Poems |
From inside the book
Page 10
At such a season , and with such a charge , Once went I forth ; and found , till then
unknown , A cottage , whither oft we fince repair : " Tis perched upon the green -
hill top , but close Environed with a ring of branching elms , That overhang the ...
At such a season , and with such a charge , Once went I forth ; and found , till then
unknown , A cottage , whither oft we fince repair : " Tis perched upon the green -
hill top , but close Environed with a ring of branching elms , That overhang the ...
Page 40
Never such a sudden flood , Upridged so high , and sent on such a charge ,
Poffeffed an inland scene . Where now the throng , That pressed the beach , and ,
hafty to depart , Looked to the sca for safety ? They are gone , Gone with the
refluent ...
Never such a sudden flood , Upridged so high , and sent on such a charge ,
Poffeffed an inland scene . Where now the throng , That pressed the beach , and ,
hafty to depart , Looked to the sca for safety ? They are gone , Gone with the
refluent ...
Page 47
... till he has penciled off A faithful likeness of the forms he views ; Then to
dispose his copies with such art , That each may find its most propitious light ,
And shine by situation , hardly less Than by the labour and the skill it coft ; Are
occupations ...
... till he has penciled off A faithful likeness of the forms he views ; Then to
dispose his copies with such art , That each may find its most propitious light ,
And shine by situation , hardly less Than by the labour and the skill it coft ; Are
occupations ...
Page 148
Thus nature works as if to mock at art , And in defiance of her rival powers ; By
these fortuitous and random strokes Performing such inimitable feats , As she
with all her rules can never reach . Less worthy of applause , though more
adınired ...
Thus nature works as if to mock at art , And in defiance of her rival powers ; By
these fortuitous and random strokes Performing such inimitable feats , As she
with all her rules can never reach . Less worthy of applause , though more
adınired ...
Page 248
The father , who designs his babe a priest , Dreams him episcopally such at least
; And , while the playful jockey scours the room Briskly , astride upon the parlour
broom , In fancy sees him more superbly ride In coach with purple lined and ...
The father , who designs his babe a priest , Dreams him episcopally such at least
; And , while the playful jockey scours the room Briskly , astride upon the parlour
broom , In fancy sees him more superbly ride In coach with purple lined and ...
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Common terms and phrases
beauty beneath BOOK bound breath cauſe charge charms cloſe courſe death delight divine dream earth eaſe enjoy fair fall fame fancy fear feed feel field fight fire firſt flower force ftill give grace grave hand heard heart heaven himſelf hold honour hope hour human juſt kind laft land laſt leaves leſs light live loft means mind moft moſt move muſt nature never once peace perhaps play pleaſe pleaſure praiſe prove riſe ſcene ſchools ſee ſeek ſeem ſhall ſhe ſhould ſhow ſmile ſome ſoon ſtill ſuch ſweet thee themſelves theſe thine things thoſe thou thought touch true truth turn uſe virtue voice whoſe wind winter wiſdom wiſh wonder worth
Popular passages
Page 37 - Slaves cannot breathe in England ; if their lungs Receive our air, that moment they are free ; They touch our country, and their shackles fall. That's noble, and bespeaks a nation proud And jealous of the blessing. Spread it then, And let it circulate through every vein Of all your empire ; that, where Britain's power Is felt, mankind may feel her mercy too.
Page 294 - Faithful remembrancer of one so dear, 0 welcome guest, though unexpected here ! Who bidd'st me honour with an artless song, Affectionate, a mother lost so long. 1 will obey, not willingly alone, But gladly, as the precept were her own : And, while that face renews my filial grief, Fancy shall weave a charm for my relief, Shall steep me in Elysian reverie, A momentary dream, that thou art she.
Page 36 - I would not have a slave to till my ground, To carry me, to fan me while I sleep, And tremble when I wake, for all the wealth That sinews bought and sold have ever earn'd.
Page 145 - The cheerful haunts of man, to wield the axe And drive the wedge in yonder forest drear, From morn to eve his solitary task.
Page 214 - To stroke his azure neck, or to receive The lambent homage of his arrowy tongue. All creatures worship man, and all mankind One Lord, one Father.
Page 31 - God made the country, and man made the town. What wonder then that health and virtue, gifts, That can alone make sweet the bitter draught, That life holds out to all, should most abound And least be threatened in the fields and groves...
Page 206 - The sum is this. If man's convenience, health, Or safety interfere, his rights and claims Are paramount, and must extinguish theirs. Else they are all — the meanest things that are, As free to live, and to enjoy that life, As God was free to form them at the first, Who in his sovereign wisdom made them all.
Page 52 - And just proportion, fashionable mien And pretty face, in presence of his God ? Or will he seek to dazzle me with tropes, As with the diamond on his lily hand, And play his brilliant parts before my eyes, When I am hungry for the bread of life ? He mocks his Maker, prostitutes and shames His noble office, and, instead of truth, Displaying his own beauty, starves his flock. Therefore avaunt all attitude, and stare, And start theatric, practised at the glass. I seek divine simplicity in him Who handles...
Page 206 - Sacred to neatness and repose, the alcove, The chamber, or refectory, may die : A necessary act incurs no blame. Not so when, held within their proper bounds, And guiltless of offence, they range the air...
Page 193 - The forms with which he sprinkles all the earth. Happy who walks with him ! whom what he finds Of flavour or of scent in fruit or flower, Or what he views of beautiful or grand In nature, from the broad majestic oak To the green blade that twinkles in the sun, Prompts with remembrance of a present God.
Bibliographic information
| Title | Poems |
| Author | William Cowper |
| Publisher | J.M. Dent & Sons Limited, 1802 |
| Original from | Oxford University |
| Digitized | 25 Sep 2006 |
| Length | 428 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |