Classic and Contemporary Poetry
LINES FROM ALCANDER, by ALEXANDER POPE Poet Analysis Poet's Biography First Line: Shields, helms, and swords all jangle as they hang Last Line: That even humble seems a term too high. | ||||||||
I Shields, helms, and swords all jangle as they hang, And sound formidinous with angry clang. II Whose honours with increase of ages grow; As streams roll down enlarging as they flow. III As man's meanders to the vital spring Roll all their tides, then back their circles bring. IV So swift, -- this moment here, the next 'tis gone, So imperceptible the motion. V On a lady's drinking the Bath-waters She drinks! She drinks! Behold the matchless Dame! To her 'tis Water, but to us 'tis Flame: Thus Fire is Water, Water Fire, by turns, And the same Stream at once both cools and burns. VI The same lady goes into the Bath Venus beheld her, 'midst her Crowd of Slaves, And thought Herself just risen from the Waves. VII The Metonymy. Lac'd in her Cosins new appear'd the Bride, A Bubble-boy and Tompion at her Side, And with an Air divine her Colmar ply'd. Then oh! she cries, what Slaves I round me see? Here a bright Redcoat, there a smart Toupee. VIII An Eye-witness of things never yet beheld by Man Thus Have I seen, in Araby the blest, A Phoenix couch'd upon her Fun'ral Nest. IX How inimitably circumstantial is this [description] of a War-Horse! His Eye-Balls burn, he wounds the smoaking Plain, And knots of scarlet Ribbond deck his Mane. X The Hyperbole Of a Scene of Misery Behold a Scene of Misery and Woe! Here Argus soon might weep himself quite blind, Ev'n tho' he had Briareus' hundred Hands To wipe those hundred Eyes -- XI The Periphrasis A Country Prospect I'd call them Mountains, but can't call them so, For fear to wrong them with a Name too low; While the fair Vales beneath so humbly lie, That even humble seems a Term too high. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...A HYMN WRITTEN IN WINDSOR FOREST by ALEXANDER POPE AN ESSAY ON CRITICISM by ALEXANDER POPE AN ESSAY ON MAN by ALEXANDER POPE COWLEY: THE GARDEN by ALEXANDER POPE ELEGY TO THE MEMORY OF AN UNFORTUNATE LADY by ALEXANDER POPE ELOISA TO ABELARD by ALEXANDER POPE EPIGRAM ENGRAVED ON THE COLLAR OF A DOG by ALEXANDER POPE EPIGRAM ON QUEEN CAROLINE'S DEATHBED by ALEXANDER POPE EPILOGUE TO THE SATIRES: DIALOGUE 1 by ALEXANDER POPE EPISTLE TO DR. ARBUTHNOT by ALEXANDER POPE EPISTLE TO MISS TERESA BLOUNT, ON HER LEAVING THE TOWN by ALEXANDER POPE EPISTLE TO MRS. BLOUNT, WITH THE WORKS OF VOITURE by ALEXANDER POPE |
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