To William Hayley, Esq. June 29, 1793.

William Cowper 1731 (Berkhamsted) – 1800 (Dereham)



Dear architect of fine Chateaux in air,
Worthier to stand for ever, if they could,
Than any built of stone, or yet of wood,
For back of royal elephant to bear;
Oh for permission from the skies to share,
Much to my own, though little to thy good,
With thee, (not subject to the jealous mood!)
A partnership of literary ware!
But I am bankrupt now; and doomed henceforth
To drudge, in descant dry, on others' lays;
Bards, I acknowledge, of unequalled worth,
But what is commentator's happiest praise?
That he has furnished lights for other eyes,
Which they who need them use, and then despise.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

33 sec read
100

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABBAABCADEFEGG
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 586
Words 109
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 14

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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