The Speeches of Sloth and Virtue
July 6, 2023The Beau to the Virtuosos
July 6, 2023The Landskip
How pleas’d within my native bowers
Erewhile I pass’d the day!
Was ever scene so deck’d with flowers?
Were ever flowers so gay?
How sweetly smil’d the hill, the vale,
And all the landskip round!
The river gliding down the dale!
The hill with beeches crown’d!
But now, when urg’d by tender woes,
I speed to meet my dear,
That hill and stream my zeal oppose,
And check my fond career.
No more, since Daphne was my theme,
Their wonted charms I see:
That verdant hill, and silver stream,
Divide my love and me.
William Shenstone
William Shenstone (1714-1763) was an English poet and landscape gardener. He studied at Oxford University and later inherited his family's estate, where he designed and maintained a picturesque garden. Shenstone's poetry often explored themes of love, nature, and the human experience. Some of his most famous works include "The Schoolmistress," "A Pastoral Ballad," and "The Ruined Cottage." Shenstone was known for his attention to detail and his ability to capture the beauty of the natural world.