Poem by Anna Seward

Sonnet 44. Rapt Contemplation, bring thy waking dreams

Rapt Contemplation, bring thy waking dreams
    To this umbrageous vale at noon-tide hour,
    While full of thee seems every bending flower,
    Whose petals tremble o'er the shadow'd streams!
Give thou Honora's image, when her beams,
    Youth, beauty, kindness, shone;—what time she wore
    That smile, of gentle, yet resistless power
    To sooth each painful Passion's wild extremes.
Here shall no empty, vain Intruder chase,
    With idle converse, thy enchantment warm,
    That brings, in all its interest, all its grace,
The dear, persuasive, visionary Form.
    Can real Life a rival blessing boast
    When thou canst thus restore Honora early lost?

1. Sonnet 53. The knell of Whitehead tolls!—his cares are past
2. Sonnet 87. Round Cleon's brow the Delphic laurels twine
3. Sonnet 45. From Possibility's dim chaos sprung
4. Sonnet 7. By Derwent's rapid stream as oft I stray'd
5. Sonnet 68. Well it becomes thee, Britain, to avow

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