"But see how poor a wretch he is, how blind! / The Sun of Science, dawns not on his mind."
— Jones, Jenkin [Captain] (fl. 1798)
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
M. Allen
Date
1798 [1797?]
Metaphor
"But see how poor a wretch he is, how blind! / The Sun of Science, dawns not on his mind."
Metaphor in Context
Where is the man, whose mind can comprehend
Of nature's works, this great mysterious end;
Or trace that grand inexplicable plan,
Begun in brute, continu'd up to man?
Had man that genius so acutely fine
To trace of all events the vast design,
High Heav'n's mysterious attributes to know,
And all creation's hidden springs to show;
If man had pow'rs so infinitely great,
Himself a God, might other worlds create.
But see how poor a wretch he is, how blind!
The Sun of Science, dawns not on his mind:
Surrounded with impenetrable shade,
He seeks for causes ne'er to be display'd,
And, all his days in painful studies past,
Dies in a state of ignorance at last.
(p. 3)
Of nature's works, this great mysterious end;
Or trace that grand inexplicable plan,
Begun in brute, continu'd up to man?
Had man that genius so acutely fine
To trace of all events the vast design,
High Heav'n's mysterious attributes to know,
And all creation's hidden springs to show;
If man had pow'rs so infinitely great,
Himself a God, might other worlds create.
But see how poor a wretch he is, how blind!
The Sun of Science, dawns not on his mind:
Surrounded with impenetrable shade,
He seeks for causes ne'er to be display'd,
And, all his days in painful studies past,
Dies in a state of ignorance at last.
(p. 3)
Categories
Provenance
Reading at the Folger
Citation
Only 1 entry in ESTC (1798).
Jenkin Jones, Hobby Horses: A Poetic Allegory (London: Printed for M. Allen, 1798). <Link to ESTC>
Jenkin Jones, Hobby Horses: A Poetic Allegory (London: Printed for M. Allen, 1798). <Link to ESTC>
Date of Entry
05/16/2013
