A Voyage to India Author:James Wallace Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. THE APPROACH TO THE INDIAN SHORE. Th' impatient wish that never feels repose; Desire that with perpetual current flows; The fluctuating pang's... more » of hope and fear; Joy distant still, and sorrow ever near! Falconsr. There is an anxiety--a restlessness—in the bosom of man, which is continually presenting something new to his imagination, and urging him on to some new project. He is seeking after contentment, after comfort; and he fixes upon a point where he makes sure it is to be found, and promises himself that when he gets to this point he will have gained the summit of his wishes. There he will rest free from desire, for there all that he wants will be supplied. But, when he has reached it, he finds not whathe counted on; something is still wanting; some feeling is still unsatisfied, and ere he can gain altogether what he is in quest of, he must press to another point a little further on. Yet, let him reach even this, and still he has not all. His views change, and new objects appear, and new wants are found out the farther on he goes. Just as one wish is satisfied another takes its place; as one difficulty is overcome another starts up; the object flits just as he speeds. There is, indeed, no boundary to his desires, no point at which he can gain contentment; and thus does he go on projecting and plodding; thus does one wish follow close upon another, and ever is his bosom in restless eagerness, until death, perhaps very unexpectedly, steps in, and carries him away from all his hopes and all his ambitions. Does he not after fairy shadows run ? Follows he not some wild illusive dream ? Like children, that would catch the radiant sun, Grasping its image in the glittering stream! And this spirit of anxiety is well exemplifiedin an Indian voyage. ...« less