Tongue-doughty pedant; whose ambitious mind Prompts thee beyond thy native pitch to soar; And, imped with borrowed plumes of index-lore, Range through the vast of science unconfined! Not for thy wing was such a flight designed: Know thy own strength, and wise attempt no more; But lowly skim round error's winding shore, In quest of paradox from sense refined. Much hast thou written -- more than will be read; Then cease from Shakespeare thy unhallowed rage; Nor by a fond o'er-weening pride misled, Hope fame by injuring the sacred dead: Know, who would comment well his godlike page, Critic, must have a heart as well as head. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...HOLY THURSDAY, FR. SONGS OF INNOCENCE by WILLIAM BLAKE GREEN RIVER by WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT THE GOLDEN TARGE by WILLIAM DUNBAR FROLIC by GEORGE WILLIAM RUSSELL EMBLEMS OF LOVE: 32. THERE'S NO DEFENCE AGAINST LOVE by PHILIP AYRES A HYMN OF IMAGINATION by GORDON BOTTOMLEY THE WANDERER: 1. IN ITALY: VENICE by EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON |