Patriots of old saw "In the fair mirror of each mighty mind / Each other's worth and talent"
— Grant [née MacVicar], Anne (1755-1838)
Place of Publication
Edinburgh
Publisher
Printed by James Ballantyne and Co. for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown
Date
1814
Metaphor
Patriots of old saw "In the fair mirror of each mighty mind / Each other's worth and talent"
Metaphor in Context
Peace to the shade of each exalted name!
With different views, their ends were still the same.
Whate'er the sons of little men may deem,
Each view'd his generous rival with esteem;
No party-rage their vision clear could blind,
In the fair mirror of each mighty mind,
Each other's worth and talent still were seen,
Though meaner souls too often came between,
And, blind with party-rancour, vainly tried
The light of each illustrious name to hide;
Eclipsed by this dim orb, the Queen of Night
Thus seems, but only seems, to lose her light.
With different views, their ends were still the same.
Whate'er the sons of little men may deem,
Each view'd his generous rival with esteem;
No party-rage their vision clear could blind,
In the fair mirror of each mighty mind,
Each other's worth and talent still were seen,
Though meaner souls too often came between,
And, blind with party-rancour, vainly tried
The light of each illustrious name to hide;
Eclipsed by this dim orb, the Queen of Night
Thus seems, but only seems, to lose her light.
Categories
Provenance
Found again searching "mind" and "mirror" in HDIS (Poetry)
Date of Entry
08/22/2004