Bed Time
July 6, 2023The School-mistress. In Imitation of Spenser (excerpt)
July 6, 2023Written at an Inn at Henley
To thee, fair Freedom! I retire,
From flattery, cards, and dice, and din;
Nor art thou found in mansions higher
Than the low cot, or humble inn.
‘Tis here with boundless power I reign,
And every health which I begin,
Converts dull port to bright champagne;
Such Freedom crowns it, at an inn.
I fly from pomp, I fly from plate,
I fly from Falsehood’s specious grin;
Freedom I love, and form I hate,
And choose my lodgings, at an inn.
Here, waiter! take my sordid ore,
Which lackeys else might hope to win;
It buys what courts have not in store,
It buys me Freedom, at an inn.
Whoe’er has travell’d life’s dull round,
Where’er his stages may have been,
May sigh to think he still has found
The warmest welcome — at an inn.
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.