"The soul, a cheering lamp, the scene illumes, / Fed with the splendour of ethereal rays, / And bright'ning still, as still the frame decays"
— Jerningham, Edward (1727-1812)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for W. Clarke
Date
1811, 1812
Metaphor
"The soul, a cheering lamp, the scene illumes, / Fed with the splendour of ethereal rays, / And bright'ning still, as still the frame decays"
Metaphor in Context
Let none imagine Grace, that sainted fair,
Descends from Heav'n to lull the sons of care:
Though Grace sits brooding o'er th' obedient soil,
Assiduous duty still demands our toil:
Nor must the cultivator e'er refuse
To watch the flow'rs enrich'd with heav'nly dews,
And with those flow'rs, by gales celestial fann'd,
Form his own garland with a trembling hand.
Though age, the night of life, around me glooms,
The soul, a cheering lamp, the scene illumes,
Fed with the splendour of ethereal rays,
And bright'ning still, as still the frame decays:
Tremendous Death! is this thy conq'ring hour?
This thy full effort of tyrannic pow'r?
The frail, the mould'ring casket is thy prey,
The jewel glitters in immortal day.
Descends from Heav'n to lull the sons of care:
Though Grace sits brooding o'er th' obedient soil,
Assiduous duty still demands our toil:
Nor must the cultivator e'er refuse
To watch the flow'rs enrich'd with heav'nly dews,
And with those flow'rs, by gales celestial fann'd,
Form his own garland with a trembling hand.
Though age, the night of life, around me glooms,
The soul, a cheering lamp, the scene illumes,
Fed with the splendour of ethereal rays,
And bright'ning still, as still the frame decays:
Tremendous Death! is this thy conq'ring hour?
This thy full effort of tyrannic pow'r?
The frail, the mould'ring casket is thy prey,
The jewel glitters in immortal day.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "soul" and "lamp" in HDIS (Poetry)
Citation
His last poem, published a few months before his death.
Text from The Old Bard's Farewell: a Poem. 2nd ed. (London: Printed for W. Clarke, 1811).
Text from The Old Bard's Farewell: a Poem. 2nd ed. (London: Printed for W. Clarke, 1811).
Date of Entry
01/19/2006