Thus safely low, my friend, thou canst not fall: <br />Here reigns a deep tranquillity o'er all; <br />No noise, no care, no vanity, no strife; <br />Men, woods, and fields, all breathe untroubled life. <br />Then keep each passion down, however dear; <br />Trust me, the tender are the most severe. <br />Guard, while 'tis thine, thy philosophic ease, <br />And ask no joy but that of virtuous peace; <br />That bids defiance to the storms of fate: <br />High bliss is only for a higher state!<br /><br />James Thomson<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/to-the-reverend-patrick-murdoch-rector-of-stradishall-in-suffolk/
