The Author Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: AABBCCDDEEFFGGHHIIJJ KKLLMMNNOOJJFFPPQQDD RRSSTTUUVVWWXXNNYYZZ A2A2B2B2C2C2FFD2D2MM E2E2WWF2G2EEPPH2H2E2 E2I2I2J2J2K2L2M2M2N2 N2HHO2O2P2P2IIQ2Q2JJ R2R2S2S2T2T2P2P2P2P2 U2U2V2V2P2P2W2X2Y2Y2 Z2Z2AVJ2J2A3A3B3B3C3 C3D3D3E3E3GGE2E2F3F3 G3G3JJC3X2RH3D3D3EEI 3I3J3J3UUY2Y2D3D3K3K 3D3Accursed the man whom Fate ordains in spite | A |
And cruel parents teach to read and write | A |
What need of letters wherefore should we spell | B |
Why write our names A mark will do as well | B |
Much are the precious hours of youth misspent | C |
In climbing Learning's rugged steep ascent | C |
When to the top the bold adventurer's got | D |
He reigns vain monarch o'er a barren spot | D |
Whilst in the vale of Ignorance below | E |
Folly and Vice to rank luxuriance grow | E |
Honours and wealth pour in on every side | F |
And proud Preferment rolls her golden tide | F |
O'er crabbed authors life's gay prime to waste | G |
To cramp wild genius in the chains of taste | G |
To bear the slavish drudgery of schools | H |
And tamely stoop to every pedant's rules | H |
For seven long years debarr'd of liberal ease | I |
To plod in college trammels to degrees | I |
Beneath the weight of solemn toys to groan | J |
Sleep over books and leave mankind unknown | J |
To praise each senior blockhead's threadbare tale | K |
And laugh till reason blush and spirits fail | K |
Manhood with vile submission to disgrace | L |
And cap the fool whose merit is his place | L |
Vice Chancellors whose knowledge is but small | M |
And Chancellors who nothing know at all | M |
Ill brook'd the generous spirit in those days | N |
When learning was the certain road to praise | N |
When nobles with a love of science bless'd | O |
Approved in others what themselves possess'd | O |
But now when Dulness rears aloft her throne | J |
When lordly vassals her wide empire own | J |
When Wit seduced by Envy starts aside | F |
And basely leagues with Ignorance and Pride | F |
What now should tempt us by false hopes misled | P |
Learning's unfashionable paths to tread | P |
To bear those labours which our fathers bore | Q |
That crown withheld which they in triumph wore | Q |
When with much pains this boasted learning's got | D |
'Tis an affront to those who have it not | D |
In some it causes hate in others fear | R |
Instructs our foes to rail our friends to sneer | R |
With prudent haste the worldly minded fool | S |
Forgets the little which he learn'd at school | S |
The elder brother to vast fortunes born | T |
Looks on all science with an eye of scorn | T |
Dependent brethren the same features wear | U |
And younger sons are stupid as the heir | U |
In senates at the bar in church and state | V |
Genius is vile and learning out of date | V |
Is this oh death to think is this the land | W |
Where Merit and Reward went hand in hand | W |
Where heroes parent like the poet view'd | X |
By whom they saw their glorious deeds renew'd | X |
Where poets true to honour tuned their lays | N |
And by their patrons sanctified their praise | N |
Is this the land where on our Spenser's tongue | Y |
Enamour'd of his voice Description hung | Y |
Where Jonson rigid Gravity beguiled | Z |
Whilst Reason through her critic fences smiled | Z |
Where Nature listening stood whilst Shakspeare play'd | A2 |
And wonder'd at the work herself had made | A2 |
Is this the land where mindful of her charge | B2 |
And office high fair Freedom walk'd at large | B2 |
Where finding in our laws a sure defence | C2 |
She mock'd at all restraints but those of sense | C2 |
Where Health and Honour trooping by her side | F |
She spread her sacred empire far and wide | F |
Pointed the way Affliction to beguile | D2 |
And bade the face of Sorrow wear a smile | D2 |
Bade those who dare obey the generous call | M |
Enjoy her blessings which God meant for all | M |
Is this the land where in some tyrant's reign | E2 |
When a weak wicked ministerial train | E2 |
The tools of power the slaves of interest plann'd | W |
Their country's ruin and with bribes unmann'd | W |
Those wretches who ordain'd in Freedom's cause | F2 |
Gave up our liberties and sold our laws | G2 |
When Power was taught by Meanness where to go | E |
Nor dared to love the virtue of a foe | E |
When like a leprous plague from the foul head | P |
To the foul heart her sores Corruption spread | P |
Her iron arm when stern Oppression rear'd | H2 |
And Virtue from her broad base shaken fear'd | H2 |
The scourge of Vice when impotent and vain | E2 |
Poor Freedom bow'd the neck to Slavery's chain | E2 |
Is this the land where in those worst of times | I2 |
The hardy poet raised his honest rhymes | I2 |
To dread rebuke and bade Controlment speak | J2 |
In guilty blushes on the villain's cheek | J2 |
Bade Power turn pale kept mighty rogues in awe | K2 |
And made them fear the Muse who fear'd not law | L2 |
How do I laugh when men of narrow souls | M2 |
Whom Folly guides and Prejudice controls | M2 |
Who one dull drowsy track of business trod | N2 |
Worship their Mammon and neglect their God | N2 |
Who breathing by one musty set of rules | H |
Dote from their birth and are by system fools | H |
Who form'd to dulness from their very youth | O2 |
Lies of the day prefer to gospel truth | O2 |
Pick up their little knowledge from Reviews | P2 |
And lay out all their stock of faith in news | P2 |
How do I laugh when creatures form'd like these | I |
Whom Reason scorns and I should blush to please | I |
Rail at all liberal arts deem verse a crime | Q2 |
And hold not truth as truth if told in rhyme | Q2 |
How do I laugh when Publius hoary grown | J |
In zeal for Scotland's welfare and his own | J |
By slow degrees and course of office drawn | R2 |
In mood and figure at the helm to yawn | R2 |
Too mean the worst of curses Heaven can send | S2 |
To have a foe too proud to have a friend | S2 |
Erring by form which blockheads sacred hold | T2 |
Ne'er making new faults and ne'er mending old | T2 |
Rebukes my spirit bids the daring Muse | P2 |
Subjects more equal to her weakness choose | P2 |
Bids her frequent the haunts of humble swains | P2 |
Nor dare to traffic in ambitious strains | P2 |
Bids her indulging the poetic whim | U2 |
In quaint wrought ode or sonnet pertly trim | U2 |
Along the church way path complain with Gray | V2 |
Or dance with Mason on the first of May | V2 |
'All sacred is the name and power of kings | P2 |
All states and statesmen are those mighty things | P2 |
Which howsoe'er they out of course may roll | W2 |
Were never made for poets to control ' | X2 |
Peace peace thou dotard nor thus vilely deem | Y2 |
Of sacred numbers and their power blaspheme | Y2 |
I tell thee wretch search all creation round | Z2 |
In earth in heaven no subject can be found | Z2 |
Our God alone except above whose height | A |
The poet cannot rise and hold his state | V |
The blessed saints above in numbers speak | J2 |
The praise of God though there all praise is weak | J2 |
In numbers here below the bard shall teach | A3 |
Virtue to soar beyond the villain's reach | A3 |
Shall tear his labouring lungs strain his hoarse throat | B3 |
And raise his voice beyond the trumpet's note | B3 |
Should an afflicted country awed by men | C3 |
Of slavish principles demand his pen | C3 |
This is a great a glorious point of view | D3 |
Fit for an English poet to pursue | D3 |
Undaunted to pursue though in return | E3 |
His writings by the common hangman burn | E3 |
How do I laugh when men by fortune placed | G |
Above their betters and by rank disgraced | G |
Who found their pride on titles which they stain | E2 |
And mean themselves are of their fathers vain | E2 |
Who would a bill of privilege prefer | F3 |
And treat a poet like a creditor | F3 |
The generous ardour of the Muse condemn | G3 |
And curse the storm they know must break on them | G3 |
'What shall a reptile bard a wretch unknown | J |
Without one badge of merit but his own | J |
Great nobles lash and lords like common men | C3 |
Smart from the vengeance of a scribbler's pen ' | X2 |
What's in this name of lord that I should fear | R |
To bring their vices to the public ear | H3 |
Flows not the honest blood of humble swains | D3 |
Quick as the tide which swells a monarch's veins | D3 |
Monarchs who wealth and titles can bestow | E |
Cannot make virtues in succession flow | E |
Wouldst thou proud man be safely placed above | I3 |
The censure of the Muse Deserve her love | I3 |
Act as thy birth demands as nobles ought | J3 |
Look back and by thy worthy father taught | J3 |
Who earn'd those honours thou wert born to wear | U |
Follow his steps and be his virtue's heir | U |
But if regardless of the road to fame | Y2 |
You start aside and tread the paths of shame | Y2 |
If such thy life that should thy sire arise | D3 |
The sight of such a son would blast his eyes | D3 |
Would make him curse the hour which gave thee birth | K3 |
Would drive him shuddering from the face of earth | K3 |
Once | D3 |
Charles Churchill
(1)
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