A pen--to register; a key-- br That winds through secret wards br Are well assigned to Memory br By allegoric Bards. br br As aptly, also, might be given br A Pencil to her hand; br That, softening objects, sometimes even br Outstrips the heart's demand; br br That smooths foregone distress, the lines br Of lingering care subdues, br Long-vanished happiness refines, br And clothes in brighter hues; br br Yet, like a tool of Fancy, works br Those Spectres to dilate br That startle Conscience, as she lurks br Within her lonely seat. br br Oh! that our lives, which flee so fast, br In purity were such, br That not an image of the past br Should fear that pencil's touch! br br Retirement then might hourly look br Upon a soothing scene, br Age steal to his allotted nook br Contented and serene; br br With heart as calm as lakes that sleep, br In frosty moonlight glistening; br Or mountain rivers, where they creep br Along a channel smooth and deep, br To their own far-off murmurs listening.