The Task, and Other Poems |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 5
Page 47
Now basket up the family of plagues , That waste our vitals ; peculation , sale Of
honour , perjury , corruption , frauds By forgery , by subterfuge of law , By tricks
and lies as num ' rous and as keen As the necessities their authors feel : Then
cast ...
Now basket up the family of plagues , That waste our vitals ; peculation , sale Of
honour , perjury , corruption , frauds By forgery , by subterfuge of law , By tricks
and lies as num ' rous and as keen As the necessities their authors feel : Then
cast ...
Page 50
... A man of letters , and of manners too ! Of manners sweet as Virtue always
wears , When gay good - natured dresses her in smiles . He grac ' d a college , *
in which order yet 785 Was sacred ; and was honour ' d , lov ' d ; and wept By
more ...
... A man of letters , and of manners too ! Of manners sweet as Virtue always
wears , When gay good - natured dresses her in smiles . He grac ' d a college , *
in which order yet 785 Was sacred ; and was honour ' d , lov ' d ; and wept By
more ...
Page 54
Forsaking thee , what shipwreck have we made Of honour , dignity , and fair
renown ! Till prostitution elbows us aside In all our crowded streets ; and senates
seem Conven ' d for the purposes of empire less Than to release the adultress
from ...
Forsaking thee , what shipwreck have we made Of honour , dignity , and fair
renown ! Till prostitution elbows us aside In all our crowded streets ; and senates
seem Conven ' d for the purposes of empire less Than to release the adultress
from ...
Page 136
... Evander , fam ' d for piety , for years Deserving honour , but for wisdom more .
Fame had not left the venerable man . A stranger to the manners of the youth ,
Whose face , too , was familiar to his view . Their way was on the margin of the
land ...
... Evander , fam ' d for piety , for years Deserving honour , but for wisdom more .
Fame had not left the venerable man . A stranger to the manners of the youth ,
Whose face , too , was familiar to his view . Their way was on the margin of the
land ...
Page 140
Desert in arts or arms Wins publick honour ; and ten thousand sit Patiently
present at a sacred song , Commemoration mad ; content to hear ( 0 wonderful
effect of musick ' s power ! ) Messiah ' s eulogy for Handel ' s sake ! But less ,
methinks ...
Desert in arts or arms Wins publick honour ; and ten thousand sit Patiently
present at a sacred song , Commemoration mad ; content to hear ( 0 wonderful
effect of musick ' s power ! ) Messiah ' s eulogy for Handel ' s sake ! But less ,
methinks ...
What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
beauty beneath BOOK bound breath cause charge charms close course death deep delights distant dream earth ease ev'ry fair fall fancy fear feed feel field folly force fruits give glory grace half hand happy head heart Heav'n hold honour hope hour human kind king land least leaves length less light live lost manners means mind nature never once peace perhaps play pleasures poor pow'r praise proud prove rest rise scene schools seek seems seen shine side sight skill sleep smile soon soul sound stands sweet task taste thee theme thine things thou thought true truth turn virtue voice wind winter wisdom wise wish wonder worth
Popular passages
Page 30 - 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 30 - As human nature's broadest, foulest blot, Chains him, and tasks him, and exacts his sweat With stripes, that Mercy with a bleeding heart Weeps, when she sees inflicted on a beast...
Page 77 - Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast, Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa round, And while the bubbling and loud-hissing urn Throws up a steamy column, and the cups, That cheer but not inebriate, wait on each, So let us welcome peaceful evening in.
Page 55 - My panting side was charged, when I withdrew To seek a tranquil death in distant shades. There was I found by one who had Himself Been hurt by th
Page 139 - The sum is this. If man's convenience, health, Or safety interfere, his rights and claims Are paramount, and must extinguish theirs. Else they are all — the meanest things that are As free to live, and to enjoy that life, As God was free to form them at the first, Who in his sovereign wisdom made them all.
Page 38 - 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 126 - Knowledge dwells In heads replete with thoughts of other men ; Wisdom in minds attentive to their own. Knowledge a rude unprofitable mass, The mere materials with which wisdom builds, Till smoothed, and squared, and fitted to its place, Does but encumber whom it seems to enrich. Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much ; Wisdom is humble that he knows no more.
Page 40 - 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 30 - 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 163 - That, viewing it, we seem almost t' obtain Our innocent sweet simple years again. This fond attachment to the well-known place, Whence first we started into life's long race, Maintains its hold with such unfailing sway, We feel it e'en in age, and at our latest day.
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Task, and Other Poems |
| Author | William Cowper |
| Publisher | George M'Dowell and Son, 1831 |
| Original from | Harvard University |
| Digitized | 1 Mar 2008 |
| Length | 179 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |