Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE EMULATION. A PINDARICK ODE, by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE EMULATION. A PINDARICK ODE, by                    
First Line: "ah! Tell me why, deluded sex, thus we"
Last Line: "will owe our charms of wit, of parts, and poetry"
Subject(s): Beauty;secrets;women


I

Ah! tell me why, deluded Sex, thus we
Into the secret Beauty must not prye
Of our great Athenian Deity.
Why do we Minerva's Blessings slight,
And all her tuneful gifts despise;
Shall none but the insulting Sex be wise?
Shall they be blest with intellectual Light?
Whilst we drudge on in Ignorances Night?
We've Souls as noble, and as fine a Clay,
And Parts as well compos'd to please as they.
Men think perhaps we best obey,
And best their servile Business do,
When nothing else we know
But what concerns a Kitchin or a Field,
With all the meaner things they yield.
As if a rational unbounded Mind
Were only for the sordid'st task of Life design'd.

II

They let us learn to work, to dance, or sing,
Or any such like trivial thing,
Which to their profit may Increase or Pleasure bring.
But they refuse to let us know
What sacred Sciences doth impart
Or the mysteriousness of Art.
In Learning's pleasing Paths deny'd to go,
From Knowledge banish'd, and their Schools;
We seem design'd alone for useful Fools,
And foils for their ill shapen sense, condemn'd to prise
And think 'em truly wise,
Being not allow'd their Follies to despise.
Thus we from Ignorance to Wonder run.
(For Admiration ceases when the Secret's known)
Seem witty only in their praise
And kind congratulating Lays.
Thus to the Repute of Sense they rise,
And thus through the applauder's Ignorance are wise.
For should we understand as much as they,
They fear their Empire might decay.
For they know Women heretofore
Gain'd Victories, and envied Lawrels wore:
And now they fear we'll once again
Ambitious be to reign
And to invade the Dominions of the Brain.
And as we did in those renowned days
Rob them of Lawrels, so we now will take their Bayes.

III

But we are peaceful and will not repine,
They still may keep their Bays as well as Wine.
We've now no Amazonian Hearts,
They need not therefore guard their Magazine of Arts.
We will not on their treasure seise,
A part of it sufficiently will please:
We'll only so much Knowledge have
As may assist us to enslave
Those Passions which we find
Too potent for the Mind.
'Tis o're them only we desire to reign,
And we no nobler, braver, Conquest wish to gain.

IV

We only so much will desire
As may instruct us how to live above
Those childish things which most admire,
And may instruct us what is fit to love.
We covet Learning for this only end,
That we our time may to the best advantage spend:
Supposing 'tis below us to converse
Always about our Business or our Dress;
As if to serve our Senses were our Happiness.
We'll read the Stories of the Ancient Times,
To see, and then with horror hate their Crimes.
But all their Vertues with delight we'll view,
Admir'd by Us, and imitated too.
But for rewarding Sciences and Arts,
And all the curious Products which arise
From the contrivance of the Wise,
We'll tune and cultivate our fruitful Hearts.
And should Man's Envy still declare,
Our Business only to be fair;
Without their leave we will be wise,
And Beauty, which they value, we'll despise.
Our Minds, and not our Faces, we'll adorn,
For that's the Employ to which we are born.
The Muses gladly will their aid bestow,
And to their Sex their charming Secrets show.
Whilst Man's brisk Notions owe their rise
To an inspiring Bottle, Wench, or Vice,
Must be debauch'd and damn'd to get
The Reputation of a Wit.
To Nature only, and our softer Muses, we
Will owe our Charms of Wit, of Parts, and Poetry.





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