Horace, Book I. Ode IX.

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



Seest thou yon mountain laden with deep snow,
The groves beneath their fleecy burden bow,
The streams congeal'd, forget to flow,
Come, thaw the cold, and lay a cheerful pile
Of fuel on the hearth;
Broach the best cask and make old winter smile
With seasonable mirth.

This be our part -- let Heaven dispose the rest;
If Jove command, the winds shall sleep,
That now wage war upon the foamy deep,
And gentle gales spring from the balmy west.

E'en let us shift to-morrow as we may,
When to-morrow's passed away,
We at least shall have to say,
We have lived another day;
Your auburn locks will soon be silver'd o'er,
Old age is at our heels, and youth returns no more.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

39 sec read
57

Quick analysis:

Scheme AXABXBX CDDC EEEEXX
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 656
Words 125
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 7, 4, 6

William Cowper

William Macquarie Cowper was an Australian Anglican archdeacon and Dean of Sydney. more…

All William Cowper poems | William Cowper Books

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