William Cowper ( 10 of 184 )
Ages elapsed ere Homer's lamp appeared,
And ages ere the Mantuan Swan was heard;
To carry nature read more
Ages elapsed ere Homer's lamp appeared,
And ages ere the Mantuan Swan was heard;
To carry nature lengths unknown before,
To give a Milton birth, asked ages more.
Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds,
Exhilarate the spirit, and restore
The tone of languid Nature.
Nor rural sights alone, but rural sounds,
Exhilarate the spirit, and restore
The tone of languid Nature.
How fleet is a glance of the mind!
Compared with the speed of its flight,
The tempest read more
How fleet is a glance of the mind!
Compared with the speed of its flight,
The tempest itself lags behind,
And the swift-winged arrows of light.
Wit, now and then, struck smartly, shows a spark.
Wit, now and then, struck smartly, shows a spark.
There is a pleasure in poetic pains,
Which only poets know.
There is a pleasure in poetic pains,
Which only poets know.
His mind his kingdom, and his will his law.
His mind his kingdom, and his will his law.
His wit invites you by his looks to come,
But when you knock, it never is at home.
His wit invites you by his looks to come,
But when you knock, it never is at home.
Absence from whom we love is worse than death.
Absence from whom we love is worse than death.
Absence of occupation is not rest,
A mind quite vacant is a mind distress'd.
Absence of occupation is not rest,
A mind quite vacant is a mind distress'd.
But oars alone can ne'er prevail
To reach the distant coast;
The breath of Heaven must swell read more
But oars alone can ne'er prevail
To reach the distant coast;
The breath of Heaven must swell the sail,
Or all the toil is lost.
