Analysis of A Pastoral Between Thirsis And Corydon, Upon The Death Of Damon, By Whom Is Meant Mr. W. Riddell
James Thomson 1700 (Port Glasgow) – 1748 (London)
Thir.
Say, tell me true, what is the doleful cause
That Corydon is not the man he was?
Your cheerful presence used to lighten cares,
And from the plains to banish gloomy fears.
Whene'er unto the circling swains you sung
Our ravish'd souls upon the music hung;
The gazing, listening flocks forgot their meat,
While vocal grottos did your lays repeat:
But now your gravity our mirth rebukes,
And in your downcast and desponding looks
Appears some fatal and impending woe;
I fear to ask, and yet desire to know.
Cor.
The doleful news, how shall I, Thirsis, tell!
In blooming youth the hapless Damon fell:
He's dead, he's dead, and with him all my joy;
The mournful thought does all gay forms destroy:
This is the cause of my unusual grief,
Which sullenly admits of no relief.
Thir.
Begone all mirth! begone all sports and play,
To a deluge of grief and tears give way.
Damon the just, the generous, and the young,
Must Damon's worth and merit be unsung?
No, Corydon, the wondrous youth you knew
How as in years so he in virtue grew;
Embalm his fame in never dying verse,
As a just tribute to his doleful hearse.
Cor.
Assist me, mighty grief, my breast inspire
With generous heats and with thy wildest fire,
While in a solemn and a mournful strain
Of Damon gone for ever I complain.
Ye muses, weep; your mirth and songs forbear,
And for him sigh and shed a friendly tear;
He was your favourite, and by your aid
In charming verse his witty thoughts array'd;
He had of knowledge, learning, wit, a store,
To it denied he still press'd after more.
He was a pious and a virtuous soul,
And still press'd forward to the heavenly goal;
He was a faithful, true, and constant friend,
Faithful, and true, and constant to the end.
Ye flowers, hang down and droop your heads,
No more around your grateful odours spread;
Ye leafy trees, your blooming honours shed,
Damon for ever from your shade is fled;
Fled to the mansions of eternal light,
Where endless wonders strike his happy sight.
Ye birds, be mute, as through the trees you fly,
Mute as the grave wherein my friend does lie.
Ye winds, breathe sighs as through the air you rove,
And in sad pomp the trembling branches move.
Ye gliding brooks, O weep your channels dry,
My flowing tears them fully shall supply;
You in soft murmurs may your grief express,
And yours, you swains, in mournful songs compress.
I to some dark and gloomy shade will fly,
Dark as the grave wherein my friend does lie;
And for his death to lonely rocks complain
In mournful accents and a dying strain,
While pining echo answers me again.
Scheme | Abbxxccddxxee Affxagg Ahhccxaii Aaajjaakkaallmmxnnnooppxxapqqppjjx |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1 1111110101 11110111 1101011101 0101110101 1100100111 1011010101 01010010111 110111101 11110010101 0011011 0111000101 11110101011 1 010111111 0101010101 1111011111 0101111101 1101110101 11011101 1 11111101 1010110111 10010100001 1101010101 11010111 1101110101 0111010101 1011011101 1 0111011101 110010111010 1001000101 1101110101 110111011 0111010101 11110111 0101110101 1111010101 1101111101 11010001001 01110101001 1101010101 1001010101 110110111 110111011 110111011 1011011111 1101010101 1101011101 1111110111 1101011111 1111110111 00110100101 1101111101 1101110101 1011011101 0111010110 1111010111 1101011111 0111110101 0101000101 1101010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 2,558 |
Words | 466 |
Sentences | 22 |
Stanzas | 4 |
Stanza Lengths | 13, 7, 9, 34 |
Lines Amount | 63 |
Letters per line (avg) | 32 |
Words per line (avg) | 7 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 498 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 116 |
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Submitted on May 13, 2011
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 2:22 min read
- 71 Views
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"A Pastoral Between Thirsis And Corydon, Upon The Death Of Damon, By Whom Is Meant Mr. W. Riddell" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/20552/a-pastoral-between-thirsis-and-corydon%2C-upon-the-death-of-damon%2C-by-whom-is-meant-mr.-w.-riddell>.
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