Richer than Miser o'er his countless hoards, Nobler than Kings, or king-polluted Lords, Here dwelt the Man of Ross! O Traveller, hear! Departed Merit claims a reverent tear. Friend to the friendless, to the sick man health, With generous joy he viewed his modest wealth; He heard the widow's heaven-breathed prayer of praise, He marked the sheltered orphan's tearful gaze, Or where the sorrow-shrivelled captive lay, Pour'd the bright blaze of Freedom's noon-tide ray. Beneath this roof if thy cheered moments pass, Fill to the good man's name one grateful glass: To higher zest shall Memory wake thy soul, And Virtue mingle in the ennobled bowl. But if, like me, through life's distressful scene Lonely and sad thy pilgrimage hath been; And if thy breast with heart-sick anguish fraught, Thou journeyest onward tempest-tossed in thought; Here cheat thy cares! in generous visions melt, And dream of Goodness, thou hast never felt! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...IN SAN MARCO, VENEZIA by WILLIAM CARLOS WILLIAMS TO THE EVENING STAR by WILLIAM BLAKE AN ODE TO THE FRAMERS OF THE FRAME BILL by GEORGE GORDON BYRON WASTED HOURS by WILLIAM HENRY DAVIES LAMENT OF THE FRONTIER GUARD by LI PO EPIGRAMS: BOOK I, 1 by MARCUS VALERIUS MARTIALIS |