"Canst thou be silent? No; for Wit is thine; / And Wit talks most when least she has to say, / And Reason interrupts not her career."
— Young, Edward (bap. 1683, d. 1765)
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for G. Hawkins
Date
1745
Metaphor
"Canst thou be silent? No; for Wit is thine; / And Wit talks most when least she has to say, / And Reason interrupts not her career."
Metaphor in Context
From this thy just annihilation rise,
Lorenzo! rise to something, by reply.
The World, thy client, listens and expects;
And longs to crown thee with immortal praise.
Canst thou be silent? No; for Wit is thine;
And Wit talks most when least she has to say,
And Reason interrupts not her career.
She'll say, that "mists above the mountains rise;"
And with a thousand pleasantries amuse.
She'll sparkle, puzzle, flutter, raise a dust,
And fly conviction in the dust she raised.
(p. 180, ll. 1221-1231)
Lorenzo! rise to something, by reply.
The World, thy client, listens and expects;
And longs to crown thee with immortal praise.
Canst thou be silent? No; for Wit is thine;
And Wit talks most when least she has to say,
And Reason interrupts not her career.
She'll say, that "mists above the mountains rise;"
And with a thousand pleasantries amuse.
She'll sparkle, puzzle, flutter, raise a dust,
And fly conviction in the dust she raised.
(p. 180, ll. 1221-1231)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Uniform title published in 9 volumes, from 1742 to 1745. At least 133 reprintings after 1745 in ESTC (1747, 1748, 1749, 1750, 1751, 1752, 1755, 1756, 1757, 1758, 1760, 1761, 1762, 1764, 1765, 1766, 1767, 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, 1773, 1774, 1775, 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, 1780, 1782, 1783, 1785, 1786, 1787, 1788, 1789, 1790, 1791, 1792, 1793, 1794, 1795, 1796, 1797, 1798, 1800).
Edward Young, The Complaint. Or, Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality. Night the Eighth. Virtue's Apology: Or, The Man of the World Answer'd. (London: Printed for G. Hawkins, 1745).
Text from The Complete Works, Poetry and Prose, of the Rev. Edward Young, LL.D., 2 vols. (London: William Tegg, 1854). <Link to Google Books>
Reading Edward Young, Night Thoughts, ed. Stephen Cornford (New York: Cambridge UP, 1989).
Edward Young, The Complaint. Or, Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality. Night the Eighth. Virtue's Apology: Or, The Man of the World Answer'd. (London: Printed for G. Hawkins, 1745).
Text from The Complete Works, Poetry and Prose, of the Rev. Edward Young, LL.D., 2 vols. (London: William Tegg, 1854). <Link to Google Books>
Reading Edward Young, Night Thoughts, ed. Stephen Cornford (New York: Cambridge UP, 1989).
Date of Entry
09/02/2013
