The Task: In Six Books |
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Page 13
... worth And well tried virtues , could alone inspireWitness a joy that thou hast
doubled long . Thou know'st my praise of nature most sincere , And that my
raptures are not conjur'd up To serve occasions of poetic pomp , But genuine ,
and art ...
... worth And well tried virtues , could alone inspireWitness a joy that thou hast
doubled long . Thou know'st my praise of nature most sincere , And that my
raptures are not conjur'd up To serve occasions of poetic pomp , But genuine ,
and art ...
Page 16
Its elevated site forbids the wretch To drink sweet waters of the crystal well ; He
dips his bowl into the weedy ditch , And , heavy laden , brings his bev'rage home
, Far fetch'd and little worth ; nor seldom waits , Dependent on the baker's ...
Its elevated site forbids the wretch To drink sweet waters of the crystal well ; He
dips his bowl into the weedy ditch , And , heavy laden , brings his bev'rage home
, Far fetch'd and little worth ; nor seldom waits , Dependent on the baker's ...
Page 20
Measure life By its true worth , the comforts it affords , And theirs alone seems
worthy of the name . Good health , and its associate in the most , Good temper ;
spirits prompt to undertake , And not soon spent , though in an arduous task ; The
...
Measure life By its true worth , the comforts it affords , And theirs alone seems
worthy of the name . Good health , and its associate in the most , Good temper ;
spirits prompt to undertake , And not soon spent , though in an arduous task ; The
...
Page 28
... worth and virtue in the mild And genial soil of cultivated life Thrive most , and
may perhaps thrive only there , Yet not in cities oft : in proud , and gay , And gain -
devoted cities . Thither flow , As to a common and most noisome sewer , The ...
... worth and virtue in the mild And genial soil of cultivated life Thrive most , and
may perhaps thrive only there , Yet not in cities oft : in proud , and gay , And gain -
devoted cities . Thither flow , As to a common and most noisome sewer , The ...
Page 39
Ancient tow'rs , And roofs embattled high , the gloomy scenes Where beauty oft
and letter'd worth consume Life in the unproductive shades of death , Fall prone :
the pale inhabitants come forth , And , happy in their unforeseen release From all
...
Ancient tow'rs , And roofs embattled high , the gloomy scenes Where beauty oft
and letter'd worth consume Life in the unproductive shades of death , Fall prone :
the pale inhabitants come forth , And , happy in their unforeseen release From all
...
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Common terms and phrases
beauty beneath BOOK bounds breath cause charms cities clear close course death deep delight distant divine dream e'en earth ease effect ev'ry fair fall fancy fear feeds feel field flow'r force fruit gives glory grace green half hand happy head heart Heav'n holds hope hour human king land least leaves length less light live lost manners means mind nature never o'er once peace perhaps pleasures pow'r praise proud publick rest rise rural sake scene seek seems seen shine side sleep slow smiles song soon soul sound stands stream sweet task taste thee theme thine things thou thought thousand true truth turn vain virtue walk wind winter wisdom worth worthy
Popular passages
Page 161 - One song employs all nations ; and all cry, " Worthy the Lamb, for he was slain for us ! " The dwellers in the vales and on the rocks Shout to each other, and the mountain tops From distant mountains catch the flying joy ; Till, nation after nation taught the strain, Earth rolls the rapturous Hosanna round.
Page 41 - Support and ornament of Virtue's cause. There stands the messenger of truth: there stands The legate of the skies! — His theme divine, His office sacred, his credentials clear. By him the violated law speaks out Its thunders ; and by him, in strains as sweet As angels use, the gospel whispers peace.
Page 155 - I would not enter on my list of friends (Though graced with polished manners and fine sense, Yet wanting sensibility) the man Who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.
Page 43 - A messenger of grace to guilty men. Behold the picture ! — Is it like ? — Like whom ? The things that mount the rostrum with a skip, And then skip down again ; pronounce a text ; Cry — hem ! and reading what they never wrote, Just fifteen minutes, huddle up their work, And with a well-bred whisper close the scene...
Page 32 - I would not have a slave to till my ground, To carry me, to fan me while I sleep, And tremble when I wake, for all the wealth That sinews bought and sold have ever earn'd.
Page 42 - Himself, as conscious of his awful charge, And anxious mainly that the flock he feeds May feel it too ; affectionate in look, And tender in address, as well becomes A messenger of grace to guilty men.
Page 161 - The garden fears no blight, and needs no fence, For there is none to covet; all are full. The lion, and the libbard, and the bear, Graze with the fearless flocks; all bask at noon Together, or all gambol in the shade Of the same grove, and drink one common stream ; Antipathies are none.
Page 32 - Slaves cannot breathe in England ; if their lungs Receive our air, that moment they are free ; They touch our country, and their shackles fall. That's noble, and bespeaks a nation proud And jealous of the blessing. Spread it then, And let it circulate through every vein Of all your empire ; that, where Britain's power Is felt, mankind may feel her mercy too.
Page 32 - We have no slaves at home — then why abroad ? And they themselves once ferried o'er the wave That parts us, are emancipate and loosed. Slaves cannot breathe in England ; if their lungs Receive our air, that moment they are free; They touch our country, and their shackles fall.
Page 31 - There is no flesh in man's obdurate heart, It does not feel for man ; the natural bond Of brotherhood is sever'd as the flax That falls asunder at the touch of fire.
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Task: In Six Books |
| Author | William Cowper |
| Publisher | J. & B. Williams, 1836 |
| Original from | the New York Public Library |
| Digitized | 28 Nov 2006 |
| Length | 172 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |