Poetics, an Essay on Poetry

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Smith, Elder, and Company, 1852 - 294 pages

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Page 144 - Of Man's First Disobedience, and the Fruit Of that Forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste Brought Death into the World, and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful Seat, Sing Heav'nly Muse...
Page 203 - Earth trembled from her entrails, as again In pangs; and Nature gave a second groan; Sky lour'd, and, muttering thunder, some sad drops Wept at completing of the mortal sin Original...
Page 187 - How beautiful is night ! A dewy freshness fills the silent air, No mist obscures, nor cloud, nor speck, nor stain, Breaks the serene of heaven : In full-orbed glory yonder moon divine Rolls through the dark blue depths.
Page 293 - Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist : notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Page 106 - A THING of beauty is a joy for ever : Its loveliness increases ; it will never Pass into nothingness ; but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.
Page 144 - OF MAN'S first disobedience, and the fruit Of that forbidden tree whose mortal taste Brought death into the World, and all our woe, With loss of Eden, till one greater Man Restore us, and regain the blissful seat, Sing, Heavenly Muse, that, on the secret top Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire That shepherd who first taught the chosen seed In the beginning how the heavens and earth Rose out of Chaos...
Page 193 - The stars of heaven a course are taught Too high above our human thought ; Ye may be found if ye are sought, And, as we gaze, we know. Ye dwell beside our paths and homes, Our paths of sin, our homes of sorrow; And guilty man, where'er he roams, Your innocent mirth may borrow. The birds of air before us fleet, They cannot brook our shame to meet ; But we may taste your solace sweet, And come again to-morrow. Ye fearless in your nests abide ; Nor may we scorn, too proudly wise, Your silent lessons,...
Page 54 - Whatever is great, desirable, or tremendous, is comprised in the name of the Supreme Being. Omnipotence cannot be exalted ; infinity cannot be amplified; perfection cannot be improved.
Page 34 - My slumbers — if I slumber — are not sleep, But a continuance of enduring thought, Which then I can resist not : in my heart There is a vigil, and these eyes but close To look within ; and yet I live, and bear The aspect and the form of breathing men.
Page 37 - Of honourable gain; these fields, these hills Which were his living Being, even more Than his own blood — what could they less ? had laid Strong hold on his affections, were to him A pleasurable feeling of blind love, The pleasure which there is in life itself. On the other hand, in the poems which are pitched in a lower key, as the HARRY GILL...

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