"But when Love held the Mirror, the undeceiving Glass / Reflected all the weakness of my Soul, and made me know / My richest treasure being lost, my Honour, / All the remaining spoil cou'd not be worth / The Conqueror's Care or Value."
— Behn, Aphra (1640?-1689)
Author
Work Title
Place of Publication
London
Publisher
Printed for John Amery [etc.]
Date
1677
Metaphor
"But when Love held the Mirror, the undeceiving Glass / Reflected all the weakness of my Soul, and made me know / My richest treasure being lost, my Honour, / All the remaining spoil cou'd not be worth / The Conqueror's Care or Value."
Metaphor in Context
ANG.
All this thou'st made me know, for which I hate thee.
Had I remain'd in innocent security,
I shou'd have thought all men were born my slaves,
And worn my pow'r like lightening in my Eyes,
To have destroy'd at pleasure when offended:
--But when Love held the Mirror, the undeceiving Glass
Reflected all the weakness of my Soul, and made me know
My richest treasure being lost, my Honour,
All the remaining spoil cou'd not be worth
The Conqueror's Care or Value.
--Oh how I fell like a long worship't Idol
Discovering all the Cheat.
Wou'd not the Insence and rich Sacrifice,
Which blind Devotion offer'd at my Alters,
Have fall'n to thee?
Why wou'dst thou then destroy my fancy'd pow'r.
All this thou'st made me know, for which I hate thee.
Had I remain'd in innocent security,
I shou'd have thought all men were born my slaves,
And worn my pow'r like lightening in my Eyes,
To have destroy'd at pleasure when offended:
--But when Love held the Mirror, the undeceiving Glass
Reflected all the weakness of my Soul, and made me know
My richest treasure being lost, my Honour,
All the remaining spoil cou'd not be worth
The Conqueror's Care or Value.
--Oh how I fell like a long worship't Idol
Discovering all the Cheat.
Wou'd not the Insence and rich Sacrifice,
Which blind Devotion offer'd at my Alters,
Have fall'n to thee?
Why wou'dst thou then destroy my fancy'd pow'r.
Categories
Provenance
Searching "mirror" and "soul" in HDIS (Drama)
Date of Entry
11/30/2005
