Stones from The Quarry or, Moods of Mind. By Henry Browne [i.e. Henry Ellison] |
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MODERN LITERATURE, OR DELUGE NO. II. |
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 | Stones from The Quarry |  |
MODERN LITERATURE, OR DELUGE NO. II.
'Tis hard work now to get a breathing-space,And keep our heads above the water! Wave
On wave the daily papers come, and crave
The swimmer's skill to keep up in the race.
Next a “trikumia”, 'gainst which we brace
Our nerves; a roller huge, of matter grave;
With lighter crest of foam, in which we have
Reviews, tales, poems, 'whelming us apace.
Like a spent swimmer we must sink at last
In the great sea of ink. “Cave ab homine
Unius libri!” Ah! his day is past!
Had we all Argus' eyes vain would it be;
And brains to boot—not Hercules so vast,
Not Pallas' self so wistful, task did see.
| Stones from The Quarry | |