Of Recreation. From Proverbial Philosophy Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCDEFGHFIJJKBKKFKLA BCFFFKAMFNOKFFPAKKFQ FJEFRFSFTJAUFJBJKFBF KB LKFKAKBKKKVFKKJJJFFK KF BTo join advantage to amusement to gather profit with pleasure | A |
Is the wise man's necessary aim when he lieth in the shade of recreation | B |
For he cannot fling aside his mind nor bar up the floodgates of his wisdom | C |
Yea though he strain after folly his mental monitor shall check him | D |
For knowledge and ignorance alike have laws essential to their being | E |
The sage studieth amusements and the simple laugheth in his studies | F |
Few but full of understanding are the books of the library of God | G |
And fitting for all seasons are the gain and the gladness they bestow | H |
The volume of mystery and Grace for the hour of deep communings | F |
When the soul considereth intensely the startling marvel of itself | I |
The book of destiny and Providence for the time of sober study | J |
When the mind gleaneth wisdom from the olive grove of history | J |
And the cheerful pages of Nature to gladden the pleasant holiday | K |
When the task of duty is complete and the heart swelleth high with satisfaction | B |
The soul may not safely dwell too long with the deep things of futurity | K |
The mind may not always be bent back like the Parthian straining at the past | K |
And if thou art wearied with wrestling on the broad arena of science | F |
Leave awhile thy friendly foe half vanquished in the dust | K |
Refresh thy jaded limbs return with vigour to the strife | L |
Thou shalt easier find thyself his master for the vacant interval of leisure | A |
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That which may profit and amuse is gathered from the volume of creation | B |
For every chapter therein teemeth with the playfulness of wisdom | C |
The elements of all things are the same though nature hath mixed them with a difference | F |
And Learning delighteth to discover the affinity of seeming opposites | F |
So out of great things and small draweth he the secrets of the universe | F |
And argueth the cycles of the stars from a pebble flung by a child | K |
It is pleasant to note all plants from the rush to the spreading cedar | A |
From the giant king of palms to the lichen that staineth its stem | M |
To watch the worldngs of instinct that grosser reason of brutes | F |
The river horse browsing in the jungle the plover screaming on the moor | N |
The cayman basking on a mud bank and the walrus anchored to an iceberg | O |
The dog at his master's feet and the milch kine lowing in the meadow | K |
To trace the consummate skill that hath modelled the anatomy of insects | F |
Small fowls that sun their wings on the petals of wild flowers | F |
To learn a use in the beetle and more than a beauty in the butterfly | P |
To recognize affectious in a moth and look with admiration on a spider | A |
It is glorious to gaze upon the firmament and see from far the mansions of the blest | K |
Each distant shining world a kingdom for one of the redeemed | K |
To read the antique history of earth stamped upon those medals in the rocks | F |
Which Design hath rescued from decay to tell of the green infancy of time | Q |
To gather from the unconsidered shingle mottled starlike agates | F |
Full of unstoried flowers in the bubbling bloom chalcedony | J |
Or gay and curious shells fretted with microscopic carving | E |
Corallines and fresh seaweeds spreading forth their delicate branches | F |
It is an admirable lore to learn the cause in the change | R |
To study the chemistiy of Nature her grand but simple secrets | F |
To search out all her wonders to track the resources of her skill | S |
To note her kind compensations her unobtrusive excellence | F |
In all it is wise happiness to see the well ordained laws of Jehovah | T |
The harmony that filleth all his mind the justice that tempereth his bounty | J |
The wonderful all prevalent analogy that testifieth one Creator | A |
The broad arrow of the Great King carved on all the stores of his arsenal | U |
But beware worshipper of God thou forget not him in his dealings | F |
Though the bright emanations of his power hide him in created glory | J |
For if on the sea of knowledge thou regardest not the pole star of religion | B |
Thy bark will miss her port and run upon the sandbar of folly | J |
And if enamoured of the means thou considerest not the scope to which they tend | K |
Wherein art thou wiser than the child that is pleased with toys and baubles | F |
Verily a trifling scholar thou heedest but the letter of instruction | B |
For as motive is spirit unto action as memoiy endeareth place | F |
As the sun doth fertilize the earth as affection qnickeneth the heart | K |
So is the remembrance of God in the varied wonders of creation | B |
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Man hath found out inventions to cheat him of the weariness of life | L |
To help him to forget realities and hide the misery of guilt | K |
For love of praise and hope of gain for passion and delusive happiness | F |
He joineth the circle of folly and heapeth on the fire of excitement | K |
Oftentimes sadly out of heart at the tiresome insipidity of pleasure | A |
Oftentimes labouring in vain convinced of the palpable deceit | K |
Yet a man speaketh to his brother in the voice of glad congratulation | B |
And thinketh others happy though he himself be wretched | K |
And hand joineth hand to help in the toil of amusement | K |
While the secret aching heart is vacant of all but disappointment | K |
The cheapest pleasures are the best and nothing is more costly than sin | V |
Yet we mortgage futurity counting it but little loss | F |
Neither can a man delight in that which breedeth sorrow | K |
Yet do we hunt for joy even in the fires that consume it | K |
Whoso would find gladness may meet her in the hovel of poverty | J |
Where benevolence hath scattered around the gleanings of the horn of plenty | J |
Whoso would sun himself in peace may be seen of her in deeds of mercy | J |
When the pale lean cheek of the destitute is wet with grateful tears | F |
If the mind is wearied by study or the body worn with sickness | F |
It is well to lie fallow for a while in the vacancy of sheer amusement | K |
But when thou prosperest in health and thine intellect can soar untired | K |
To seek uninstructive pleasure is to slumber on the couch of indolence | F |
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Transcribed from the th edition Proverbial Philosophy by Martin Farquhar Tupper by Mick Puttock August Spelling punctuation and grammer left mostly unchanged from the th edition | B |
Martin Farquhar Tupper
(1)
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