Читать книгу The Child's Favorite - a gift for the young - Anonymous - Страница 8

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Oh! hear a pensive prisoner's prayer,

For liberty that sighs;

And never let thine heart be shut

Against the wretch's cries.

For here forlorn and sad I sit,

Within the wiry gate;

And trembling at the approaching morn,

Which brings impending fate.

If e'er thy breast with freedom glowed,

And spurned a tyrant's chain,

Let not thy strong oppressive force

A free-born Mouse detain.

Oh! do not stain with guiltless blood,

Thy hospitable hearth;

Nor triumph that thy wiles betrayed

A prize so little worth.

The scattering gleanings of a feast

My frugal meals supply:

But if thine unrelenting heart

That gentle boon deny;

The cheerful light, the vital air,—

Are blessings widely given;

Let Nature's commoners enjoy

The common gifts of Heaven.

The well-taught, philosophic mind,

To all compassion gives;

Casts round the world an equal eye,

And feels for all that lives.

Or, since this transient gleam of day

Is all of life we share;

Let pity plead within thy breast,

That little all to spare.

So may thy hospitable board

With health and peace be crowned

And every charm of heart-felt ease

Beneath thy roof be found.

So, when destruction lurks unseen,

Which men, like mice, may share,

May some kind angel clear thy path,

And break the hidden snare.