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Classic and Contemporary Poetry


VANITY by LETITIA ELIZABETH LANDON

Poet Analysis

First Line: VANITY! GUIDING POWER, 'TIS THINE TO RULE
Last Line: EACH DEEMS HIS TASK THE GLORY OF THE WORLD.
Subject(s): VANITY;

VANITY! guiding power, 'tis thine to rule
Statesman and vestryman -- the knave or fool.
The Macedonian crossed Hydaspes' wave,
Fierce as the storm, and gloomy as the grave.
Urged by the thought, What would Athenians say,
When next they gathered on a market day?
And the same spirit that induced his toil,
Leads on the cook, to stew, and roast, and boil:
Whether the spice be mixed -- the flag unfurled --
Each deems his task the glory of the world.



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