Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, SAPPHO AND PHAON: 11. REJECTS THE INFLUENCE OF REASON, by MARY DARBY ROBINSON


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SAPPHO AND PHAON: 11. REJECTS THE INFLUENCE OF REASON, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: O! Reason! Vaunted sovereign of the mind!
Last Line: A visionary theme! -- a gorgeous shade!


O! Reason! vaunted Sovereign of the mind!
Thou pompous vision with a sounding name!
Can'st thou, the soul's rebellious passions tame?
Can'st thou in spells the vagrant fancy bind?
Ah, no! capricious as the wavering wind,
Are sighs of Love that dim thy boasted flame,
While Folly's torch consumes the wreath of fame,
And Pleasure's hands the sheaves of truth unbind.
Pressed by the storms of Fate, hope shrinks and dies;
Frenzy darts forth in mightiest ills arrayed;
Around thy throne destructive tumults rise,
And hell-fraught jealousies, thy rights invade!
Then, what art thou? O! Idol of the wise!
A visionary theme! -- a gorgeous shade!





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