text,updated_at,metaphor,created_at,context,theme,reviewed_on,dictionary,comments,provenance,id,work_id
"Ye pale Inhabitants of Night,
Before my intellectual Sight
In solemn Pomp ascend:
O tell how trifling now appears
The Train of idle Hopes and Fears
That varying Life attend.
Ye faithless Idols of our Sense,
Here own how vain your fond Pretence,
Ye empty Names of Joy!
Your transient Forms like Shadows pass,
Frail Offspring of the magic Glass,
Before the mental Eye.
The dazzling Colours, falsely bright,
Attract the gazing vulgar Sight
With superficial State:
Thro' Reason's clearer Optics view'd,
How stript of all it's Pomp, how rude
Appears the painted Cheat.
(pp. 80-1)",2014-07-15 16:04:26 UTC,"Melancholy's ""transient Forms like Shadows pass, / Frail Offspring of the magic Glass, / Before the mental Eye.""",2011-06-23 04:17:33 UTC,"",Mind's Eye,,Mirror,"",Reading,18775,6964
"By Heav'n's enthusiastic Impulse taught
What shining Visions rose on Plato's Thought!
While by the Muses gently winding Flood*,
His searching Fancy trac'd the sov'reign Good!
The laurell'd Sisters touch'd the vocal Lyre,
And Wisdom's Goddess led their tuneful Choir.
Beneath the genial Plantane's spreading Shade,
How sweet the philosophic Music play'd!
Thro' all the Grove, along the flow'ry Shore
The charming Sounds responsive Echoes bore.
Here, from the Cares of vulgar Life refin'd,
Immortal Pleasures open'd on his Mind:
In gay Succession to his ravish'd Eyes
The animating Pow'rs of Beauty rise;
On ev'ry Object round, above, below,
Quick to the Sight her vivid Colours glow:
Yet, not to Matter's shadowy Forms confin'd,
The Fair and Good he sought remain'd behind:
'Till gradual rising thro' the boundless Whole,
He view'd the blooming Graces of the Soul;
Where, to the Beam of intellectual Day,
The genuine Charms of moral Beauty play:
With pleasing Force the strong Attractions move
Each finer Sense, and tune it into Love.
(ll. 41-64, pp. 17-18)
*ILYSUSUS, a River near ATHENS, dedicated to the Muses. On the Banks of this River, under a Plantane, Plato lays the Scene of his Dialogues on Love and Beauty.",2011-06-23 17:51:17 UTC,"""Where, to the Beam of intellectual Day, / The genuine Charms of moral Beauty play: / With pleasing Force the strong Attractions move / Each finer Sense, and tune it into Love.""",2011-06-23 17:50:53 UTC,"","",,"","",Reading,18789,6969
"Such sure Rewards the happy Choice attend
Form'd on our Nature's Origin and End.
Pure from th' eternal Source of Being came
That Ray divine that lights the human Frame:
Yet oft, forgetful of it's heavenly Birth,
It sinks obscur'd beneath the Weight of the Earth:
Mechanic Pow'rs retard it's Flight, and hence
The Storms of Passion, and the Clouds of Sense:
'Tis Life's great task their Influence to controul,
And keep the native Splendor of the Soul:
From false Desires which wild Opinion frames,
From raging Folly's inconsistent Schemes,
To guard it safe by those unerring Laws,
That re-unite it to its first Great Cause.
To this bright Mark may all thy Actions tend,
And Heav'n succeed the Wishes of a Friend,
Whose faithful Love directs its tender Cares
Beyond the Flight of momentary Years:
Beyond the Grave, where vulgar Passions end,
To future Worlds it's nobler Views extend,
Which soon each Imperfection must remove.
And ev'ry Charm of Friendship shall improve.
'Till then, the Muse essays the tuneful Art,
To fix her moral Lesson on thy Heart,
Illume thy Soul with Virtue's brightest Flame,
And point it to that Heav'n from whence it came.
(ll. 39-64, pp. 20-1)",2013-06-04 14:59:04 UTC,"""Pure from th' eternal Source of Being came / That Ray divine that lights the human Frame: / Yet oft, forgetful of it's heavenly Birth, / It sinks obscur'd beneath the Weight of the Earth: / Mechanic Pow'rs retard it's Flight, and hence / The Storms of Passion, and the Clouds of Sense: / 'Tis Life's great task their Influence to controul, / And keep the native Splendor of the Soul.""",2011-06-23 19:02:41 UTC,"","",2013-06-04,"","",Reading,18792,6971
"Such sure Rewards the happy Choice attend
Form'd on our Nature's Origin and End.
Pure from th' eternal Source of Being came
That Ray divine that lights the human Frame:
Yet oft, forgetful of it's heavenly Birth,
It sinks obscur'd beneath the Weight of the Earth:
Mechanic Pow'rs retard it's Flight, and hence
The Storms of Passion, and the Clouds of Sense:
'Tis Life's great task their Influence to controul,
And keep the native Splendor of the Soul:
From false Desires which wild Opinion frames,
From raging Folly's inconsistent Schemes,
To guard it safe by those unerring Laws,
That re-unite it to its first Great Cause.
To this bright Mark may all thy Actions tend,
And Heav'n succeed the Wishes of a Friend,
Whose faithful Love directs its tender Cares
Beyond the Flight of momentary Years:
Beyond the Grave, where vulgar Passions end,
To future Worlds it's nobler Views extend,
Which soon each Imperfection must remove.
And ev'ry Charm of Friendship shall improve.
'Till then, the Muse essays the tuneful Art,
To fix her moral Lesson on thy Heart,
Illume thy Soul with Virtue's brightest Flame,
And point it to that Heav'n from whence it came.
(ll. 39-64, pp. 20-1)",2011-06-23 19:04:41 UTC,"""'Till then [death], the Muse essays the tuneful Art, / To fix her moral Lesson on thy Heart, / Illume thy Soul with Virtue's brightest Flame, / And point it to that Heav'n from whence it came.""",2011-06-23 19:04:20 UTC,"","",,"","",Reading,18793,6971
"Thanks to the generous hand that plac'd me here,
Fast by the fountains of the silver Cray,
Who leading to the Thames his tribute clear,
Through the still valley winds his secret way.
Yet from his lowly bed with transport sees
In fair exposure noblest villas rise,
Hamlets embosom'd deep in antient trees,
And spires that point with reverence to the skies.
O lovely dale! luxuriant with delight!
O woodland hills! that gently rising swell;
O streams! whose murmurs soft repose invite;
Where peace and joy and rich abundance dwell.
How shall my slender reed your praise resound
In numbers worthy of the polish'd ear?
What powers of strong expression can be found
To thank the generous hand that plac'd me here:
That gave each requisite of blissful life;
Sweet leisure in sequester'd shades of Kent,
The softening virtues of a faithful wife,
And competence well sorted with content.
For these, if I forget my patron's praise,
While bright ideas dance upon my mind,
Ne'er may these eyes behold auspicious days,
May friends prove faithless, and the Muse unkind.
(pp. 70-1)",2014-03-09 15:00:44 UTC,"""For these, if I forget my patron's praise, / While bright ideas dance upon my mind, / Ne'er may these eyes behold auspicious days, / May friends prove faithless, and the Muse unkind.""",2012-01-19 17:37:10 UTC,"","",,Inhabitants,CITED in ENTRY,"Searching ""dance"" and ""idea"" in HDIS (Poetry)",19462,7171
"The Epistle. EPHES. 4. 17.
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind; having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: who being past feeling, have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation, the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole, steal no more; but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good, to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
",2012-01-23 22:16:08 UTC,"""This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind; having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.""",2012-01-23 22:16:08 UTC,The Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity,"",,"","",Reading in Google Books,19521,7175
" Conjecture thus,
That mental ignis fatuus,
Led his poor brains a weary dance
From France to England, hence to France,
Till Information (in the shape
Of chaplain learned, good Sir Crape,
A lazy, lounging, pamper'd priest,
Well known at every City feast,
For he was seen much oftener there
Than in the house of God at prayer;
Who, always ready in his place,
Ne'er let God's creatures wait for grace,
Though, as the best historians write,
Less famed for faith than appetite;
His disposition to reveal,
The grace was short, and long the meal;
Who always would excess admit,
If haunch or turtle came with it,
And ne'er engaged in the defence
Of self-denying Abstinence,
When he could fortunately meet
With anything he liked to eat;
Who knew that wine, on Scripture plan,
Was made to cheer the heart of man;
Knew too, by long experience taught,
That cheerfulness was kill'd by thought;
And from those premises collected,
(Which few perhaps would have suspected)
That none who, with due share of sense,
Observed the ways of Providence,
Could with safe conscience leave off drinking
Till they had lost the power of thinking;)
With eyes half closed came waddling in,
And, having stroked his double chin,
(That chin, whose credit to maintain
Against the scoffs of the profane,
Had cost him more than ever state
Paid for a poor electorate,
Which, after all the cost and rout
It had been better much without)
Briefly (for breakfast, you must know,
Was waiting all the while below)
Related, bowing to the ground,
The cause of that uncommon sound;
Related, too, that at the door
Pomposo, Plausible, and Moore,
Begg'd that Fame might not be allow'd
Their shame to publish to the crowd;
That some new laws he would provide,
(If old could not be misapplied
With as much ease and safety there
As they are misapplied elsewhere)
By which it might be construed treason
In man to exercise his reason;
Which might ingeniously devise
One punishment for truth and lies,
And fairly prove, when they had done,
That truth and falsehood were but one;
Which juries must indeed retain,
But their effect should render vain,
Making all real power to rest
In one corrupted, rotten breast,
By whose false gloss the very Bible
Might be interpreted a libel.",2012-05-29 13:44:37 UTC,"""Conjecture thus,
That mental ignis fatuus,
Led his poor brains a weary dance
From France to England, hence to France.""",2012-05-29 13:44:37 UTC,Book III,"",,"","",Reading,19784,5175
"Hath Nature (strange and wild conceit of Pride)
Distinguish'd thee from all her sons beside?
Doth Virtue in thy bosom brighter glow,
Or from a Spring more pure doth Action flow?
Is not thy Soul bound with those very chains
Which shackle us, or is that SELF, which reigns
O'er Kings and Beggars, which in all we see
Most strong and sov'reign, only weak in Thee?
Fond man, believe it not; Experience tells
'Tis not thy Virtue, but thy Pride rebels.
Think, and for once lay by thy lawless pen;
Think, and confess thyself like other men;
Think but one hour, and, to thy Conscience led
By Reason's hand, bow down and hang thy head;
Think on thy private life, recal thy Youth,
View thyself now, and own with strictest truth,
That SELF hath drawn Thee from fair Virtue's way
Farther than Folly would have dar'd to stray,
And that the talents lib'ral Nature gave
To make thee free, have made thee more a slave.
(pp. 9-10)",2013-08-18 17:44:27 UTC,"""Doth Virtue in thy bosom brighter glow, / Or from a Spring more pure doth Action flow? / Is not thy Soul bound with those very chains / Which shackle us, or is that SELF, which reigns / O'er Kings and Beggars, which in all we see / Most strong and sov'reign, only weak in Thee?""",2013-08-18 17:44:27 UTC,"","",,Fetters,"",ECCO-TCP,22378,5192
"TULLIA.
O born to save and to possess my heart!
At length I wake to Reason and to thee;
Thy well-lov'd form, like the all-glorious Sun
After a gloom of horror dawns upon me,
And day breaks in on my benighted soul.
(pp. 58-9)",2013-09-04 01:57:57 UTC,"""At length I wake to Reason and to thee; / Thy well-lov'd form, like the all-glorious Sun / After a gloom of horror dawns upon me, / And day breaks in on my benighted soul.""",2013-09-04 01:57:57 UTC,"","",,"","",LION,22677,7669
"Thus his own eyes the Bigot blinds,
To shut out light from human minds,
And the clear truth (an emanation
From the great Author of creation,
A beam transmitted from on high,
To bring us nearer to the sky,
While ev'ry path by science trod,
Leads us with wonder up to God)
Is doom'd by Ignorance to make
Atonement at the Martyr's stake;
Tho', like pure gold, th' illustrious dame,
Comes forth the brighter from the flame.
No persecution will avail,
No inquisition racks, nor gaol;
When Learning's more enlight'ned ray
Shall drive these sickly fogs away;
A thankful age shall pay her more,
Than all her troubles hurt before.
See Shame and Scorn await on those
Who poorly dar'd to be her foes,
But will the grateful voice of fame
Sink Truth, and Galilæo's name?
(p. 163-4; cf. 241 in magazine)",2014-06-12 15:08:26 UTC,"""Thus his own eyes the Bigot blinds, / To shut out light from human minds.""",2014-06-12 15:08:26 UTC,"","",,"","",Reading,23957,5447