Poems on Various Subjects (Coleridge)/Lines on the Man of Ross

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge

LINES

 

WRITTEN

 

AT THE KING'S ARMS, ROSS,

 

FORMERLY THE HOUSE OF THE

 

"MAN OF ROSS."

 

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RICHER than Miser o'er his countless hoards,
Nobler than Kings, or king-polluted Lords,
Here dwelt the Man of Ross! O Trav'ller, hear!
Departed Merit claims a reverent tear.
Beneath this roof if thy cheer'd moments pass,
Fill to the good man's name one grateful glass:

To higher zest shall Mem'ry wake thy soul,
And Virtue mingle in th' ennobled bowl.
But if, like me, thro' life's distressful scene
Lonely and sad thy pilgrimage hath been;
And if, thy breast with heart-sick anguish fraught,
Thou journeyest onward tempest-tost in thought;
Here cheat thy cares! in generous visions melt,
And dream of Goodness, thou hast never felt!