 | The Art of Poetry |  |
Ode.
The Ode is bolder, and has greater force.Mounting to Heav'n in her Ambitious flight,
Amongst the Gods and Heroes takes delight ;
Off Pisa's,Wrestlers tells the Sin'ewy force,
And sings the dusty Conqueror's glorious Course :
To Simois streams does fierce Achilles bring,
And makes the Ganges bow to Britan's King.
Sometimes she flies, like an Industrious Bee,
And robs the Flow'rs by Nature's Chymistry,
Describes the Shepherds Dances, Feasts, and Bliss,
And boasts from Phyllis to surprise a Kiss,
When gently she resists with feign'd remorse,
That what she grants may seem to be by force :
Her generous stile at random oft will part,
And by a brave disorder shows her Art.
20
In all their Raptures keep exactest time,
That sing th'Illustrious Hero's mighty praise
(Lean Writers !) by the terms of Weeks and Dayes;
And dare not from least Circumstances part,
But take all Towns by strictest Rules of Art :
Apollo drives those Fops from his abode ;
And some have said, that once the humorous God
Resolving all such Scriblers to confound
For the short Sonnet order'd this strict bound :
Set Rules for the just Measure, and the Time,
The easy running, and alternate Rhyme;
But, above all, those Licenses deny'd
Which in these Writings the lame Sence Supply'd ;
Forbad an useless Line should find a place,
Or a repeated Word appear with grace.
A faultless Sonnet, finish'd thus, would be
Worth tedious Volumes of loose Poetry.
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Believe they have this only Phoenix found :
When yet th' exactest scarce have two or three
Among whole Tomes, from Faults and Censure free.
The rest, but little read, regarded less,
Are shovel'd to the Pastry from the Press.
Closing the Sence within the measur'd time,
'Tis hard to fit the Reason to the Rhyme.
| The Art of Poetry | |