A poem by Alexander Pope (1688-1744) , the greatest English poet of “Augustan” or Georgian period
Semichorus.
Oh Tyrant Love! hast thou possest
The prudent, learn’d, and virtuous breast?
Wisdom and wit in vain reclaim,
And Arts but soften us to feel thy flame.
Love, soft intruder, enters here,
But ent’ring learns to be sincere.
Marcus with blushes owns he loves,
And Brutus tenderly reproves.
Why, Virtue, dost thou blame desire,
Which Nature has imprest?
Why, Nature, dost thou soonest fire
The mild and gen’rous breast?
Chorus.
Love’s purer flames the Gods approve;
The Gods and Brutus bent to love:
Brutus for absent Portia sighs,
And sterner Cassius melts at Junia’s eyes.
What is loose love? a transient gust,
Spent in a sudden storm of lust,
A vapour fed from wild desire,
A wand’ring, self-consuming fire,
But Hymen’s kinder flames unite;
And burn for ever one;
Chaste as cold Cynthia’s virgin light,
Productive as the Sun.
Semichorus.
Oh source of ev’ry social tie,
United wish, and mutual joy!
What various joys on one attend,
As son, as father, brother husband, friend?
Whether his hoary sire he spies,
While thousand grateful thoughts arise;
Or meets his spouse’s fonder eye;
Or views his smiling progeny;
What tender passions take their turns,
What home-felt raptures move?
His heart now melts, now leaps, now burns,
With rev’rence, hope, and love.
Chorus.
Hence guilty joys, distastes, surmises,
Hence false tears, deceits, disguises,
Dangers, doubts, delays, surprises;
Fires that scorch, yet dare not shine
Purest love’s unwasting treasure,
Constant faith, fair hope, long leisure,
Days of ease, and nights of pleasure;
Sacred Hymen! these are thine.
A few random poems:
- Paradise Lost: Book 01 poem – John Milton poems
- True Love by Robert Penn Warren
- Владимир Британишский – Дом, как бог
- Olney Hymn 55: The Heart Healed And Changed By Mercy by William Cowper
- There Can Never Be Another You by Miraj Patel
- Lover’s Gifts XXII: I Shall Gladly Suffer by Rabindranath Tagore
- In An Underground Dressing Station by Siegfried Sassoon
- The Great Lament Of My Obscurity Three by Tristan Tzara
- Sly Dick by Thomas Chatterton
- Наум Коржавин – Генерал
- Ghazal of Rumi by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi
- Breaking and Entering by Ralph Angel
- Омар Хайям – Кумир мой, вылепил тебя таким гончар
- Woman by Tala Bar
- Robert Burns: Winter: A Dirge:
External links
Bat’s Poetry Page – more poetry by Fledermaus
Talking Writing Monster’s Page –
Batty Writing – the bat’s idle chatter, thoughts, ideas and observations, all original, all fresh
Poems in English
- The Match poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- The Mower Against Gardens poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- The Garden poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- The Gallery poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- The First Anniversary Of The Government Under O.C. poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- The Fair Singer poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- The Death of Cromwell poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- The Coronet poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- The Character Of Holland poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- Senec. Traged. Ex Thyeste Chor.2 poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- Ros poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- On The Victory Obtained By Blake Over the Spaniards, In The Bay Of Scanctacruze, In The Island Of teneriff.1657 poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- On Mr. Milton’s Paradise Lost poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- On A Drop Of Dew poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- Mourning poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- Music’s Empire poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- Last Instructions to a Painter poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- In Effigiem Oliveri Cromwell poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- Hortus poem – Andrew Marvell poems
- Fleckno, an English Priest at Rome poem – Andrew Marvell poems
More external links (open in a new tab):
Doska or the Board – write anything
Search engines:
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Yahoo– yes, it’s still around, amazingly, miraculously, incredibly, but now it seems to be powered by Bing.
Parallel Translations of Poetry
The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works
Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744) was a a post-Restoration English poet and satirist. He is a poet of the (British) Augustan period and one of its greatest artistic exponents.