"Julius! thou proof how mists of pride may blind / The eye of reason in the strongest mind!"
— Hayley, William (1745-1820)
Author
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed by A. Strahan ... for T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies [etc.]
Date
1800
Metaphor
"Julius! thou proof how mists of pride may blind / The eye of reason in the strongest mind!"
Metaphor in Context
Julius! thou proof how mists of pride may blind
The eye of reason in the strongest mind!
It was thy fatal weakness to believe
Thy sculptur'd form from Romans might receive
Homage as tame as Asian slaves could pay
Their Babylonish king, of boundless sway,
Where all, for leave his city gate to pass,
Bent to his statue of imperial brass.
With equal pomp, by vain ambition plac'd,
Thy sculptur'd form the Capitol disgrac'd;
For, on a trampled globe, insulting sense,
It sought to awe the world with proud pretence.
Nor didst thou only in thy proper frame
Call Art to second thy aspiring aim:
Thy fav'rite steed, from whose portentous birth
Augurs announc'd thy reign o'er all this earth,
Nurs'd with fond care, bestrid by thee alone,
In Sculpture's consecrated beauty shone.
Before the fane of that celestial power,
Said, with parental smiles, to bless thy natal hour.
Misguided Julius! all the wide control
Which force and frankness in thy fearless soul
To thy firm grasp delusively assur'd,
Consummate cunning to thy heir secur'd.
The eye of reason in the strongest mind!
It was thy fatal weakness to believe
Thy sculptur'd form from Romans might receive
Homage as tame as Asian slaves could pay
Their Babylonish king, of boundless sway,
Where all, for leave his city gate to pass,
Bent to his statue of imperial brass.
With equal pomp, by vain ambition plac'd,
Thy sculptur'd form the Capitol disgrac'd;
For, on a trampled globe, insulting sense,
It sought to awe the world with proud pretence.
Nor didst thou only in thy proper frame
Call Art to second thy aspiring aim:
Thy fav'rite steed, from whose portentous birth
Augurs announc'd thy reign o'er all this earth,
Nurs'd with fond care, bestrid by thee alone,
In Sculpture's consecrated beauty shone.
Before the fane of that celestial power,
Said, with parental smiles, to bless thy natal hour.
Misguided Julius! all the wide control
Which force and frankness in thy fearless soul
To thy firm grasp delusively assur'd,
Consummate cunning to thy heir secur'd.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mind" and "eye" in HDIS (Poetry)
Theme
Mind's Eye
Date of Entry
04/17/2006
