The Task: A Poem |
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Page 8
... seen ; but perforated sore , And drill'd in holes , the solid oak is found , By worms voracious eating through and through . At length a generation more refin'd 15 20 2535 Improv'd the simple plan ; made three legs four , Gave them a ...
... seen ; but perforated sore , And drill'd in holes , the solid oak is found , By worms voracious eating through and through . At length a generation more refin'd 15 20 2535 Improv'd the simple plan ; made three legs four , Gave them a ...
Page 16
... seen . Hence the declivity is sharp and short , 325 And such the reascent ; between them weeps A little naiad her impov'rish'd urn All summer long , which winter fills again . The folded gates would bar my progress now , 330 But that ...
... seen . Hence the declivity is sharp and short , 325 And such the reascent ; between them weeps A little naiad her impov'rish'd urn All summer long , which winter fills again . The folded gates would bar my progress now , 330 But that ...
Page 19
... seen no more . The spleen is seldom felt where Flora reigns ; 455 The low'ring eye , the petulance , the frown , And sullen sadness , that o'ershade , distort , And mar , the face of Beauty , when no cause For such immeasurable wo ...
... seen no more . The spleen is seldom felt where Flora reigns ; 455 The low'ring eye , the petulance , the frown , And sullen sadness , that o'ershade , distort , And mar , the face of Beauty , when no cause For such immeasurable wo ...
Page 21
... seen Till half their beauties fade : the weary sight 505 510 Too well acquainted with their smiles , slides off , Fastidious , seeking less familiar scenes . Then snug enclosures in the shelter'd vale , Where frequent hedges intercept ...
... seen Till half their beauties fade : the weary sight 505 510 Too well acquainted with their smiles , slides off , Fastidious , seeking less familiar scenes . Then snug enclosures in the shelter'd vale , Where frequent hedges intercept ...
Page 24
... seen our state , Our palaces , our ladies , and our pomp Of equipage , our gardens , and our sports , And heard our musick ; are thy simple friends , Thy simple fare , and all thy plain delights , As dear to thec as once ? And have thy ...
... seen our state , Our palaces , our ladies , and our pomp Of equipage , our gardens , and our sports , And heard our musick ; are thy simple friends , Thy simple fare , and all thy plain delights , As dear to thec as once ? And have thy ...
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Common terms and phrases
beauty beneath boast breath call'd cause charg'd charms clime death Deciduous delight distant divine domestick dream e'en earth ease ev'ning ev'ry fair fancy fast favour'd fear feeds feel field of glory fix'd flow'rs folly form'd fountain of eternal frown fruit gives glory grace grave groves hand happy heart Heav'n honour hopes and fears Hosanna human king labour learn'd less liberty lost lov'd lyre magick mercy Mighty winds mind mov'd musick nature Nature's Nebaioth never nymphs o'er once peace perhaps pleas'd pleasures polish'd pow'r praise proud publick rapture riddance rude rural sacred sake scene seek seem'd shade shine sighs silent sleep sloth smiles Sofa soft song soon soul sound spleen stream sweet sycophant task taste thee theme thine thou art toil touch'd trembling truth Twas vale virtue wand'ring weary wind winter wisdom worthy
Popular passages
Page 30 - 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 30 - Slaves cannot breathe in England ; if their lungs Receive our air, that moment they are free ; They touch our country, and their shackles fall.
Page 77 - Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast, Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round, And while the bubbling and loud-hissing urn Throws up a steamy column, and the cups, That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each, So let us welcome peaceful evening in.
Page 40 - Himself, as conscious of his awful charge, And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds May feel it too; affectionate in look, ** And tender in address, as well becomes A messenger of grace to guilty men.
Page 144 - One song employs all nations ; and all cry " Worthy the Lamb, for he was slain for us-! " The dwellers in the vales and on the rocks Shout to each other, and the mountain tops From distant mountains catch the flying joy ; Till, nation after nation taught the strain, Earth rolls the rapturous Hosanna round.
Page 55 - My panting side was charged, when I withdrew To seek a tranquil death in distant shades. There was I found by one who had Himself Been hurt by th
Page 12 - Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds, Exhilarate the spirit, and restore The tone of languid Nature. Mighty winds, That sweep the skirt of some far-spreading wood Of ancient growth, make music not unlike The dash of ocean on his winding shore, And lull the spirit while they fill the mind; Unnumber'd branches waving in the blast, And all their leaves fast flutt'ring, all at once.
Page 16 - Some glossy-leaved, and shining in the sun, The maple, and the beech of oily nuts Prolific, and the lime at dewy eve Diffusing odours ; nor unnoted pass The sycamore, capricious in attire, Now green, now tawny, and ere autumn yet Have changed the woods, in scarlet honours bright.
Page 125 - The season smiles, resigning all its rage, And has the warmth of May. The vault is blue Without a cloud, and white without a speck The dazzling splendour of the scene below.
Page 79 - Than those of age, thy forehead wrapp'd in clouds, A leafless branch thy sceptre, and thy throne A sliding car, indebted to no wheels, But urged by storms along its slippery way, I love thee, all unlovely as thou seem'st, And dreaded as thou art...