"False Coin with which th'Impostor cheats us still; / The Stamp and Colour good, but Metal ill!"
— Cowley, Abraham (1618-1667)
Author
Place of Publication
London
Date
1647
Metaphor
"False Coin with which th'Impostor cheats us still; / The Stamp and Colour good, but Metal ill!"
Metaphor in Context
Beauty, Love's Scene and Maskerade,
So gay by well-plac'd Lights, and Distance made;
False Coin with which th'Impostor cheats us still;
The Stamp and Colour good, but Metal ill!
Which Light, or Base we find, when we
Weigh by Enjoyment, and examine thee!
For though thy Being be but show,
'Tis chiefly Night which Men to thee allow:
And chuse t'enjoy thee, when though least art thou.
(ll. 10-18, pp. 67-8)
So gay by well-plac'd Lights, and Distance made;
False Coin with which th'Impostor cheats us still;
The Stamp and Colour good, but Metal ill!
Which Light, or Base we find, when we
Weigh by Enjoyment, and examine thee!
For though thy Being be but show,
'Tis chiefly Night which Men to thee allow:
And chuse t'enjoy thee, when though least art thou.
(ll. 10-18, pp. 67-8)
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Cowley, Abraham. The Works of Mr. A. Cowley: In Prose and Verse. Vol. 2. London: Published by John Sharpe, 1809. <Link to Google Books>
Date of Entry
02/22/2009
Date of Review
02/26/2009
