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THE
BARON'S YULE FEAST
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TO
THE COUNTESS OF
BLESSINGTON.
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Lady, receive a tributary lay
From one who cringeth not to titled
state
Conventional, and lacketh will to
prate
Of comeliness ― though thine, to which did pay
The haughty Childe his tuneful homage, may
No minstrel deem a harp-theme
derogate.
I reckon thee among the truly great
And fair, because with genius thou dost sway
The thought of thousands, while thy noble heart
With pity glows for Suffering, and
with zeal
Cordial relief and solace to impart.
Thou didst, while I rehearsed Toil's
wrongs, reveal
Such yearnings! Plead! let England hear thee
plead
With eloquent tongue, that Toil from wrong be freed! |
――――♦――――
ADVERTISEMENT.
SEVERAL pieces in
the following Rhyme were written many years ago, and will be
recognised by my early friends. They were the fruit of
impressions derived from the local associations of boyhood, (of
which, the reader, if inclined, may learn more in the notes,) and of
an admiration created by the exquisite beauty and simplicity of
Coleridge's 'Christabel,' ― which I had by heart, and used to repeat
to Thomas Miller, my playmate and companion from infancy, during
many a delightful 'Day in the Woods,' and pleasing ramble on the
hills and in the woods above Gainsborough, and along the banks of
Trent.
I offer but one apology for the production of a metrical
essay, composed chiefly of imperfect and immature pieces: ― the
ambition to contribute towards the fund of Christmas entertainment,
in which agreeable labour I see many popular names engaged, ― and
among them, one, the most deservedly popular in the literature of
the day. The favour with which an influential portion of the
press has received my 'Prison Rhyme' emboldens me to take this step;
and if the flagellation of criticism be not too keenly dealt upon me
for the imperfections in the few pages that follow, I will be
content, in this instance, to expect no praise.
134, Blackfriars Road,
Dec. 20. 1845.
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Ed.―the following
table of contents, which is not in Cooper's original, has been added to ease reference.
CONTENTS.
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