"Whirl'd by the swift rotations of the mind," man may be ruled by his pride and live to present bliss
— Ruffhead, James
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for the Author
Date
1746
Metaphor
"Whirl'd by the swift rotations of the mind," man may be ruled by his pride and live to present bliss
Metaphor in Context
Whirl'd by the swift rotations of the mind,
Man lives to present bliss-- and future blind,
Ruled by his pride - becomes the jest of fools,
The scorn of slaves, and ridicule of schools;
Sway'd by his passions-reason but emplys
As the sly pimp, and pander of his joys:
Perversely fond - and prone to roam astray,
Verges on bliss - but ne'er can find the way :
The sacred book of science quite neglects,
And to his will - resigns his intellects;
His prey - no savage gripes with fiercer rage
Than man - the reigning vices of the age.
Vice, tho' a monster, but embellish'd neat,
Inflames the eye, and gives the spirits heat;
At first we look, the languish, then desire,
Then burn in its embraces to expire.
Than flagrant vice - nor fire, nor sword create
More morbid members - to a sinking state.
O ye- who'd fain avoid the specious lure,
Avert the sight, and you the passion cure.
(pp. 25-6, in. 72-3)
Man lives to present bliss-- and future blind,
Ruled by his pride - becomes the jest of fools,
The scorn of slaves, and ridicule of schools;
Sway'd by his passions-reason but emplys
As the sly pimp, and pander of his joys:
Perversely fond - and prone to roam astray,
Verges on bliss - but ne'er can find the way :
The sacred book of science quite neglects,
And to his will - resigns his intellects;
His prey - no savage gripes with fiercer rage
Than man - the reigning vices of the age.
Vice, tho' a monster, but embellish'd neat,
Inflames the eye, and gives the spirits heat;
At first we look, the languish, then desire,
Then burn in its embraces to expire.
Than flagrant vice - nor fire, nor sword create
More morbid members - to a sinking state.
O ye- who'd fain avoid the specious lure,
Avert the sight, and you the passion cure.
(pp. 25-6, in. 72-3)
Provenance
Gale's Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO).
Citation
At least 2 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1746, 1747).
James Ruffhead, The Passions of Man. A Poem. In Four Epistles (London: Printed for the Author, 1746). <Link to ECCO>
James Ruffhead, The Passions of Man. A Poem. In Four Epistles (London: Printed for the Author, 1746). <Link to ECCO>
Theme
Ruling Passion
Date of Entry
01/06/2004
