King Alfred's Poems Now first turned into English Metres; By Martin F. Tupper |
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| XVII. |
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| XX. |
| XXI. |
| XXII. |
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| XXVII. |
| XXVIII. |
| XXIX. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. | XXXI. Of Man's Uprightness. |
 | King Alfred's Poems |  |
118
XXXI. Of Man's Uprightness.
Quam variis terras animalia permeant flguris!
Nempe alia extento sunt corpore, pulveremque verrunt.
Nempe alia extento sunt corpore, pulveremque verrunt.
Hwæt thu meaht ongitan
Gif his the geman list
Thæt te mislice. &c.
Gif his the geman list
Thæt te mislice. &c.
Yet more, thou mayst know,
If it list thee to mind,
That many things go
Over earth in their kind,
Unlike to the view
In shape as in hue.
If it list thee to mind,
That many things go
Over earth in their kind,
Unlike to the view
In shape as in hue.
Known or unknown
Some forms of them all
On earth lying prone
Must creep and must crawl;
By feathers help'd not,
Nor walking with feet,
As it is their lot
Earth they must eat.
Some forms of them all
On earth lying prone
Must creep and must crawl;
By feathers help'd not,
Nor walking with feet,
As it is their lot
Earth they must eat.
119
Twofooted these,
Fourfooted those,
Each one with ease
Its going wellknows,
Some flying high
Under the sky.
Fourfooted those,
Each one with ease
Its going wellknows,
Some flying high
Under the sky.
Yet to this earth
Is everything bound,
Bowed from its birth
Down to the ground,
Looking on clay
And leaning to dust,
Some as they may
And some as they must.
Is everything bound,
Bowed from its birth
Down to the ground,
Looking on clay
And leaning to dust,
Some as they may
And some as they must.
Man alone goes
Of all things upright,—
Whereby he shows
That his mind and his might
Ever should rise
Up to the skies.
Of all things upright,—
Whereby he shows
That his mind and his might
Ever should rise
Up to the skies.
Unless like the beast
His mind is intent
Downwards to feast,—
It cannot be meant
That any man
So far should sink
Upwards to scan
Yet—downwards to think!
His mind is intent
Downwards to feast,—
It cannot be meant
120
So far should sink
Upwards to scan
Yet—downwards to think!
| King Alfred's Poems | |