Philosophy
(Golder Project subject term)
Represented in
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Canto First in The New Zealand Survey
- Such thing excite to speculations deep, / As drawing back the curtains of the past, / Declaring what was secret to all ken!
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Canto Fourth in The New Zealand Survey
- Thus ages upon ages as they’ve rolled / Unchronicled—save by the mystic marks
- So whence the origin of those that be, / Replacing those of yore? but through that power / Invested in the laws of nature, which / Fills up the void, where needed, of a kind, / And in such power proclaim “a Great Supreme!” / Whose wisdom in the working of such laws / May well be traced, when truth is duly sought / T’impart instruction without erring aim, / Or such rebuke, as silence would “Conceit;” / Or prove some vain philosopher “a fool!”
- This scene, as much enchanting to the eye, / When well considered, may reflections stir, / Which would sensations sweet send through the mind / And prove to grieving hearts a soothing balm!
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Canto First in The New Zealand Survey
- Soon must fly off / Such shackles, which impede advancement in / The progress of the intellectual march / To civ’lization’s height. Fresh ideas / Impregnate now their souls with nobler thoughts, / All which may prove like seed cast in the soil, / Though some time dormant, yet at length to spring / The source of future good!
- In this I see the hand of Providence / Marking the course of great events to come; / Aye such events, that will an aspect give / Unto the history of the world, which have / Been never dreamed of by the wisest sage / Deep read in politics; and who has conn’d / Th’ economy of nations, or the affairs / Of man, as he’s connected with the world.
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Stanzas — To the Memory of Wm. Swainson, Esq., F.R.S. &c., — Departed hence, December 7, 1855 in The New Zealand Survey
- Unlike to many a false philosopher / Who feign to search out knowledge in behalf / Of merely framing up some abject proof / That man can claim no more than the brutes’ share / Of immortality, condemning safe / Himself to the position of base degradations lair! / As through inverting optic’s they would view / The works of great Jehovah, ever good; / So moral darkness o’er such minds would brood!—
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Canto Fifth in The New Zealand Survey
- At early morn, as they’d through custom sit, / Wrapped in their shaggy mats, upon the beach, / With vacant gaze on the horizon’s bound,
- But whence this solitary race of men? / How have they here got planted?—may be asked.— / A race of savages without a date,— / Or record of their early history / To trace their lineage!—They’re ever prone / To deal in wonders, and tradition’s lore / Much mixed with fable, contrary to aught / That’s probable, or may be reckoned true; / Crude fancy’s pictures ever over drawn / On some poetic, but untutor’d mind, / Which would try to expound the reason why / The ancient sires got landed on these shores; / While facts with fictions of the basest kind / Are so comingled, no dependance can / Be placed upon each theory declared: / But what can be expected from such minds, / Whose ignorance was darkness multiplied? / Whose ideas, the shades of wand’ring dreams / Of evanescent nature, hard to hold! / Or like the ignus fatuus wand’ring wide, / And leading the benighted far astray / From the sure path,
- But this is true,— / They’ve wander’d far from that great parting scene / On Shinar’s plain! Some providential hap / Must have some families brought toward these shores / As forced by tempests from their fishing grounds, / Unable to return; so they’ve become / Mere outcasts from society, as ’twere / To prove to a philosophising world / What man is when apart—left to himself / With nought but corrupt passions for a guide, / With reason overpower’d! Then far below / Civilisation’s standard will he sink / Till scarcely ’bove the level of a brute!— / Thus have they had such dire experience, / As from such stocks they multiplied, and grew, / By numerous generations, into tribes, / Forgetful of all morals, which mayhap / Their sires have held, although however small, / ’Mid ancient social circles in old homes!
- He found upon this island a wild race / “From all the world disjoined!” His visit then, / To them was like the earliest, faintest break / Of greyish dawn, upon the coming day; / And long before the sun, with upward rays, / The eastern sky paints in vermilion hue! / It told them (if such tidings they perceived) / There were elsewhere another race of men / Of more extensive knowledge;—that themselves / Were not the only people of the world;— / That they themselves, compared with what they saw / In all their wonted pride, degraded were!— / For nothing dreamed they of more cultured state, / Or civilization; (if to them such phrase / Intelligible were;) nor could conceive / Such state of mind, so as to feel debased / With that degraded state in which they lived, / When seeing something of a nobler kind; / No more than when they could their great canoes / Compare with that great ship the stranger own’d! / This visit must have given their stagnant thoughts / A quite unwonted stir! another theme / Of converse, of unfathomable depth, / When conjuring fresh conjectures oft,—
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A Dinner Hour Reverie in The New Zealand Survey
- Why thus should fretful thoughts annoy / A rational mind, may one enquire? / When all around, as ready, wait / Our hearts with pleasure to inspire. / ’Tis worldly pride, that peace destroys, / And kindles there each baneful strife; / Envenoming the purest joys / That might attach to human life. / The wants of nature are but few, / And eas’ly to be satisfied; / While those created ever grow / More and more complex when allied / Unto vain glory!—Such would shake / O’er one the tyrants vengeful rod, / Enslaving best affectious still / That should be rendered to his God.
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Canto Second in The New Zealand Survey
- Have these been always as they now exist? / Or say, has all this scenery’s whole extent, / Nay all the country wide from shore to shore / From genial North to the less genial South / Been, as some would declare? surmising thus— / “These are the heights of some great continent, / Which filled the Southern ocean once, now sunk / By Nature’s fiat; these the remnants left / Above the waves, when earthquakes shook below / The ocean’s level, ev’ry spreading plain! / While now existing plains were once the heights / Of table mountains, and the many hills / Were loftier ridges, rising, clad with snows,— / The Continents great Alps!—Those valleys but / The ancient river courses, where once rolled / Their torrents, issuing from their founts on high, / Where many a glacier sparkled in the sun, / All stored in regions cold!” But look around / And room we find for theories diverse / From that advanced, which now may be declared!
- Have they stood / As they appear, since first the great command / Was given, “Let there be!” and earth uprose?—
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England’s Hope in The New Zealand Survey
- As some philosophers can tell, / From jutting rocks what’s under; / Or from a feather show as well / The nature of its owner;
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Canto Fourth in The Philosophy of Love. [A Plea in Defence of Virtue and Truth!] A Poem in Six Cantos, with Other Poems
- Oh! what a difference between Love in truth, / And that in wild romance.
- *What need the Muse say further, than declare / “Here isTrue Lovetriumphant in its TRUTH!!”
- Such is but a mere sample of Romance, / And its attending consequence; though more / In varied natures, and degrees, could tell / Each its own tale of sorrows, and regrets; / But may this serve to brighten up this truth, / “When fancy, pride and self-will must combine / Their strength ’gainst reason, and experience wise, / No good can thence result!”
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Canto Third in The Philosophy of Love. [A Plea in Defence of Virtue and Truth!] A Poem in Six Cantos, with Other Poems
- Here is a scene which Angels might admire! / It is so like ‘LOVE’s light’, which beams from Heaven / On man’s condition, smitten by his sin! / What an avowal! ’Twas submission meek / To Heaven’s decree!—See his large heart of truth / Defying sorrows, which would others scare: / Here is True Love in all its fullness shewn; / Such; that must merit long and full renown! / Go lover, likewise Do; and turn not from / Thy lov’d one, ’mid lost fortunes, or in woes; / Such, that o’er-ruling Providence ordains,
- See, is not this a pattern of true love, / As seen on either side?—A picture true, / And worthy imitation through all time! / Another instance let the Muse pourtray.— / Who was so fair as Hariot:
- Now, to illustrate such a doctrine given. / Permit the Muse such instances to give / That best can stir th’ affections of the heart,— / The best affections bent on virtue’s course / Which best accord with Heaven’s eternal truth!
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Preface in The Philosophy of Love. [A Plea in Defence of Virtue and Truth!] A Poem in Six Cantos, with Other Poems
- The title of the following Poem may, perhaps, be rather strange at first thought; and may prompt the enquiry,—“What sort of philosophy is there in Love?”—In reply, I would say, do think again: give it another thought: and then ask, Is there no Philosophy in Love? I hope a reference even to the analysis of the poem will go far to shew that there is; and more especially, I hope, in the poem, the Muse’s endeavours will prove that there is a great deal of philosophy, in Love; and as much in value, if not more so, than all the other philosophies existing!
- As the aim of philosophy is to aid in the attainment of happiness on earth, and, by an increase of knowledge, to lesson human misery; so if this humble song can, in any way, assist in solving some of the great problems of life, the Muse will be glad to think, she has not spun her task in vain: while the consciousness of having done his duty, as her amanuensis, to assist and advise the tempted and tried, by precept and illustration, will be the joy, and rejoicing of the—AUTHOR
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Canto Sixth in The Philosophy of Love. [A Plea in Defence of Virtue and Truth!] A Poem in Six Cantos, with Other Poems
- But, being thus aroused, life has been seen; / As such has waked the music of the heart, / In holy numbers, of seraphic strains, / Or other energies, which dormant lay / In idleness, have call’d been to good deeds, / In searching Nature’s treasures, to advance / The cause of science, and of Truth! Such things, / Which much affect love’s pride, have been the source, / In ancient times, whence revolutions sprung / To set in order wry affairs of state! / Love-crossings have made heroes on the field, / And on the main, ’mid battle’s direst work: / And such have work’d a change on simple man, / By rousing him to independent mind.
- When love, matured, is like the fruitful tree
- A blank, in the affections of the heart, / Is painful to endure, especially / In souls, whose natures sensibly can feel / A strong capacity for bringing forth / The fruits of social love; such as to cheer / Where sorrows would invade; or much advance / The comforts of this life! Yet ’tis the lot / Of many, who seem worthy better cheer; / If aught of cheer can in a blank be found. / Who would not sympathize with loving hearts, / Whose lottery of life would seem a blank? / Who yet, through some fortuitous event / Are unattach’d, unsought-for, and who seem / Quite isolated from love’s social bliss. / That such there are, the world around can tell, / Of either sex, both amiable and wise; / Who seem as if no partners were for them, / As being overlook’d; so must be lone, / As when was Adam found, when he had none
- But where such state is not—no special friend / T’ absorb affection’s flow—love’s principle / Must have some course of action, as it is / A spirit which can ne’er be idly hid; / Or be inactive in some way of good; / Unless it has become deseased,—deranged / From its true nature,—so engend’ring hate, / Misanthrophy, and such pernicious ills,
- In man, or womanhood’s maturity, / If none of one’s own nature can be found / T’absorb the love-o’erflowings of the heart, / In fond caressings bladishments and praise; / They must look round, if only but find / Some bestial pet, on which they lavish may / Their surplus of affections!—Such oft proves / A precious acquisition to the one, / Who has not met yet with a social friend, / Her feelings to reciprocate. This source / Of fond enjoyment has its moral, though
- A problem, grave, no doubt, which can be solved / More honourably, than by self-revenge! / Thus, Providence would teach, another course / Of duty is thy lot; and which is thine / To search out, and the task there found, fulfill! / The place, where thou successful search canst make / Is chiefly in thy nature,—not in ought, / Which leads to dissipation, or disgrace,— / Yes, chiefly in thy nature, like good gold / In store ’mid clay or rnbbish; to be had / As the reward for searching; so thou may’st / Have inwrought duties of some special kind, / Adapted to thy genius, which yet lie / Incognito, awaiting such a time / To be sought after; and, in being done, / Reward to good advantage, in the joy / Performance gives, in banishing thy woes! / Thus, vex’d affections, where they’ve been misplaced / May prove the prelude to thy future bliss!
- If’tis our nature Reason’s power t’ employ, / In oppositon to vain fancy’s mood; / Such nature is a blessing in itself; / ’Tis a reward incorporate with means / Employ’d in the fulfillment of our dues. / The duty thus imposed, will in ourselves / Find the due mode, whereby it will be done!
- How well it is to moralize on Love, / Recounting all the bliss its truth contains! / As Heav’n imposes duties, on our lives, / To be fulfill’d; so leaves He such to be / Perform’d, according to our means, or as / Our sev’ral natures will allow, the due / Accomplishment of all that is required. / As none has been restricted to one mode, / Or bound down to one form of instinct; as / The tribes inferior, which each class controls. / So, man is blest with freedom, as becomes / His reason, to adopt what course he deems / Best for the purpose in his nature woven, / When seeking out the partner of his life! / Thus, where he can his prudence exercise, / And in consistency with Heaven’s just laws, / His part perform, such laws his wisdom, which, / According to such laws obey’d, rewards / With comfort, and domestic joys in store!
Searching
For several reasons, including lack of resource and inherent ambiguity, not all names in the NZETC are marked-up. This means that finding all references to a topic often involves searching. Search for Philosophy as: "Philosophy". Additional references are often found by searching for just the main name of the topic (the surname in the case of people).
Other Collections
The following collections may have holdings relevant to "Philosophy":
- Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, which has entries for many prominent New Zealanders.
- Archives New Zealand, which has collections of maps, plans and posters; immigration passenger lists; and probate records.
- National Library of New Zealand, which has extensive collections of published material.
- Auckland War Memorial Museum, which has extensive holdings on the Auckland region and New Zealand military history.
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, which has strong holdings in Tāonga Māori, biological holotypes and New Zealand art.
- nzhistory.net.nz, from the History Group of the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.