Analysis of Historical Epilogue To The Brothers. A Tragedy.
Edward Young 1681 (Upham) – 1765 (Welwyn)
An Epilogue, through custom, is your right,
But ne'er perhaps was needful till this night:
To-night the virtuous falls, the guilty flies,
Guilt's dreadful close our narrow scene denies.
In history's authentic record read
What ample vengeance gluts Demetrius' shade;
Vengeance so great, that, when his tale is told,
With pity some e'en Perseus may behold.
Perseus surviv'd, indeed, and fill'd the throne,
But ceaseless cares in conquest made him groan:
Nor reign'd he long; from Rome swift thunder flew,
And headlong from his throne the tyrant threw:
Thrown headlong down, by Rome in triumph led,
For this night's deed his perjur'd bosom bled:
His brother's ghost each moment made him start,
And all his father's anguish rent his heart.
When, rob'd in black, his children round him hung,
And their rais'd arms in early sorrow wrung;
The younger smil'd, unconscious of their woe;
At which thy tears, O Rome! began to flow;
So sad the scene! What then must Perseus feel,
To see Jove's race attend the victor's wheel:
To see the slaves of his worst foes increase,
From such a source!--An emperor's embrace!
He sicken'd soon to death; and, what is worse,
He well deserv'd, and felt, the coward's curse;
Unpitied, scorn'd, insulted his last hour,
Far, far from home, and in a vassal's power:
His pale cheek rested on his shameful chain,
No friend to mourn, no flatterer to feign;
No suit retards, no comfort soothes his doom,
And not one tear bedews a monarch's tomb.
Nor ends it thus--dire vengeance to complete,
His ancient empire falling shares his fate:
His throne forgot! his weeping country chain'd!
And nations ask--where Alexander reign'd.
As public woes a prince's crime pursue,
So public blessings are his virtue's due.
Shout, Britons, shout--auspicious fortune bless!
And cry, Long live--Our title to success!
Scheme | AABBCDEEFFGGCCHHIIJJKKLMNNOOPPQQRSTTGGUU |
---|---|
Poetic Form | Tetractys (20%) |
Metre | 110110111 1101110111 11010010101 11011010101 0100010011 11010101001 1011111111 110111100101 10001010101 1101010111 1111111101 011110101 111110101 1111110101 1101110111 0111010111 1101110111 0111010101 010110111 1111110111 11011111001 1111010101 1101111101 1101110001 1101110111 1101010101 110101110 1111000110 1111011101 11111111 1101110111 01111011 1111110101 11010010111 1101110101 010110101 1101010101 110101111 1101010101 01111010101 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,777 |
Words | 302 |
Sentences | 15 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 40 |
Lines Amount | 40 |
Letters per line (avg) | 35 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 1,406 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 301 |
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Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:38 min read
- 3 Views
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"Historical Epilogue To The Brothers. A Tragedy." Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 May 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/55081/historical-epilogue-to-the-brothers.-a-tragedy.>.
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