Classic and Contemporary Poetry
WRITTEN IN THE BEGINNING OF MEZERAY'S HISTORY OF FRANCE, by MATTHEW PRIOR Poet's Biography First Line: Whate'er thy countrymen have done Last Line: Unwilling to retire, though weary. Subject(s): Fame; France; History; Life; Pain; Reputation; Historians; Suffering; Misery | ||||||||
WHATE'ER thy countrymen have done By law and wit, by sword and gun, In thee is faithfully recited: And all the living world, that view Thy work, give thee the praises due, At once instructed and delighted. Yet for the fame of all these deeds, What beggar in the Invalides, With lameness broke, with blindness smitten, Wished ever decently to die, To have been either Mezeray, Or any monarch he has written? It's strange, dear author, yet it true is, That, down from Pharamond to Louis, All covet life, yet call it pain; All feel the ill, yet shun the cure: Can sense this paradox endure? Resolve me, Cambray, or Fontaine. The man in graver tragic known (Though his best part long since was done) Still on the stage desires to tarry; And he who played the Harlequin, After the jest still loads the scene Unwilling to retire, though weary. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...PARTHENOPHIL AND PARTHENOPHE: MADRIGAL 14 by BARNABE BARNES SONNETS IN SHADOWS: 1 by ARLO BATES IN PRAISE OF PAIN by HEATHER MCHUGH THE SYMPATIZERS by JOSEPHINE MILES LEEK STREET by LAURE-ANNE BOSSELAAR A BETTER ANSWER (TO CHLOE JEALOUS) by MATTHEW PRIOR A DUTCH PROVERB by MATTHEW PRIOR A LETTER TO LADY [MISS] MARGARET-CAVANDISH-HOLLES-HARLEY, WHEN A CHILD by MATTHEW PRIOR |
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