"Sorrow may well possess the mind / That feeds where thorns and thistles grow"
— Cowper, William (1731-1800)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
W. Oliver
Date
1779
Metaphor
"Sorrow may well possess the mind / That feeds where thorns and thistles grow"
Metaphor in Context
No more I ask or hope to find
Delight or happiness below;
Sorrow may well possess the mind
That feeds where thorns and thistles grow.
The joy that fades is not for me,
I seek immortal joys above;
There glory without end shall be
The bright reward of faith and love.
Cleave to the world, ye sordid worms,
Contented lick your native dust!
But God shall fight with all his storms,
Against the idol of your trust.
(ll. 9-20, p. 201)
Delight or happiness below;
Sorrow may well possess the mind
That feeds where thorns and thistles grow.
The joy that fades is not for me,
I seek immortal joys above;
There glory without end shall be
The bright reward of faith and love.
Cleave to the world, ye sordid worms,
Contented lick your native dust!
But God shall fight with all his storms,
Against the idol of your trust.
(ll. 9-20, p. 201)
Categories
Provenance
HDIS
Citation
Cowper, William. The Poems of William Cowper. 3 vols. Ed. John D. Baird and Charles Ryskamp. Oxford: Oxford UP: 1980.
Date of Entry
12/15/2003
