"You'll weep, I know you will; no Iron Chains / Confine thy Heart, thy Breast no Oak retains."

— Dart, John (d. 1730); Tibullus (c. 54-19 B.C.)


Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed by T. Sharpe, for W. Newton ... A. Bettesworth and J. Batley ... and W. Mears and T. Jauncy [etc.]
Date
1720
Metaphor
"You'll weep, I know you will; no Iron Chains / Confine thy Heart, thy Breast no Oak retains."
Metaphor in Context
Messalla, War is yours, and Hostile Toils,
Through foreign Lands in Quest of foreign Spoils;
To firm your Conquests, and your Palace grace
With Trophies worthy your illustrious Race.
I wear the Chain, and scorning Glory wait
The constant Porter at my Mistress's Gate.
Honour is an indiff'rent Thing to me,
I Sleight it, Delia, while possess'd of thee;
Censure may rail, and call me what she can,
I would be counted an inglorious Man.
Thee let me have for ever in my Eye,
Ev'n when my latest Hour of Life draws nigh,
Gaze o'er thy lovely Form, and as you stand,
I'll dying grasp thee with a feeble Hand.
You'll weep, and when the pale extended Spoil
Lies stretch'd out, ready for the Funeral Pile;
With Flouds of Tears repeated Kisses fix
On my cold Lips, and Tears and Kisses mix:
You'll weep, I know you will; no Iron Chains
Confine thy Heart, thy Breast no Oak retains
.
No Youth unmov'd shall leave those Obsequies,
Nor tender Maid return with Tearless Eyes.
But moderate your Grief, nor move my Shade,
Nor with your Hands your lovely Cheeks invade;
That heav'nly Face from Sorrow's Fury spare,
Nor rend the dangling Tresses of your Hair.
Provenance
Searching "heart" and "iron" in HDIS (Poetry)
Date of Entry
06/07/2005
Date of Review
05/26/2011

The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.