Of Experience. From Proverbial Philosophy Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHIJKLMFNOPQRS TUVWXYZ DA2B2HC2NB2VD2E2HC2N F2NG2H2C2G2 B2| I KNEW that age was enriched with the hard earned wages of knowledge | A |
| And I saw that hoary wisdom was bred in the school of disappointment | B |
| I noted that the wisest of youth though provident and cautious of evil | C |
| Yet sailed along misteadily as lacking some ballast of the mind | D |
| And the cause seemed to lie in this that while they considered around them | E |
| And warded off all dangers from without they forgat their own weakness within | F |
| So steer they in self confidence until from the multitude of perils | G |
| They begin to be wary of themselves and learn the first lesson of Experience | H |
| I knew that in the morning of life before its wearisome Journey | I |
| The youthful soul doth expand in the simple luxury of being | J |
| It hath not contracted its wishes nor set a limit to its hopes | K |
| The wing of fancy is unclipt and sin hath not seared the feelings | L |
| Each feature is stamped with immortality for all its desires are infinite | M |
| And it seeketh an ocean of happiness to fill the deep hollow within | F |
| But the old and the grave look on pitying that generous youth | N |
| For they also have tasted long ago the bitterness of hope destroyed | O |
| They pity him and are sad remembering the days that are past | P |
| But they know he must taste for himself or he will not give ear to their wisdom | Q |
| For Experience hath another lesson which a man will do well if he learn | R |
| By checking the flight of expectation to cheat disap pointment of its pain | S |
| - | |
| Experience teacheth many things and all men are his scholars | T |
| Yet is he a strange tutor unteaching that which he hath taught | U |
| Youth is confident manhood wary and old age confident again | V |
| Youth is kind manhood cold and age retumeth unto kindness | W |
| For youth suspecteth nought till manhood bitterly learned | X |
| Mistrusteth all overleaping the mark and age correcteth his excess | Y |
| Suspicion is the scaffold unto faith a temporaiy needful eyesore | Z |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| By which the strong man's dwelling is slowly builded up behind | D |
| But soon as the top stone hath been set to the well proved goodly pyramid | A2 |
| The scaffold is torn down and well timed trust taketh its long leave of suspicion | B2 |
| A thousand volumes in a thousand tongues enshrine the lessons of Experience | H |
| Yet a man shall read them all and go forth none the wiser | C2 |
| For self love lendeth him a glass to colour all he conneth | N |
| Lest in the features of another he find his own complexion | B2 |
| And we secretly judge of ourselves as differing greatly from all men | V |
| And love to challenge causes to show how we can master their effects | D2 |
| Pride is pampered in expecting that we need not fear a common fate | E2 |
| Or wrong headed prejudice exulteth in combating old experience | H |
| Or perchance caprice and discontent are the spurs that goad us into danger | C2 |
| Careless and half in hope to find there an enemy to joust with | N |
| Private experience is an unsafe teacher for we rarely learn both sides | F2 |
| And from the gilt surface reckon not on steel beneath | N |
| The torrid sons of Guinea think scorn of icy seas | G2 |
| And the frostbitten Greenlander disbelieveth suns too hot | H2 |
| But thou student of Wisdom feed on the marrow of the matter | C2 |
| If thou wilt suspect let it be thyself if thou wilt expect let it not be gladness | G2 |
| - | |
| - | |
| Transcribed from Proverbial Philosophy by Mick Puttock August Spelling punctuation and grammer left mostly unchanged from the th edition | B2 |
Martin Farquhar Tupper
(1)
Poem topics: , Print This Poem , Rhyme Scheme
Submit Spanish Translation
Submit German Translation
Submit French Translation
About Of Experience. From Proverbial Philosophy
Of Experience. From Proverbial Philosophy is a poem by Martin Farquhar Tupper. This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.