Love and Reason may make war within one's breast
— Granville, George, Baron Lansdowne (1666-1735)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for J. and R. Tonson ... and L. Gilliver, J. Clarke
Date
1736
Metaphor
Love and Reason may make war within one's breast
Metaphor in Context
Now fly, Discretion, to my Aid,
See haughty Mira, fair and bright,
In all the Pomp of Love array'd;
Ah! how I tremble at the Sight!
She comes, she comes--before her all
Mankind does prostrate fall.
Love, a Destroyer fierce and young,
Advent'rous, terrible, and strong,
Cruel and rash, delighting still to vex,
Sparing nor Age nor Sex,
Commands in chief; well fortify'd he lies,
And from her Lips, her Cheeks and Eyes,
All Opposition he defies.
Reason, Love's old invet'rate Foe,
Scarce ever reconcil'd 'till now,
Reason assists her too.
A wise Commander he, for Council fit;
But nice and coy, nor has been seen to sit
In modern Synod, nor appear'd of late
In Courts, nor Camps, nor in Affairs of State;
Reason proclaims them all his Foes,
Who such resistless Charms oppose.
My very bosom Friends make War
Within my Breast, and in her Interests are;
Esteem and Judgment with strong Fancy join
To court, and call the fair Invader in;
My darling fav'rite Inclination too,
All, all conspiring with the Foe.
Ah! whither shall I fly to hide
My Weakness from the Conqu'ror's Pride?
Now, now, Discretion be my Guide.
But see, this mighty Archimedes too,
Surrenders now.
Presuming longer to resist
His very Name,
Discretion must disclaim;
Folly and Madness only would persist.
See haughty Mira, fair and bright,
In all the Pomp of Love array'd;
Ah! how I tremble at the Sight!
She comes, she comes--before her all
Mankind does prostrate fall.
Love, a Destroyer fierce and young,
Advent'rous, terrible, and strong,
Cruel and rash, delighting still to vex,
Sparing nor Age nor Sex,
Commands in chief; well fortify'd he lies,
And from her Lips, her Cheeks and Eyes,
All Opposition he defies.
Reason, Love's old invet'rate Foe,
Scarce ever reconcil'd 'till now,
Reason assists her too.
A wise Commander he, for Council fit;
But nice and coy, nor has been seen to sit
In modern Synod, nor appear'd of late
In Courts, nor Camps, nor in Affairs of State;
Reason proclaims them all his Foes,
Who such resistless Charms oppose.
My very bosom Friends make War
Within my Breast, and in her Interests are;
Esteem and Judgment with strong Fancy join
To court, and call the fair Invader in;
My darling fav'rite Inclination too,
All, all conspiring with the Foe.
Ah! whither shall I fly to hide
My Weakness from the Conqu'ror's Pride?
Now, now, Discretion be my Guide.
But see, this mighty Archimedes too,
Surrenders now.
Presuming longer to resist
His very Name,
Discretion must disclaim;
Folly and Madness only would persist.
Categories
Provenance
HDIS
Citation
See The Genuine Works in Verse and Prose, of the Right Honourable George Granville, Lord Lansdowne. (London: printed for J. Tonson, and L. Gilliver, 1732). <Link to ESTC>
Text from The Genuine Works in Verse and Prose, Of the Right Honourable George Granville, Lord Lansdowne. (London: Printed for J. and R. Tonson ... and L. Gilliver, J. Clarke, 1736). <Link to LION>
Text from The Genuine Works in Verse and Prose, Of the Right Honourable George Granville, Lord Lansdowne. (London: Printed for J. and R. Tonson ... and L. Gilliver, J. Clarke, 1736). <Link to LION>
Date of Entry
08/25/2004
