Exalt her daring eye; then mightier far
Will be the change, and nobler. Would the forms 615
Of servile custom cramp her generous pow'rs:
Would sordid policies, the barb'rous growth
Of ignorance and rapine, bow her down
To tame pursuits, to indolence and fear:
Lo! she appeals to nature, to the winds620
And rowling waves, the sun's unwearied course,
The elements and seasons: all declare
For what th' eternal maker has ordain'd
The pow'rs of man: we feel within ourselves
His energy divine: he tells the heart,625
He meant, he made us to behold and love
What he beholds and loves, the general orb
Of life and being; to be great like him,
Beneficent and active. Thus the men
Whom nature's works can charm, with God himself630
Hold converse; grow familiar, day by day,
With his conceptions; act upon his plan;
And form to his, the relish of their souls.
FINIS
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/05/The_Pleasures_of_Imagination_-_Akenside_%281744%29_endpiece_2.jpg/70px-The_Pleasures_of_Imagination_-_Akenside_%281744%29_endpiece_2.jpg)