One may "play to the eye with a mere monkey's art" and leave "to sense the conquest of the heart"
— Churchill, Charles (1731-1764)
Work Title
Date
1761
Metaphor
One may "play to the eye with a mere monkey's art" and leave "to sense the conquest of the heart"
Metaphor in Context
Woodward, endow'd with various tricks of face,
Great master in the science of grimace,
From Ireland ventures, favourite of the town
Lured by the pleasing prospect of renown;
A speaking Harlequin, made up of whim,
He twists, he twines, he tortures every limb,
Plays to the eye with a mere monkey's art,
And leaves to sense the conquest of the heart.
We laugh indeed, but, on reflection's birth,
We wonder at ourselves, and curse our mirth.
His walk of parts he fatally misplaced,
And inclination fondly took for taste;
Hence hath the town so often seen display'd
Beau in burlesque, high life in masquerade.
Great master in the science of grimace,
From Ireland ventures, favourite of the town
Lured by the pleasing prospect of renown;
A speaking Harlequin, made up of whim,
He twists, he twines, he tortures every limb,
Plays to the eye with a mere monkey's art,
And leaves to sense the conquest of the heart.
We laugh indeed, but, on reflection's birth,
We wonder at ourselves, and curse our mirth.
His walk of parts he fatally misplaced,
And inclination fondly took for taste;
Hence hath the town so often seen display'd
Beau in burlesque, high life in masquerade.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "conque" and "heart" in HDIS (Poetry)
Date of Entry
02/09/2005
