Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, ON THE BIRTH OF A FRIEND'S ELDEST SON, by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ON THE BIRTH OF A FRIEND'S ELDEST SON, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Welcome little helpless stranger
Last Line: And their fondest hopes fulfill.
Alternate Author Name(s): Aikin, Anna Letitia
Subject(s): Birth; Child Birth; Midwifery


Incipe, parve puer, risu cognoscere matrem.

Welcome little helpless stranger;
Welcome to the light of day;
Smile upon thy happy mother,
Smile, and chase her pains away.

Lift thine eyes and look around thee;
Various Nature courts thy sight,
Spreads for thee her flowery carpet;
Earth was made for thy delight.

Welcome to a mother's bosom;
Welcome to a father's arms;
Heir to all thy father's virtues,
Heir to all thy mother's charms.

Joy thou bring'st, but mix'd with trouble,
Anxious joys and tender fears,
Pleasing hopes, and mingled sorrows,
Smiles of transport, dash'd with tears.

Who can say what lies before thee,
Calm or tempest, peace or strife;
With what turns of various fortune
Fate shall mark thy chequer'd life.

Who can tell what eager passions
In this little heart shall beat,
When ambition, love, or glory,
Shall invade this peaceful seat.

Who can tell how wide the branches
Of this tender plant may spread,
While beneath its ample shadow
Swains may rest, and flocks be fed.

Angels guard thee, lovely blossom,
And avert each hovering ill!
Crown thy parents' largest wishes,
And their fondest hopes fulfill.





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