Wardour Castle

If rich designs of sumptuous art may please,     Or Nature's loftier views, august and old,     Stranger! behold this spreading scene; behold     This amphitheatre of aged trees,     That solemn wave above thee, and around     Darken the towering hills! Dost thou complain     That thou shouldst cope with penury or pain,     Or sigh to think what pleasures might be found     Amid such wide possessions! Pause awhile;     Imagine thou dost see the sick man smile;     See the pale exiles, that in yonder dome,     Safe from the wasteful storm, have found a home;[1]     And thank the Giver of all good, that lent     To the humane, retired, beneficent,     The power to bless. Nor lift thy heart elate,     If such domains be thine; but emulate     The fair example, and those deeds, that rise     Like holy incense wafted to the skies;     Those deeds that shall sustain the conscious soul,     When all this empty world hath perished, like a scroll!