"'The hero's heart is neither steel nor flint"
— Hurdis, James (1763-1801)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for J. Johnson
Date
1790
Metaphor
"'The hero's heart is neither steel nor flint"
Metaphor in Context
'Fear not,'
'Replied the Prince. 'There is not much to blame.
'To fail is human, and the soldier's lot
'Is often to miscarry. 'Twas not thine
'To strive with love and beauty, and prevail.
'I told thee 'twas not, when thy forward zeal
'Boasted its power to outbrave alike
'The frown of anger and the smile of love.
'The hero's heart is neither steel nor flint.
'Youth in the pow'rful rays of beauty's noon
'Is ice before the sun. As soon expect
'Snow to be stedfast in the midst of flame,
'As youth to look on beauty and not love.
''Twould melt a mountain, 'twould dissolve a world,
'Be wise in future, and believe thy friend,
'That Babylon may lose, but love will win.
'Cyrus may conquer all the realms on earth,
'But love still triumphs, and may conquer hi
'Replied the Prince. 'There is not much to blame.
'To fail is human, and the soldier's lot
'Is often to miscarry. 'Twas not thine
'To strive with love and beauty, and prevail.
'I told thee 'twas not, when thy forward zeal
'Boasted its power to outbrave alike
'The frown of anger and the smile of love.
'The hero's heart is neither steel nor flint.
'Youth in the pow'rful rays of beauty's noon
'Is ice before the sun. As soon expect
'Snow to be stedfast in the midst of flame,
'As youth to look on beauty and not love.
''Twould melt a mountain, 'twould dissolve a world,
'Be wise in future, and believe thy friend,
'That Babylon may lose, but love will win.
'Cyrus may conquer all the realms on earth,
'But love still triumphs, and may conquer hi
Categories
Provenance
Searching "heart" and "steel" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
Only 1 entry in ECCO and ESTC (1790).
See James Hurdis, Poems by the Author of The Village Curate, and Adriano (London: J. Johnson, 1790). <Link to ECCO>
See James Hurdis, Poems by the Author of The Village Curate, and Adriano (London: J. Johnson, 1790). <Link to ECCO>
Theme
Negated Metaphor
Date of Entry
06/10/2005
