English Poetry. Phillis Wheatley. Ode to Neptune. Филлис Уитли.

Phillis Wheatley (Филлис Уитли)

Ode to Neptune

On Mrs. W-----'s Voyage to England.

I.

WHILE raging tempests shake the shore,
While AElus' thunders round us roar,
And sweep impetuous o'er the plain
Be still, O tyrant of the main;
Nor let thy brow contracted frowns betray,
While my Susanna skims the wat'ry way.

II.

The Pow'r propitious hears the lay,
The blue-ey'd daughters of the sea
With sweeter cadence glide along,
And Thames responsive joins the song.
Pleas'd with their notes Sol sheds benign his ray,
And double radiance decks the face of day.

III.

To court thee to Britannia's arms
Serene the climes and mild the sky,
Her region boasts unnumber'd charms,
Thy welcome smiles in ev'ry eye.
Thy promise, Neptune keep, record my pray'r,
Not give my wishes to the empty air. 

Phillis Wheatley’s other poems:

1. To the King’s Most Excellent Majesty. 1768
2. Thoughts on the Works of Providence
3. To a Gentleman on his Voyage to Great-Britain for the Recovery of his Health
4. On the Death of the Rev. Dr. Sewell, 1769
5. To a Lady on the Death of Her Husband

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