"Proud as he is, that Iron-heart retains / Its stubborn Purpose, and his Friends disdains"

— Pope, Alexander (1688-1744)


Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed by W. Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott
Date
1715-1720
Metaphor
"Proud as he is, that Iron-heart retains / Its stubborn Purpose, and his Friends disdains"
Metaphor in Context
[1]Hence, let us go--why waste we Time in vain?
See what Effect our low Submissions gain!
Lik'd or not lik'd, his Words we must relate,
The Greeks expect them, and our Heroes wait.
Proud as he is, that Iron-heart retains
Its stubborn Purpose, and his Friends disdains
.
Stern, and unpitying! if a Brother bleed,
On just Attonement, we remit the Deed;
A Sire the Slaughter of his Son forgives;
[2]The Price of Blood discharg'd, the Murd'rer lives:
The haughtiest Hearts at length their Rage resign,
And Gifts can conquer ev'ry Soul but thine.
The Gods that unrelenting Breast have steel'd,
And curs'd thee with a Mind that cannot yield.
One Woman-Slave was ravish'd from thy Arms:
Lo, sev'n are offer'd, and of equal Charms.
Then hear, Achilles! be of better Mind;
[3]Revere thy Roof, and to thy Guests be kind;
And know the Men, of all the Grecian Host,
Who honour Worth, and prize thy Valour most.
Provenance
Searching "heart" and "iron" in HDIS (Poetry
Citation
17 entries in ESTC (1715, 1718, 1720, 1721, 1729, 1732, 1736, 1738, 1754, 1767, 1770, 1790, 1791, 1796). Vol. 2 is dated 1716; vol. 3, 1717; vol. 4, 1718; vols. 5 and 6, 1720.

See The Iliad of Homer, Translated by Mr. Pope, 6 vols. (London: Printed by W. Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott, 1715-1720). <Link to ESTC><Link to Vol. I in ECCO-TCP><Vol. II><Vol. III><Vol. IV><Vol. V><Vol. VI>
Date of Entry
06/07/2005

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