Poem by Ann Radcliffe

Song (Life's a varied, bright illusion)

Life's a varied, bright illusion,
  Joy and sorrow—-light and shade;
Turn from sorrow's dark suffusion,
  Catch the pleasures ere they fade.

Fancy paints with hues unreal,
  Smile of bliss, and sorrow's mood;
If they both are but ideal,
  Why reject the seeming good?

Hence! no more! 'tis Wisdom calls ye,
  Bids ye court Time's present aid;
The future trust not—-Hope enthrals ye,
  'Catch the pleasures ere they fade.'"

1. To the Lilly
2. To the Visions of Fancy
3. To Melancholy
4. Evening
5. When First the Vernal Morn of Life

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