If rich designs of sumptuous art may please, <br />Or Nature's loftier views, august and old, <br />Stranger! behold this spreading scene;--behold <br />This amphitheatre of aged trees, <br />That solemn wave above thee, and around <br />Darken the towering hills! Dost thou complain <br />That thou shouldst cope with penury or pain, <br />Or sigh to think what pleasures might be found <br />Amid such wide possessions!--Pause awhile; <br />Imagine thou dost see the sick man smile; <br />See the pale exiles, that in yonder dome, <br />Safe from the wasteful storm, have found a home; <br />And thank the Giver of all good, that lent <br />To the humane, retired, beneficent, <br />The power to bless. Nor lift thy heart elate, <br />If such domains be thine; but emulate <br />The fair example, and those deeds, that rise <br />Like holy incense wafted to the skies; <br />Those deeds that shall sustain the conscious soul, <br />When all this empty world hath perished, like a scroll!<br /><br />William Lisle Bowles<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/wardour-castle/
