The Task, and Other Poems |
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Page 33
With his breath he draws A plague into his blood ; and cannot use 140 Life ' s
necessary means , but he must die . Storms rise to ' erwhelm him ; or if stormy
winds Rise not , the waters of the deep shall rise , And , needing none assistance
of ...
With his breath he draws A plague into his blood ; and cannot use 140 Life ' s
necessary means , but he must die . Storms rise to ' erwhelm him ; or if stormy
winds Rise not , the waters of the deep shall rise , And , needing none assistance
of ...
Page 35
Has not God Still wrought by means since first he made the world ? And did he
not of old employ his means To drown it ? What is his creation less , . 200 Than a
capacious reservoir of means , Form ' d for his use , and ready at his will ?
Has not God Still wrought by means since first he made the world ? And did he
not of old employ his means To drown it ? What is his creation less , . 200 Than a
capacious reservoir of means , Form ' d for his use , and ready at his will ?
Page 107
of provocation giv ' n , or wrong sustain ' d , 315 And force the beggarly last doit
by means That his own humour dictates , from the clutch Of Poverty , that thus he
may procure His thousands , weary of penurious life , A splendid opportunity to ...
of provocation giv ' n , or wrong sustain ' d , 315 And force the beggarly last doit
by means That his own humour dictates , from the clutch Of Poverty , that thus he
may procure His thousands , weary of penurious life , A splendid opportunity to ...
Page 115
... Cov ' ring his shame from his offended sight . “ Hath God indeed giv ' n
appetites to man , And stor ' d the earth so plenteously with means To gratify the
hunger of his wish ; And doth he reprobate , and will he damn The use of his own
bounty ...
... Cov ' ring his shame from his offended sight . “ Hath God indeed giv ' n
appetites to man , And stor ' d the earth so plenteously with means To gratify the
hunger of his wish ; And doth he reprobate , and will he damn The use of his own
bounty ...
Page 117
He alone , And he by means in philosophick eyes Trivial and worthy of disdain ,
achieves The wonder ; humanizing what is brute In the lost kind , extracting from
the lips Of asps their venom , overpow ' ring strength By weakness , and hostility ...
He alone , And he by means in philosophick eyes Trivial and worthy of disdain ,
achieves The wonder ; humanizing what is brute In the lost kind , extracting from
the lips Of asps their venom , overpow ' ring strength By weakness , and hostility ...
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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 |