Weathe the Bowl

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WREATHE THE BOWL

WREATHE the bowl
With flowers of soul,
The brightest Wit can find us;
We'll take a flight
Towards heav'n to-night,
And leave dull earth behind us;
Should Love amid
The wreaths be hid
That Joy, the enchanter, brings us,
No danger fear
While wine is near –
We'll drown him if he stings us.
Then wreathe the bowl
With flowers of soul,
The brightest Wit can find us;
We'll take a flight
Towards heav'n to-night,
And leave dull earth behind us!

'Twas nectar fed
Of old, 'tis said,
Their Junos, Joves, Apollos;
And man may brew
His nectar too;
The rich receipt's as follows: –
Take wine like this;
Let looks of bliss
Around it well be blended;
Then bring Wit's beam
To warm the stream,
And there's your nectar, splendid!
So wreathe the bowl,
With flowers of soul,
The brightest Wit can find us;
We'll take a flight
Towards heav'n to-night,
And leave dull earth behind us!

Say, why did Time
His glass sublime
Fill up with sands unsightly,
When wine he knew
Runs brisker through,
And sparkles far more brightly?
Oh, lend it us,
And, smiling thus,
The glass in two we'd sever,
Make pleasure glide
In double tide,
And fill both ends for ever!
Then wreathe the bowl,
With flowers of soul,
The brightest Wit can find us?
We'll take a flight
Towards heav'n to-night,
And leave dull earth behind us!

– THOMAS MOORE

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