"But wicked man! what does he, carnal wretch, / With all his horse-like passions on full stretch?"
— Wolcot, John, pseud. Peter Pindar, (1738-1819)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
T. Evans and Robertson and Berry
Date
1793
Metaphor
"But wicked man! what does he, carnal wretch, / With all his horse-like passions on full stretch?"
Metaphor in Context
Let me confess that beauty is delicious:
To clasp it in our arms, is nice--but vicious:
That is to say, unlawful hugs--caresses
Which want those bonds which God Almighty blesses.
I do not say that we should not embrace:
We may--but then it should be done with grace:
The flesh should scarce be thought of--there's the merit:
Sweet are the palpitations of the spirit!
Pure are indeed the kisses of th' upright;
So simple, meek, and sanctified, and slight!
Good men so softly press the virgin lip!
But wicked man! what does he, carnal wretch,
With all his horse-like passions on full stretch?
The mouth, sweet cup of kisses, scorns to sip--
But with the spicy nectar waxing warm,
The knave gets drunk upon the pouting charm;
Seizes the damsel round the waist so handy;
And, as I've said before, gets drunk, the beast,
Like aldermen, the guttlers at a feast:
For ladies' lips are cherries steep'd in brandy.
To clasp it in our arms, is nice--but vicious:
That is to say, unlawful hugs--caresses
Which want those bonds which God Almighty blesses.
I do not say that we should not embrace:
We may--but then it should be done with grace:
The flesh should scarce be thought of--there's the merit:
Sweet are the palpitations of the spirit!
Pure are indeed the kisses of th' upright;
So simple, meek, and sanctified, and slight!
Good men so softly press the virgin lip!
But wicked man! what does he, carnal wretch,
With all his horse-like passions on full stretch?
The mouth, sweet cup of kisses, scorns to sip--
But with the spicy nectar waxing warm,
The knave gets drunk upon the pouting charm;
Seizes the damsel round the waist so handy;
And, as I've said before, gets drunk, the beast,
Like aldermen, the guttlers at a feast:
For ladies' lips are cherries steep'd in brandy.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "horse" and "passion" in HDIS (Poetry); confirmed in ECCO.
Citation
At least 5 entries in ECCO and ESTC (1793, 1794, 1795).
See Peter Pindar, A Poetical, Serious, and Possibly Impertinent, Epistle to the Pope: Also, a Pair of Odes to his Holiness, on his Keeping a Disorderly House; with a Pretty Little Ode to Innocence (London: T. Evans and Robertson and Berry, 1793). <Link to ESTC><Link to Google Books>
Text from The Works of Peter Pindar, 4 vols. (London: Walker and Edwards, 1816).
See Peter Pindar, A Poetical, Serious, and Possibly Impertinent, Epistle to the Pope: Also, a Pair of Odes to his Holiness, on his Keeping a Disorderly House; with a Pretty Little Ode to Innocence (London: T. Evans and Robertson and Berry, 1793). <Link to ESTC><Link to Google Books>
Text from The Works of Peter Pindar, 4 vols. (London: Walker and Edwards, 1816).
Date of Entry
07/05/2012
