"'O why of these thy bounteous goods bereft, / 'And only to interior Reason left?"
— Brooke, Henry (c. 1703-1783)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
Dublin
Date
1735, 1792
Metaphor
"'O why of these thy bounteous goods bereft, / 'And only to interior Reason left?"
Metaphor in Context
But vain those gifts[1], those graces to relate,
Which all perceive, and envy deems complete.
"O Nature!" cries the wretch of human birth,
"O why a step-dame to this lord of earth?
"To brutes indulgent[2] bends thy partial care,
"While just complainings fill our natal air.
"Helpless, uncloathed, the pride of nature lies,
"And Heaven relentless hears his viceroy's cries.
"O wherefore not with native bounties bless'd,
"Nor thus in humble poor dependance dress'd?
"Give me the self-born garb, the bark of trees,
"The downy feather, and the wintry fleece;
"The crocodile's invulnerable scale,
"Or the firm tortoise's impervious mail;
"The strength of elephants, the rein deer's speed,
"Fleet and elastic as the bounding steed;
"The peacock's state of gorgeous plumage add,
"Gay as the dove in golden verdure clad;
"Give me the scent of each sagacious hound,
"The lynx's eye, and linnet's warbling sound;
"The soaring wing and steerage of the crane,
"And spare the toil and dangers of the main:
"O why of these thy bounteous goods bereft,
"And only to interior Reason left?
"There, there alone, I bless thy kind decree;
"Nor cause of grief, or emulation see."
Which all perceive, and envy deems complete.
"O Nature!" cries the wretch of human birth,
"O why a step-dame to this lord of earth?
"To brutes indulgent[2] bends thy partial care,
"While just complainings fill our natal air.
"Helpless, uncloathed, the pride of nature lies,
"And Heaven relentless hears his viceroy's cries.
"O wherefore not with native bounties bless'd,
"Nor thus in humble poor dependance dress'd?
"Give me the self-born garb, the bark of trees,
"The downy feather, and the wintry fleece;
"The crocodile's invulnerable scale,
"Or the firm tortoise's impervious mail;
"The strength of elephants, the rein deer's speed,
"Fleet and elastic as the bounding steed;
"The peacock's state of gorgeous plumage add,
"Gay as the dove in golden verdure clad;
"Give me the scent of each sagacious hound,
"The lynx's eye, and linnet's warbling sound;
"The soaring wing and steerage of the crane,
"And spare the toil and dangers of the main:
"O why of these thy bounteous goods bereft,
"And only to interior Reason left?
"There, there alone, I bless thy kind decree;
"Nor cause of grief, or emulation see."
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mind" and "interio" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
Originally published in parts (1735). At least 9 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1735, 1736, 1789, 1792).
See Part I <Link to ESTC>, Part II <Link to ESTC>, Part III <Link to ESTC>, Part IV <Link to ESTC>, Part V <Link to ESTC>, Part VI <Link to ESTC>
Text from The Poetical Works of Henry Brooke ... In Four Volumes Octavo. Revised and corrected by the Original Manuscript With a Portrait of the Author, and His Life By Miss Brooke. 3rd ed. (Dublin: Printed for the Editor, 1792). [Titled "Universal Beauty: A Philosophical Poem, In Six Books."] <Link to LION>
See Part I <Link to ESTC>, Part II <Link to ESTC>, Part III <Link to ESTC>, Part IV <Link to ESTC>, Part V <Link to ESTC>, Part VI <Link to ESTC>
Text from The Poetical Works of Henry Brooke ... In Four Volumes Octavo. Revised and corrected by the Original Manuscript With a Portrait of the Author, and His Life By Miss Brooke. 3rd ed. (Dublin: Printed for the Editor, 1792). [Titled "Universal Beauty: A Philosophical Poem, In Six Books."] <Link to LION>
Theme
Inwardness
Date of Entry
08/09/2005
