THE

PROGRESS of POESY.

A PINDARIC ODE,

Φωνάντα συνετοῖσιν ἐς

Δὲ τὸ πᾶν ἑρμηνέων χατίζει,

PINDAR, Olymp. II.

ADVERTISEMENT.

When the Author first published this and the following Ode, he was advised, even by his Friends,

to fubjoin fome few explanatory Notes; but had

too much respect for the understanding of his Readers to take that liberty,

Pindar ftyles his own poetry with its mufical accompanyments, Αἰολης μολπή, ̓Αιόλιδες χορδας, Αἰολίδων πνοαὶ ἀυλῶν, olian fong, Æolian ftrings, the breath of the Æolian flute.

The laughing flowers, that round them blow,

Drink life and fragrance as they flow.

Now the rich ftream of mufic winds along"

Deep, majeftic, fmooth, and strong,

Thro' verdant vales, and Ceres' golden reign :

Now rowling down the fteep amain,

Headlong, impetuous, fee it pour:

The rocks, and nodding groves rebellow to the roar.

The fubject and fimile, as ufual with Pindar, are united. The various fources of poetry, which gives life and luftre to all it touches, are here described; its quiet majestic progrefs enriching every subject (otherwise dry and barren) with a pomp of diction and luxuriant harmony of numbers; and its more rapid and irrefiftible courfe, when fwoln and hurried away by the conflict of tumultuous paffions.

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I. 2.

Oh! Sovereign of the willing foul,

Parent of fweet and folemn-breathing airs,

Enchanting fhell! the fullen Cares,

And frantic Paffions hear thy foft controul.

On Thracia's hills the Lord of War,

Has curb'd the fury of his car,

And drop'd his thirsty lance at thy command.

* Perching on the scept'red hand

i Power of harmony to calm the turbulent fallies of the foul. The thoughts are borrowed from the first Pythian of Pindar.

This is a weak imitation of fome incomparable lines in the fame Ode.