The Wish (1778)

Give me, ye Powers that rule in gentle hearts,
The full design, complete in all its parts,
Th' enthusiastic glow, that swells the soul--
When swell'd too much the judgment to control--
The happy ear that feels the flowing force
Of the smooth line's uninterrupted course;
Give me, oh give, if not in vain the prayer,
That sacred wealth, poetic worth, to share--
Be it my boast to please and to improve,
To warm the soul to virtue and to love;
To paint the passions, and to teach mankind
Our greatest pleasures are the most refined;
The cheerful tale with fancy to rehearse,
And gild the moral with the charm of verse.