"O'er my sunk spirits frowns a vap'ry scene, / Woe's dark retreat! the madding maze of spleen!"
— Savage, Richard (1697/8-1743)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for J. Walthoe
Date
1729
Metaphor
"O'er my sunk spirits frowns a vap'ry scene, / Woe's dark retreat! the madding maze of spleen!"
Metaphor in Context
Now grief and rage, by gath'ring sighs, supprest,
Swell my full heart, and heave my lab'ring breast!
With struggling starts, each vital string they strain,
And strike the tott'ring fabric of my brain!
O'er my sunk spirits frowns a vap'ry scene,
Woe's dark retreat! the madding maze of spleen!
A deep damp gloom o'erspreads the murky cell;
Here pining thoughts, and secret terrors dwell!
Here learn the Great unreal wants to feign!
Unpleasing truths here mortify the vain!
Here learning, blinded first, and then beguil'd,
Looks dark as Ignorance, as Frenzy wild!
Here first Credulity on Reason won!
And here false Zeal mysterious rants begun!
Here Love inpearls each moment with a tear,
And Superstition owes to Spleen her fear!
Swell my full heart, and heave my lab'ring breast!
With struggling starts, each vital string they strain,
And strike the tott'ring fabric of my brain!
O'er my sunk spirits frowns a vap'ry scene,
Woe's dark retreat! the madding maze of spleen!
A deep damp gloom o'erspreads the murky cell;
Here pining thoughts, and secret terrors dwell!
Here learn the Great unreal wants to feign!
Unpleasing truths here mortify the vain!
Here learning, blinded first, and then beguil'd,
Looks dark as Ignorance, as Frenzy wild!
Here first Credulity on Reason won!
And here false Zeal mysterious rants begun!
Here Love inpearls each moment with a tear,
And Superstition owes to Spleen her fear!
Categories
Provenance
Searching in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
At least 8 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1729, 1761, 1775, 1775, 1777, 1779, 1780).
See also The Wanderer: A Poem. In Five Canto's. By Richard Savage, Son of the late Earl Rivers. (London: Printed for J. Walthoe, 1729). <Link to ESTC><Link to ECCO>
Text from The Works of Richard Savage ... With an Account of the Life and Writings of the Author, by Samuel Johnson. A New Edition (London: Printed for T. Evans, 1777). <Link to LION>
See also The Wanderer: A Poem. In Five Canto's. By Richard Savage, Son of the late Earl Rivers. (London: Printed for J. Walthoe, 1729). <Link to ESTC><Link to ECCO>
Text from The Works of Richard Savage ... With an Account of the Life and Writings of the Author, by Samuel Johnson. A New Edition (London: Printed for T. Evans, 1777). <Link to LION>
Date of Entry
08/28/2005
