Classic and Contemporary Poetry
FABLES FOR THE LADIES: THE EAGLE AND THE ASSEMBLY OF BIRDS, by EDWARD MOORE (1712-1757) Poet's Biography First Line: The moral lay to beauty due Last Line: Are startled at the passing air.' Subject(s): Birds; Eagles; Fables; Allegories | ||||||||
THE moral lay to beauty due I write, Fair Excellence! to you; Well pleas'd to hope my vacant hours Have been employ'd to sweeten yours. Truth under fiction I impart, To weed out folly from the heart, And show the paths that lead astray The wandering nymph from Wisdom's way. I flatter none: the great and good Are by their actions understood: Your monument, if actions raise, Shall I deface by idle praise? I echo not the voice of Fame, That dwells delighted on your name: Her friendly tale, however true, Were flattery if I told it you. The proud, the envious, and the vain, The jilt, the prude, demand my strain: To these, detesting praise, I write, And vent in charity my spite: With friendly hand I hold the glass To all promiscuous as they pass; Should Folly there her likeness view, I fret not that the mirror's true: If the fantastic form offend, I made it not, but would amend. Virtue, in every clime and age, Spurns at the folly-soothing page; While Satire, that offends the ear Of Vice and Passion, pleases her. Premising this, your anger spare, And claim the Fable you who dare. The birds in place, by factions press'd, To Jupiter their pray'rs address'd: By specious lies the state was vex'd, Their counsels libellers perplex'd; They begg'd (to stop seditious tongues) A gracious hearing of their wrongs. Jove grants their suit:the Eagle sat Decider of the grand debate. The Pie, to trust and pow'r preferr'd, Demands permission to be heard: Says he, 'Prolixity of phrase You know I hate. This libel says "Some birds there are, who, prone to noise, Are hir'd to silence Wisdom's voice; And, skill'd to chatter out the hour, Rise by their emptiness to pow'r." That this is aim'd direct at me, No doubt you'll readily agree; Yet well this sage assembly knows By parts to government I rose; My prudent counsels prop the state; Magpies were never known to prate.' The Kite rose up; his honest heart In virtue's sufferings bore a part: 'That there were birds of prey he knew, So far the libeller said true; Voracious, bold, to rapine prone, Who knew no interest but their own; Who, hovering o'er the farmer's yard, Nor pigeon, chick, nor duckling spar'd: This might be true, but if applied To him, in troth the slanderer lied: Since ignorance then might be misled, Such things he thought were best unsaid.' The Crow was vex'd:' As yester-morn He flew across the new-sown corn, A screaming boy was set for pay, He knew, to drive the crows away; Scandal had found out him in turn, And buzz'd abroad that crows love corn.' The Owl arose with solemn face, And thus harangu'd upon the case: 'That Magpies prate, it may be true, A Kite may be voracious too; Crows sometimes deal in new-sown pease; He libels not who strikes at these: The slander's here" But there are birds Whose wisdom lies in looks, not words, Blunderers who level in the dark, And always shoot beside the mark:" He names not me, but these are hints Which manifest at whom he squints; I were indeed that blundering fowl, To question, if he meant an owl?' 'Ye wretches, hence!' the Eagle cries, 'Tis conscience, conscience that applies; The virtuous mind takes no alarm, Secur'd by innocence from harm; While Guilt and his associate Fear, Are startled at the passing air.' | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CYMON AND IPHIGENIA by GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO SIGISMONDA AND GUISCARDO by GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO THE CHARACTER OF A GOOD PARSON by GEOFFREY CHAUCER THE COCK AND THE FOX, OR THE TALE OF THE NUN'S PRIEST by GEOFFREY CHAUCER TIME, REAL AND IMAGINARY; AN ALLEGORY by SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE GLADYS AND HER ISLAND; AN IMPERFECT TALE WITH DOUBTFUL MORAL by JEAN INGELOW THE WOLF AND THE DOG by JEAN DE LA FONTAINE AS PHILLIS THE GAY by EDWARD MOORE (1712-1757) BE STILL, O YE WINDS! by EDWARD MOORE (1712-1757) ELEGY, WRITTEN AMONG THE RUINS OF A NOBLEMAN'S SEAT IN CORNWALL by EDWARD MOORE (1712-1757) |
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