"Steel then, ye Powers of heav'n, / Steel my firm soul with your own fortitude, / Free from alloy of passion."
— Mason, William (1725-1797)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for J. Knapton and R. and J. Dodsley
Date
1759, performed 1776
Metaphor
"Steel then, ye Powers of heav'n, / Steel my firm soul with your own fortitude, / Free from alloy of passion."
Metaphor in Context
ARVIRAGUS.
From his soul that son doth thank ye,
Blessing the wisdom, that preserves his father
Thus to the last. Oh if the fav'ring gods
Direct this arm, if their high will permit
I pour a prosperous vengeance on the foe,
I ask for life no longer, than to crown
The valiant task. Steel then, ye Powers of heav'n,
Steel my firm soul with your own fortitude,
Free from alloy of passion. Give me courage,
That knows not rage; revenge, that knows not malice;
Let me not thirst for carnage, but for conquest:
And conquest gain'd, sleep vengeance in my breast,
Ere in its sheath my sword.
From his soul that son doth thank ye,
Blessing the wisdom, that preserves his father
Thus to the last. Oh if the fav'ring gods
Direct this arm, if their high will permit
I pour a prosperous vengeance on the foe,
I ask for life no longer, than to crown
The valiant task. Steel then, ye Powers of heav'n,
Steel my firm soul with your own fortitude,
Free from alloy of passion. Give me courage,
That knows not rage; revenge, that knows not malice;
Let me not thirst for carnage, but for conquest:
And conquest gain'd, sleep vengeance in my breast,
Ere in its sheath my sword.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "soul" and "alloy" in HDIS (Poetry); found again "passion"
Citation
William Mason, Caractacus, A Dramatic Poem. Written on the Model of the Ancient Greek Tragedy (London: Printed for J. Knapton and R. and J. Dodsley, 1759). <Link to Google Books>
Date of Entry
04/14/2005
