Pause passer, and thy thoughts a moment bend To contemplation of this dreamy scene: The gateless portal here, the leafy screen Beyond, the avenue that finds an end In seeming, where the arching branches lend' An invitation to this fair demesne, This unlost Paradise, whose peace serene Means heaven's o'erflow and man his maker's friend. Yet stay thy foot! Wisdom and Prudence stand The unseen guardian of an unseen gate, With smile of welcome and extended hand For all truth-seekers, come they soon or late; But for vain triflers, warning and command, As they whose girdles wear the keys of fate. |