delightful task! to rear the tender Thought, To teach the young Idea how to shoot, To pour the fresh Instruction o'er the Mind, To breathe the enlivening Spirit, and to fix The generous Purpose in the glowing breast.— filed under Occupations-Teaching
They who are pleased themselves must always please.— filed under Pleasure
A bard here dwelt, more fat than bard beseems.— filed under Poets
Looked unutterable things.— filed under Proverbs
bb. Scoundrel maxim. cc.— filed under Proverbs
Dialogue II. The Clouds consign their treasures to the fields; Hung on the shower that fronts the golden And, softly shaking on the dimpled pool Prelusive drops, let all their moisture flow, In large effusion, o'er the freshen'd world.— filed under Rain
Studious let me sit, And hold high converse with the mighty Dead.— filed under Reading
While Reason drew the plan, the Heart in- L. 507. form'd The moral page and Fancy lent it grace. S.— filed under Viii
Amid the roses, fierce Repentance rears Her snaky crest; a quick-returning pang Shoots through the conscious heart.— filed under Repose
The best of men have ever loved repose: They hate to mingle in the filthy fray; Where the soul sours, and gradual rancour grows, Imbitter'd more from peevish day to day.— filed under Repose
the Silver Thames. Slow let us trace the matchless vale of Thames; Fair winding up to where the Muses haunt In Twit'nham bowers, and for their Pope implore.— filed under Rivers-Thames
Come, gentle Spring; ethereal Mildness, come!— filed under Sows
Fair-handed Spring unbosoms every grace: Throws out the snowdrop and the crocus first.— filed under Sows
The Clouds consign their treasures to the fields, And, softly shaking on the dimpled pool, Prelusive drops, let all their moisture flow In large effusion, o'er the freshen'd world.— filed under Sows
All-conquering Heat, O, intermit thy wrath! And on my throbbing temples, potent thus, Beam not so fierce! incessant still you flow, And still another fervent flood succeeds, Pour'd on the head profuse. In vain I sigh, And restless turn, and look around for night; Night is far off; and hotter Hours approach.— filed under Sows
From brightening fields of ether fair-disclosed, Child of the Sun, refulgent Summer comes, In pride of youth, and felt through Nature's depth; He comes, attended by the sultry Hours, And ever-fanning breezes, on his way.— filed under Sows
Patient of thirst and toil, Son of the desert, e'en the Camel feels, Shot through his wither'd heart, the fiery blast.— filed under Sows
Crown'd with the sickle and the wheaten sheaf, While Autumn, nodding o'er the yellow plain, Comes jovial on. C.— filed under Sows
the Snowdrifts. Dread Winter spreads his latest glooms, And reigns, tremendous, o'er the conquer'd Year. How dead the vegetable kingdom lies! How dumb the tuneful! Horror wide extends His desolate domain.— filed under Sows
See, Winter comes, to rule the varied year, Sullen and sad, with all his rising train; Vapors, and Clouds, and Storms.— filed under Sows
Through the hush'd air the whitening Shower descends, At first thin wavering; till at last th. Flakes Fall broad, and wide, and fast, dimming the day With a continual flow. The cherished Fields Put on their winter-robe of purest white. 'Tis brightness all; save where the new Snow melts Along the mazy current.— filed under Sows
Ships, dim discover'd, dropping from the clouds. C.— filed under Ships
Come then, expressive Silence.— filed under Silence
Of evening tinct, The purple-streaming Amethyst is thine.— filed under Singers
Soft-buzzing Slander; silly moths that eat An honest name. C.— filed under Slander
For is there aught in Sleep can charm the wise? To lie in dead oblivion, loosing half The fleeting moments of too short a life- * * * * * * Who would in such a gloomy state remain Longer than Nature craves?— filed under Sleep
But who can count the stars of Heaven? Who sing their influence on this lower world?— filed under Stars
At first, heard solemn o'er the verge of Heaven, The Tempest growls; but as it nearer comes, And rolls its awful burden on the wind, The Lightnings flash a larger curve, and more The Noise astounds; till overhead a sheet Of livid flame discloses wide, then shuts, And opens wider; shuts and opens still Expansive, wrapping ether in a blaze. Follows the loosen'd aggravated Roar, Enlarging, deepening, mingling, peal on peal, Crush'd, horrible, convulsing Heaven and Earth.— filed under Storm
But yonder comes the powerful King of Day, Rejoicing in the East.— filed under Sunrise
The big round tears run down his dappled face; He groans in anguish.— filed under Temperance
But see the fading many-coloured Woods, Shade deep'ning over shade, the country round Imbrown; crowded umbrage, dusk and dun, Of every hue from wan declining green To sooty dark.— filed under Treason
Some to the holly hedge Nestling repair; and to the thicket some; Some to the rude protection of the thorn.— filed under Treason
Welcome, ye shades! ye bowery Thickets hail! Ye lofty Pines! ye venerable Oaks! Ye Ashes wild, resounding o'er the steep! Delicious is your shelter to the soul.— filed under Treason
The Hawthorn whitens; and the juicy Groves Put forth their buds, unfolding by degrees, Till the whole leafy Forest stands displayed, In full luxuriance, to the sighing gales.— filed under Trees And Plants-Chestnut
And friendly free discussion calling forth From the fair jewel Truth its latent ray.— filed under Truth
Now the soft hour Of walking comes; for him who lonely loves To seek the distant hills, and there converse With Nature, there to harmonize his heart, And in pathetic Song to breathe around The harmony to others.— filed under Tyranny
Temple. What, what is virtue, but repose of mind, A pure ethereal calm, that knows no storm; Above the reach of wild ambition's wind, Above those passions that this world deform And torture man.— filed under Virtue
A fresher Gale Begins to wave the wood, and stir the stream, Sweeping with shadowy gust the fields of corn; While the Quail clamors for his running mate.— filed under Wind